Monday: The Blood of Bulls and Goats
Daily Lesson for Monday 5th of May 2025
Some have criticized the entire concept of sacrifice, claiming that it is cruel, harsh, and, in a sense, unfair. Yet, that’s precisely the point. Christ’s death was cruel, harsh, and unfair—the innocent dying for the guilty. That’s what it took to solve the sin problem. And Christ’s death was what all these harsh, cruel, and unfair sacrifices pointed to.
Read Hebrews 10:3-10. What does this passage teach us about the sacrifices God’s people offered in the Old Testament? If sinners could not actually be saved by them, why offer them at all?
Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com
The lambs and other sacrificial animals were mere symbols pointing forward to the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God. They were acts of faith, giving sinners a tangible way to express faith in the work of the coming Messiah. We often refer to these kinds of symbols as types, which are fulfilled by an antitype, or the appearance of the thing or event they foreshadowed. Some have even described the sacrifices as “mini-prophecies” of the death of Jesus on the cross.
The rituals associated with sacrifice were a little like paying for a trip. When you purchase a train, bus, or airplane ticket, you do not immediately receive the journey you paid for. Instead, you are given a ticket or boarding pass, a symbol or promise of the journey to come. You can sit on that piece of paper all you want, but it will not convey you to any destination. Once you have boarded and the journey begins, however, you have received what you paid for, and the paper ticket becomes unnecessary.
So it was with the sacrificial animals. They had an important role to play, but once the real sacrifice was made, they became meaningless—a reality depicted when the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the earthly sanctuary was rent asunder at the death of Jesus. “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Mark 15:38, NKJV). The whole sacrificial system, temple and all, pointed forward to the death of Jesus on the cross. Once Jesus fulfilled His promise at the cross and rose victorious over death, the types became unnecessary.
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Think about just how bad sin must be that only the death of Jesus, the incarnate Word (see John 1:1-3,14), could atone for it. What should this tell us about what our attitude toward sin must be? |
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There is another aspect to the sacrifical system that we sometimes forget. While some sacrifices were completely consumed, there were others where only the fat was burned, and the rest was shared and eaten. We read of the enormous numbers of animals sacrificed at the dedication of Solomon's temple, and even allowing for a bit of hyperbole, the temple must have been like an abattoir.
Some years ago, I did a study of the Hebrew tithing system and posted it here: https://ssnet.org/blog/tithe-in-israel-a-summary/. One of the things I discovered was the provision made for the poor and needy and the "stranger within the gate". The system encouraged the inclusion of others, particularly in the national feasts and ceremonies. This has modified my view of the Temple dedication sacrifice by thinking that it was more like a national barbeque, where all were invited to take part, including even the visitors and tourists.
The sacrificial system became an issue, as we read in Isaiah 1 yesterday, because the nation, in their pursuit of religiosity, forgot about the poor, the widows and the homeless.
It is important to remind ourselves that Christ's sacrifice was for everyone, irrespective of their socio-economic or residential status. Sharing the Gospel carries with it, the invitation to include those who we sometimes ignore or shun.
The scope of the ancient Jewish sacrificial system was a massive national undertaking, and it included the following festivals:
i) Daily sacrifices (Numbers 28:1–8)
ii) Sabbath offerings (Numbers 28:9–10)
iii) New Moon offerings (Numbers 28:11–15)
iv) Major Festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Trumpets)
v)Individual offerings for sin, guilt, peace, thanksgiving, vow dedication, etc.
vi) Tithes and first fruits (grain, oil, wine, flocks)
vii)Temple maintenance and priestly support
The common animals offered for sacrifice were: Bulls, goats, sheep, rams, doves, and pigeons. In today's economy, prices would be as follows:
- Bull or ox = $800 – $1,200
- Sheep or goat = $150 - $300
- Dove or pigeon = $5 - $10
- Grains/oil/wine = quite expensive
It is estimated that the annual cost of the sacrificial system was more than $70 million. Why did God institute such an expensive system? This might be seen as an expensive system, but the value and purpose of the system go far beyond its monetary cost. This “seemingly expensive” system had powerful theological and spiritual lessons.
1. The system demonstrated the seriousness of sin. The system illustrated that sin is expensive and leads to death (Romans 6:230.
2. The high cost of the system is pinpointed to the priceless atoning blood of Jesus.
3. The system tested the faith and obedience of the worshipper. The high cost tested the willingness to obey and to trust God beyond material things.
4. The system was meant to unite people through festivals, and hence, unity comes at a cost.
5. The system was meant to cultivate a sense of gratitude to God, who provides all things, including life. If we are truly thankful to God for His goodness, offering a few things to Him is a small “cost” to pay.
“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” – 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)
God's really never intended sacrifices from us at creation
of Adam and Eve, He on the contrary needed obedience. The Bible says that “He did not desire sacrifice and offering” (Hebrews 10:5). This costly system become a requirement as a consequence of sin. Sin is not only expensive but costs life! It costly when given an opportunity it separates us from God and disconnects us from with our Maker and without whom we have no life! Thus the sacrifice system was a pointer to a saviour who will ultimately do what Adam failed to do- defeat the devils lies( In this Adam failed flat).
Sacrifices pointed clearly that without the remission of our sin, we can't be right with God.
Psalm 40:6 says that God does “not delight in sacrifice and offering.” God never used sacrifices as way of sinners to get in favor with Him. He required sacrifice as a way of cleansing His people of their sins.
In Hosea 6:6, God tells us “For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” God wants our love and for us to know Him. He does not delight in the sacrifice made for Him, but rather He delights in the one with a contrite heart turned to Him.
The sacrifices were the means to the end but not the end in themselves. He did not want a sacrifice merely for the atonement of our sins but He wanted the atonement of our sins, which required a sacrifice, so we could be in right standing with Him. So, He sent His Son to come and redeem all of mankind. Jesus’ sacrifice was not the end goal- and this does not minimize His sacrifice. God gave His only Son Jesus Christ, fully assuming humanity and His son gave His life for us a precious gift. But it was not given just for the sake of sacrifice. Christ sacrifice was the means to put us in right standing with God once and for all instead of sacrificing innocent bulls and goats daily Christ took a peculiar place in becoming our sacrifice, so that we might inherit eternity- This becoming a permanent solution for the sin problem for those who were to accept his sacrifice-John 3:16
suggested songs to augment this week's lessons:
Jesus at the center - Israel and new breed;
Worthy is the Lamb (Revelation 5:6-13) - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
The Lamb has Overcome(Revelation 17:14) - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Nowadays, the sacrifice of animals is unacceptable. The idea of killing animals in a religious ritual can seem absurd to most Western cultures. But people eat meat; therefore, killing thousands of animals every day for food is ok. The fact is that we do not need to sacrifice any living creature because the absurd ritual was finally abolished by what it pointed to: Jesus' absurd death for the sins of the whole of humanity. Absurd love that is going to take an eternity to understand.
I’m struggling to make sense of the comment provided at the end of the lesson. I have to admit, the theology that links Jesus’ crucifixion to the old ritual sacrificial system doesn’t fully resonate with me. In the old system, sacrifices were offered by the repentant sinner to atone for sin, as required by religious law. But Jesus wasn’t offered by the repentant sinner — He was crucified by sinners, in a state of ignorance, rebellion, and without remorse.
It was their/our God Almighty who took the initiative to restore His Son back to life, as a demonstration of His Mercy and Grace to a sinful world to show them that He is willing and able to redeem mankind; which He is prepared to do for those who repent of their unbelieve.
How can we say that Christ’s death is what all those "harsh, cruel, and unfair" sacrifices pointed to? Those sacrifices fulfilled the legal requirements — not to be cruel, but to acknowledge guilt and take responsibility for breaking the Law. Yes, sacrificing an animal was a painful act, but the people were taught that through obedience to the Law, God would forgive their sins and hopefull prevent them from committing sin in the first place.
As I see it, the sacrificial system was to help the people understand that it was God who cared for their well-being— physically and spiritually. These rituals were part of a spiritually formative relationship between Israel and their God, instituted before they entered the land promised to their ancestors.
Ultimately, it has always been — and still is — God’s infinit Love, expressed through His Grace and Mercy, that saves the truly repentant heart; not the shedding of blood.
Those sacrifices and offerings actually pre- figured Christ’s sacrifice and offering.
“For if the blood of goats and bulls… sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who thru the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Heb 9:13,14).
God in His love for His people, His sons and daughters (Isa 43:5-7), took the initiative to offer Himself in His Son to atone for their sins and to raise Him from the dead, of course.(Rom 4:25; Eph 5:2,25-27; Heb 9:28; 10:10,12).
Hi Brigitte, I agree with much of what you say. However, how do you plug that into the following verses?
“The life of the flesh is in the blood” Lev. 17:11
“Without shedding of blood is no remission”. Hebrews 9:22