Let me ask you a question. Which book of the Tanakh do you think the Hebrew children were first taught? Genesis, perhaps? No. The answer is: Leviticus. Surprised?
Most Christians do not know much about this Old Testament book, because we have often been told it is "unimportant". "Jesus did away with all that, ya know." This is what Christians are frequently taught.
Even many of today's Jews are largely ignorant about these practices, because they no longer take place. Why not? Because you can't perform the sacrifices described in Leviticus without God's Temple. And, the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.
So, what is the point in my beginning with you a study of the sacrifices and the sacrificial system of the Temple? Here are a couple:
1. God's Word does not pass away. (Psalm 119:89 tells us this and also that it is "firmly fixed in the heavens.") Jesus reiterated this in Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33. Since He included Leviticus in our canon of scriptures, we should be knowledgeable about it.
2. Jesus and His disciples revered the book of Leviticus, the entire Tanakh actually. Jesus explicitly said, in Matthew 5:18, that not even the smallest word-part (in the Greek "stroke of a letter") of the Law (which includes Leviticus) would pass away until "all is accomplished". Jesus participated in these Temple sacrifices and so did his apostles, even after His death, burial, resurrection and ascension.
Am I advocating Christians return to the sacrificial system? Absolutely not! As previously stated, that would be impossible without a Temple complex, but even then, the answer would still be a qualified "no". Am I diminishing or abrogating the transformational work of our Lord and Savior? Again, God forbid! Absolutely not! Am I suggesting we study and learn what God wants to communicate to us through this sacrificial system He instituted? Absolutely.
So, I invite you - - Jew and Christian - - to embark with me on a study of this fascinating subject.
Let's begin by pondering this fact:
It is commonly accepted among Jews that there are 613 commandments in Torah (1st 5 books of the Old Testament) and communicated by Moses. Of these 613, over 1/3 of them deal directly with the Temple and the activities within it. Furthermore, 40% of those are contained in Leviticus alone. The Temple, even into the New Testament, becomes a central theme of God's Word.
The Book of Revelation tells us that in both the latter days of this present age (Olam HaZeh), and in the Messianic Millennium, the reconstructed Temple will be a key element. (Revelation 11, 21). The apostle John says in Revelation 21 there will be no Temple in the New Jerusalem, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (Jesus) are its temple. Hallelujah!
The English word "sacrifice" as attached to the gifts brought to God at the Temple is inadequate. The original Greek was a combination of two words "sacer"(holy) and "facere"(to make). The Western thought was that by offering the animal, as the owner renounced his claim to it, this made the animal holy; this conferred "kedushah" (holiness). This English word, sacrifice, implies deprivation on the part of God's people as well as a tribute, tax or fee. But, this was not the Jewish mindset at all. The Hebrew word we translate as "sacrifice" is "korban", and the plural is "korbanot". The best translation is "a gift, brought to God as a vehicle for drawing near to Him."
The Temple and its functions were all about an unholy human drawing near to a holy God. We truly cannot fathom the gulf between the two. How to express worship to The Incomprehensible? God's requirements for facilitating this for His chosen people were that "the approach" (karev) should be through the rules and regulations laid out in Leviticus, through the korbanot "that which is brought close".
Look at the illustration above. Do you see in the Hebrew (red characters) that karev is the root of korban? Hebrew is read from left to right. The only difference is the last letter of korban. That letter is "vav", which looks like a tent peg or a nail. I know this seems very much "in the weeds", but it will be very important in the last post in this series.
Psalm 51 expresses the longing to draw near to God. Key verses are 16 and 17.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
The korbanot acted as a bridge between God and man, between heaven and earth. But, to offer korbanot without repentance was useless, even an affront to our holy God.
There were more than 110 korbanot offered at The Temple. The Temple complex in Jesus' day could hold over 200,000 people at one time. And, during the Festivals, around 500 priests would be serving at one time. It was a massive operation.
Fear not! We are not going to explore in detail every one of the over 100 sacrifices. However, we will look at the five types of korbanot and their purposes. Here they are:
1. Olah (Burnt Offering)
2. Minchah (Grain Offering)
3. Shelamim (Peace Offering)
4. Chatat (Sin Offering)
5. Asham (Guilt Offering)
In the next post, we will begin with Olah.
Sources:
https://ladderofjacob.com/2016/03/17/aleph/
The Temple: Its Ministry and Services (2nd Revised Edition), by Alfred Edersheim
Making Sense of Sacrifices - Part 1, Dr. Jennifer Scrivner, Beth HaShomer Ministries
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