CHAPTER II.

SACRIFICES: THEIR NATURE, ORDER, AND

SIGNIFICATION.

A FEW words on the nature, order, and signifi

tion of the offerings are here necessary.

The leading idea of sacrifice in the Word of God is substitution, in which word everything else is implied-vicarious suffering, forgiveness, atonement, and redemption. "The firstfruits go for the whole products; the firstlings for the flock; the redemption money for that which cannot be offered; and the life of the sacrifice which is in its blood for the life of the sacrificer." This idea of substitution is expressed in the word of God by the word "atonement," which really means "covering," the substitute taking the place of, and covering the person of, the offerer, and is thus expressed in the Psalms, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."

At the very commencement of the Jewish dispensation we see the Paschal lamb, which is typical, or rather, anticipatory of all the others which were to follow. There was, however, one sacrifice which

required no renewal. This was when God entered into covenant relation with his people, and Israel became "the people of God." Moses then "sprinkled the blood of the covenant" on the altar and on the people. On the ground of this covenant-sacrifice all others rested. All the others that followed, or were to follow, in the future history of Israel, were either sacrifices of communion with God, or intended to restore that communion where, through sin, it had been hindered-sacrifices in communion with God, or for communion with God. To the former class belonged the burnt and the peace offerings; to the latter class, the sin and trespass offerings.

"The sacrifices may be divided into bloody and unbloody. The latter, which is called the Minchah, included the meat and drink offering, the first sheaf of the Passover, the two loaves at Pentecost, and the shewbread. In Lev. v. II, a meat offering is allowed to be brought in case of extreme poverty for a sin offering. The meat offering was only brought alone in two instances. (See Levit. vii. 12, and Numb. v. 15.) From this it will be clear that, as a rule, the meat offering must not be separated from the bloody sacrifices. A further proof of this lies in the fact that it always varied in quantity according to the kind of sacrifice which it accompanied.

"It was a first principle that every sacrifice must be of such things as had belonged to the offerer. None other could represent him or take his place before God.

Next, all animal sacrifices were to be free of blemishes, and all unbloody offerings to be without

admixture of leaven or honey, from their tendency to fermentation and corruption. Salt, as a symbol of incorruption, was to be added to all sacrifices. (See Mark ix. 49.)

"Three kinds of four-footed beasts-oxen, sheep, and goats; and two of birds-turtle doves and young pigeons, were appointed for sacrifices. The latter, except in certain purifications, are only allowed as substitutes for other sacrifices in case of poverty; hence no direction is given as to their age or sex."

The arrangement of sacrifices into most holy and less holy in the Bible is of great importance. "Certain meat offerings, and all burnt, sin, and trespass sacrifices, as well as all public peace offerings, were most holy. Such were to be offered or sacrificed in one of the more holy places: they were slain at the north side of the altar; the less holy at the east or south side; and they were either not partaken of at all, or else only by the officiating priests, and within the court of the temple. The skins of the most holy sacrifices, except such as were wholly burned, belonged to the priests; those of the less holy to the offerer. In the latter case they also partook of their flesh, the only exception being the firstlings, which were eaten by the priests alone.

"The Rabbis mention the following five acts as belonging to the offerer of a sacrifice, viz., the laying on of hands, slaying, skinning, cutting up, and washing the inwards. The following five were strictly priestly functions—namely, catching up the blood, sprinkling it, lighting the altar fire, laying on the

wood, bring up the pieces, and all else done at the altar itself.

"Having first been duly purified, a man brought his sacrifice himself before the Lord;' anciently, to the door of the tabernacle, where the altar of burnt offering was. In the temple it was brought into the great court. If the sacrifice was most holy, he entered this court by the northern gate; if it were less holy, he entered by the southern gate. Next he placed it so as to face the west, or most holy place, in order thus literally to bring it 'before the Lord' To this the Apostle refers when in Rom. xii. 1, he beseeches us to 'present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.'

"Women might bring their sacrifices into the great court, but they might not perform the second rite that of laying on of hands. This meant transmission and delegation, and implied representation; so that it really pointed to the substitution of the sacrifice for the sacrificer. Hence it was always accompanied by confession of sin and prayer. It was done thus-the sacrifice was so turned that the person confessing looked towards the west (or most holy place, or 'before the Lord'), while he laid his hands between the horns of the sacrifice. If the sacrifice was brought by more than one, each had to lay on his hands." The hand, or hands, were to be laid on with the whole force-as it were 'to lay one's whole weight upon the substitute.' (See Isa. liii. 4–6.)

"According to the difference of sacrifices the blood was differently applied, and in different places. In all burnt, trespass, and peace offerings, the blood was

thrown directly out of the vessel or vessels in which it had been caught, the priest going first to one corner of the altar and then to the other, and throwing it so that each time two sides of the altar were covered. Any blood left was poured at the base of the altar. In all sin offerings the blood was not thrown but sprinkled. According to the importance of the sin offering the blood was so applied either to the four horns of the brazen altar, or brought into the holy place and sprinkled first seven times before the veil, then on the four horns of the incense altar. On the day of atonement it was sprinkled within the most holy place. From all sin offerings, the blood of which was sprinkled on the brazen altar, certain portions were to be eaten; but those whose blood was brought into the holy place itself were burned.

"On the shedding of blood followed the 'flaying' of the sacrifice and the cutting up into his pieces.' All this had to be done in an orderly manner, and according to certain rules, the Apostle Paul adopting the sacrificial term when he speaks of 'rightly dividing the word of truth.' The inwards and legs were washed and dried, and the separate pieces were brought up by various priests. Next the sacrificial salt was applied, and then the pieces were thrown,— first confusedly, and were then arranged-upon the fire."

The common idea that the burning symbolized the wrath of Jehovah is not correct. Two different words are used in the Bible for burning. In the case of the burnt offering, the burning signifies Jehovah's delight in accepting it. In the case of the sin offering,