Chapter IX: Part ONE

In the Old Testament we note certain forms and institutions for worship, and as some of these received their shaping during the wilderness life of the Is'ra-el-ites, we give a brief account of such institutions at this place in the history.

I. Earliest of all institutions for worship we find the =Altar=, and throughout the Old Testament the altar worship stands prominent.

1. =Its Principle=, the root idea underlying the altar, was of a meeting between God and man. As the subject always came to his ruler with a gift in his hands, so the worshiper brought his offering to his god, whether Je-ho'vah, the God of Is'ra-el, or Ba'al, the divinity of the Ca'naan-ites.

2. =Its Origin= is unknown, but it was early sanctioned by a divine approval of the worship connected with it (Gen. 4. 3, 4; 8. 20; 12. 8).

3. =Its Universality.= There was scarcely a people in the ancient world without an altar. We find that the worship of every land and every religion was associated with altars. (See allusions in Isa. 65. 3; 2 Kings 16. 10; Acts 17. 23, to altars outside of the Is'ra-el-ite faith.)

4. =Its Material.= Among the Is'ra-el-ites it was of earth or unhewn stone. Where metal or wood was used it was merely for a covering, the true altar being of earth inside. The laws of Is'ra-el forbade any carving of the stone which might lead to idol worship (Exod. 20. 24, 25).

5. =Its Limitation.= In the patriarchal age the chief of the clan was the priest, the altar stood before his tent, and there was but one altar for the clan, which thus represented one family. When Is'ra-el became a nation only one altar was allowed by the law, carrying out the idea that all the Twelve Tribes were one family (Deut. 12. 13, 14; Josh. 22. 16). Yet the law, if known to the Is'ra-el-ites, was constantly ignored by the prophets (1 Sam. 7. 9; 1 Kings 18. 31, 32).

6. =Its Prophetic Purpose=, as revealed in the New Testament, was to prefigure the cross whereon Christ died (John 1. 29; Heb. 9. 22; 1 Pet. 3. 18).

II. The =Offerings=, as fully developed and named in the law, were of five kinds, as follows:

1. =The Sin Offering.= 1.) This regarded the worshiper as a sinner, and expressed the means of his reconciliation with God. 2.) The offering consisted of an animal. 3.) The animal was slain and burned without the camp. 4.) Its blood was sprinkled on the altar of incense in the Holy Place (Lev. 4. 3-7).

2. =The Burnt Offering.= 1.) This regarded the worshiper as already reconciled, and expressed his consecration to God. 2.) It consisted of an animal, varied according to the ability of the worshiper. 3.) The animal was slain and burned on the altar. 4.) Its blood was poured out on the altar, a token that the life of the worshiper was given to God (Lev. 1. 2-9).

3. =The Trespass Offering.=[4] 1.) This represented the divine forgiveness of an actual transgression, whether against God or man, as distinguished from the condition of a sinner represented in the sin offering. 2.) The offering consisted of an animal, generally a ram, though a poor person might bring some flour. 3.) The animal was slain and burned on the altar. 4.) The blood was poured out at the base of the altar (Lev. 5. 1-10).

4. =The Meat Offering.=[5] 1.) This expressed the simple idea of thanksgiving to God. 2.) It consisted of vegetable food. 3.) The offering was divided between the altar and the priest; one part was burned on the altar, the other presented to the priest to be eaten by him as food (Lev. 2. 1-3).

5. =The Peace Offering.= 1.) This expressed fellowship with God in the form of a feast. 2.) It consisted of both animal and vegetable food. 3.) The offering was divided into three parts, one part burned upon the altar, a second eaten by the priest, a third part eaten by the worshiper and his friends as a sacrificial supper. Thus God, the priest, and the worshiper were all represented as taking a meal together.

Blackboard Outline

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| I. =Alt.= 1. Prin. 2. Orig. 3. Univ. 4. Mat. 5. Lim. 6. Proph. Pur.|
|II. =Off.= |
| 1. Si. Off. |Sin. rec. G.|An. |Sl. bur. |Spr. alt. inc. |
| 2. Bu. Off. |Con. G. |An. |Sl. bur. |Pou. alt. |
| 3. Tre. Off.|For. trans. |An. |Sl. bur. |Pou. ba. alt. |
| 4. Me. Off. |Tha. Gd. |Veg. |Alt. pri. | |
| 5. Pea. Off.|Fel. G. |An. veg.|Alt. pri. wor.| |
+--------------+------------+--------+--------------+----------------+

Review Questions

What two institutions of the Old Testament are here
presented? What shows the universality of the altar in
connection with worship? What is said of the origin of
the altar? Of what material were the earliest altars
made? What was the religious idea in the altar? What
prophetic purpose did the altar have? Name the five
kinds of offerings. How did the sin offering regard
the worshiper? What did the sin offering express? Of
what did the sin offering consist? What was done with
the offering? What was done with the blood? What was
the design of the burnt offering? Of what did the
burnt offering consist? What was done with the animal?
What was done with the blood in the burnt offering?
Wherein did the trespass offering differ from the sin
offering? Of what did the trespass offering consist?
What was done with the sacrifice? What did the meat
offering express? Of what did it consist? How was the
meat offering used? What was expressed by the peace
offering? Of what did it consist? What was done with
the peace offering?