I'm going through the Tanakh, and I found this interesting verse Jeremiah 7:22-23 .
For when I freed your fathers from the land of Egypt, I did not speak with them or command them concerning burnt offerings or sacrifice. But this is what I commanded them: Do My bidding, that I may be your God and you may be My people; walk only in the way that I enjoin upon you, that it may go well with you.
I find this an interesting observation...that the sacrificial system was not even originally a part of "The Plan" so to speak.
Monday, September 29, 2008
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In going back to Genesis with Cain and Abel it's the same thing. There is no command from God to make a sacrifice of meat or grains from either of the brothers.
Perhaps it was Abels way of giving thanks to God, perhaps also the reason God found favor with Abel is because he did so without being commanded. Following this train of thought, perhaps Cain's offering did not please God because he (Cain) was not giving from his grateful heart, but merely to "keep up the appearance" of being righteous and thankful to God. It seems almost as though in the beginning God was trying to meet the people at their own level of understanding. Then later He says (to paraphrase) "OK, so you want to make sacrifices, then here's what I want!", and he made them pour it on literally! Still later He says plainly "I desire mercy, not sacrifice!" So it's almost like he is leading them to a fuller understanding (which they rejected) up to and including the time of Christ's sacrifice, where He's saying (to paraphrase) "Look you morons! This is how much I love you! I'm giving my own Son as the ultimate sacrifice! Now will you accept my forgiveness, repent, and do what's right?" Again it was rejected by the majority of those he was trying to reach or at least misunderstood, maybe even to this very day. I don't mean to offend by pretending to know the mind of God, but this is how the big picture looks to me.
Rich D from Calgary
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