The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Why Did God Require Sacrifices?

Many people have wondered how God was honored by an animal being killed. The key to understanding this sacrificial system is not found in the animals or in the gifts of grain, oil or wine that were used in various Old Testament sacrifices. Rather, the key is this: God’s holiness requires that sin not be ignored. Someone must pay the price to remove the offense. Once the price is paid, the sin can be forgiven. Sacrifices were God’s way of teaching this spiritual truth to his people.

Another important concept is that the innocent can substitute for the guilty. God allowed a sin payment to be made on behalf of someone else. In the Old Testament, these payments were animal or food sacrifices. When offered in faith, these pointed to the ultimate sacrifice: Christ’s death for the sins of the world (see Heb 10:1 – 10).

Sacrifices also involved offering something valuable as a token of gratitude to God. Just as today we give money or other gifts to acknowledge that God is the source of all we have, the people in Old Testament days offered God the best of their flocks and fields to give thanks for his provision.

Finally, the sacrificial system also performed an important community function. Just as the New Testament church celebrated the Lord’s Supper (honoring Christ’s sacrifice) as part of “love feast” (Jude 12), the Old Testament sacrifices were often performed as part of community meals. Far from being a wasteful destruction of animals, the food offered as a sacrifice was generally eaten, either by the priests or by the entire worshiping community.

To read more about this subject, see Exodus 29:11 – 21 and Leviticus 1:1 – 17.

Taken from the NIV Starting Place Study Bible.