Why does YHWH desire blood sacrifices?

[Kilgore Trout]

Burning meat smells really frickin good.

 

[outhouse]

Exodus 29:32

I stand corrected.

I know they burnt the heck out the rest of flesh turning it to charcoal

 

[Gaura Priya]

I'm still waiting for a serious reply. Having grown up with the Bible, it is one of the more disturbing things that I usually just took as part of the Scripture without really thinking about the details.

 

[fallingblood]

do you have any evidence that they ate the sacrifice????

this wasnt a BBQ


Apperenty there is some chemical released that gets people high from turning flesh and fat into charcoal. [ive heard]

Of course people ate the sacrifice. Just look at Passover.

 

[fallingblood]

I'm still waiting for a serious reply. Having grown up with the Bible, it is one of the more disturbing things that I usually just took as part of the Scripture without really thinking about the details.

Really, it comes down to the traditions of that time. The Hebrews did not create this idea. In fact, we see many religions before the Hebrews doing this.

It is partially out of respect. God gave people what they have, so you give some back. I have also heard it described somewhat as a dinner with God; however, I am not sure how accurate that is, as I can't remember where I heard it.

Also, the food is eaten as well. It isn't just wasted. And it isn't just meat. They are just giving some back to God.

 

[outhouse]

Of course people ate the sacrifice. Just look at Passover.

Understood now, but its not a typical BBQ feast.

 

[Levite]

So I've reached listening to Leviticus from the audio of the New World Translation... and I find it quite atrocious that this Divinity demands sacrificing animals, sprinkling their blood, and burning them for Eir satisfaction. Why does YHWH even demand this?

Even when Christians say that Jehovah's Son, Jesus Christ, completed this need for sacrificial offerings, it still comes back to why the heck Jehovah would require them in the first place.

In my religion, Krishna says that even a leaf, flower, fruit or a little water (of which we can share and partake) is acceptable to Him, for He partakes in the love and devotion of that offering, and not the substance. And yet, Jehovah's blood offerings are quite ghastly to me. What was the purpose of expiating sins through the killing of animals?

First of all, offerings weren't only for expiating sin: there were many kinds of offerings, including those to celebrate religious holidays, to offer thanksgiving to God, to express gratitude for prosperity, to deal with ritual purity and impurity, and various other kinds also. And not all offerings were slaughtered animals: some were grain offerings, some were wine, oil, or water, first fruits were offered, and incense was offered every day. It is also useful to recall that blood sacrifice was the dominant rite in pretty much the entirety of the Ancient Near East. The Ancient Israelites literally could conceive of nothing else.

But as to your question, there are a number of potential answers for this offered in the Jewish tradition. The one that I find most satisfying, given by some traditional authorites, is that Ancient Israelites demanded sacrifice because that was what they knew. So, these particular authorities say, God tried to compromise, knowing that it was already a difficult challenge to do away with polytheism (which was otherwise universal in the Ancient Near East), deeming it more important to reinforce the point of monotheism. So He instructed them to bring only a small number of different kinds of animals for sacrifices, and instructed them never to sacrifice human beings, and instructed them to slaughter the animals as painlessly as possible, and restricted acceptable sacrifice to only one place in the entire Land of Israel, and so forth, as a way of accommodating their theological needs at that time, while giving them limitations that would hopefully train them away from excesses of blood sacrifice, and hopefully teach them eventually that there might be other ways to worship God that might be better.

In other words, blood sacrifice was what the Ancient Israelites were ready for at that time. They were not ready yet for a world without worship through blood. The rites of animal sacrifice were not what God wanted for Himself so much as what God permitted our ancestors to do in regard to sacrificial worship, hoping that it would eventually train them to achieve prayer, which we believe God does want.

 

[Me Myself]

I am sure there must be some good explanation from the Jewish perspective

From the jewish perspective animals are there so we can utilize them as food because God said the man that he ruled over them.

naturaly I wouldn´t say eating your servants is Ruling 101, but the jews differ when it came to this kind of ruling

 

[Gaura Priya]

First of all, offerings weren't only for expiating sin: there were many kinds of offerings, including those to celebrate religious holidays, to offer thanksgiving to God, to express gratitude for prosperity, to deal with ritual purity and impurity, and various other kinds also. And not all offerings were slaughtered animals: some were grain offerings, some were wine, oil, or water, first fruits were offered, and incense was offered every day. It is also useful to recall that blood sacrifice was the dominant rite in pretty much the entirety of the Ancient Near East. The Ancient Israelites literally could conceive of nothing else.

But as to your question, there are a number of potential answers for this offered in the Jewish tradition. The one that I find most satisfying, given by some traditional authorites, is that Ancient Israelites demanded sacrifice because that was what they knew. So, these particular authorities say, God tried to compromise, knowing that it was already a difficult challenge to do away with polytheism (which was otherwise universal in the Ancient Near East), deeming it more important to reinforce the point of monotheism. So He instructed them to bring only a small number of different kinds of animals for sacrifices, and instructed them never to sacrifice human beings, and instructed them to slaughter the animals as painlessly as possible, and restricted acceptable sacrifice to only one place in the entire Land of Israel, and so forth, as a way of accommodating their theological needs at that time, while giving them limitations that would hopefully train them away from excesses of blood sacrifice, and hopefully teach them eventually that there might be other ways to worship God that might be better.

In other words, blood sacrifice was what the Ancient Israelites were ready for at that time. They were not ready yet for a world without worship through blood. The rites of animal sacrifice were not what God wanted for Himself so much as what God permitted our ancestors to do in regard to sacrificial worship, hoping that it would eventually train them to achieve prayer, which we believe God does want.

I love this response; thank you so much.

 

[Caladan]

So I've reached listening to Leviticus from the audio of the New World Translation... and I find it quite atrocious that this Divinity demands sacrificing animals, sprinkling their blood, and burning them for Eir satisfaction. Why does YHWH even demand this?

Even when Christians say that Jehovah's Son, Jesus Christ, completed this need for sacrificial offerings, it still comes back to why the heck Jehovah would require them in the first place.

In my religion, Krishna says that even a leaf, flower, fruit or a little water (of which we can share and partake) is acceptable to Him, for He partakes in the love and devotion of that offering, and not the substance. And yet, Jehovah's blood offerings are quite ghastly to me. What was the purpose of expiating sins through the killing of animals? :cover:

Blood itself might have significance. with the Bible illustrating blood as life itself. as pointed out you need a full context of the practice in the region and the regions around it. the Biblical narrative presents us with the softening of human sacrifice as it was practiced in the middle east, to animal sacrifice by the Israelites. also I think you need to look into what the sacrifice of animals really meant. because it seems you are criticizing a different issue. sacrificed animals by a standard were also consumed.
you also should look into ritualistic sacrifices in the expanded region as a whole to get a grip of tradition.
the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Jews and many others have been practicing the sacrifice of animals. with the Egyptians and other nations in various periods also indulging in human sacrifice.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

It's really about eating meat. All life is suppose to belongs to God and is sacred, and you just couldn't take a life of an animal thoughtlessly. You had to honor the life of that animal and the God who gave that animal life. It was a reminder that something alive and sacred was killed so you may eat and live.

 

[Gaura Priya]

It's really about eating meat. All life is suppose to belongs to God and is sacred, and you just couldn't take a life of an animal thoughtlessly. You had to honor the life of that animal and the God who gave that animal life. It was a reminder that something alive and sacred was killed so you may eat and live.

I guess for me, the problem is that I could not wrap my head around Middle-Eastern culture's common slaughtering of animals and the usage of blood in particular ways (besides the grain, wine, and other kinds of offerings), such as placing it on the right earlobe, and the right thumb, and sprinkling it all about the altar, while eating some of the fat, and burning the rest of it, making a pleasant odour before Jehovah.

 

[BruceDLimber]

He no longer does, which is why more modern religion contains no such ritual!

Peace,

Bruce

 

[Thief]

I'm still waiting for a serious reply. Having grown up with the Bible, it is one of the more disturbing things that I usually just took as part of the Scripture without really thinking about the details.

Go back to Genesis.
Cain made an offering of 'the fruit of the ground'.
Abel made an offering of his 'flock and the fat thereof'.

Animal sacrifices had begun and were favored over vegetation.
Why?...the book does not say.

It does continue into dialog wherein God is asking Cain....
'why are you angry?....why has your countenance fallen?'
(even though God had just favored Abel's offering.)

From the very start of God's relationship with Man...
misgivings and misconception were at hand.

Why make any offering?
Genesis makes no mention, a cause for Cain to make offering.
Neither is Abel commanded to do so.
They simply do.

No indication is given as to why a blood offering is more pleasing.

But the dialog between God and Cain goes on....
'If you do well, shall you not be accepted?
and if not then sin awaits at the door.'
(this is the first mention of 'sin'.)

As if to imply....the sacrifice of Cain could have been accepted.
Something not mentioned, stopped that from happening.

The book does not make explanation.
I suspect it had something to do with Cain's sense of 'self'.

Still there is no apparent cause,for any such gesture of sacrifice....
other than drawing God's attention.

 

[Rakhel]

Go back to Genesis.
Cain made an offering of 'the fruit of the ground'.
Abel made an offering of his 'flock and the fat thereof'.

Animal sacrifices had begun and were favored over vegetation.
Why?...the book does not say.

It does continue into dialog wherein God is asking Cain....
'why are you angry?....why has your countenance fallen?'
(even though God had just favored Abel's offering.)

From the very start of God's relationship with Man...
misgivings and misconception were at hand.

Why make any offering?
Genesis makes no mention, a cause for Cain to make offering.
Neither is Abel commanded to do so.
They simply do.

No indication is given as to why a blood offering is more pleasing.

But the dialog between God and Cain goes on....
'If you do well, shall you not be accepted?
and if not then sin awaits at the door.'
(this is the first mention of 'sin'.)

As if to imply....the sacrifice of Cain could have been accepted.
Something not mentioned, stopped that from happening.

The book does not make explanation.
I suspect it had something to do with Cain's sense of 'self'.

Still there is no apparent cause,for any such gesture of sacrifice....
other than drawing God's attention.

Thinking about from that perspective, Cain's may not have been accepted because he didn't do it willingly. He may have seen Able doing it and rushed to get his in, without thinking what the motive was behind Abel's sacrifice.

 

[Thief]

Thinking about from that perspective, Cain's may not have been accepted because he didn't do it willingly. He may have seen Able doing it and rushed to get his in, without thinking what the motive was behind Abel's sacrifice.

Nice try...but Cain's effort is shown first...then Abel's.

 

[The Fog Horn]

The animals were sacrificed on a fire at the outdoor end of the tent but has anyone considered the possibility the other steaming/burning thing inside the tabernacle tent (the Holy of Holiest) could be a lava vent?

tent of tabernacle - Google Search

 

[CynthiaCypher]

I guess for me, the problem is that I could not wrap my head around Middle-Eastern culture's common slaughtering of animals and the usage of blood in particular ways (besides the grain, wine, and other kinds of offerings), such as placing it on the right earlobe, and the right thumb, and sprinkling it all about the altar, while eating some of the fat, and burning the rest of it, making a pleasant odour before Jehovah.

You have to remember that these people were semi-pastorial. Their animals were their wealth and was consider a blessing from their God. They took the slaughter of their animals very seriously, it was considered a loss if they had to eat one of their animals because they animals they raised not only gave them meat but also wool and milk. So they weren't slaughtering their animals willy-nilly like we do in the West. I was a very serious undertaking to them.

To these ancient people life was in the blood and therefore sacred so therefore you just couldn't spill it on the ground because that would be a act of desecration and an offense to God. You had to slaughter the animal and dispose of the blood in a way that honored the sacredness of the life in the blood and the God who gave it.

Placing a drop of blood on the ear and forehead is an act of sympathetic magic. Blood is sacred and holy to these people and this act was an act to confer holiness upon the person who blessed so. Some Bedouin clans still practice this to this day.

 

[The Fog Horn]

Maybe that is because Bedouins and Hebrews, and even muslims who also sacrifice lambs, have a lot in common. I believe Mt Sinai was in Saudi.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

Maybe that is because Bedouins and Hebrews, and even muslims who also sacrifice lambs, have a lot in common. I believe Mt Sinai was in Saudi.

Lot more common than people realize. The Bedouin celebrate a spring festival that is very similiar to the Israelite passover. That's why I believe that the Israelite is more of a pastoral sacrifice system (which is very similiar to a hunter sacrifial system, giving thanks to the animal and the Gods who gave you that animal) than a substitute for human sacrifce or a means of appeasing a blood thristy god like some people are suggesting.