Atonement and Animal Sacrifices
How far back can we trace the origin of animal sacrifice in the Bible? See Gen. 3:21, 4:3–5.
In the Bible, the sacrificial victim and the repentant sinner who brought it were identified with each other so closely that the life of the animal stood for the life of the person, and the animal’s blood became a means of atonement (Lev. 17:11).
Read Leviticus 17:11. What is the important message of this text to us?
A lot of symbolism is found in the biblical sacrificial system. First, because the death of an animal stood for the death of the individual, the sacrificial act was an act of salvation, a manifestation of God’s grace and love. He was willing to accept the death of another creature in order to preserve the life of humans and to continue fellowshiping with them. Second, according to the Bible, the life of an animal could not really atone for the life of a sinner; consequently, the death of sacrificial victims had a symbolic function only. It pointed beyond itself to the death of the Seed of the woman, Jesus, who would give His life as a ransom in place of many (Mark 10:45). Third, the killing of the sacrificial animal also illustrated the seriousness of sin and the costliness of forgiveness. Taking the life of an animal must have been very painful to Adam and Eve; probably to most Israelites, as well. The process helped them understand that sin is inseparable from death and that forgiveness is not the same as overlooking sin. The price God will pay for our redemption will be the “precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Pet. 1:19, NIV).
At the moment sin entered into the world, God instituted a sacrificial system that had these symbolic and teaching functions. The first sacrifice that Adam and Eve offered was a wonderful explosion of hope in the coming Redeemer, a hope offered in the midst of the pain of guilt and death.
| How seriously do you take the problem of sin? The answer can be found by how you answer the next question: How much suffering do you put yourself through trying to overcome it? See 1 Pet. 4:1 |
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