SERIES D --- YHVH’S TABERNACLE --- LESSON 18

THE SACRIFICE

OFFERINGS TO ADONAI

From Leviticus 9

The seven days of the consecration ceremony for Aaron and his sons had passed. On the eighth day, Moses called together Aaron, his sons and the elders of Israel. Offer a perfect bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, Moses told Aaron. They must be without blemish and must be offered to Adonai. Tell the people of Israel to take a male goat for a sin offering, also a calf and a lamb, both of them a year old and without blemish, for a burnt offering. For peace offerings they must sacrifice an ox and a ram and a grain offering of flour mixed with oil. Do all of these things, for today Adonai will appear to the people. The people of Israel brought what Moses commanded them and they stood with these things before the entrance to the tabernacle. When you have done all that Adonai has Commanded you, the glory of Adonai will appear to you, Moses told the people. Then he gave further instructions to Aaron. Go to the altar and offer your sin offering and burnt offering, he said. Make atonement for yourself and for your people. Prepare the people’s offering and make atonement for them as Adonai has Commanded. Aaron went to the altar and killed the calf to be used for the sin offering for himself. His sons presented the blood to him and he dipped his finger in it and put some of it on the horns of the altar and then poured the rest of it at the base of the altar. Then he burned the fat, the kidneys and the lobe of the liver of this calf as a burnt offering upon the altar, with the smoke rising upward, as Adonai had Commanded Moses. But he burned the meat and the skin of the calf outside the camp. After that, Aaron killed the animal to be used for the burnt offering. When Aaron’s sons presented the blood of the animal to him, he sprinkled it around the altar. His sons also presented the animal in pieces to Aaron and he burned each piece upon the altar. He washed the entrails and legs and burned them also upon the altar as a burnt offering. After that, Aaron killed the goat to be used for the people’s offering and offered it for sin in the same way he had made the offering for himself. The people’s burnt offering was presented to Adonai just as He had Commanded. The grain offering was presented next. Aaron took a handful of the mixture and burned it upon the altar along with the usual morning burnt offering. He then killed the ox and the ram which were to be used for the people’s peace offering. Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him and he sprinkled it around the altar. The fat of the ox and the ram, including the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys and the lobe of the liver and the fat on the breasts was placed upon the altar and offered up in fire and smoke. Aaron then waved the breasts and right shoulders toward Adonai, as a gesture of presenting them to Adonai, as Moses had commanded. Finally, Aaron stretched forth his hands toward the people and blessed them. After making the sin offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings, Aaron stepped down from the altar. Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle for a while and when they returned and blessed the people, the glory of Adonai appeared before all the people. Fire came from the presence of Adonai and burned up the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar. When all of the people saw the fire, they cried out and fell before Adonai with their faces to the ground.

COMMENTARY

OFFERINGS AT THE ALTAR

When the word {offering} is used today, most people think of money put into a cup or placed on a plate during worship services. But in biblical times, the word usually meant animals or food sacrificed to YHVH on an altar. When an Israelite had committed a sin and wanted to atone and bring himself back to YHVH, he brought a sin offering to the tabernacle altar. What animal was to be used depended on the finances of the sinner. If he was poor, the sinner could bring turtledoves, pigeons, even flour. The average Israelite brought a nanny goat or a lamb. Rulers sacrificed hilly goats. Priests used a young bull. The sinner placed his hand on the sacrifice, perhaps in order to identify the animal as his substitute. The death of the animal was atonement for the sins of that person. Certain pieces of the animal’s fat, its kidneys and liver were burnt on the altar. Some edible parts were given to the priest and the rest burnt outside the tabernacle. Recovery from certain illnesses also called for a burnt offering. When an animal was totally offered to YHVH, it was completely burnt at the altar. The peace offering was one of praise, thanks or special prayer. The animal was killed at the courtyard entrance, and then treated in the same way as a sin offering.