- Whether you’re a new believer, a seasoned believer or somewhere in between, questions about blood sacrifices in the Bible should arouse some healthy skepticism. Let’s try to figure out where faith and reason can help make sense of what many would call an archaic and barbaric practice.
Where do we first learn about animal sacrifice in the Bible?
Answer: Genesis!
When Adam and Eve sinned and knew they were naked, God provided animal skin as a covering, which means God was the first to show man that in order to atone for sin, the innocent blood of an animal had to be shed. Adam and Eve first tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. This work, by their own hands, in an attempt to cover their sin, was not acceptable to God, hence the animal sacrifice that provided the animal skin.
But why is this blood business necessary? If you try to make sense of Old Testament animal sacrifice without first recognizing who God is, you will likely resort to calling this a crude, uncivilized, and irrational practice. We believe that the God of the Bible is the one and only God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and He has revealed himself to us through His Word. He is a Holy God that cannot abide in the presence of sin. God reveals that when sin entered the world, so did death, thus revealing the need for judgment of sin. There is life in the blood.(Leviticus 17:11) God also shows His mercy and grace as He doesn’t kill Adam and Eve, but provides a substitutionary atonement through the blood of an animal. This lays the original foundation of messianic typology, foreshadowing the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.