Animal Sacrifices and Temple Covenants

                In Section 124 of the Doctrine and Covenants, prior to the construction of the Nauvoo Temple, the Lord explains the purpose of temples.  “Build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein.  For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you.” [vs. 27-28]  In verse 38, the Lord explains that the reason He had Moses build the tabernacle [and the temple that was built in Jerusalem] was so that “those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was.”  The Lord refers to both the ancient and latter-day temples as a place to reveal ordinances that were instituted before the foundation of the world. 

                Joseph Smith said that Adam was the “first to hold the spiritual blessings, to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity unto the end, and to whom Christ was first revealed.” [History of the Church, Vol. 4, pg. 207]  He also stated that God “set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from heaven to man, or to send angels to reveal them.” [IBID, p. 208]  Joseph continued, “…all the ordinances and duties that ever have been required by the Priesthood…shall all be had in the last dispensation…bringing to pass the restoration spoken by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets.” [IBID, p. 210 – 211]

                The ordinances of the Old Testament as represented by the animal sacrifices, can give us a greater understanding of our latter-day ordinances and covenants.  “Sacrificial worship as practiced by the ancient Hebrews has many similarities and parallels with the restored gospel.  This is not surprising.  After all, the fundamental principles of the plan of salvation are the same.” [Phillip W. McMullin, “Sacrifice in the Law of Moses”, Ensign, March 1990, pg. 38]    Nephi exclaimed that God “is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.  For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them [mysteries is a term that can refer to temple ordinances – see Doc. & Cov. 84:19-20], by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times to come, wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.” [1 Nephi 10:18-19]

                On August 13, 1843, when speaking about Malachi 4:5-6, Joseph said it should read, “and he [Elijah] shall turn the hearts of the children to the covenant made with their fathers.” [Ehat & Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 242]  As our hearts turn to the covenants made to the fathers, one must keep in mind while studying the Mosaic sacrifices -  that these animal sacrifices foreshadowed the higher law through Christ.  We must look for types of Christ and the terms of the covenants in our relationship to Him for He said, “…by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.” [3 Nephi 9:17]

                In the LDS Bible Dictionary, under the heading of Covenant [p. 651], we learn that covenants made between God and man, the two parties to the agreement do not stand in the relation of independent and equal contractors.  God fixes the terms, which man accepts.  The same word is sometimes rendered “testament”.  As we study the Old “Testament”, we will more fully understand the New “testament”, which is in Christ.

                There are four Old Testament sacrifices, namely, the Sin Offering, the Trespass Offering, the Burnt Offering and the Peace  Offering.  Significant parallels exist between these offerings and the offerings we make in the temple.    

                THE SIN OR PURIFICATION OFFERING

                When a penitent person took his sacrifice, which could range from a turtle dove to a lamb or goat, the Israelite laid his hand on the sacrifice, symbolically transferring his sinful nature to the animal.  By means of this act the animal was designated as the representative or substitute of the man who brought the sacrifice, symbolic of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The priest then killed the animal, sprinkled its blood on the altar, and cooked it.  After the sacrifice, the meat and the hide became the property of the priest.  The Priest, also representative of Jesus Christ, then “owns” us for “we are bought with a price” [1 Corinthians 6:20]. The Priest could also represent the Father who offered his perfect son as a sacrifice.

                There are three reasons in the Old Testament requiring a sin or purification offering:  sin committed in ignorance [Leviticus 4], recovery from childbirth [Leviticus 12], contamination and/or completion of the Nazarite vow [Numbers 6].  Rabbi Jacob Milgram who wrote the authoritative and comprehensive work, Leviticus 1 – 16, said a better translation of the Hebrew word, “hattat”, is purification.   This offering is for an atonement of fallen man and its effects.  The woman is pronounced unclean after childbirth, not for any sin of hers, but because of her fallen nature.  Milgrom states, “In the Israelite mind, blood was the archsymbol of life.  Its oozing from the body was the sign of death” [p. 767] “Moreover, not only is the hattat [purification offering] unrelated to sin in rabbinic thought, but most authorities deny emphatically the impurity itself was caused by sin. [p. 254-291] 

                Alma said,” …the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, and it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death.” [Book of Mormon, Alma 42:9] Because of the fall, all of mankind have inherited what is termed as the natural man.  King Benjamin explains, “And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins. [Book of Mormon | Mosiah 3:16] and for the rest of mankind, “the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.” [Mosiah 3:19]   

                The children of Israel, through the purification offering, were to sacrifice the natural man and become new creatures in Christ.  “Wherefore, henceforth live we no more after the flesh, yea, though we once lived after the flesh, yet since we have known Christ, now henceforth live we no more after the flesh.  Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” [2 Corinthians 5:16-17 JST]

                Neal A. Maxwell wrote, “Outward rituals can become near-empty ends in themselves.  What we are actually placing on the altar to be consumed is the animal and carnal of our old selves.  The need for that sacrifice has not been done away.” [Not my Will Be Done, Bookcraft 1988, p. 100]

                The sin/purification sacrifice teaches that to become reconciled with God, our sinful and rebellious nature must be offered upon the altar. The animal also represents the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the power of His cleansing blood. “In each hattat case, reconciliation is effected by the kipper [cleansing] action of the hattat blood.  In other words, it is the purgative action of the hattat that effects reconciliation.” [Milgrom, p. 254 – 291]  King Benjamin’s people after viewing themselves in their own carnal state exclaimed, “Oh have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified.” [Mosiah 4:2]  They received a remission of their sins and experienced a mighty change in their hearts and then were willing to enter into a covenant to do the will of God, to be obedient to His commandments [Mosiah 5:2-5].  The Law of Sacrifice is also connected with the Covenant of Obedience.    

                TRESPASS OR REPARATION OFFERING

                “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord, then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering.  And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy things, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.” [Leviticus 5:15-16]

The reparation offering differs from the purification offering in that the purification offering is for the fallen, natural man while the reparation offering is for the acts of the natural man, the specific acts of sin.  The Hebrew noun “asam” means “guilt” and when followed by a personal object it means “to incur liability” to someone for reparation; without an object it refers to the inner experience of this liability, meaning “to feel guilt.” [Milgrom, p. 339]  “The asam [reparation/trespass] offering differs from all others by its unique use of the verb ‘hesib’ which means return, restore.  The asam sacrifice compensates for damages.  Hence, its preferred translation is reparation offering.  This rendering is confirmed by another unique feature of the asam offering.  It is the only one in the entire roster of sacrifices that is commutable to currency.” [Milgrom, p. 327]

In Leviticus 6:2-7 we read, “If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbor in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbor:  or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely: in any of these that a man doeth, sinning therein, then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten…and shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord…and the priest shall make atonement for him.”

The purpose of the reparation offering was to bring forgiveness for specific sins.  This was possible after repentance and after fulfilling the law of restitution that required, where possible, that the guilty individual restore completely the wrong and an addition 20 percent or a fifth.  This was a ram without blemish and the cooked flesh was given to the priest.

The purification offering was for the natural, fallen man and the reparation offering is for the acts of the natural man and were “mandatory” for atonement and expiation [Milgrom p. 204].  In the purification offering, an individual, after coming to an awareness of his own carnal and fallen nature, covenants to sacrifice the natural man within himself and becomes a new person in Christ and by so doing, establishes the kingdom of God within himself.   In the reparation offering, the “new” person strives earnestly to be obedient and to repent of past sins and makes restitution for those sins.

Remember Alma and the sons of Mosiah, after their mighty change of heart, traveled around the land of Zarahemla, “zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.” [Mosiah 27:35]  Not only did they make restitution where possible, they added a “fifth” so to speak by trying to teach, convert, and strengthen the saints.

As we compare the reparation offering with the Law of the Gospel Covenant, we see that we must strive earnestly keep the commandments, to “cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, and from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and lightmindedness, and from all your wicked doings.” [Doc. & Cov. 88:121] 

          THE BURNT OFFERING

In Hosea chapter two, Israel is depicted as an unfaithful wife who finally comes to her senses and returns to her first husband, which is the Lord.  When she does, the Lord says to her in verses 19 – 20, “And I will betroth thee unto me forever, yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies.  I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness and thou shalt know the Lord.” 

The Lord depicts himself as our “husband” and it is to him that we must covenant to be faithful and true and chaste.  If we are true and faithful to the Lord, we will be true and faithful to our spouses.

The term “burnt” offering comes from the Hebrew word ola which literally means “that which ascends” which implies that the offering is entirely turned to smoke.  Except for the skin, this is true, the animal is completely incinerated upon the altar.” [Milgrom, pg. 172]

“In the burnt sacrifice, the entire animal was consumed, symbolizing the disciple’s total dedication, as well as the Savior’s total, infinite sacrifice in his behalf.” [Phillip McMullin, Ensign, March 1990, p. 41]  Christ, as the Bridegroom [Matt. 9:15] has offered Himself totally in our behalf and we, symbolically as the bride, put on white robes [Rev. 7:14, 19:8] in preparation for the “marriage supper of the Lamb” [Rev. 19:9] and dedicate ourselves to Him with our complete fidelity.

Before the animal was entirely consumed upon the altar, it was skinned [the hide became property of the priests] and then quartered into sections:  the head, the inwards, and the legs [Leviticus 1:6-9] and then burned as a “sweet savour” unto Jehovah.   It was to be a male without blemish from the sheep or the goats, or it could be a turtle dove, which was divided in half.  The blood was sprinkled around about upon the altar and the offering was entirely burned to ashes and smoke.  The division of the sacrifice could represent “how” we are to dedicate ourselves to the Lord.  “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind and strength.” [Doc. & Cov. 59:5]

Paul also drew upon the parallels of the burn offering with Christ’s sacrifice – “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” [Ephesians 5:2].  Further in the chapter, Paul uses the analogy of Christ as the husband and the church as the bride [vs. 32] to teach husbands and wives how to love each other.  “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” [vs. 25]

 THE PEACE OFFERING

 Leviticus 3:1-17 outlines the procedures for the peace offering.  It could be an unblemished male or female of the herd or flocks, but not of fowl because there was not enough meat for this offering.  Chapter 7 of Leviticus is also devoted to the peace offering.  This is the only sacrifice wherein the person making the sacrifice receives a share for himself and those associated with him.  The priest also got a share and the fat upon the inwards was burned upon the altar, as an offering to the Lord.

The Lord declared that two portions were to be the priest’s.  The first was the “heave” offering which was the upper portion of the back leg.  The term “heave” means in Hebrew, “to lift off or remove.”  This thigh portion was given to the priest in payment for his assistance.  The “wave breast” was the brisket or lower chest.  This choice piece of meat, along with the fat and kidneys, was placed in the hands of the individual offering sacrifice, and was offered to the Lord by an act of raising or lifting.  Milgrom states that this ritual of raising or lifting intended to dedicate the offering to God. [Milgrom, p. 470]

Milgrom said these offerings were joyous occasions.  This offering is unique because of its shared meal between the individual, God and others.  It was eaten “before the Lord” and the sacrifice repays God for his blessings. [p. 220-221] In Exodus 29:26-28 it was called the “ram of consecration”.

This sacrifice was a free-will offering, as was the burnt offering, whereas the sin/purification and trespass/reparation offering were mandatory for purification.  The Law of Consecration is the willingness of an individual to consecrate all that God has blessed him with in terms of time, talents and means to the Lord and His work, receiving back that which he needs to subsist on.  King Benjamin said, “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God” [Mosiah 2:17].  This is a good example of a “meal” shared, for when we offer or consecrate our abilities, time and means to bless others, it is also counted as if we had done it unto the Lord and we also receive great joy from that service.  Neal Maxwell said, “The many things we ‘give,’ are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.” [If Thou Endure it Well, Bookcraft 1996, p. 54]

 CONCLUSION

Sacrifice means “to make sacred.”  That is the purpose of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.  In Exodus 29:1 we read, “And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them.”  One can find temple imagery in this chapter.  Aaron and his sons were washed with water [vs. 4], anointed with oil [vs. 7], robes were put upon them that were girded with sashes and caps were put upon their heads [vs. 8-9].  Sin, burnt, and peace sacrifices were made.[1]

 “And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering, and also a bullock and ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord….for today the Lord will appear unto you.” [Leviticus 9:3-4]  That is the purpose of our present-day endowment:  to prepare us to enter into the presence of the Lord.  Milgrom explains, “…the basic purpose of the Tent [Tabernacle/Temple] was to provide a ‘meeting’ between God and Israel, through the mediation of Moses [Christ].” [p. 140]

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[1] Milgrom explains the absence of the reparation [trespass] offering in this ceremony in Exodus 29.  “The reparation offering is always a private offering, it is never required in the public cult.” [p. 572]