Page 63 - Pentateuch

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 so that God may continue to be present with his people. The reparation
[guilt] offering presents a commercial picture of sin. Sin is a debt that man incurs against
God. The debt is paid through the offered animal.
77

The picture is fairly vivid. Many modern readers are unaccustomed
to butchering animals. The instructions make these sacrifices a
highly personal matter. Hands touch the animal’s head, hide, meat,
and blood. Sights and sounds connect in the mind of the
worshiper. Unless he is acting in a superficial manner (difficult to
do with the warm blood of an animal on his hands), he makes the
connection between himself coming to God as a sinner and the
necessary death of an animal.

Fig. 45: Voodoo, Haiti, 1997 Yet while making these mental
connections, a sincere Israelite
would ponder the value of animal sacrifices for himself. Unlike people in
other nations, including Egypt, he knows the difference between an
animal and a human. Humans are made in the image of God and are thus
so very much more valuable than animals. Animals do not come before
YHWH in worship, nor do they make sacrifices for their misdeeds. The
question would often arise, “If my life is forfeit due to sin, how can the
life of an animal pay for me?” Fig. 46: Santeria sacrifice

An earnest Israelite might also wonder about his resources. Would his
cattle and sheep and birds, or money to pay for them, be enough to take care of his sins? Perhaps a wild
animal has killed one of his sheep. He must dispose of the carcass. Yet, in disposing of the dead sheep, he
becomes unclean before God. So he must present an offering at the tabernacle to atone for his sin. The
double loss might be repeated several times before the wild animal itself is killed. Perhaps he has borrowed
an item from a neighbor. Months go by, and the neighbor asks for the item. The borrower has forgotten
and swears that he doesn’t have it. A few days later, he finds the item tucked away in the corner of his
shop. Now he must return it plus interest. Only then can he offer another animal before God at the
tabernacle. How long would an average person take to run through his supply of animals and be reduced to
trapping birds?

This issue of quantity deserves some thought. A young bull might weigh 1000 pounds. How long would it
take to burn such a large amount of meat? At this time, the number of people is about 2.5 million. How
many whole burnt offerings might they need to burn in a day, a year? Could one altar actually be enough?
Some offerings included a large portion for the priest who is instructed to eat it in the courtyard (6:26). He
could not take it home and share it with his family. Some commentators feel the difficulty of quantities.
78
One priest could not eat it all. They suggest he shared it with other priests. Yet how many of these
sacrifices might be offered in a day, making all the priests stuffed with steak and hamburgers?

77 Ibid., 111.
78 Ibid., 169, n. 1.

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