Leviticus 1:1-2

"And Jehovah called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man of you offereth an oblation unto Jehovah, ye shall offer your oblation of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock."

"And Jehovah called unto Moses ..." This is the correct order of the Hebrew words in this passage, the connective "and" indicating that Leviticus continues the narrative "at the end of Exodus."[4] This coordinate conjunction joins all the books of the Pentateuch, showing that they are a SINGLE book by a SINGLE author - Moses!

"Out of the tent of meeting ..." Some think that this is a reference to that special tent in which, for awhile, God communed with Moses, but we agree with Bamberger that, according to the usage of this same expression in Leviticus 1:3, "Before the Lord plainly means in the Tent, in front of the inner Shrine."[5]

"An oblation ..." This word means "any grateful or solemn offering." It comes from a technical Hebrew word that is "identical with Korban,"[6] and has the meaning of something brought near to the altar. This is the same word that Jesus spoke of in Mark 7:11.

"Ye shall offer ... of the cattle ... of the herd and of the flock ..." The last phrases here are restrictive with regard to the kinds of cattle that could be offered. The word "cattle" is an inclusive term that refers not only to flocks and herds, but to many unsuitable animals such as horses, camels, asses, swine, etc. The reference to herd and flock shows the kinds of cattle that were suitable.

CONCERNING SACRIFICE

There are many opinions relative to how the institution of sacrifice began. Dummelow supposed that it came about from natural human instinct,[7] but Richard Collins appears to be absolutely correct in his affirmation that, "There is nothing whatever in human nature" that could have invented or suggested sacrifice as the institution appears in the Holy Scriptures.

Furthermore, God's specific instructions given here with regard to sacrifices points up the contrast between paganism that surrounded Israel and the worship of the one true God. The animals that Israel was commanded to offer were those worshipped by many of the pagans, and other animals held suitable for sacrifice by the pagans were proscribed in the worship of God.

The sacrifices of the O.T. were not merely allowed by God, but were commanded. They were therefore necessary and important. First, in the aggregate, they bore witness to the central fact of revelation that "without the shedding of blood" there can be no forgiveness of sins. Secondly, they were in many particulars (especially in the case of the paschal lamb) typical of the ultimate Sacrifice on Calvary. Christ was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world! And he is depicted in Revelation as a Lamb, having been slain, on the very throne of God Himself!

What a misunderstanding it is, therefore, that some have presumptuously sought to downgrade the whole institution of sacrifice. Certain sayings of the prophets in Amos 5:22ff; Jeremiah 7:22; 1 Samuel 15:22,23; Isaiah 1:11-13; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8, etc., have been grossly misinterpreted, resulting in the false conclusion that, "The pre-exilic prophets rejected all formal worship and called for a religion of ethical conduct only."[9] However, every one of the passages cited is nothing more than a protest against the substitution of ritual for morality. The whole teaching of the Bible attests the necessity, importance, and divine origin of the institution of sacrifice. (See my comments on all of the passages cited from the minor prophets.)