“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.”
Animal sacrifice is the practice of slaughtering animals as religious offerings. Today, this probably seems like an antiquated, fringe practice for barbaric religions.
So it might be surprising to learn that, in the Old Testament, God actually commands His people to sacrifice animals to Him. These are often referred to as "burnt offerings." I was definitely shocked when I first became a Christian and learned about this, but God had a greater purpose planned.
When God Required Sacrifice
“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present an animal as an offering to the Lord, you may take it from your herd of cattle or your flock of sheep and goats.”
Arguably, animal sacrifice in the Bible dates all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had sinned and became aware they were naked (Genesis 3:7), so God took an animal's life to make clothing for them (Genesis 3:21). This was the first death in all of creation—and it happened in order to cover sin.
When Noah exited the ark after 40 days at sea, he sacrificed burnt offerings in worship of God (Genesis 8:20-21). This practice of animal sacrifice continued under the Old Testament’s Levitical Law (Leviticus 1:2).
Why was sacrifice required?
“According to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”
We know from the Bible that the cost of sinning is spiritual death (Romans 6:23). In order to make atonement for that cost, the shedding of blood was required (Leviticus 17:11). Since the consequences of sin cost us our lives—both physically and spiritually (as eternal separation from God)—atonement must cost a life.
The Israelites were commanded by God to atone for their sins with animal sacrifices (Leviticus 4:27; Leviticus 16). The animal would essentially die in their place.
These animals actually cost the owner a lot because they had to come from their own flock. Plus, they had to be "without blemish"—that is, no defects or sickness (Leviticus 4:32-35; Leviticus 22:20). Basically, they couldn’t sacrifice a faulty, dead, or diseased animal.
Animal Sacrifices = Temporary Atonement
“I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”
Unfortunately, the sacrifices only offered temporary forgiveness from God (Hebrews 10:4). The Israelites would have to return to the tabernacle or temple periodically to make more sacrifices to cover their sins again and again.
In the Old Testament, we find lots of passages that allude to the (ultimate) futility of animal sacrifice (Hosea 6:6; 1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 51:16-17). This sacrificial system was never meant to be a one-time solution for sin.
Even though people knew animal sacrifices were futile, they weren't some arbitrary practice that God set up "just because." He had another plan in mind for the future, but He wanted humanity to understand that blood must be shed to atone for sins.
The Final Sacrifice = Forever Atonement
“Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”
From the beginning, God planned for His Son, Jesus, to be the perfect sacrifice, who would perfectly atone for the sins of humanity (1 John 2:2). Jesus—who was both fully God and fully man—is "without blemish" or sin (1 Peter 1:19).
The prophet Isaiah wrote prophecies about the Savior of the world, who would be led like a "lamb to the slaughter," and on this person would be laid the iniquities (sin) of us all (Isaiah 53:5, 7). This is how Jesus became the Lamb of God—when He sacrificed Himself for our sin (John 1:29).
Through the power of God, our sin was laid upon Jesus as He died on the cross. He became our representative to pay for our sins—past, present and future—and grant us eternal life with our Creator (John 3:16-17). His resurrection proved that His sacrifice was acceptable (1 Corinthians 15).
Connecting the Dots
“[Jesus] gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.”
By introducing the concept of animal sacrifice for sin, people were able to more easily recognize the idea of Jesus dying in our place. The events of Jesus' crucifixion have many parallels with Old Testament animal sacrifices (Hebrews 7:27).
Throughout the Old Testament, believers came to salvation because they believed that God would someday take care of their sin problem (Hebrews 10:1-10). Today, we look back, believing that He has already taken care of our sins on the cross (Hebrews 9:28).
We no longer need to sacrifice animals to God to atone for our sins today because we have Jesus. Our response to God's forgiveness shouldn't be to sacrifice animals, but to sacrifice our time, efforts, and entire lives in worship to God.
“Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”