No More Killing Animals

Posted by annebattleschultz on Dec 16, 2008 in Daily Bread | 1 comment

When Alan asked me to write a devotional on Leviticus 16: 5-10, I had to laugh. As someone with a passion for animal rescue, the last thing I want to think about is animal sacrifice. But as luck (or rather, God) would have it, I have studied and contemplated this passage before, because I’ve tried to understand why God would ask His people to inflict suffering on helpless animals.

According to Hebrews 9:22: “Without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” Before Jesus died to save us, the only way we could be absolved of guilt in God’s infinitely just economy was to shed innocent blood. In the passage in question, Aaron was offering sacrifices to atone for his own sins and those of the Israelites. Interestingly, Aaron is told to make the sacrifices at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting (the tabernacle), not at the Holy of Holies, the most sacred spot in the tabernacle. Traditionally on this day, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to make the annual sacrifices for himself and the people. There the priest entered the presence of God; only on the Day of Atonement was he permitted to do so.

Aaron, however, is not allowed into God’s holy presence. His sons had treated God with disrespect and died as a result, and now Aaron has to absolve himself and his family before he can approach the Holy One.

The goats Aaron offers prefigure Christ and His sacrifice for us. The casting of lots, the banishment of the goat into the desert, and, of course, the fatal blood-letting all foreshadow Christ’s life and death on earth. Aaron can’t enter God’s presence without atoning for his sins through sacrifice, just as we cannot be reconciled with Him until we accept His Son’s sacrifice for us. Once we repent, ask for forgiveness, and open the door to Jesus in our hearts, God begins the process of sanctification within us. From then on, not only are we in His presence, but He is in us and with us into eternity.

I am thankful beyond measure that I do not have to kill an animal to be right with God. If I were an Israelite, I would have tried like mad to avoid any sin that would require harming another creature. But my work would have been in vain, because I am not perfect. I would have had to make that animal suffer, and suffered along with it.

Now that Christ is in my life and heart, I can rest in His forgiveness and know that, even if I am not perfect, He sees me as pure and spotless. Christ lives in me, and when I die to myself and allow Him to live through me, I can, in fact, meet God’s standards—without working myself to death. He is continuously sanctifying me, making my will His will, until I enter His presence in heaven.

I believe that God asked his people to sacrifice animals not only to preserve justice in His Kingdom, but also to show us just how serious sin is. We all sin, and that sin – no matter how small – is not just something we can brush aside. Our God is a just God, and He requires atonement for each and every wrong. But He is also a merciful God. He sent His only Son – the greatest sacrifice of all – to save us from the blood-letting. May we praise His holy name!