Prefiguring of Redemption in Sacrificial Regulations in OT
The sacrificial regulations in the Old Testament (OT) prefigured the redemption that would be accomplished through Jesus Christ. The laws concerning sacrifices, as outlined in Leviticus and Numbers, were not merely ritualistic practices but held deep theological significance, pointing to the ultimate sacrifice that would atone for humanity's sins.
The sacrificial system in the OT was complex, involving various types of offerings, including burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings [1]. These sacrifices were required to be without blemish, emphasizing their role as substitutes for the offerer, symbolizing the perfection required for an acceptable offering to God [7]. The necessity of these sacrifices for propitiating God is evident in passages such as Exodus 32:30 and Leviticus 23:27-28, where atonement is made for the congregation's sins [1].
The regulations concerning sacrifices were given to the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land, serving as a reminder of God's holiness and their need for atonement. According to Matthew Henry, the inclusion of laws regarding sacrifices in Numbers 15, following the story of Israel's rebellion, signifies that these legal institutions were typical of the gifts Christ would receive even for the rebellious [3]. This typology is further supported by the fact that the sacrifices were offered for various reasons, including the purification of persons and objects, and for unintentional sins, highlighting their role in maintaining the covenant relationship between God and His people [1].
The sacrificial system was not merely a human invention but was divinely ordained, with God communicating these laws through Moses. The sacrifices were a means of reviving the hopes of the new generation growing up during the wilderness period, directing their minds to the Promised Land and to the future redemption [2]. The fact that these sacrifices were to be offered "at your own will" or "to your being accepted" underscores the voluntary nature of the offering and the importance of the worshiper's attitude towards the sacrifice [7].
The prefiguring of redemption in the OT sacrificial regulations is also evident in their prospective reference to Christ's sufferings. The author of Hebrews would later argue that Christ's sacrifice superseded the OT sacrificial system, providing a once-for-all atonement for sin [6]. The NT writers, such as Peter, understood Christ's sacrifice as being foreordained before the foundation of the world, emphasizing that redemption was not an afterthought but a central part of God's plan from eternity [5].
The various traditions represented in the sources agree that the OT sacrificial system was a shadow or type of the reality that was to come in Christ. While the specifics of how these sacrifices prefigured Christ's redemption might be interpreted differently across traditions, there is a consensus that they pointed to a future atonement. For instance, one commentary tradition on Numbers highlights the supplementary nature of the laws given in Numbers 15, completing the former laws of sacrifice and directing the people's minds to the future [2]. Similarly, the Nonconformist/Puritan tradition, as represented by Matthew Henry, sees the laws concerning sacrifices as typical of Christ's gifts to the rebellious [3].
The historical development of the sacrificial regulations and their interpretation underscores the complexity and richness of the OT sacrificial system. From the early patriarchal period to the giving of the Law on Sinai, the practice of offering sacrifices evolved, with the Mosaic regulations providing a detailed framework for their observance [4]. The fact that these regulations were given at different times, with some laws being supplementary to earlier ones, highlights the dynamic nature of Israel's religious practices and their theological underpinnings.
The OT sacrificial regulations, therefore, were not just a set of ritual practices but a theological framework that prefigured the redemption that would be accomplished through Jesus Christ. They emphasized the need for atonement, the importance of the worshiper's attitude, and the divine initiative in providing a means of reconciliation. As such, they remain an essential part of understanding the biblical narrative of redemption.
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Atonement, Under the Law — Made by sacrifice -- Le 1:4,5. By priests alone -- 1Ch 6:49; 2Ch 29:24. Necessary for Propitiating God. -- Ex 32:30; Le 23:27,28; 2Sa 21:3. Ransoming. -- Ex 30:15,16; Job 33:24. Purifying. -- Ex 29:36. Offered for The congregation. -- Nu 15:25; 2Ch 29:24. The priests. -- Ex 29:31-33; Le 8:34. Persons sinning ignorantly. -- Le 4:20-35. Persons sinning wilfully. -- Le 6:7. Persons swearing rashly. -- Le 5:4,6. Persons withholding evidence. -- Le 5:1,6. Persons unclean. -- Le 5:2,3,6. Women after childbirth. -- Le 12:8. The altar. -- Ex 29:36,”
- Numbers (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 15:1: Num 15:1-2 Regulations concerning Sacrifices. - Vv. 1-16. For the purpose of reviving the hopes of the new generation that was growing up, and directing their minds to the promised land, during the mournful and barren time when judgment was being executed upon the race that had been condemned, Jehovah communicated various laws through Moses concerning the presentation of sacrifices in the land that He would give them (Num 15:1 and Num 15:2), whereby the former laws of sacrifice were supplemented and completed. The first of these laws had reference to the conne”
- Numbers (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Numbers 15 (introduction): This chapter, which is mostly concerning sacrifice and offering, comes in between the story of two rebellions (one ch. 14, the other ch. 16), to signify that these legal institutions were typical of the gifts which Christ was to receive even for the rebellious, Psa 68:18. In the foregoing chapter, upon Israel's provocation, God had determined to destroy them, and in token of his wrath had sentenced them to perish in the wilderness. But, upon Moses' intercession, he said, "I have pardoned;" and, in token of that mercy, in this chapter he repeats and e”
- Leviticus (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Leviticus 4:1: The laws contained in the first three chapters seem to have been delivered to Moses at one time. Here begin the statutes of another session, another day. From the throne of glory between the cherubim God delivered these orders. And he enters now upon a subject more strictly new than those before. Burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and peace-offerings, it should seem, had been offered before the giving of the law upon mount Sinai; those sacrifices the patriarchs had not been altogether unacquainted with (Gen 8:20; Exo 20:24), and in them they had respect to sin, to”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:20: God's eternal foreordination of Christ's redeeming sacrifice, and completion of it in these last times for us, are an additional obligation on us to our maintaining a holy walk, considering how great things have been thus done for us. Peter's language in the history corresponds with this here: an undesigned coincidence and mark of genuineness. Redemption was no afterthought, or remedy of an unforeseen evil, devised at the time of its arising. God's foreordaining of the Redeemer refutes the slander that, on the Christian theory, there is a period of fo”
- Ezekiel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ezekiel 43:18: The sacrifices here are not mere commemorative, but propitiatory ones. The expressions, "blood" (Eze 43:18), and "for a sin offering (Eze 43:19, Eze 43:21-22), prove this. In the literal sense they can only apply to the second temple. Under the Christian dispensation they would directly oppose the doctrine taught in Heb. 10:1-18, namely, that Christ has by one offering for ever atoned for sin. However, it is possible that they might exist with a retrospective reference to Christ's sufferings, as the Levitical sacrifices had a prospective reference to”
- Leviticus (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Leviticus 22:19: THE SACRIFICES MUST BE WITHOUT BLEMISH. (Lev. 22:17-33) Ye shall offer at your own will--rather, to your being accepted. a male without blemish--This law (Lev 1:3) is founded on a sense of natural propriety, which required the greatest care to be taken in the selection of animals for sacrifice. The reason for this extreme caution is found in the fact that sacrifices are either an expression of praise to God for His goodness, or else they are the designed means of conciliating or retaining His favor. No victim that was not perfect in its kind cou”