SUMMARY THE FIVE MAJOR SACRIFICES IN LEVITICUS 1-7
Figure 17: Five sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7: summary of their functions
Sacrifice Focus of ritual
Purposes
hlu burning of the whole animal substitutionary atonement; expression
of thankfulness and trust hjnm
presentation of grain tribute; consecration; thanksgiving;
reminder of the covenant ymlv
distribution of flesh to various parties
enjoyment of fellowship between the people and Yahweh
tafj manipulation of the blood
purification of the sanctuary, its sancta and the people
va value of the sacrificial
animal reparation for the desecration of
Yahweh’s holy property or name
This brief overview demonstrates how complex the Levitical sacrificial is, with its different forms of sacrifice. Wenham argues that substitutionary atonement
forms a part of the theology of all the blood sacrifices, and that the different sacrifices deal with different effects of sin.
“The burnt offering uses a personal picture: of man the guilty sinner who deserves to die for his sin and of the animal dying in his place. God accepts
the animal as a ransom for man. The sin offering uses a medical model: sin makes the world so dirty that God can no longer dwell there. The blood of the
animal disinfects the sanctuary in order that God may continue to be present with his people. The reparation offering presents a commercial picture of sin.
Sin is a debt which man incurs against God. The debt is paid through the offered animal.”
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Wenham concentrates on the effects of sin, but as Averbeck points out, since Yahweh was actually “physically, literally and visibly present in the tabernacle”
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see the cloud and fire in Exod 40:34-38; Lev 9:22-24; 16:2; Num 9:15-23, he was concerned also about the visible, physical holiness and purity of his residence, and of
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Wenham, The Book of Leviticus, p.111.
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Averbeck “Offerings and Sacrifices”, p.1008.
the people who approached him there. Sacrifice, especially the purification offering, had a part to play in addressing this concern.
If substitutionary atonement and the restoration of broken fellowship are central to the
hlu, tafj, and va, the focal purpose of the hjnm and ymlv is rather the enjoyment of that fellowship once restored. To put this another way, the
first group is concerned primarily to restore the holiness of Israel after it has been compromised, and the second group to maintain that holiness through consecration
and fellowship. Averbeck, in common with Rainey,
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sees a pattern in the sequence in which the sacrifices are generally carried out:
1. expiation the purification or reparation offering or both
2. consecration burnt offering and accompanying grain offering
3. fellowship peace offering.
It is important to see the Levitical sacrifices, too, in the wider context of God’s progressive revelation through the Pentateuch and Old Testament. The hlu
was the earliest of the sacrifices to be developed and, as such, it performed more than one function. The purification and reparation offerings were instituted at the same
time as the construction of the dwelling place for Yahweh, and were linked to the purification of this sanctuary and its sancta. Obedience to the sacrificial regulations
was important: disobedience led to the offender being cut off from the people. On the other hand, following the regulations was not, in and of itself, necessarily sufficient;
there was no magical effect in following the prescribed rites. Sacrifices for deliberate sins needed to be accompanied by repentance; otherwise they were odious to
Yahweh. So Levitical sacrifice was instituted by Yahweh to be performed in the
context of the relationship between himself, the holy God, and his holy people to play an essential part in sustaining that relationship.
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Averbeck “Offerings and Sacrifices”, p.1015.