Lord outlines the legal procedures

for Sacrifices

by Don R. Richards

Back to 2002

Back to August 2002

Leviticus 6:8-30

 

The Lord continued to outlined to Moses His strict procedural requirements for sacrifices to be made within the confines of the tabernacle. As in past references, the details were very particular.

In previous instruction in the early parts of the chapter of Leviticus the Lord discussed the various types of basic sacrifices to be made (burnt offering, meal offering, peace offering, sin offering and guilt offering). Here he instructs Moses in the requirements for the procedures for conducting sacrifices.

Beginning at the 8th verse of the 6th chapter of Leviticus, the Lord instructs Moses to command Moses’ brother Aaron and Aaron’s sons (the Lord’s designated priests in charge of implementing the sacrifices) on the procedures for certain sacrifices.

The burnt offering in the altar was to remain burning all the time. The priests were to keep wood on the altar fire. Insuring it would burn, apparently 24 hours each day. (See Lev. 6:13: "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.")

With regard to the ashes created from the altar fire, the Lord instructed that the priest was to put on holy clothes (linen garments and linen pants), to take the ashes out of the altar. Once removed from the altar, the priest was to change clothes, and then take the ashes outside the tabernacle and the camp for disposal in "a clean place".

Lev. 6:10-11.

With regard to meal (or grain and bread) offerings, the priest was to take a handful of the meal flour and oil and frankincense and burn it upon the altar to provide a sweet savor unto the Lord. Lev. 6:14-15.

The remainder (beyond the handful burned) was to be eaten by the priests (Aaron and his sons) with unleavened bread within the tabernacle grounds (6:16.) The Lord strictly provided that the meal offering not be baked with leaven, for it was a holy preparation instructed by the Lord. 6:17. It was to be eaten by all the males in Aaron’s family.

The Lord then provided strict instruction for the actual sacrifices made by Aaron and his sons. They were to offer one tenth of the fine flour meal, half in the morning and one half in the evening. It was to be baked in a pan with oil and it was to create a sweet savor unto the Lord. The part offered was to be "wholly burned" and not eaten. 6:19-23.

With regard to the sin offering, the priests were to eat part of the offering in the court of the tabernacle. Everything that touched the offering had itself to be holy. 6:25-27.

If the sacrifice was delivered in an earthen vessel, the vessel had to be broken; if delivered in a metal pot, it had to be thoroughly cleaned and scoured and rinsed in water. 6:28. No blood was to be eaten as part of a sin offering, but the blood was to be burnt in the fire.

Next: Rules for guilt and peace offerings, and forbidden fat and blood

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