The Bible definition of ‘sacrifice’ is not exactly the way that we usually understand it in our culture. For us, if we give up something that is precious for a good cause, this is our sacrifice. It could be our time, our abilities, material items or money, just to mention a few.
In the Bible, the entire purpose of the sacrifice was to bring the bearer closer to God. This required the blood of an innocent animal in order to atone for the unrighteousness of the supplicant. There were several types of reasons for sacrifices, each with a specific requirement as to the type of animal.
As Christians, we do not need to bring blood to the altar to come closer to God because Jesus made the way for God’s Spirit to dwell within us. However, we may still bring a sacrifice to Him. The book of Hebrews gives an idea of the type of sacrifice that we offer:
15 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. Hebrews 13:15
I am really very glad that we no longer need to kill animals. But for an Old Testament Covenant ritual, this was a very important part. In the Covenant ceremony, the animal had to be killed and prepared in a certain way, different from any other sacrifice in the Bible. This killing of the animal and preparing it for the ceremony was called ‘cutting the covenant’ and was the third step in the Covenant ceremony.
For this, an animal is chosen, killed, then split down the middle, longitudinally. In the Bible, an animal was only cut this way in a covenant ceremony. Each half of the animal represented one partner and was laid on the ground on opposite sides of the participants. Then the covenant partners stood between the two bloody halves with their backs to each other, each one facing the bloody half of a dead animal. They each walked in a ‘figure 8′ pattern around the animal halves and came back to a stop facing each other.
By this symbolic act, and by their declaration during the walk, they were symbolically dying to themselves. That is, they declared by this action that they no longer had a right to their own lives. They were giving it up and beginning a new walk with the covenant partner. In addition, since the blood covenant was the most solemn pact, they would point to the bloody animal split in two and say something like, ‘God do so to me and more if I ever try to break this covenant.’
God made Abram some promises as to his inheritance in the Book of Genesis. When Abram asked God how he should know that he would inherit it, God said,
9 … Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another but the birds divided he not. Genesis 15:9,10
Abram prepared the sacrifices according to the covenant ritual, splitting each one down the middle. Birds are never cut in half because they represent the Holy Spirit, who is never divided.
17 And it came to pass, that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram… Genesis 15:17,18
Where was Abram during this ceremony? Why wasn’t he walking between the dead animals, also? And what was the smoking furnace that passed between the pieces?
In His sovereignty, God recognized that Abram was not able to do anything to make the promises of God come to pass. So, God simply put Abram to sleep, or in some kind of coma, so that he could not interfere or hinder what God wanted to accomplish. In place of Abram, the manifest presence of God walked through the pieces. In the book of Revelation, John saw Jesus in a vision and described him much the same way that Abram saw him:
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace… Revelation 1:14, 15
In other words, God made a covenant with himself, with the pre-flesh presence of Jesus as his covenant partner. Through Jesus, Abram was a partaker in the covenant, and every Israelite who accepted the Abrahamic covenant was also a partaker of this covenant.
Fast forward, now, to the time when Jesus was getting ready to go to the cross. Jesus was not an animal sacrifice. The blood of animals could only give temporary atonement for sin, which is why sacrifices had to be made over and over again.
Jesus was born without sin, by a virgin birth, so he did not carry the rebellious nature of Adam. He lived a sinless, blameless life and his blood was the only sacrifice that would not just atone for sins, but wash them completely away.
Jesus was the covenant partner, and he agreed to the covenant terms that God made with Abram. He gave everything: his place in heaven, his life, his nearness to God, his sovereignty, his dignity, everything, to fix the rift between God and man. Hallelujah!
