Animal Sacrifice

[Feram_Crucis]

Early this year, my sister, a friend of ours and I sat down every night to read the Pentateuch (The first five books of the Old Testament), in order. We noted how singificant the animal sacrifice rituals were for ancient Hebrews: God would give very detailed instructions on how to slaughter the different animals, what parts were to be burned, how the blood had to be poured and smeared around the altar and the priest’s clothes, etc.
So my question is: Why did God want to have animals sacrificed to Him? I read so many times in the Old Testament how the smell of burning meat was most pleasant to God, and I’m really curious to know why. Is there anything sacred about the blood of sheep and pigeons? What about grease and organs? Did it stop being sacred after Jesus came to the world?

 

[Garyjohn2]

I’m going to go ahead and try to answer…but I’m no expert.

I don’t think there is anything particularly sacred about those animals (or their various parts) that makes them more special than the rest of God’s creation. What is sacred though, is obeying the law of God…exactly as God commands. The trouble is that we can’t do that very well, and there’s where Jesus comes in.

The sacrifices were sacred because God commanded them…but also because they were sacrifices. The people were giving things up, animals mostly, that could have been used for food, labor, or wealth. They were giving something up for God. This was pleasing to God, and was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.

Like I said, I’m no expert on the topic, but that’s how I always understood it!

 

[Fidelis]

Here is the answer to this question I gave to my niece. I hope it is helpful for you as well:

Let’s take the question about sacrifice first: why sacrifice?

The basic definition of a sacrifice is something you give up out of love. People give up many things for the benefit of those they love: parents sacrifice their time and money for their children, soldiers and firefighters may sacrifice their lives for others. This kind of sacrifice is an act of love.

Sometimes a sacrifice is made to make up for something wrong that they have done. Suppose a girl breaks a window with a baseball. The girl is caught and confesses, but the person whose window it is forgives her. However, it is only fair (or just) that the girl work (time) or find some way to help pay (with money) for the window. This kind of sacrifice is known as reparation, or paying what is owed.

But what does that have to do with sacrificing and God?

People seem to have an inborn sense that they should worship and sacrifice to God. If you look in the beginning of your Bible in Genesis chapter 4, verses 1 through 7, you will see the story of Cain and Abel. These were the very first people after Adam and Eve and they are already making sacrifices to God. In ancient times, people usually sacrificed animals because, since they didn’t use money yet, animals like cows and sheep represented wealth, plus the shedding of blood represented life and death.

Also, if you look toward the end of your Bible in Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans in Chapter 1 verses 18 to 23 (also see Wisdom 13:1-9 in the middle of the Old Testament), Saint Paul tells us that all people everywhere are searching for God, but since many of them did not know the God of the Bible, they began to try to worship God the best they could. However, this led to a lot of false religions in the world that, even though they may have had some good about them, led them into wrong ideas about God. Some of these false religions went horribly wrong like the parts of Aztec and other civilizations that had human sacrifice and other terrible practices.

The Christian idea about sacrifice came out of sacrifices of the Old Testament which was the beginning of God’s revealing himself to his people. The Catholic Church teaches us that Jesus Christ came to end all these sacrifices which were only kind of image or preparation for his one, true sacrifice. But why did God choose to sacrifice His only son if He loved Him so much? This is the most important question of all.

Ever since the time of Adam and Eve (the parents and representatives of mankind) and the Original Sin (see Genesis, chapter 3) mankind has been separated from God, not only because of our first parent’s sin but because of all the sins committed by every person who ever lived on the earth. God created us to live with him in heaven forever but since none of us ourselves could possibly make reparation for all this sin that separates us from God (since God is infinitely Holy), God in his great mercy and love found a way.

God loved us so much that that is precisely why He chose his own Son to sacrifice himself on our behalf. Since Jesus was fully man (so he could represent us) and fully God (so that he offer such an infinite sacrifice) he was the only one who could do it. That is why we call him our Savior. All that is left for us to do is to place our faith in him and his sacrifice, be baptized, and follow his teachings everyday. That is why we call him Lord. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

When we go to Mass every Sunday, it is this very same sacrifice of Jesus (not a new one, but the same one) that is being re-presented on the altar under the appearance of bread and wine and which we have the privilege of participating in offering our worship and our daily lives. Just think: we are participating in the greatest sacrifice there ever was!

Sorry this answer is so long, but it is a good and important question and I wanted to give you the best answer I could. Please keep asking those good questions—and I will try to be less long winded!

 

[Barbkw]

Scott Hahn’s books, “Swear to God” and “The Lamb’s Supper” work in well to the reading of the Pentateuch.

amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=scott+hahn

I found this Hebrew for Christians website, a lot of great information there:

hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/scripture.html

As you probably know, Mt. Moriah - where Abraham bound Isaac - is also thought to be the location of the Temple Mount where Solomon built the First Temple and where the Second Temple was rebuilt. Within this region, Melchizedek the King of Salem offered Abraham bread and wine. The area prefigures where God’s Son would be sacrificed for the forgiveness of all our sins - (just as lambs were sacrificed for over a thousand years at Yom Kippur and at Passover).

Althou an animal died, its blood signified life. The oaths that were sworn signified and reinforced an eternal family bond and recommittment to the will of God (and God to the people).

Of course, God doesn’t need those sacrifices, but our human natures’ do. By taking the best calf or lamb and sacrificing it, it displays an ability and willingness to accept God’s Commandments (the first three guide our relationship to God and the last seven guide our relationships with other people).

The actions of sacrifice decrease pride and increase humility, they also decrease greed and increase charity.

Other sacrifices are important as well, the Eternal Light of the Menorah, signifies the Holy Spirit - the Light of the Divine Presence.

The offering of incease (Zachariah’s priestly duty when greeted by Gabriel) - sending prayers to Heaven.

The Feast of Unleaven Bread signifies the Shewbread and the Bread of Divine Presence - and they prefigure Jesus, Son of Man - Son of God.

Jesus is also prefigured in the outpouring of blood onto the Mercy Seat of the Arc of the Covenant, inside the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter once each year in offering for the forgiveness of Israels’ sins.

The connections between the Old and New Covenants are remarkable!

 

[Feram_Crucis]

Thank you all so much for your clear, quick and wonderful explanations. I really appreciate your help, and I had figured it had to do with giving up food and wealth as a proof to God, so I’m fully satisfied with your answers.

God bess you.

 

[Pax]

Animal sacrifices were not the norm for the Jews until they fell into pagan rituals. The pagan rituals they fell into included such things as worshiping the golden calf. Once this kind of thing happened, the Israelites were basically given instructions to sacrifice animals to God as a way of teaching them that these creatures, which were worshiped by pagans, were not worthy of worship at all. Only the one true God was to be worshiped, and all pagan examples were thus to be sacrificed to God as a way of reminding the people of that truth in order to keep them from falling into idolatry.

This is not the only reason for the sacrifice of animals, but it was an important component. Other posters have mentioned other reasons that are also valid.

 

[Nooj]

Animal sacrifices were not the norm for the Jews until they fell into pagan rituals. The pagan rituals they fell into included such things as worshiping the golden calf. Once this kind of thing happened, the Israelites were basically given instructions to sacrifice animals to God as a way of teaching them that these creatures, which were worshiped by pagans, were not worthy of worship at all. Only the one true God was to be worshiped, and all pagan examples were thus to be sacrificed to God as a way of reminding the people of that truth in order to keep them from falling into idolatry.

This is not the only reason for the sacrifice of animals, but it was an important component. Other posters have mentioned other reasons that are also valid.

God still gave instructions in the book of Exodus about sacrificing animals before the golden calf incident took place. The sacrificing animals thing goes back way way back, the Bible says that Noah made a sacrifice to God after he got out of the ark.

Also, it’s not just animal sacrifices, but grain sacrifices as well.

These things were common among ancient peoples. The Romans, the Greeks, every Mesopotamian civilisation, the Egyptians, the Iranian peoples, the Vedic speaking peoples, the Celts, Germans, Saxons, the Arabs, the list goes on and on. Hindus still sacrifice animals.

 

[PAboy57]

Outstanding responses and connecting the sacrifices of the Old Testament to the New Testament. I hope RCIA instructors take time to discuss this as it is so important to understand the early sacrifices and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice.

This is why it is so important to attend Mass and participate in offering of prayers, yourself and through your Priest, and receiving the true body and blood of Jesus Christ. Attend Mass often to recieve the sactifying grace associated with this most precious sacrifice.

Also remember without Priests we are not able to have this sacrifice as priests consecrate the bread and wine to become the actual body and blood of Jesus.

Thank you for taking the time to explain this miracle that happens every day.

May God Bless you all for asking and sharing such important information about our faith.

 

[Barbkw]

God still gave instructions in the book of Exodus about sacrificing animals before the golden calf incident took place. The sacrificing animals thing goes back way way back, the Bible says that Noah made a sacrifice to God after he got out of the ark.

Also, it’s not just animal sacrifices, but grain sacrifices as well.

Scripture talks in two ways about “first fruits” the grain or plant sacrifices in relationship to Christ’s death and Resurrection.

A grain plant produces once and then dies so that the next season of crop can grow (self sacrifices).

A vegetable has a “first fruit” (and normally it is removed early) to bring on multiple blossoms & higher rates of production.

 

[Pax]

God still gave instructions in the book of Exodus about sacrificing animals before the golden calf incident took place. The sacrificing animals thing goes back way way back, the Bible says that Noah made a sacrifice to God after he got out of the ark.

Also, it’s not just animal sacrifices, but grain sacrifices as well.

These things were common among ancient peoples. The Romans, the Greeks, every Mesopotamian civilisation, the Egyptians, the Iranian peoples, the Vedic speaking peoples, the Celts, Germans, Saxons, the Arabs, the list goes on and on. Hindus still sacrifice animals.

I did not mean to set up the golden calf incident as the precise starting point for animal sacrifice, but rather as an example of what brought about the institution of God ordered sacrifice of bulls and oxen. We know for example that the passover which occurred in Egypt included the sacrifice of a lamb. The context of that and other animal sacrifices such as that of Abel in Genesis is different than the context of the later animal sacrifices that were ordered that included bulls, oxen, etc. It would take a great deal of time to chronicle and detail all of this in forum posts, but it really is an interesting point of study.

God bless.

 

[Nooj]

I did not mean to set up the golden calf incident as the precise starting point for animal sacrifice, but rather as an example of what brought about the institution of God ordered sacrifice of bulls and oxen.

I see, sorry for misinterpreting you.

 

[Pax]

I see, sorry for misinterpreting you.

Nooj,

No problem…that’s what discussion is all about. I can certainly see where a clarification on my part was needed.

God bless.

 

[Alan55]

Perhaps the best commentator on the Jewish sacrificial system as set forth in Leviticus is Jacob Milgrom, emeritus professor at UC Berkeley. I recommend his commentary on Leviticus in the Continental Commentaries Series, a one-volume version of his massive three-volume commentary in the Anchor Bible Commentaries series. I worked through his one-volume commentary and found it to be outstanding and enlightening.