Difference between revisions of "Sacrifice"

<p> From earliest times people expressed their devotion to God through presenting to him offerings and sacrifices. Some sacrifices expressed thanks, as people presented to God the best of their crops or animals (Genesis 4:4; Genesis 8:20). Others emphasized fellowship, both with God and with others, as the offerers ate part of the sacrifice in a meal with relatives and friends (Genesis 31:54). Other sacrifices were for forgiveness of sins, a slaughtered animal bearing the penalty that the offerers, because of their sins, should have suffered (Job 42:8). These basic elements of the sacrifices were later developed in the ceremonial law of Israel. </p> <p> Offerers and their offerings </p> <p> Whether before or after the institution of Israel’s ceremonial law, the heart attitude of the worshipper was always more important than his gifts. Abel offered his sacrifice in humble faith and God accepted it. Cain offered his sacrifice in a spirit of arrogance and God refused it. Even if Cain’s sacrifice, like Abel’s, had involved the shedding of blood, it would still have been unacceptable to God, because Cain himself was ungodly and unrepentant (Genesis 4:2-5; Genesis 4:7; Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:12). </p> <p> The Bible’s first specific statement concerning the particular significance of blood did not come till the time of Noah. The first clear revelation of the value of blood for atonement had to wait till the time of Moses (Genesis 9:3-6; Leviticus 17:11). </p> <p> God revealed his purposes progressively as people were able to understand them, but always his acceptance of the offering depended on the spiritual condition of the offerer. The sacrificial system of Israel did not ignore this principle; rather it had this principle as its basis. Therefore, when people carried out the rituals mechanically, without corresponding faith and uprightness, the prophets condemned their sacrifices as worthless (Isaiah 1:13-20; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8). </p> <p> God’s gift of the blood of atonement </p> <p> The Passover in Egypt marked an important stage in God’s revelation of the special significance of blood. Blood was a symbol of life; shed blood was therefore a symbol of death; in particular, death through killing (Genesis 9:4-6; Numbers 35:19; Numbers 35:33; see BLOOD). In the original Passover, the blood of the lamb was important, not because of any chemical property in the blood itself, but because it represented the animal’s death. The blood around the door showed that an animal had been killed instead of the person under judgment (Exodus 12:13). </p> <p> In Israel’s sacrificial system God provided a way of atonement through the shed blood of animals. Through sin people were separated from God and under the penalty of death, and there was nothing they could do to save themselves. There could be no forgiveness of their sin, no releasing them from its consequences, apart from death. God, however, provided a way of salvation through the blood (that is, the death) of a guiltless substitute. The blood of atonement was not an offering people made in the hope of squeezing pardon from an unwilling God. On the contrary it was the merciful gift of a God who was eager to forgive (Leviticus 17:11). The escaping of divine punishment was not something that sinners brought about, but was due to God himself (see PROPITIATION). </p> <p> Although an animal substitute had to bear the death penalty so that the sinner could be forgiven (Hebrews 9:22), the blood of an animal could not itself take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). Nevertheless, it enabled the sinner to see that God, in forgiving sins, was not ignoring those sins but dealing with them. The only blood that can bring forgiveness of sins is the blood of Jesus – his death on the cross. God knew of Jesus’ atoning death even though it had not yet occurred (1 Peter 1:18-20), and because of that he was able to ‘pass over’, temporarily, the sins of believers of former generations. He forgave them, one might say, on credit, for their sins could not be actually removed till Christ died (Romans 3:25-26; Hebrews 9:15). </p> <p> The sacrificial system helped people see what salvation involved, but it was not in itself a means of salvation. Under the old covenant, as under the new, people were saved not through their works, but through the grace of a merciful God. The repentant sinner could do nothing but accept God’s salvation by faith (Romans 4:13; Romans 4:16; Romans 4:22; Galatians 3:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9). The benefit of the sacrificial system was that it gave people a means of communication with God, by which they could demonstrate their faith and seek God’s forgiveness (1 Samuel 1:3; Isaiah 56:7). </p> <p> Ritual requirements </p> <p> God set out the legal requirements for the various sacrifices in great detail, and these details should have helped the Israelites understand the meaning of what they were doing. The sacrificial animal, for instance, had to be without defects, to symbolize that it was free from condemnation and therefore fit to be the guiltless substitute for the guilty sinner (Leviticus 1:3; Leviticus 1:10; see LAMB). </p> <p> No matter what people offered, it had to be their own property, so that it had meaning as part of them personally, so to speak. As an offering, it was a personal possession they gave. As a sacrifice, it cost them something. It impressed upon them that they could not treat the removal of sin lightly. [[Devotion]] to God was not to be treated cheaply. </p> <p> At the same time God did not want to drive people into poverty. In many cases he therefore allowed grades of offerings, so that people could make offering that were suited to their varying financial capacities (Leviticus 1:3; Leviticus 1:10; Leviticus 1:14; Leviticus 5:7-13). </p> <p> By laying their hands on the animal’s head, offerers indicated that it bore their guilt and they wanted God to accept it on their behalf (Leviticus 1:4; Leviticus 16:21). The unpleasant task of killing the animal (which was carried out beside the altar, not on it) reminded them of the horror of sin (Leviticus 1:11). The priest collected the blood in a basin to apply to various places as a visible sign that a life had been taken to bear the curse and penalty of sin. Unused blood was poured out on the ground beside the altar (Leviticus 1:5; Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 16:14). </p> <p> Some burning occurred with all the sacrifices, though the amount that was burnt varied. The parts to be burnt were usually burnt on the altar of sacrifice, though in some cases they were burnt in an isolated place away from the central camp (Leviticus 1:9; Leviticus 2:2; Leviticus 3:3-5; Leviticus 4:10-12; Leviticus 4:35; Leviticus 7:5). The portions not burnt were eaten, sometimes by the worshippers and the priests (including the priests’ families) and sometimes by the priests alone (Leviticus 2:3; Leviticus 2:10; Leviticus 6:26; Leviticus 7:15-17; Leviticus 7:32; Leviticus 22:11). </p> <p> Five main offerings </p> <p> Israel’s sacrificial system had five main categories of sacrifice, though there were variations of these on certain occasions. The major categories were the burnt offering (Leviticus 1; Leviticus 6:8-13), the cereal (or grain) offering (Leviticus 2; Leviticus 6:14-23), the peace (or fellowship) offering (Leviticus 3; Leviticus 7:11-38), the sin offering (Leviticus 4:1-5; Leviticus 4:13; Leviticus 6:24-30) and the guilt (or repayment) offering (Leviticus 5:14-19; Leviticus 6:1-7; Leviticus 7:1-10). Although the different types of sacrifices were for different purposes, elements of atonement and devotion were associated with them all (Leviticus 1:5; Leviticus 2:2; Leviticus 3:2; Leviticus 3:5; Leviticus 4:5-7; Leviticus 5:18). </p> <p> The burnt offering, so called because the whole animal was burnt upon the altar, indicated the complete consecration, or self-dedication, of the offerer to God (Leviticus 1:9; cf. Genesis 8:20; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 10:25; Romans 12:1). A burnt offering, offered on behalf of the entire nation, was kept burning on the altar constantly, as a symbol of the nation’s unbroken dedication to God (Exodus 29:38-42). </p> <p> The cereal (or grain) offering and its associated wine (or drink) offering demonstrated thanks to God for his daily provision of food. Cereal and wine offerings were not offered alone, but always with burnt offerings or peace offerings. The wine was poured over the animal sacrifice on the altar, and a handful of cereal was burnt with it (Leviticus 2:4-10; Leviticus 23:13; Leviticus 23:18; Numbers 15:1-10). </p> <p> The peace offering expressed fellowship, a truth demonstrated in the meal that accompanied it. After initial blood ritual, burning ritual and presentation of a portion to the priest, the worshipper joined with his family, friends, the poor and the needy in eating the remainder of the animal in a joyous feast (Leviticus 7:11-18; Deuteronomy 12:7; Deuteronomy 12:12; 1 Samuel 9:12-13). </p> <p> The sin offering was compulsory for those who became aware that they had broken one of God’s laws. In cases of sin by priests or the nation as a whole, the priests sprinkled the animal’s blood inside the Holy Place, burnt parts of the animal on the altar of sacrifice, and burnt the remainder outside the camp (Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 4:10; Leviticus 4:12). In cases of sin by private citizens, the priests sprinkled the blood at the altar of sacrifice, burnt parts of the animal on the altar, and ate what remained (Leviticus 4:27-30; Leviticus 6:26; Leviticus 6:30). </p> <p> The guilt offering was offered in those cases where the person’s wrongdoing could be given a monetary value. Such wrongdoing would include forgetting to pay tithes, causing damage to property, or failing to pay for goods (Leviticus 5:15; Leviticus 6:1-5). The person presented an offering (similar to the sin offering for a private citizen) and repaid the loss, along with a fine of one fifth of its value (Leviticus 5:16; Leviticus 6:5). </p> <p> Limitations of the offerings </p> <p> In general, the sacrifices detailed in the Israelite law were available only for unintentional sins. None of the five categories of sacrifice set out a procedure to deal with deliberate sin, even though that is the sin that most troubles the repentant sinner (Leviticus 4:2; Leviticus 4:13; Leviticus 4:22; Leviticus 4:27; Leviticus 5:15; Leviticus 5:17; Numbers 15:30). The sacrificial system demonstrated that no system could solve the problem of sin or provide automatic cleansing. [[Sinners]] had no right to forgiveness. They could do nothing except turn to God and cast themselves on his mercy (2 Samuel 24:14; Psalms 51:1-2; Psalms 51:16-17). </p> <p> This does not mean that the sacrifices were useless or could be ignored. They still provided a means of communication by which repentant sinners could approach God, express their repentance and ask God’s forgiveness. The sacrifices pointed beyond themselves to something higher, the merciful love of God (Micah 7:18-20). </p> <p> [[Cleansing]] and response </p> <p> Animal sacrifices could not in themselves remove sin (Hebrews 10:1-4), but they at least showed that sacrificial death was necessary for the removal of sin (Hebrews 9:22). The one sacrificial death that has achieved what all the Old Testament sacrifices could not achieve is the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:11-14; Hebrews 10:17-18). Unlike the animal sacrifices, Christ’s sacrifice removes sin, cleanses the conscience, brings total forgiveness and secures eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:9-14; Hebrews 9:25-26; Hebrews 10:14-18). </p> <p> The book of Hebrews goes to some length to display the perfection of Christ’s work, presenting him as both priest and sacrifice. In particular, it contrasts his sacrificial work with the sacrificial work of the Israelite high priest on the Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:6-7; Hebrews 9:11-12; Hebrews 9:25-26; see DAY OF ATONEMENT; PRIEST). </p> <p> Besides being the only way of atonement, the sacrifice of Christ is an example to Christians of the sort of life they should live. Christ’s sacrifice was a willing sacrifice, an act of obedience and love. God wants his people to show their obedience and love by willingly sacrificing themselves for the sake of others (Ephesians 5:2; Ephesians 5:25; cf. John 15:12-13; Romans 5:8; Hebrews 10:7; Hebrews 10:10). </p> <p> The sacrifices of Christians, then, are spiritual sacrifices, which are offered in response to God’s love and mercy (1 Peter 2:5). They are not atoning sacrifices, for Christ’s one sacrifice has already brought complete release from sin’s penalty (Hebrews 10:17-18). Christians offer to God the sacrifices of worship, praise and service (Romans 15:16; Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:15). But they will be able to present such sacrifices properly only when they have first given themselves to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 8:5). </p>

<p> Sacrifice. The peculiar features of each kind of sacrifice are referred to under their respective heads. </p> <p> I. (A) Origin Of Sacrifice. - The universal prevalence of sacrifice shows it to have been primeval, and deeply rooted in the instincts of humanity. Whether it was first enjoined by an external command, or whether it was based on that sense of sin and lost communion with God, which is stamped by his hand on the heart of man, is a historical question which cannot be determined. </p> <p> (B) Ante-Mosaic History of Sacrifice. - In examining the various sacrifices recorded in Scripture, before the establishment of the law, we find that the words specially denoting expiatory sacrifice are not applied to them. This fact does not at all show, that they were not actually expiatory, but it justified the inference that this idea was not then the prominent one in the doctrine of sacrifice. The sacrifices of Cain and Abel are called minehah, and appear to have been Eucharistic. Noah's, Genesis 8:20, and Jacob's at Mizpah, were at the institution of a covenant; and may be called federative. In the [[Burnt]] [[Offerings]] of Job for his children, Job 1:5, and for his three friends, Job 42:8 , we, for the first time, find the expression of the desire of expiation for sin. The same is the case in the words of Moses to Pharaoh. Exodus 10:26. Here the main idea is at least deprecatory. </p> <p> (C) The [[Sacrifices]] of the Mosaic Period. - These are inaugurated by the offering of the Passover, and the sacrifice of Exodus 24:1. The Passover, indeed, is unique in its character, but it is clear that the idea of salvation from death by means of sacrifice is brought out in it with a distinctness before unknown. The law of Leviticus now unfolds distinctly, the various forms of sacrifice: </p> <p> (a) The Burnt Offering: Self-dedicatory. </p> <p> (b) The [[Meat]] [Meal] Offering: (unbloody): Eucharistic. </p> <p> (c) The [[Sin]] Offering; the [[Trespass]] Offering: Expiatory. To these may be added, </p> <p> (d) The incense offered after sacrifice in the Holy Place, and (on the Day of Atonement), in the Holy of Holies, the symbol of the intercession of the priest, (as a type of the great High Priest), accompanying and making efficacious, the prayer of the people. </p> <p> In the consecration of [[Aaron]] and his sons, Leviticus 8:1, we find these offered in what became, ever afterward, their appointed order. First came the Sin Offering, to prepare access to God; next came the Burnt Offering, to mark their dedication to his service; and third came the Meat [Meal] Offering of thanksgiving. Henceforth, the sacrificial system was fixed in all its parts, until he should come whom it typified. </p> <p> (D) Post-Mosaic Sacrifices. - It will not be necessary to pursue, in detail, the history of the Poet Mosaic sacrifice, for its main principles were now fixed forever. The regular sacrifices in the Temple service were - </p> <p> (a) Burnt offerings. </p> <p> 1, The daily Burnt Offerings, Exodus 29:38-42; </p> <p> 2, The double Burnt Offerings on the Sabbath, Numbers 28:9-10; </p> <p> 3, The Burnt Offerings at the great festivals; Numbers 26:11; Numbers 29:39. </p> <p> (b) Meat [Meal] offerings. </p> <p> 1, The daily Meat [Meal] Offerings accompanying the daily Burnt Offerings, Exodus 29:40-41; </p> <p> 2, The shewbread, renewed every Sabbath, Leviticus 24:6; Leviticus 24:9] </p> <p> 3, The special Meat [Meal] Offerings at the Sabbath, and the great festivals, Numbers 28:1; Numbers 29:1; </p> <p> 4, The first-fruits, at the Passover, Leviticus 23:10-14; at Pentecost, Leviticus 23:17-20; the firstfruits of the dough and threshing-floor at the harvest time. Numbers 15:20-21; Deuteronomy 26:1-11. </p> <p> (c) Sin offerings. </p> <p> 1, Sin offering each new moon, Numbers 28:15; </p> <p> 2, Sin offerings at the Passover, Pentecost, [[Feast]] of Trumpets, and Feast of Tabernacles, Numbers 28:22; Numbers 28:30; Numbers 29:5; Numbers 29:16; Numbers 29:19; Numbers 29:22; Numbers 29:25; Numbers 29:28; Numbers 29:31; Numbers 29:34; Numbers 29:38; </p> <p> 3, The offering of the two goats for the people and of the bullock for the priest himself, on the Great Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:1; </p> <p> (d) Incense. </p> <p> 1, The morning and evening incense Exodus 30:7-8; </p> <p> 2, The incense on the Great Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:12. </p> <p> Besides these public sacrifices, there were offerings of the people for themselves individually. </p> <p> II. By the order of sacrifice, in its perfect form, as in Leviticus 8:1, it is clear that the Sin Offering occupies the most important place; the Burnt Offering comes next, and the Meat [Meal] Offering or Peace Offering comes last of all. The second could only be offered after the first had been accepted; the third was only a subsidiary part of the second. Yet, in actual order of time, it has been seen that the patriarchal sacrifices partook much more of the nature of the Peace Offering and Burnt Offering, and that under the Law, by which was "the knowledge of sin," Romans 3:20, the Sin Offering was, for the first time, explicitly set forth. This is but natural that the deepest ideas should be the last in order of development. </p> <p> The essential difference between heathen views of sacrifice, and the scriptural doctrine of the Old Testament, is not to be found in its denial of any of these views. In fact, it brings out clearly and distinctly, the ideas which in heathenism were uncertain, vague and perverted. But the essential points of distinction are two. </p> <p> First, that whereas the heathen conceived of their gods as alienated in jealousy or anger, to be sought after and to be appeased by the unaided action of man, Scripture represents God himself as approaching man, as pointing out and sanctioning the way by which the broken covenant should be restored. </p> <p> The second mark of distinction is closely connected with this, inasmuch, as it shows sacrifice to be a scheme proceeding from God, and in his foreknowledge, connected with the one central fact of all human history. </p> <p> From the prophets and the Epistle to the Hebrews, we learn that the Sin Offering represented that covenant as broken by man, and as knit together again, by God's appointment through the shedding of the blood, the symbol of life, signified that the death of the offender was deserved for sin, but that the death of the victim was accepted for his death by the ordinance of God's mercy. Beyond all doubt, the Sin Offering distinctly witnessed that sin existed in man. That the "wages of that sin was death," and that God had provided an atonement by the vicarious suffering of an appointed victim. </p> <p> The ceremonial and meaning of the Burnt Offering were very different. The idea of expiation seems not to have been absent from it, for the blood was sprinkled round about the altar of sacrifice; but the main idea is the offering of the whole victim to God, representing as the laying of the hand on its head shows, the devotion of the sacrificer, body and soul. To him, Romans 12:1, the death of the victim was, so to speak, an incidental feature. </p> <p> The meat [or, more properly, the meal] offering, the peace or thank offering, the firstfruits, etc., were simply offerings to God of his own best gifts, as a sign of thankful homage, and as a means of maintaining his service and his servants. </p> <p> The characteristic ceremony in the Peace Offering was the eating of the flesh by the sacrificer. It betokened the enjoyment of communion with God. It is clear from this that the idea of sacrifice is a complex idea, involving the propitiatory, the dedicatory and the Eucharistic elements. </p> <p> Any one of these, taken by itself, would lead to error and superstition. All three, probably, were more or less implied, in each sacrifice. Each element predominating in its turn. The Epistle to the Hebrews contains the key of the whole sacrificial doctrine. The object of the Epistle is to show the typical and probationary character of sacrifices, and to assert that, in virtue of it alone, they had a spiritual meaning. Our Lord is declared, (see 1 Peter 1:20, "to have been foreordained" as a sacrifice, "before the foundation of the world," or, as it is more strikingly expressed in Revelation 13:8, "slain from the foundation of the world." </p> <p> The material sacrifices represented this great atonement as already made and accepted in God's foreknowledge; and to those who grasped the ideas of sin, pardon and self-dedication symbolized in them, they were means of entering into the blessings which the one true sacrifice alone procured. They could convey nothing in themselves, yet as types they might, if accepted by a true though necessarily imperfect faith, be means of conveying, in some degree, the blessings of the antitype. It is clear that the atonement in the Epistle to the Hebrews, as in the New Testament generally, is viewed in a twofold light. </p> <p> On the one hand, it is set forth distinctly as a vicarious sacrifice, which was rendered necessary by the sin of man, and in which the Lord "bare the sins of many." It is its essential characteristic that, in it, he stands absolutely alone offering his sacrifice, without any reference to the faith or the conversion of men. In it, he stands out alone as the mediator between God and man; and his sacrifice is offered once for all, never to be imitated or repeated. Now, this view of the atonement is set forth in the Epistle as typified by the Sin Offering. </p> <p> On the other hand, the sacrifice of Christ is set forth to us, as the completion of that perfect obedience to the will of the Father, which is the natural duty of sinless man. The main idea of this view of the atonement is representative, rather than vicarious. It is typified by the Burnt Offering. As without the Sin Offering of the cross, this, our Burnt Offering, would be impossible, so also, without the Burnt Offering, the Sin Offering will, to us, be unavailing. </p> <p> With these views of our Lord's sacrifice on earth, as typified in the Levitical sacrifices on the outer alter, is also to be connected, the offering of his intercession for us in heaven, which was represented by the incense. The typical sense of the Meat [Meal] Offering, or Peace Offering, is less connected, the sacrifice of Christ himself , than with those sacrifices of praise, thanksgiving, charity and devotion which we, as Christians, offer to God, and "with which he is well pleased," Hebrews 13:15-16, as with "an odor of sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God." Philippians 4:18. </p>

<p> An offering made to God on his altar, by the hand of a lawful minister. A sacrifice differed from an oblation; it was properly the offering up of a life; whereas an oblation was but a simple offering or gift. There is every reason to believe that sacrifices were from the first of divine appointment; otherwise they would have been a superstitious will-worship, which God could not have accepted as he did. See [[Abel]] . Adam and his sons, [[Noah]] and his descendents, Abraham and his posterity, Job and Melchizedek, before the Mosaic law, offered to God real sacrifices. That law did but settle the quality, the number, and other circumstances of sacrifices. Every one was priest and minister of his own sacrifice; at least, he was at liberty to choose what priest he pleased in offering his victim. Generally, this honor belonged to the head of a family; hence it was the prerogative of the firstborn. But after Moses this was, among the Jews, confined to the family of Aaron. </p> <p> There was but one place appointed in the law for the offering of sacrifices by the Jews. It was around the one altar of the only true God in the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, that all his people were to unite in his worship, Leviticus 17:4,9 Deuteronomy 12:5-18 . On some special occasions, however, kings, prophets, and judges sacrificed elsewhere, Judges 2:5 6:26 13:16 1 Samuel 7:17 1 Kings 3:2,3 18:33 . The [[Jews]] were taught to cherish the greatest horror of human sacrifices, as heathenish and revolting, Leviticus 20:2 Deuteronomy 12:31 Psalm 106:37 Isaiah 66:3 Ezekiel 20:31 . </p> <p> The Hebrews had three kinds of sacrifices: </p> <p> 1. The burnt-offering or holocaust, in which the whole victim was consumed, without any reserve to the person who gave the victim, or to the priest who killed and sacrificed it, except that the priest had the skin; for before the victims were offered to the Lord, their skins were flayed off, and their feet and entrails were washed, Leviticus 1:1-17 7:8 . Every burnt offering contained an acknowledgment of general guilt, and a typical expiation of it. The burning of the whole victim on the altar signified, on the part of the offerer, the entireness of his devotion of himself and all his substance to God; and, on the part of the victim, the completeness of the expiation. </p> <p> 2. The sin offering, of which the trespass offering may be regarded as a variety. This differed from the burnt-offering in that it always had respect to particular offences against law either moral through ignorance, or at least not in a presumptuous spirit. No part of it returned to him who had given it, but the sacrificing priest had a share of it, Leviticus 4:1-6:30 7:1-10 3 . Peace-offerings: these were offered in the fulfillment of vows, to return thanks to God for benefits, (thank-offerings,) or to satisfy private devotion, (freewill-offerings.) The Israelites accordingly offered these when they chose, no law obliging them to it, and they were free to choose among such animals as were allowed in sacrifice, Leviticus 3:1-17 7:11-34 . The law only required that the victim should be without blemish. He who presented it came to the door of the tabernacle, put his hand on the head of the victim, and killed it. The priest poured out the blood about the altar of burntsacrifices: he burnt on the fire of the altar the fat of the lower belly, that which covers the kidneys, the liver, and the bowels. And if it were a lamb, or a ram, he added to it the rump of the animal, which in that country is very fat. Before these things were committed to the fire of the altar, the priest put them into the hands of the offerer, then made him lift them up on high, and wave them toward the four quarters of the world, the priest supporting and direction his hands. The breast and the right shoulder of the sacrifice belonged to the priest that performed the service; and it appears that both of them were put into the hands of him who offered them, though Moses mentions only the breast of the animal. After this, all the rest of the sacrifice belonged to him who presented it, and he might eat it with his family and friends at his pleasure, Leviticus 8:31 . The peace offering signified expiation of sin, and thus reconciliation with God, and holy communion with him and with his people. </p> <p> The sacrifices of offerings of meal or liquors, which were offered for sin, were in favor of the poorer sort, who could not afford to sacrifice an ox or goat or sheep, Leviticus 5:10-13 . They contented themselves with offering meal or flour, sprinkled with oil, with spice (or frankincense) over it. And the priest, taking a handful of this flour, with all the frankincense, sprinkled them on the fire of the altar; and all the rest of the flour was his own: he was to eat it without leaven in the tabernacle, and none but priests were to partake of it. As to other offerings, fruits, wine, meal, wafers, or cakes, or any thing else, the priest always cast a part on the altar; the rest belonged to him and the other priests. These offerings were always accompanied with salt and wine, but were without leaven, Leviticus 2:1-16 . </p> <p> Offerings, in which they set at liberty a bird or a goat, were not strictly sacrifices, because there was no shedding of blood, and the victim remained alive. </p> <p> Sacrifices of birds were offered on three occasions: 1. For sin, when the person offering was not rich enough to provide an animal for a victim, Leviticus 5:7,8 2 . For purification of a woman after childbirth, Leviticus 12:6,7 . When she could offer a lamb and a young pigeon, she gave both; the lamb for a burnt offering, the pigeon for a sin offering. But if she were not able to offer a lamb, she gave a pair of turtles, or a pair of young pigeons; one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering. 3. They offered two sparrows for those who were purified from the leprosy; one was a burnt offering, the other was a scape-sparrow, as above, Leviticus 14:4 , etc Leviticus 14:1 27:34 . </p> <p> For the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, see [[Passover]] . </p> <p> The perpetual sacrifice of the tabernacle and temple, Exodus 29:38-40 Numbers 28:3 , was a daily offering of two lambs on the altar of burnt offerings; one in the morning, the other in the evening. They were burnt as holocausts, but by a small fire, that they might continue burning the longer. The lamb of the morning was offered about sunrise, after the incense was burnt on the golden altar, and before any other sacrifice. That in the evening was offered between the two evenings, that is, at the decline of day, and before night. With each of these victims was offered half a pint of wine, half a pint of the purest oil, and an assaron, or about five pints, of the finest flour. </p> <p> Such were the sacrifices of the Hebrews-sacrifices of divine appointment, and yet altogether incapable in themselves of purifying the soul or atoning for its sins. Paul has described these and other ceremonies of the law "as weak and beggarly elements," Galatians 4:9 . They represented grace and purity, but they did not communicate it. They convinced the sinner of his necessity of purification and sanctification to God; but they did not impart holiness or justification to him. Sacrifices were only prophecies and figures of the sacrifice, the Lamb of God, which eminently includes all their virtues and qualities; being at the same time a holocaust, a sacrifice for sin, and a sacrifice of thanksgiving; containing the whole substance and efficacy, of which the ancient sacrifices were only representations. The paschal lamb, the daily burnt-offerings, the offerings of flour and wine, and all other oblations, of whatever nature, promised and represented the death of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 9:9-15 10:1 . Accordingly, by his death he abolished them all, 1 Corinthians 5:7 Hebrews 10:8-10 . By his offering of himself once for all, Hebrews 10:3 , he has superseded all other sacrifices, and saves forever all who believe, Ephesians 5:2 Hebrews 9:11-26; while without this expiatory sacrifice, divine justice could never have relaxed its hold on a single human soul. </p> <p> The idea of a substitution of the victim in the place of the sinner is a familiar one in the Old Testament, Leviticus 16:21 Deuteronomy 21:1-8 Isaiah 53:4 Daniel 9:26; and is found attending all the sacrifices of animals, Leviticus 4:20,26 5:10 14:18 16:21 . This is the reason assigned why the blood especially, as being the very life and soul of the victim, was sprinkled on the altar and poured out before the Lord to signify its utter destruction in the sinner's stead, Leviticus 17:11 . Yet the Jews were carefully directed not to rely on these sacrifices as works of merit. They were taught that without repentance, faith, and reformation, all sacrifices were an abomination to God, Proverbs 21:27 Jeremiah 6:20 Amos 5:22 Micah 6:6-8; that He desires mercy and not sacrifice, Hosea 6:6 Matthew 9:13 , and supreme love to him, Mark 12:33 . "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," 1 Samuel 15:22 Proverbs 21:3 Matthew 5:23 . See also Psalm 50:1-23 . Then, as truly as under the Christian dispensation, it could be said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, [[O]] God, thou wilt not despise," Psalm 51:17 . The Jews, without these dispositions, could not present any offering agreeable to God; and he often explains himself on this matter in the prophets, Psalm 40:6 Isaiah 1:11-14 Hosea 6:6 Joel 2:12-18 Amos 5:21,22 , etc. </p> <p> The term sacrifices is sometimes used metaphorically with respect to the services of Christians; implying a giving up of something that was their own, and a dedication of it to the Lord, Romans 12:1 Philippians 4:18 Hebrews 13:15,16 1 Peter 2:5 . </p>

<p> An offering made to God on an altar, by means of a regular minister: as an acknowledgment of his power, and a payment of homage. Sacrifices (though the term is sometimes used to comprehend all the offerings made to God, or in any way devoted to his service and honour) differ from mere oblations in this, that in a sacrifice there is a real destruction or change of the thing offered; whereas an oblation is only a simple offering or gift, without any such change at all: thus, all sorts of tithes, and first fruits, and whatever of men's worldly substance in consecrated to God for the support of his worship and the maintenance of his ministers, are offerings, or oblations; and these, under the Jewish law, were either of living creatures, or other things; but sacrifices, in the more peculiar sense of the term, were either wholly or in part consumed by fire. They have, by divines, been divided into bloody and unbloody. [[Bloody]] sacrifices were made of living creatures; unbloody, of the fruits of the earth. They have also been divided into expiatory, impetratory, and eucharistical. The first kind were offered to obtain of God the forgiveness of sins; the second, to procure some favour; and the third, to express thankfulness for favours already received. Under one or other of these heads may all sacrifices be arranged, though we are told that the [[Egyptians]] had six hundred and sixty-six different kinds; a number surpassing all credibility. Various have been the opinions of the learned concerning the origin of sacrifices. </p> <p> Some suppose that they had their origin in superstition, and were merely the inventions of men; others, that they originated in the natural sentiments of the human heart; others imagine that God in order to prevent their being offered to idols, introduced them into his service, though he did not approve of them as good in themselves, or as proper rites of worship. "But that animal sacrifices, " says a learned author, "were not instituted by man, seems extremely evident from the acknowledged universality of the practice; from the wonderful sameness of the manner in which the whole world offered these sacrifices; and from the expiation which was constantly supposed to be effected by them. "Now human reason, even among the most strenuous opponents of the divine institutions, is allowed to be incapable of pointing out the least natural fitness or congruity between blood and atonement; between killing of God's creatures and the receiving a pardon for the violation of God's laws. This consequence of sacrifices, when properly offered, was the invariable opinion of the heathens, but not the whole of their opinion in this matter; for they had also a traditionary belief among them, that these animal sacrifices were not only expiations, but vicarious commutations, and substituted satisfactions; and they called the animals so offered the ransom of their souls. "But if these notions are so remote from, nay, so contrary to, any lesson that nature teaches, as they confessedly are, how came the whole world to practise the rites founded upon them? It is certain that the wisest Heathens, Pythagoras, Plato, Porphyry, and others, slighted the religion of such sacrifices, and wondered how an institution so dismal (as it appeared to them, ) and so big with absurdity, could diffuse itself through the world. </p> <p> An advocate for the sufficiency of reason (Tindall) supposes the absurdity prevailed by degrees; and the priests who shared with their gods, and reserved the best bits for themselves, had the chief hand in this gainful superstition. But, it may well be asked, who were the priests in the days of Cain and Abel? Or, what gain could this superstition be to them, when the one gave away his fruits, and the other his animal sacrifice, without being at liberty to taste the least part of it? And it is worth remarking, that what this author wittily calls the best bits and appropriates to the priests, appear to have been the skin of the burnt-offering among the Jews, and the skin and feet among the Heathens." Dr. Spencer observes (De Leg. Heb. lib. 3: &2.) that "sacrifices were looked upon as gifts, and that the general opinion was, that gifts would have the same effect with God as with man; would appease wrath, conciliate favour with the Deity, and testify the gratitude and affection of the sacrificer; and that from this principle proceeded expiatory, precatory, and eucharistical offerings. This is all that is pretended from natural light to countenance this practice. But, how well soever the comparison may be thought to hold between sacrifices and gifts, yet the opinion that sacrifices would prevail with God must proceed from an observation that gifts had prevailed with men; an observation this which Cain and Abel had little opportunity of making. </p> <p> And if the coats of skin which God directed Adam to make, were the remains of sacrifices, sure Adam could not sacrifice from this observation, when there were no subjects in the world upon which he could make these observations." (Kennicott's second Dissert. on the Offerings of Cain and Abel, p. 201, &c.) But the grand objection to the divine origin of sacrifices is drawn from the [[Scriptures]] themselves, particularly the following (Jeremiah 7:22-23 .) "I spake not to your fathers, nor commanded them, at the time that I brought them out of Egypt, concerning the matters of burnt-offerings or sacrifices; but only this very thing commanded I them, saying, [[Obey]] my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people." The ingenious writer above referred to, accounts for this passage (p. 153 and 209.) by referring to the transaction at Marah, (Exodus 15:23; Exodus 15:26 , ) at which time God spake nothing concerning sacrifices: it certainly cannot be intended to contradict the whole book of Leviticus, which is full of such appointments. Another learned author, to account for the above, and other similar passages, observes, "The Jews were diligent in performing the external services of religion; in offering prayers, incense, sacrifices, oblations: but these prayers were not offered with faith; and their oblations were made more frequently to their idols than to the God of their fathers. </p> <p> The Hebrew idiom ixcludes with a general negative, in a comparative sense, one of two objects opposed to one another, thus: 'I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.' (Hosea 6:6 .) For I spake not to your fathers, nor commanded them, concerning burnt- offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them, saying, Obey my voice.'" (Lowth on Isaiah 43:22; Isaiah 43:24 .) The ingenious Dr. Doddridge remarks, that, according to the genius of the Hebrew language, one thing seems to be forbidden, and another commanded, when the meaning only is, that the latter is generally to be preferred to the former. The text before us is a remarkable instance of this; as likewise Joel 2:13 . Matthew 6:19-20 . John 6:27 . Luke 12:4-5 . and Colossians 3:2 . And it is evident that Genesis 45:8 . Exodus 16:8 . John 5:30 . John 7:19 . and many other passages, are to be expounded in the same comparative sense. (Paraph. on the New Test. sect. 59.) So that the whole may be resolved into the apophthegm of the wise man. (Proverbs 21:3 :) "To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." </p> <p> See Kennicott, above referred to; Edwards's History of Redemption, p. 76. note: Outram de Sacrificiis; Warburton's Divine Leg. b. 9, 100: 2; [[Bishop]] Law's Theory of Rel. p. 50 to 54; Jennings's Jewish antiq. vol. 1: p. 26, 28; Fleury's [[Manners]] of the Israelites, part 4: ch. 4.; McEwen on the Types. </p>

<p> properly so called, is the solemn infliction of death on a living creature, generally by the effusion of its blood, in a way of religious worship; and the presenting of this act to God, as a supplication for the pardon of sin, and a supposed means of compensation for the insult and injury thereby offered to his majesty and government. Sacrifices have, in all ages, and by almost every nation, been regarded as necessary to placate the divine anger, and render the [[Deity]] propitious. Though the [[Gentiles]] had lost the knowledge of the true God, they still retained such a dread of him, that they sometimes sacrificed their own offspring for the purpose of averting his anger. Unhappy and bewildered mortals, seeking relief from their guilty fears, hoped to atone for past crimes by committing others still more awful; they gave their first-born for their transgression, the fruit of their body for the sin of their soul. The Scriptures sufficiently indicate that sacrifices were instituted by divine appointment, immediately after the entrance of sin, to prefigure the sacrifice of Christ. Accordingly, we find Abel, Noah, Abraham, Job, and others, offering sacrifices in the faith of the Messiah; and the divine acceptance of their sacrifices is particularly recorded. But, in religious institutions, the Most High has ever been jealous of his prerogative. He alone prescribes his own worship; and he regards as vain and presumptuous ever pretence of honouring him which he has not commanded. The sacrifice of blood and death could not have been offered to him without impiety, nor would he have accepted it, had not his high authority pointed the way by an explicit prescription. </p> <p> Under the law, sacrifices of various kinds were appointed for the children of Israel; the paschal lamb, Exodus 12:3; the holocaust, or whole burnt- offering, Leviticus 7:8; the sin-offering, or sacrifice of expiation, Leviticus 4:3-4; and the peace-offering, or sacrifice of thanksgiving, Leviticus 7:11-12; all of which emblematically set forth the sacrifice of Christ, being the instituted types and shadows of it, Hebrews 9:9-15; Hebrews 10:1 . Accordingly, Christ abolished the whole of them when he offered his own sacrifice. "Above, when he said, Sacrifice, and offering, and burnt- offerings, and offering for sin, thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, [[O]] God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once for all," Hebrews 10:8-10; 1 Corinthians 5:7 . In illustrating this fundamental doctrine of Christianity, the [[Apostle]] Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, sets forth the excellency of the sacrifice of our great High Priest above those of the law in various particulars. The legal sacrifices were only brute animals, such as bullocks, heifers, goats, lambs, &c; but the sacrifice of Christ was himself, a person of infinite dignity and worth, Hebrews 9:12-13; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 9:26; Hebrews 10:10 . The former, though they cleansed from ceremonial uncleanness, could not possibly expiate sin, or purify the conscience from the guilt of it; and so it is said that God was not well pleased in them, Hebrews 10:4-5; Hebrews 10:8; Hebrews 10:11 . But Christ, by the sacrifice of himself, hath effectually, and for ever, put away sin, having made an adequate atonement unto God for it, and by means of faith in it he also purges the conscience from dead works to serve the living God, Hebrews 9:10-26; Ephesians 5:2 . The legal sacrifices were statedly offered, year after year, by which their insufficiency was indicated, and an intimation given that God was still calling sins to his remembrance, Hebrews 10:3; but the last required no repetition, because it fully and at once answered all the ends of sacrifice, on which account God hath declared that he will remember the sins and iniquities of his people no more. </p> <p> The term sacrifice is often used in a secondary or metaphorical sense, and applied to the good works of believers, and to the duties of prayer and praise, as in the following passages: "But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased," Hebrews 13:16 . "Having received of [[Epaphroditus]] the things which ye sent, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God," </p> <p> Php_4:18 . "Ye are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ," 1 Peter 2:5 . "By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually; that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name," </p> <p> Hebrews 13:15 . "I beseech you, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service," Romans 12:1 . "There is a peculiar reason," says Dr. Owen, "for assigning this appellation to moral duties; for in every sacrifice there was a presentation of something unto God. The worshipper was not to offer that which cost him nothing; part of his substance was to be transferred from himself unto God. So it is in these duties; they cannot be properly observed without the alienation of something that was our own,—our time, ease, property, &c, and a dedication of it to the Lord. Hence they have the general nature of sacrifices." The ceremonies used in offering the Jewish sacrifices require to be noticed as illustrative of many texts of Scripture, and some points of important doctrine. See ATONEMENT , See OFFERINGS , See EXPIATION , See PROPITIATION , See RECONCILIATION , and See REDEMPTION . </p>

<p> <em> Zebach </em> (זֶבַח, Strong'S #2077), “sacrifice.” This root with the meaning “to sacrifice” is represented in other Semitic languages: Akkadian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Arabic. <em> Zebach </em> continued to be used in Mishnaic Hebrew, and its use is greatly reduced in modern Hebrew, since there is no temple. The word is used 162 times in the Hebrew Old Testament and in all periods. The first occurrence is in Gen. 31:54: “Then [[Jacob]] offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.” </p> <p> The basic meaning of <em> zebach </em> is “sacrifice.” When a “sacrifice” had been slaughtered by the priest, he then offered it to God. The purpose was not just to create communion between God and man; rather, the “sacrifice” represented the principle that, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Lev. 17:11; cf. Heb. 9:22). In the act of “sacrifice” the faithful Israelite submitted himself to the priest, who, in keeping with the various detailed regulations (see Leviticus), offered the “sacrifice” in accordance with God’s expectations. The “sacrifices” are the Passover “sacrifice” (Exod. 12:27), “sacrifice” of the peace offering (Lev. 3:1ff.), “sacrifice” of thanksgiving (Lev. 7:12), and “sacrifice” of the priest’s offering ( <em> qarban </em> ; Lev. 7:16). The <em> zebach </em> was not like the burnt offering ( <em> ‘olah </em> ), which was completely burnt on the altar; and it was unlike the sin offering ( <em> chatta’t </em> ), where the meat was given to the priest, for most of the meat of the <em> zebach </em> was returned to the person who made the “sacrifice.” The fat was burned on the altar (Lev. 3:4-5), and the blood was poured out around the altar (3:2). The person who made the <em> zebach </em> had to share the meat with the officiating priest (Exod. 29:28; Lev. 7:31-35; Deut. 18:3). </p> <p> view of the fact that the people shared in the eating of the <em> zebach </em> , the “sacrifice” became a communal meal in which the Lord hosted His people. Zephaniah’s message of judgment is based on this conception of “sacrifice”: “Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests” (Zeph. 1:7). The Israelite came to the temple with the animal to be sacrificed. It was butchered, boiled, and eaten in the area of the sanctuary (1 Sam. 2:13). Apart from the sanctuaries, the Israelites also celebrated God’s goodness together in their native villages. The story of Samuel gives several good illustrations of this custom (cf. 1 Sam. 9:13; 16:2-3). </p> <p> The prophets looked with condemnation on apostate Israel’s “sacrifices”: “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats” (Isa. 1:11). Hosea spoke about the necessity of Israel’s love for God: “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6). Samuel the prophet rebuked [[Saul]] with the familiar words: “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). David knew the proper response to God when he had sinned: “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, [[O]] God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:16-17). </p> <p> The [[Septuagint]] gives the following translation: <em> thusia </em> (“sacrifice; offering”). The KJV gives these senses: “sacrifice; offering.” </p>

<div> A — 1: Θυσία (Strong'S #2378 — Noun [[Feminine]] — thusia — thoo-see'-ah ) </div> <p> primarily denotes "the act of offering;" then, objectively, "that which is offered" (a) of idolatrous "sacrifice," Acts 7:41; (b) of animal or other "sacrifices," as offered under the Law, Matthew 9:13; 12:7; Mark 9:49; 12:33; Luke 2:24; 13:1; Acts 7:42; 1 Corinthians 10:18; Hebrews 5:1; 7:27 (RV, plural); 8:3; 9:9; 10:1,5,8 (RV, plural),11; 11:4; (c) of Christ, in His "sacrifice" on the cross, Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:23 , where the plural antitypically comprehends the various forms of Levitical "sacrifices" in their typical character; Hebrews 9:26; 10:12,26; (d) metaphorically, (1) of the body of the believer, presented to God as a living "sacrifice," Romans 12:1; (2) of faith, Philippians 2:17; (3) of material assistance rendered to servants of God, Philippians 4:18; (4) of praise, Hebrews 13:15; (5) of doing good to others and communicating with their needs, Hebrews 13:16; (6) of spiritual "sacrifices" in general, offered by believers as a holy priesthood, 1 Peter 2:5 . </p> <div> B — 1: Θύω (Strong'S #2380 — Verb — thuo — thoo'-o ) </div> <p> is used of "sacrificing by slaying a victim," (a) of the "sacrifice" of Christ, 1 Corinthians 5:7 , RV, "hath been sacrificed" (AV, "is sacrificed"); (b) of the Passover "sacrifice," Mark 14:12 , RV, "they sacrificed" (AV, "they killed"); Luke 22:7 , RV, "(must) be sacrificed," AV, "(must) be killed;" (c) of idolatrous "sacrifices," Acts 14:13,18; 1 Corinthians 10:20 (twice). See [[Kill]] , No. 3. </p>

<p> As a technical religious term, 'sacrifice' designates anything which, having been devoted to a holy purpose, cannot be called back. In the generality of sacrifices offered to God under the law the consciousness is supposed in the offerer that death, as God's judgement, was on him; hence the sacrifice had to be killed that it might be accepted of God at his hand. In fact the word sacrifice often refers to the act of killing. </p> <p> The first sacrifice we read of was that offered by Abel, though there is an indication of the death of victims in the fact that Adam and Eve were clothed by God with coats of skins. [[Doubtless]] in some way God had instructed man that, the penalty of the fall and of his own sin being that his life was forfeited, he could only appropriately approach God by the death of a substitute not chargeable with his offence; for it was <i> by faith </i> that Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Hebrews 11:4 . God afterward instructed Cain that if he did not well, sin, or a sin offering, lay at the door. </p> <p> The subject was more fully explained under the law: "The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is <i> the blood </i> that maketh an atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11 . Not that the blood of bulls and of goats had any inherent efficacy to take away sins; but it was typical of the blood of Christ which is the witness that they have been taken away for the believer by Christ's sacrifice. </p> <p> Christ appeared once in the end of the world "to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself;" and He having once died, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:26; Hebrews 10:4,12,26 . Without faith in the <i> sacrificial </i> death of Christ there is no salvation, as is taught in Romans 3:25; Romans 4:24,25; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 . </p> <p> The Christian is exhorted to present his body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is his intelligent service, Romans 12:1 : cf. 2 Corinthians 8:5; Philippians 4:18 . He offers by Christ the sacrifice of praise to God, and even to do good and to communicate are sacrifices well pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:15,16 : cf. 1 Peter 2:5 . For the sacrifices under the law see OFFERINGS. </p>

<p> Sacrifices were offered in the ante-diluvian age. The Lord clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, which in all probability had been offered in sacrifice (Genesis 3:21 ). Abel offered a sacrifice "of the firstlings of his flock" (4:4; Hebrews 11:4 ). A distinction also was made between clean and unclean animals, which there is every reason to believe had reference to the offering up of sacrifices (Genesis 7:2,8 ), because animals were not given to man as food till after the Flood. </p> <p> The same practice is continued down through the patriarchal age (Genesis 8:20; 12:7; 13:4,18; 15:9-11; 22:1-18 , etc.). In the Mosaic period of Old Testament history definite laws were prescribed by God regarding the different kinds of sacrifices that were to be offered and the manner in which the offering was to be made. The offering of stated sacrifices became indeed a prominent and distinctive feature of the whole period (Exodus 12:3-27; Leviticus 23:5-8; Numbers 9:2-14 ). (See [[Altar]] .) </p> <p> We learn from the Epistle to the Hebrews that sacrifices had in themselves no value or efficacy. They were only the "shadow of good things to come," and pointed the worshippers forward to the coming of the great High Priest, who, in the fullness of the time, "was offered once for all to bear the sin of many." Sacrifices belonged to a temporary economy, to a system of types and emblems which served their purposes and have now passed away. The "one sacrifice for sins" hath "perfected for ever them that are sanctified." </p> <p> Sacrifices were of two kinds: 1. Unbloody, such as (1) first-fruits and tithes; (2) meat and drink-offerings; and (3) incense. 2. Bloody, such as (1) burnt-offerings; (2) peace-offerings; and (3) sin and trespass offerings. (See [[Offerings]] .) </p>

<p> SAC'RIFICE, sac'rifize. L. sacrifico sacer, sacred, and facio, to make. </p> 1. To offer to God in homage or worship, by killing and consuming, as victims on an altar to immolate, either as an atonement for sin, or to procure favor, or to express thankfulness as, to sacrifice an ox or a lamb. 2 Samuel 6 . 2. To destroy, surrender or suffer to be lost for the sake of obtaining something as, to sacrifice the peace of the church to a little vain curiosity. We should never sacrifice health to pleasure, nor integrity to fame. 3. To devote with loss. <p> Condemn'd to sacrifice his childish years to babbling ignorance and to empty fears. </p> 4. To destroy to kill. <p> SAC'RIFICE, To make offerings to God by the slaughter and burning of victims, or of some part of them. Exodus 3 . </p> <p> SAC'RIFICE, n. L. sacrificium. </p> 1. An offering made to God by killing and burning some animal upon an altar, as an acknowledgment of his power and providence, or to make atonement for sin, appease his wrath or conciliate his favor, or to express thankfulness for his benefits. Sacrifices have been common to most nations, and have been offered to false gods, as well as by the Israelites to Jehovah. A sacrifice differs from an oblation the latter being an offering of a thing entire or without change, as tithes or first fruits whereas sacrifice implies a destruction or killing, as of a beast. Sacrifices are expiatory, impetratory, and eucharistical that is, atoning for sin, seeking favor, or expressing thanks. <p> Human sacrifices, the killing and offering of human beings to deities, have been practiced by some barbarous nations. </p> 2. The thing offered to God, or immolated by an act of religion. <p> My life if thou preserv'st, my life thy sacrifice shall be. </p> 3. Destruction, surrender or loss made or incurred for gaining some object, or for obliging another as the sacrifice of interest to pleasure, or of pleasure to interest. 4. Any thing destroyed.

<p> The sacrifices under the Old Testament dispensation were all shadowy representations and types of that one great and all-sufficient sacrifice of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, whereby "he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." </p> <p> It is proper to observe that though the sacrifices under the law were all typical of Christ, yet sacrifices did not first come in under the law. In the garden of Eden we find their observance. And as a still farther confirmation that every sacrifice, both under the law, and before the law, was typical, we are expressly told by the Holy [[Ghost]] that by faith they were offered—that is, faith in the promised seed. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac." And what could this faith be in but Christ? (See Hebrews 11:4; Heb 11:17) </p> <p> The sacrifices under the law were of different kinds, but all signified the same thing. To Jesus Christ, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," they all referred, and in him the whole had their accomplishment. Whether the sacrifice was what was called the burnt offering, or Holocaust, the sacrifice for sin, or expiation, or the peace-offering, or sacrifice of thanksgiving, Christ was the great object set forth in every one. For neither could the blood of bulls, and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, "sprinkling the unclean, sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, but Jesus, by his own blood, and by entering once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Hebrews 9:12-13) </p> <p> It may be proper to observe under this particular of sacrifice, wherein it differed from oblation. In the former there was somewhat done as well as presented. The offering, of whatever sort it was, whether a burnt offering, or a sacrifice for sin, underwent a change; it was either in part or in whole consumed: whereas an oblation simply consisted in the presentation or dedication of it. See Passover. </p>

<p> (1): (n.) A sale at a price less than the cost or the actual value. </p> <p> (2): (n.) [[Destruction]] or surrender of anything for the sake of something else; devotion of some desirable object in behalf of a higher object, or to a claim deemed more pressing; hence, also, the thing so devoted or given up; as, the sacrifice of interest to pleasure, or of pleasure to interest. </p> <p> (3): (n.) The offering of anything to God, or to a god; consecratory rite. </p> <p> (4): (n.) [[Anything]] consecrated and offered to God, or to a divinity; an immolated victim, or an offering of any kind, laid upon an altar, or otherwise presented in the way of religious thanksgiving, atonement, or conciliation. </p> <p> (5): (n.) To make an offering of; to consecrate or present to a divinity by way of expiation or propitiation, or as a token acknowledgment or thanksgiving; to immolate on the altar of God, in order to atone for sin, to procure favor, or to express thankfulness; as, to sacrifice an ox or a sheep. </p> <p> (6): (n.) Hence, to destroy, surrender, or suffer to be lost, for the sake of obtaining something; to give up in favor of a higher or more imperative object or duty; to devote, with loss or suffering. </p> <p> (7): (n.) To destroy; to kill. </p> <p> (8): (n.) To sell at a price less than the cost or the actual value. </p> <p> (9): (v. i.) To make offerings to God, or to a deity, of things consumed on the altar; to offer sacrifice. </p>

<p> Hebrews 13:16 (a) By this word is described any praise or worship rendered to GOD from a grateful heart. (See also1Pe 2:5). Some of the sacrifices of the Old Testament represented various aspects of the work of CHRIST on the Cross. (See under "OFFERINGS"). Other sacrifices represented various attitudes of the Christian in his relationship to GOD. In some cases the sacrifices represented the attempt of sinners to appease their gods. </p>

<p> Sacrifice. Genesis 31:54. Sacrifices were in use from the earliest periods of the world, and among all nations. The universality of sacrificial rites is a powerful argument on behalf of their naturalness; they meet the demand of the sinner for some way of appeasing the offended divinity. But Christians have no need of them, simply because of the one perfect Sacrifice once offered on the cross. See Offerings, Altar, and Lamb. </p>