““Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present an animal as an offering to the Lord, you may take it from your herd of cattle or your flock of sheep and goats. “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the Lord. Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him.”
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Leviticus‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

The sacrifice of a living thing for ritual cleansing was neither new in scripture, nor a new idea to the Israelites. They had lived in Egypt their whole lives and this was a place that was ripe with pagan worship. The Jewish people were accustomed to ritual. This is why they innately knew how to fashion an idol while they were at Sinai. That said, these pagan sacrifices were a tribute rather than an atonement. They didn’t serve to restore relationship that had been broken. They served as a type of extortion before demonic forces, as a trade for power, wealth and safety. They distorted the concept of sacrifice first instituted in Eden when God covered the sins of man by killing an innocent animal. This sacrifice was again repeated in the Passover event that brought the slaves from Egypt. In both cases, it was substitutionary for a sacrifice man couldn’t make himself. Man owed God himself as a debt. But he couldn’t pay that debt because he wasn’t blameless. Because of these two factors, his inability to give back a blameless sacrifice and the fact that animals are not humans, the sacrifice was acceptable only for a time, but it wasn’t finished. The fire had to keep burning. Thank God for Jesus. The blameless, final sacrifice.

Purpose of Sacrifice: Sacrifices were commonly known as a tribute to pagan deities for power and protection, distorting the original concept of substitutionary atonement.

Nature of Sacrifice: Animal sacrifices, while acceptable for a time, were insufficient as they were not human and could not fully atone for human sin.

Final Sacrifice: Jesus Christ represents the ultimate, blameless sacrifice, fulfilling the need for atonement and ending the cycle of temporary sacrifices.