Showing posts with label Burnt Offering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burnt Offering. Show all posts

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Nu. 28: Offerings and Feasts

Numbers 28:2 "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: 'See that you present to me at the appointed time the food for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me.'"

How about another review of the offerings and feasts? (click to enlarge)

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Lev. 22: Keep It Clean, Priesty.

God clearly did not want priests screwing up the offerings that the Israelites brought. This is evidenced by further instructions and guidelines given in Leviticus 22.

The Israelites went to the trouble, both physically and spiritually, to center their hearts, to select a sacrifice without defect, be clean, and bring this sacrifice to the altar. To make an offering (as a priest) while ritually unclean was to desecrate the very name of God. This was punishable by being cut off from one's people. To treat the ceremony with irreverence, meant death. I'm looking at you, Nadab and Abihu. In order to make the atonement count, the one making the offering had to be absolutely pure.

One could become ceremonially unclean as a priest in virtually the same ways one could become ceremonially unclean as laity. You know, having skin disease or discharge, emission, touching unclean things. If any of these applied, he had to wash up, become clean, wait for the sun to go down, and then he eat of the offering, as that was his grub.

The offering food was fair game to anyone in the priest's family. That included hired help (slaves). But, if his daughter married some dude who wasn't a priest, she couldn't eat from the offerings. She belonged to the house of another at that point, apparently. But if she gets divorced or widowed before having children and comes back to papa, she is allowed to eat again. Of the offering, that is.

Any unauthorized one munching offering accidentally had to repay the cost of the animal, plus 20%.

We've heard all along that the male sacrifice must be without defect. Well, here in Lev. 22:22, we get specific guidelines as to what constitutes a defect: blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores, or an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. Ouch. Those could not be offered as a burnt offering. Deformed or stunted oxen or sheep were acceptable as a freewill offering, but not as fulfillment of a vow.

All of these were somewhat repetitive, but...I still don't have all the offerings straight, and I have them clearly right in front of me. How these Israelites managed to do it without the Bible is beyond me. I guess it takes practice. Years and years of bloody, gruesome practice.

God again demands holiness at the end of chapter 22. He is the one who makes things holy, so people should not make effort to make things unholy.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Lev. 1: The Burnt Offering

All right, so this is how life is going to be for the Israelites beginning in Leviticus 1. God tells Moses the stipulations for the burnt offering which will take place each year. The person bringing the offering has a role, and the priests have a role as well. There are also three different types of burnt offerings that are acceptable to God: From the herd, from the flock, and a bird.

The instructions here are as follows:

From the Herd

Stipulations for the sacrificed animal (young bull)
  • Male without defect
  • Presented at the Tent of Meeting in order to ensure that is acceptable to God
Role of the sacrificer
  • Lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering (This in effect transfers the sin from the person to the animal)
  • Slaughter the animal
  • Skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces
  • Wash the inner parts and the legs with water
Role of the sons of Aaron (The Priests)
  • Sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
  • Start the fire on the altar
  • Arrange the pieces of the sacrifice
  • Burn the sacrifice on the altar

From the Flock

Stipulations for the sacrificed animal (sheep or goat)
  • Male without defect
Role of the sacrificer
  • Slaughter the animal at the north side of the altar (Was this so things were orderly, or was there a significance to this placement?)
  • Cut it into pieces
  • Wash the inner parts and the legs with water
Role of the sons of Aaron (The Priests)
  • Sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
  • Start the fire on the altar
  • Arrange the pieces of the sacrifice
  • Burn the sacrifice on the altar

From the Birds

Stipulations for the sacrificed animal (dove or young pigeon)
  • That its a dove or a young pigeon, apparently
Role of the sacrificer
  • None given here...presumably just to bring the offering to the altar
Role of the sons of Aaron (The Priests)
  • Wring off the neck (Like what Mental did to Petey)
  • Burn the sacrifice on the altar
  • Drain the blood on the side of the altar
  • Remove the crop and its contents, and toss 'em to the east of the altar (toward the entrance) where the ashes of previously burnt sacrifices are. The crop was where food was stored before it gets to the stomach. This was probably removed because it was not consecrated food. My guess.
  • Tear it open by the wings, but not sever it completely. This is the same as what happened in Gen. 15:10, when Abraham didn't cut the birds in half as he sought confirmation of God's covenant with him.
After every one of these three examples of burnt offerings are described, this phrase follows: "It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD." As I've stated before, I don't imagine the stench of burning flesh is what is pleasing to God. What pleases Him is the heart of the person offering the sacrifice in order to once again become clean in God's sight. The person is "square with the house" again, their sins paid for by this sacrifice.

People had to do this constantly. Millions of people. Gross, basically.

Another thing is that sin is death, as described by God in Gen. 2:17. God was unable to identify with a person, unless the sin was completely out of his life. This was the purpose of the sacrifice. But it had to be done year after year, and each individual had to bring their own sacrifice. There was no "Once for all," by the priests, the animal, or the sacrificer. In a way, this was set up to fail. The intent was that this outward action of bringing an animal from one's own herd or flock would go hand in hand with an inner movement to regain fellowship with God on a personal level. I believe that the burnt offering was never really symbolically "complete," due to the fact that ashes were left over. There were still remnants of what was with the sin.

Burnt offerings were also made by Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (Gen. 22:13), and Jethro (Gen. 18:12).

In a time when human sacrifices were the norm in some cultures, the Israelites practiced ritual animal sacrifice. So why not human sacrifice for Israel as well? Would the shedding of human blood be a little more motivation to keep the testimony? If you knew you had to give up a son every year? Probably not. God has spent time differentiating man from animal all through the Bible so far, with "no suitable helper" being found, with Adam naming the animals, with having dominion over the earth, with animals having to be aboard the ark built by man...etc. But still, the people knew they had to account for one from their herd or flock to be slaughtered each year. They had to make room for this sacrifice.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Ex. 29: Consecrate Me Some Priests, Mo.

Chapter 29 was absolutely fascinating. It described the atonement offerings and the purpose of the priesthood. It seemed like everything I read previously in regards to the tabernacle, the furnishings, the offerings and the priestly garments came together and was resolved in this chapter. I suggest you read it.

OK, so what made the priests so special? God chose them. And they were the conduit by which the Israelites atoned for their daily goofs. And by goofs, I mean soul-damning rejection of the LORD. This was a grave responsibility. And because of the importance of this responsibility, God made very clear the instructions. Convoluted, yeah.

The first step was to prepare the offering. This was comprised of the following:
  • a young bull and two rams without defect.
  • from fine wheat flour, 86 the yeast: bread, cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil
Basket 'em up, and bring the bull and rams to Aaron.

The Ordination
This was a process as well. Aaron and his sons had to br brough to the Tent of Meeting and washed up. Aaron had to be dressed up in the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, the breastpiece, and the turban and diadem.

Then Aaron had to be anointed with oil poured on his head. Not sure why, God just said it.

Then Aaron's sons had to be brought in, dressed in tunics and headbands, and then the whole crew received sashes.

The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance.

The Sin Offering
This was the purpose of the bull. The priests would lay their hands on it's head and then slaughter it before the LORD at the tabernacle entrance. The bull's blood was to be dabbed onto the horns of the altar, and then the rest poured out at the base. On the altar, the bull's fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver and the kidneys were burned. The rest of the flesh was burned outside the camp.

The Burnt Offering
This is described as a pleasing aroma, made to the LORD by fire. One of the previously described rams was purposed in this way. Same way as the bull - the priests would lay hands on its head and then slaughter it. The blood here was to be sprinkled on the sides of the altar. This lamb was cut into pieces and the pieces washed, and then the entire lamb was burned on the altar. Not sure why that was a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It probably didn't smell like a nice barbecue. It was probably the symbolic burning of sin that was pleasing. And I wonder if they washed the blood off the altar at all. Because I imagine it would get pretty rotten.

The Fellowship Offering
The Consecration
This was the second ram. This is the most deeply described offering. Again, the laying on of hands, and then the slaughter. Then blood was to be dabbed onto the lobes of the priests' right earlobes (hearing), right thumbs (doing), and right big toes (following?). The blood was also to be sprinkled against the sides of the altar. I'm guessing to signify that all sides were covered by the blood. Also, some of the blood, along with anointing oil, was to be sprinkled on the priests' and their garments.

The Ordination
From the second ram, the fat, the fat tail, the internal organ fat, the liver and the two fatty kidneys, and the right thigh (In Gen. 24, we learned that oaths were sworn with the thigh) were to be separated out. These parts, along with a loaf of bread, an oil cake, and a wafer were to be given to Aaron and his sons as a wave offering. Basically, they were to wave them at the LORD. Other translations have "lift up." Then they are to be burned on the altar before the LORD. Then Moses can wave the ram's breast at the LORD, and have it as his share.

The waved thigh and the presented breast are to be the regular share...meal ticket, I spose...for Aaron and his sons, and it is Israel's fellowship offering before the LORD.

Aaron's garments are to be passed down to his descendants, and whoever takes over has to wear the priestly garments for seven days.

The rest of the ram is to be cooked in a "sacred place." Then at the entrance to the tabernacle, Aaron and his sons can eat the offerings "by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration." That's a mouthful, but essentially means they were offered for that purpose. Any leftovers can't be munched by anyone else, because they were consecrated and ordained...and therefore sacred. It has to be burned up.

This ordination process is to take seven days. A bull is to be sacrified each day, and the altar is supposed to be purified each day.

Two lambs are also to be sacrificed each day as a part of this atonement. One in the morning, and one at twilight with a bit of flour, olive oil and wine. The Bible says this offering is to be made regularly. I don't know if that's yearly, but I'll probably find out. This tent of meeting is where God will meet Moses and speak to him and the Israelites, and will consecrate the place with His glory. His awesomeness. Probably the only Person who could make a place consecrated by His sheer awesomeness.