God Set the Pattern into Motion
Through the millennia, God has made covenants with specific people and ratified these covenants with animal sacrifice (as in Genesis 8:20 and Exodus 24). In the beginning, it was God Himself Who set His worship by sacrifice in motion. We get the first hint of this pattern of worship in Genesis 3.
Blood Sacrifice Is Tied to Sin’s Penalty
Notice that in the story of Adam and Eve, we learn that God walked in the Garden with them. This continued until they sinned. By sinning, Adam and Eve broke the peace and fellowship they had enjoyed with God. Genesis 2 and 3 describe the story of their relationship and how they lost it and were finally expelled from of the Garden. Not only did their sins end the close fellowship with God, it also brought about the judgment of death.
It is clear from the first few chapters of Genesis that it was God Who made the animal skin covering for the first human sinners. Think about it! For God to make those skin coverings, God had to shed the first animal blood. When God shed animal blood, worship through animal sacrifice began.
Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them
The blood sacrifice cost an animal’s life. It was the first of many such animal sacrifices. God required it at that time, and He also added rituals and animal sacrifice to the covenant He made with ancient Israel at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-24, and the Book of Leviticus). In fact, the Bible records that Noah, Abraham and others also participated in worship through animal sacrifice (Genesis 8:20 and 15:9-18).
God required the life of the sacrificial animal for a number of reasons that He has made clear through other Bible passages. One of the most important of these reasons is that there is prophetic significance in that first blood sacrifice and the making of a covering of skins for Adam and Eve.
Animal sacrifice was not the only way that ancient Israel worshipped God, however, it became a very central part of Israel’s worship. Worshipping God by animal sacrifice continued for many centuries; the Old Testament is filled with multiple examples.
Worship by animal sacrifice continued until the Ultimate Sacrifice of the blood of God’s Perfect Lamb, Jesus the Christ, was shed. Today, it is by the blood of this Perfect Sacrifice, and only by this blood of the Perfect, Sinless Lamb, that anyone can enter into a covenant of salvation with God and have access to God.
Blood Sacrifice Is Tied to Sin’s Penalty and Jesus’ Sacrifice
God’s covering of Adam and Eve by giving them animal skins was a watershed, prophetic moment pointing to a Perfect Passover blood covering for mankind that would take about 4000 years to bring to fulfillment.
All of the bloody sacrifices made to God in the past are a mere foreshadowing of this awesome, Perfect Sacrifice of Jesus.
Hebrews 10:4-5 (4) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (5) Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
That “body” in Hebrews is referring to Jesus Christ. God prepared that Body…that very special, One-of-a-Kind Body! This is an often over-looked aspect of God’s Perfect Sacrifice – the fact that God, Himself, was involved in preparing the Perfect blood Sacrifice. Yes, God did this! Both Father and Son are responsible for this Unique and Priceless Sacrifice!
In John 3:16 we learn why God did it. It is because He “so loved the world.” It is astounding to realize that this Sacrifice was conceived and put into an immutable plan before the foundation of the world. LOVE provided the Way for mankind to have an everlasting life with the Eternal God.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him [Jesus]; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Both the Father and the Son paid this overwhelming generous price to save the world. The Sacrifice required Jesus’ life and His life’s blood. Through that blood, sin’s penalty is paid and God has provided sinners who repent with a covering. The Sacrifice that God prepared is the most costly and precious investment that has ever been made. Selah!