11/24/2023 -The Altar of Sacrifice
Leviticus 1: 4 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. 5 You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
The first altar in the tabernacle was the altar of sacrifice. This was the altar on which the people sacrificed animals daily. This altar represents the cross of Christ.
Placing the hand on the animal’s head symbolized the transfer of your guilt. The person admitted being deserving of death for their sin and that this innocent creature would represent them before God. How amazing is the grace of God that He would choose to offer a way for forgiveness and life to those who were deserving of punishment and death!
The sinner would have to kill the animal. This was not a task imposed on the priest. Inflicting the pain of death on the animal brought the sinner face to face with the pain their sin caused.
Everyone knows that the blood of cows and sheep cannot atone for anyone’s sins. This was symbolic and demonstrated the logic of God’s plan for our salvation. The true altar is the cross of Christ. The true sacrifice is the Lamb of God, holy and without blemish, slain for us and by us, on whom our sin was transferred.
We are no longer required to bring sacrifices for our salvation. But we are to trust Christ and the transfer of our guilt to Him. We are to live in gratitude and to seek holiness. We should really offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.