Sacrifices in the Old Testament Part 1

In Leviticus, God outlined 5 sacrifices: The burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering and the peace offering. Each one had a different function and method. In this episode of Bible Backdrop, we'll look at the first two sacrifices and go into a few details regarding each one. 

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Transcript

The farmer moved at a steady pace up the pathway. In his hands was a basket of his finest flour mixed with olive oil...just as the law of God required. His family had been making this offering for generations. Since they grew crops of wheat and barley, this was the sacrifice required; a grain offering from the best of his crop.

Finally, he came to his destination. The priest was standing by the altar and inspected the contents of the farmer’s basket. The mixture could not contain any yeast or honey and the farmer made sure this was the case. Satisfied, the priest smiled at him and took up a handful as directed in the Torah. With the flour and oil mixture, he added some incense and threw it on the fire of the altar. When the oil hit it, a flame leapt up and the man closed his eyes and recited his prayer. He was thankful for God’s provision and prayed for his family and the nation. Opening his eyes, the priest nodded and the farmer handed him the basket. This would go to the priests who had no landed inheritance but were sustained with a portion of the sacrifices.

Turning to walk away, the farmer saw others coming to the priest with their own sacrifices. Some had goats or sheep; others were farmers like him, bringing in their finest crops. He heard a cooing noise and realized someone had brought doves. All of these would eventually find their way to the altar. The farmer continued on his way home and recited a hymn he had recently heard. A hymn of praise and thanksgiving. There was much to be thankful for.

Hello again and welcome to the next episode of Bible Backdrop. In the next two episodes, we’ll be looking at the 5 voluntary sacrifices God outlined in the book of Leviticus: the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the peace offering and the guilt offering. Each of these had a different function, reason and method of sacrifice. In this episode, we’ll discuss the first two.

First, let’s look at the burnt offering that’s described in Leviticus 1. The offering had to be a male and without blemish. When the offering was brought in, the priest inspected it to be sure it was suitable. Then the person who brought it in would lay their hands on the animal and then they would be the one to cut it’s jugular so that the animal died quickly and the blood would be drained. The priest would then take the blood and sprinkle it on the altar.

After this was done, the animal was skinned and cut into pieces by the priest. Then it was arranged on the altar in a particular way with the wood. The head, which had been removed during the skinning process, and the suet, which is the fat surrounding the kidneys and other parts, were specifically called out. The suet would increase the flame and make the offering burn quicker. 

One thing I found odd was verse 9: “Its entrails, however, and its legs you shall wash with water.” In researching, the entrails included both intestines and the stomach. These could be filled with bile and other not so nice things and they could be pierced during the skinning process. Burning this would have been unpleasant, so washing them prevented that from happening. The legs were washed because they were probably covered in dirt and grime from walking through the fields. Again, the sacrifice had to be clean before it was acceptable.

The first verses in this chapter deal with a young bull as a sacrifice. Later verses talk about what to do if it’s a ram or goat. Everything else is the same, except that it was sacrificed on the north side of the altar. From the last episode on the Tabernacle, we learned that the entrance faced east. So a person coming into the courtyard would go to the right. Why was this direction given specifically here? It may have been that all the sacrifices were killed here but simply specified in these verses. Commentators I’ve read believe that this was the most suitable place since the east side was the ash heap, the west side had the bronze laver, and the south side had the steps leading to the altar. Also, it seems that the sheep or goat were not skinned unlike the bull. 

Finally, an offering could be made with a bird; either turtledoves or young pigeons. These were easy to find for an offering and were used by the poor. The priest would wring off its head and then drained the blood by pressing the body against the altar. The crop and feathers were removed for the same reasons as the other animals, but these were not washed. They were thrown in with the ashes on the east side while the body of the bird was burned on the altar.

After it was killed and placed on the altar, the entire sacrifice would be burned up. Many sacrifices included giving a portion of the meat to the priests and/or the person making the sacrifice. In this case, though, there was to be nothing left. The entire body would be burned up.

The next offering is the grain offering. As described in the story earlier, farmers who specialized in planting wheat or barley could make an offering of their produce. This was completely acceptable as a sacrifice even if an animal wasn’t involved. Looking at Leviticus 2, the offering could be made with either ground flour or fully baked bread. One rule is that the bread could not have yeast or honey. Yeast, or leaven, was often seen as a symbol of sin and it could not be part of the sacrifice. As for honey, one commentary says that honey was often sacrificed to pagan gods and God did not want His people doing the same. 

There were different instructions about how the bread could be prepared. If it was baked in an oven and were thick loaves, it should have olive oil in the bread. Thin loaves were to have the oil brushed on it. Like the fat for the burnt offering, the olive oil would help the sacrifice burn quicker. The bread could also be prepared on a griddle which was a flat plate heated over a fire. The bread in this case would most likely be thin and resembled a pancake. The priest was to crumble it up and pour olive oil on it before putting it on the altar. Finally, it could be prepared in a pan which was more like what we would would call a dutch oven. The bread would either be heated in oil or boiled in water like a dumpling. 

Salt was always to be included in the grain offering. In Leviticus it is called the “salt of the covenant.” Salt was a symbol of friendship and covenants were sealed with a meal in which salt was prevalent. Later, Jesus used salt often as an example for living according to His commandments. I’ll discuss that in a later episode.

Leviticus 2 wraps up with some instructions regarding the first fruits. This was a sacrifice described in Deuteronomy 26. This was a tithe, or tenth, of the best produce from the crop. It seems that, according to Leviticus, a portion of this grain was roasted beforehand and then brought to the priest. This portion was mixed with olive oil and incense and then burned on the altar as a “memorial portion.” When we read Deuteronomy 26, part of the offering included the one bringing the sacrifice reciting a song reminding them how God had rescued them from Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land. This was probably sung while the memorial portion was being burned. The remainder of the tithe was given to the priests and was also available for the widows and the poor. God would use this to make sure all His people had enough food.

On that note, I think we’ll stop here for this episode. If you are enjoying Bible Backdrop, please leave a 5 star rating and review. If you want to get in touch with the show, you can e-mail me at BibleBackdrop@gmail.com. Word of mouth is still the best way for this podcast to grow, so please tell a friend and have them subscribe. Thank you again for listening and have a great week!