_|_ | C O P | N E T Old Testament Sacrifices and their Symbols A Sunday School Lesson College Level Introduction ============ God has indicated 5 types of sacrifices to be offered. These offerings are: (1) the Burnt Sacrifice, (2) the Flour Sacrifice, (3) the Peace Sacrifice, (4) the Sin Sacrifice, and (5) the Trespass Sacrifice. Those five sacrifices are divided into two groups; the first 3 are to be offerings made by fire, of a sweet savor to the Lord, while the last 2 are concerned with the atonement and were to be burnt outside the camp. God instructed Moses, while speaking to him form the tabernacle, all the details about these offerings. God commanded the children of Israel had to follow these instructions very closely and with great attention. He also warned them of neglecting any of these not to kindle His anger against them. All those sacrifices were pointing at the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. The Burnt Sacrifice =================== Purpose: This is a voluntary sacrifice for the atonement. Offering: + From the herd, the flock or the fowls: + a male bullock without blemish, + a male from the sheep or the goats without blemish, or + from the fowls two turtledoves or young pigeons. Laws: + The one offering this sacrifice had to put his hand on the head of the offering in order for it to be accepted as an atonement for him. That is to symbolize that the death sentence is transferred from the person offering to the sacrifice. + The person offering was to kill the bullock at the door of the tabernacle and then the priest would sprinkle its blood on the altar before flaying it and cutting into its pieces. + The priests would then burn the pieces on the brass altar. + These are burnt sacrifices, offerings made by fire, of a sweet savor to the Lord. Symbols: + The burnt offering symbolizes the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf; He took our sins and the sentence of death that was on us, and died for us to save us. + This sacrifice pleased to God the Father as He used to be pleased by the sweet savors of the burnt offerings. + God accepted the different types of animals offered as each one could afford in the way He accepts our offering no matter how little they may seem to us. The Flour Sacrifice (also called the meat offering) =================== Purpose: Firstfruits offering. Offering: + From flour, oil, frankincense, or corn: + Unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, + Unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or + Green ears of corn dried by the fire, or corn beaten out of full ears with oil and frankincense. Laws: + None of these meat offerings would be made with leaven or honey. + They had to be salted. + The priests would burn its memorial and the rest of it would be theirs. + The frankincense and the oil sprinkled on the memorial of these were an offering of fire, for the sweet savor to the Lord. Symbols: + The flour symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ and the oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The cakes were mingled with oil, and the wafers anointed with oil, as Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit and was anointed with it in His baptismal. + These were unleavened offerings because the body of Christ was clean of any sin. + The green ears of the firstfruits of corn symbolize Christ who died for us at the age of 33 and became the firstfruits of them that died. These seeds are young green ones, but are full seeds, like Christ who is full and perfect. The Peace Sacrifice =================== Purpose: To enjoy the peace of the Lord and to thank Him for it. Offering: + From the herd or the flock: + a male or female without blemish of the herd, or + a male or female without blemish from the sheep or the goats. Laws: + The one offering this sacrifice had to put his hand on the head of the offering. + The person offering was to kill the oblation at the door of the tabernacle and then the priest would sprinkle its blood on the altar. + The priests would then burn all the fat on the brass altar. + These are burnt sacrifices, offerings made by fire, of a sweet savor to the Lord. + If this sacrifice is offered for thanksgiving, then it had to be offered with unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, leavened bread. It should be all eaten the same day and any remainder should be burnt, nothing to be left for the next day. + If it was for a vow or a voluntary offering, it would be eaten the same day, and the day after, but any remainder would be burnt on the third day. Symbols: + Fowls were not to be offered as a peace sacrifice since it is a voluntary offering and should be valuable. Similarly, since it is not symbolizing the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus on the cross, male or female animals can be equally used. + In addition to the unleavened offerings with this sacrifice, leavened bread is offered to symbolize our imperfections. The Sin Sacrifice ================= Purpose: For the atonement and forgiveness of a sin against the commandments of God out of ignorance. Offering: + From a young bullock without blemish for the sin of an anointed priest, + from a young bullock without blemish for the sin of the whole congregation, + from a male kid of the goats without blemish for a ruler, and + from a female kid of the goats or a female lamb without blemish for the sin of one of the common people. Laws: + The one offering this sacrifice had to put his hand on the head of the offering in order for it to be accepted as an atonement for him. + The person offering was to kill the oblation at the door of the tabernacle and then the priest would sprinkle its blood 7 times before the veil of the sanctuary, on the horns of the altar of sweet incense and pour the rest of the blood under the altar of burnt offerings. + The priests would then burn all the fat on the brass altar of burnt offerings as with the sacrifice of peace. + All the rest of the sacrifice (hide, flesh, head, legs, inwards, and dung) is to be taken outside the camp to be burnt. Symbols: + The different types of animals specified for the different ranks of people sinning against the commandments of God indicate the difference in responsibility of the people with different gifts. + The blood shed was that of the animal after transferring the sin to it by putting the hand of the sinner on its head. + Burning the fat as in the burnt sacrifice for a sweet savor for the Lord indicates the acceptance of God for this sacrifice and granting the forgiveness. + Taking all the parts of the animal and burning them outside the camp symbolizes the crucifiction of Christ outside Jerusalem. This to take the sin away from the site of God and from His people. + The hide of the animal symbolizes the earthly pride of the people, its flesh symbolizes the sin in general, its head symbolizes the unclean thoughts and wickedness, its legs symbolize the actions, its inwards symbolize all the hidden intentions, and the dung symbolizes all the visible evil. They all together symbolize the weakness of the human sinner and his wickedness in all his deeds, and his need to be cleaned from each and every one of these. The Trespass Sacrifice (also called the guilt offering) ====================== Purpose: For forgiveness of specific sins concerning uncleanness and swearing. Offering: + From a female of the flock (a lamp or a kid of the goats) for swearing or uncleanness, + from the fowls two turtledoves or young pigeons for swearing or uncleanness, or + from the fine flour 1/10th of an ephah (1 ephah = 22 liters) without oil nor frankincense for swearing or uncleanness. + Restoring the thing which was falsely taken or lost, adding one 1/5th of it, and then offer a sacrifice from the flock a ram without blemish for trespassing against any of God's commandments. Laws: + Similar to the laws of the sin sacrifice. + When the offering is of two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one of them is a sin sacrifice while the other is a burnt sacrifice. + If the sacrifice is of fine flour, the priest burns its memorial on the brass altar and the rest is his as a meat offering. Symbols: + When the sacrifice is of two fowls, the first one is a sin sacrifice for the forgiveness of the person who trespassed and the second is a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savor to the Lord symbolizing the steps of the repentance and forgiveness and then the acceptance of God to the repentant. + In the case of a trespass against any of God's commandments or against another person's property, the restoration of the object was necessary plus 1/5th of it before offering the sacrifice symbolizes that there is no forgiveness without repentance and removing any inequity among the people. From the New Testament ====================== + "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) + "In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book t is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. ... By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:6-10) + "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." (Ephesians 5:2) + "... and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (I John 1:7) + "For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought in to the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." (Hebrews 13:11,12) + "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _|_ This article is one of many more articles about the Coptic Orthodox | Church, the Christian Apostolic Church of Egypt. These articles can be | retrieved from Copt-Net archives at http://pharos.bu.edu/cn/Menu.html COP|NET For more information, contact Copt-Net server at CN-request@cs.bu.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------