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The heart
of the Good News is that Messiah Yeshua died for
our sins. This sounds strange to many people today,
including my Jewish people. The New Testament
would have much greater impact if more people
understood Temple worship, the sacrifices and
the priests who offered them. They might be able
to see how they are fulfilled in the Messiah and
the New Covenant, which enables us to be in a
right relationship with God, truly drawing near
to Him!
Principles
That Govern the Sacrifices The Principle
of Drawing Near to God: "Korbanot" is usually
translated as "sacrifices" or "offerings." Korbanot
comes from a Hebrew root which means "to draw
near," and indicates the primary purpose of these
sacrifices: to draw us near to a holy God from
whom the whole world is estranged. Drawing
near to God, and approaching Him properly, only
comes through God-appointed sacrifices.
The
Principle of Sacrificial Giving: A korban
requires the giving of something valuable: bulls,
sheep, goats, pigeons, or grain. To whom much
was given, much was required. The rich were to
bring their bulls, the middle class were to offer
sheep and goats, and the poor could bring birds
or grain. The rich and middle class were not to
present offerings below their ability to give.
They were not to present pigeons. That would have
been an affront to God. We are to give God
the best, not the least that we can get by with.
To have an attitude that asks, "what is the least
I can give to God?" reveals a heart that really
hasn't come to know and love the Lord.
A Sacrifice
Must be Perfect: All offerings were to be
without defects of any kind. They were to be conformed
to God's holy character. To offer an animal with
a defect demonstrated that the person who would
do such a thing despised God and their heart was
evil. In addition, because the sacrifices point
us to Messiah Yeshua, perfection was necessary
in the type. Offering a flawless animal was necessary
to demonstrate the perfect character and the perfect
sacrifice of the fulfillment -- Messiah Yeshua,
the Ultimate Sacrifice. Imperfect animals could
not portray His sacrifice, which was perfect and
without any blemish. By obeying God's instructions,
the people would ultimately learn of the beautiful
connection between the animal, and the fulfillment
in Messiah Yeshua.
The
Principles of Identification and Substitution:
The animal being offered was a substitute for
the person making the offering. Also, the things
done to the offering were things that the worshiper
himself deserved. Before the animal was killed,
the offerer laid his hands on the head of the
sacrifice. This ceremony depicted identification.
The offerer became identified with the animal’s
innocence, and the animal became identified with
the worshiper’s guilt. Whatever happened to the
animal from this point forward should be seen
as having actually been experienced by the offerer.
The
Order of the Offerings: The Sin Offering was
basic to all the other offerings. It was the first
sacrifice offered. You dealt with the thing that
separated you from God -- sin -- before you offered
the Burnt Offering of dedication or the Grain
Offering of sanctified labor, followed by the
Peace Offering of fellowship. First, sin must
be atoned for. Then comes dedication and service
to God, then genuine fellowship and intimacy with
God. You cannot truly serve God until you have
genuine atonement. You cannot have genuine
intimacy and fellowship and closeness with God
until your sins are atoned for, and you are serving
the Lord.
The
Sacrifices Must be Combined with Faith: Offering
the Korbanot by simply going through the motions,
without having genuine faith, did not draw a person
closer to God. The sacrifices had to be united
with genuine faith toward God in the heart of
the worshiper. The heart of the offerer needed
to be engaged, and God must truly be respected.
The Lord was not impressed with those who offered
sacrifices, but whose hearts were far from Him.
Those Korbanot accomplished nothing. In a similar
way, those who claim to believe in God and Messiah,
but merely go through the motions of religious
rituals (going to church, etc) accomplish nothing.
The
Sacrifices Must be Combined with Faith: Offering
the Korbanot by simply going through the motions,
without having genuine faith, did not draw a person
closer to God. The sacrifices had to be united
with genuine faith toward God in the heart of
the worshiper. The heart of the offerer needed
to be engaged, and God must truly be respected.
The Lord was not impressed with those who offered
sacrifices, but whose hearts were far from Him.
Those Korbanot accomplished nothing. In a similar
way, those who claim to believe in God and Messiah,
but merely go through the motions of religious
rituals (going to church, etc) accomplish nothing.
The
Chatat: The Sin Offering Chatah means “to
sin,” or “to miss the mark.” The Chatat Offering
took care of chatah -- sin. A Sin Offering could
only be offered for unintentional sins committed
through carelessness, not for intentional, malicious
sins, such as murder. For sins like murder, no
offering would bring atonement; only the grace
of God would suffice. A few special Sin Offerings,
like a Sin Offering for the entire community,
or for a priest, could not be eaten. But, for
the average person's sin, some of the Chatat was
permitted to be eaten by the priests. The Sin
Offering had the built-in lesson of identification
and substitution. When the offerer laid his hands
upon the head of the animal, the animal took the
place of the offerer and became his sin. It became
the substitute. The animal took the offerer's
penalty of death, and its life was given in exchange
to the offerer. That is the exchange-of-life principle.
The offerer had to kill the animal, but it was
the priest's responsibility to offer the blood.
The blood was sprinkled -- not burned on the altar.
Blood is a symbol of life. When he handled the
blood of the sacrifice, the priest was symbolically
handling the life of the offerer. The blood of
the substitute animal was symbolic of the new
life to be given to the Israeli -- if he acted
in faith to receive it. Prior to the coming of
Messiah Yeshua, the Sin Offering afforded the
Jewish people a visual demonstration of the exchange-of-life
principle. If the Jewish person appropriated this
lesson by faith, and really grasped this principle,
he was redeemed; he was saved; his sins were forgiven.
The people of Israel could experience salvation
and receive atonement. The redeemed person would
continue to bring sacrifices for future sins,
but it was as one who knew God and knew what salvation
meant. There was a remnant of Israelis who
understood and appropriated this exchange-of-life
principle, but the vast majority went through
the motions without grasping the significance
of the relationship of the sacrifice to their
own sin. In a similar way, many today neither
understand nor desire salvation through the death
of another Chatat -- Messiah Yeshua. What
the Lord wanted the Jewish people to learn in
the Chatat and the exchange-of-life principle
has not changed; rather, it has been enlarged.
The object in this exchange is now the Son of
God. Messiah Yeshua's main purpose for coming
to Earth was to die as the final Chatat. When
a person asks Messiah Yeshua into his or her life,
what they are doing is symbolically laying their
hands on the head of Yeshua. The person confesses
his sins and the Son of God takes away the sinful
life of the person. Then He gives the person His
life, making the exchange of life complete.
But His life is incomparable to that of anyone
else. Because of who Messiah is, His life has
an unmatched quality. It is eternal, and so Believers
receive a gift that never ends! After concluding
their life in this world, they will continue to
live forever and ever, as Yeshua does. Since Messiah's
life is one of power and victory, when we receive
His life we gain an unmatched power which enables
us to live triumphantly and victoriously. This
power is available to all who receive His life
in the exchange-of-life principle. If you have
never done this, why not make Yeshua your Chatat
right now? Believe in Him! Identify with Him.
Join yourself to Him. Let Him take your sins,
and be your Substitute, and He will give you His
eternal, victorious life! Then, as needed,
continue to symbolically lay your hands on the
head of Messiah by regularly confessing your sins
to God, and thanking Him for the sacrifice of
the Messiah. The Lord will wipe away every sin
you have committed!
The
Asham: The Guilt Offering Very similar to
the Sin Offering was the Asham -- the Guilt Offering.
Asham comes from the Hebrew root meaning “to fail
in one’s duty,” or “to be negligent” or “to become
guilty.” A Guilt Offering atones for sins against
the Lord’s holy things, like neglecting to pay
the tithe, or failing to redeem the first-born
son; or sins involving breach of trust against
man, like fraud or theft. In Isaiah chapter 53,
Yeshua is specifically said to be an Asham --
an offering to atone for sin against the Lord’s
holy things (see verse 10). The Righteous One
was guiltless in His relationship to God, and
faultless in His relationship to human beings.
He died so that we can be forgiven for failing
in our duties to God and man. None of us has perfectly
fulfilled our religious responsibilities toward
God, nor have any of us met all of our obligations
to our fellow human beings, but thank God that
Messiah’s sacrifice covers them all!
The
Olah: The Burnt Offering The Hebrew word for
Burnt Offering is Olah, meaning “going up” or
“ascension.” An Olah is completely burnt on the
altar; no part of it is eaten by anyone. Because
the offering represents complete submission to
God's will, the entire offering is given to God.
The Burnt Offering represents dedication to God.
Just as the animal is entirely burnt up and
consumed and ascends heavenward, so the worshiper
offered a sacrifice declaring to God that his
life was not his own. Out of gratitude for being
forgiven and atoned for, his desire was to be
completely consumed in the service of God.
The Burnt Offering finds its fulfillment in the
life and death of the Messiah. In every action
He undertook, with every word that He spoke, Yeshua
was completely dedicated to the will of God. He
always did that which pleased His Father. He never
sinned. He lived a flawless life, and then gave
that life as the final sacrifice for sin. His
willingness to lay down His life demonstrates
the kind of total dedication spoken of in the
Burnt Offering. We, the sons and daughters of
God, who have been redeemed, have been bought
with a very high price. Our lives are no longer
our own. Knowing this, we are to present our lives
as living and holy sacrifices, dedicated to God
and His service. Such an act of total dedication
in the Believer's life is his spiritual and reasonable
service.
The
Mincha: The Grain Offering Mincha refers to
an offering from the produce of the ground. The
Mincha was made of fine wheat. Grain in the ancient
world was the staple of one’s diet. Many of the
calories you ate came from grain. Grain was the
final product of much labor and was valuable.
A farmer first had to break up his ground. Then
he sowed the wheat seeds into the ground. Then
he waited on God to provide the rains at the proper
times. He weeded the soil and later, harvested
the crop. Then he separated the grain from the
chaff and milled the grain into flour. Finally,
he went up to Jerusalem to the Temple and offered
his grain to the Lord. A representative piece
of the offering was to be burned in the fire of
the altar, but the rest was eaten by the priests.
When one brought his Grain Offering, he was offering
something that had been produced through diligence
and hard labor. The Mincha was an acknowledgment
that our jobs, our skills, our strength, our energy,
our labors, all come from the Lord. It is He who
blesses us with skill and strength, enabling us
to work and bring home our daily bread. When he
offered this fine flour, the worshiper poured
oil on it. Oil moistened the flour so that it
wouldn't blow away and helped the flour to burn
better. Oil also has a symbolic meaning. It almost
always symbolizes the presence of God. God needs
to be involved in our work! Frankincense was also
put on the Grain Offering, and its aroma permeated
the air when it was burned. Frankincense was symbolic
of the prayers of God's people. The addition of
frankincense tells us that God considered our
work to be like a prayer that was acceptable to
Him. No Grain Offering was permitted to contain
leaven. Leaven, a symbol of sin, should never
be placed on the altar. Neither was honey, which
was also used in fermentation, and was associated
with leaven as a symbol of sin, permitted. Instead
of leaven or honey, all Grain Offerings were to
contain salt. If any leaven was somehow present,
the salt would arrest the leavening action. It
would therefore symbolize the nullification of
any presence of sin. The salt, which seasoned
the sacrifice, symbolized God's holiness, purity,
and the permanence of the principles of sacrifice
and covenant between the Lord and His people.
The Mincha pictured the perfection of Messiah's
life and work. No aspect of Messiah's nature --
His love, His holiness, His righteousness -- was
lacking. He was perfect in every way. He took
on the tough jobs. In His work for the Father
He took the difficult path of hard labor and of
unselfish service. He did all His labors perfectly,
in total dedication to His Father. After completing
everything, He could say, “It is finished - the
great work that God has given Me to do, has been
done, and done well!” God's presence, as symbolized
in the oil of the sacrifice, was continually with
Yeshua in His life and ministry. Messiah's life
was like frankincense, a pleasant aroma, one continuous
pleasing prayer to God. He enjoyed constant unbroken
communication with the Father. Every word He spoke,
He had first heard the Father speak. Every action
He took was perfectly consistent with the will
of the Father. His entire life was one beautiful
prayer! The absence of leaven in the Mincha symbolizes
Messiah's sinlessness. He is the only man who
never sinned. He is truth embodied, righteousness
personified. We too, are to serve the Lord diligently
and wholeheartedly. Our labor for the Lord is
holy, no matter where we are, rabbi or mother
or secretary; carpenter or street cleaner. Every
legitimate place of employment is like an altar
where a child of God can produce work that is
holy and blessed by God. All of us are to
serve the Lord all the time! True religion must
happen every day of the week: in the work-world,
as well as on Shabbat. You are not doing your
duty if your work is not dedicated to God -- if
you don't see your job as the ministry that God
has given you. We must work conscientiously on
the job, and be dedicated, and diligent and honest.
We must talk to our co-workers about the Kingdom
of God when possible, and let our lights shine
in the work place. Those who are dishonest in
their work, greedy in business, or lazy on the
job are not fulfilling the meaning of the Mincha
Offering.
The
Zebach Sh'lamim: The Peace Offerings The Hebrew
term for the Peace Offerings is Zebach Sh'lamim
which is related to the word shalom, meaning "peace"
or "wholeness" or “completeness.” A Peace Offering
is an offering thanking God for restoring the
worshiper to a state of wholeness with Him, for
being at peace with Him, for having fellowship
with the Creator. All is well between the worshiper
and God! A portion of the offering is burned on
the altar, a portion is given to the priests,
and the rest is eaten by the offerer and his family.
Everyone gets a part of this offering, which is
eaten and enjoyed. This category of offerings
includes Thanksgiving Offerings (“Todah” in Hebrew),
Free Will Offerings, and offerings made after
the fulfillment of a vow. The Peace Offering is
fulfilled in Messiah, who was always in a state
of perfect peace with God. He was always in a
right relationship with His Father. Then, He died
to bring us peace with God, and restore us to
a state of well-being with the Almighty.
Conclusion
The Torah contains three covenants (those made
with Noah, Abraham, and Moses). Judaism claims
to be based on all three. The covenants made with
Noah and with Abraham are still in effect, however
the covenant that came to Israel through Moses
contains many laws, as well as the proper protocol
for drawing near to God through the Tabernacle,
the Priesthood and the Sacrifices. All of these
components (the Laws, Tabernacle, Priesthood and
Sacrifices) form a package deal between God and
Israel. If one part is violated, then the whole
Mosaic Covenant has been violated. Two thousand
years ago the Temple (which replaced the Tabernacle)
was destroyed and the sacrifices ceased. Judaism
was radically (and unilaterally) restructured
by the non-Messianic Rabbis, replacing the Temple,
the Priests and the Sacrifices with the Synagogue,
Rabbis, Prayers, Repentance, and Torah-observance.
But it is impossible to truly fulfill the Torah
and uphold our part of the covenant without meeting
its demands for bringing the Sacrifices God ordained
at the Mishkan. Rabbinic Judaism is based
on a broken covenant, which will not save us.
Instead of this radically reconstituted Judaism,
God wanted the Jewish people to enter into New
Covenant Judaism, based on the life, death and
resurrection and teachings of the Messiah. Furthermore,
He wanted us to bring the Gentiles into the New
Covenant too! I’m indebted to Dr. Louis Goldberg
(may he always be remembered for his goodness,
his scholarship, his love for God and his love
for his Jewish people) for much of this message.
May the Lord bless you in all your responsibilities,
and make you successful in all your ways! Chah-zahk
veh-eh-mahtz (Be strong and courageous)! |
