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One-sentence summary: The Lord gives Moses detailed instructions on how to make sacrifices and offerings to Him in the tabernacle of meeting.
The Lord calls to Moses and speaks to Him from the tabernacle of meeting. He gives him specific instructions for how sacrifices and offerings should be made:
If anyone brings an offering to the Lord, it should be of the herd, livestock, or flock. If it is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, he must offer a male without blemish "of his own free will" as a burnt offering. He must put his head on it to make atonement for his sins. He should kill the bull, and the priests should sprinkle the blood all around on the altar by the door of the tabernacle. He should skin the offering and cut it in pieces, and then Aaron's sons should put wood and fire on the altar and place the whole sacrifice on it, washing the insides and legs with water, and it should all be burnt to the Lord as a sacrifice.
If the offering is of the flocks, sheep or goats, it should be a male without blemish. It should be killed on the north side of the altar, its blood sprinkled all around the altar, and it should be cut in pieces and laid on the wood of the fire on the altar, washing the insides and legs with water, and then it should all be burnt.
If the sacrifice is of birds, then he should brings turtledoves or young pigeons. The priests should bring it to the altar, and it should be killed and burnt on the altar, with its blood drained at the side of the altar, first removing the feathers.
When anyone offers a grain offering, it should be of fine flour. It should have oil and frankincense poured on it and be brought to Aaron's sons, and it should be burned as a memorial on the altar. The rest of the grain offering that is left will be Aaron's and his sons. It will be "most holy of the offerings mae to the Lord by fire." If an offering is baked in the oven, it should be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. If baked in a pan, it should be of fine flour, unleavened, and mixed with oil, broken in pieces with oil poured on it. If baked in an covered pan, it should be of fine flour mixed with oil. When presented to the priest, he should bring it to the altar and take a memorial portion to burn on it. What is left should be Aaron's and sons. It is "most holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire." No leaven or honey should be mixed in any of the burned offerings.
As for the offering of first fruits, they not be burned, and all the grain offerings should be seasoned with salt. God commands them not to "allow the salt of the covenant with their God to be lacking in [their] offerings to the Lord". If they offer grain offerings of their first fruits, they should offer green heads of grain roasted in fire of full heads of grain, mixed with oil and frankincense, and burn a portion "as a memorial."
When the offering is a peace offering, if should be offered of the herd, a male or female without blemish, They should lay their hand on the head of the offering and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and Aaron's sons should sprinkle the blood around the altar. Then, it should be offered by fire. The fat inside should be removed, and it should be burnt. If the offering is a peace offering of the flock, it should be male or female without blemish. If a lamb, they must lay one hand on its head and kill it before the tabernacle of meeting, and Aaron's sons must sprinkle the blood around the altar. Then, all of it should be offered, with the fat removed, and it should be burned on the altar. If offering a goat, the same should be done. This is to be observed through all generations, that they eat neither fat nor blood.
The Lord speaks to Moses and tell him to tell Israel that if a person sins unintentionally against a commandment of the Lord, or if a priest sins- bringing guilt on the people- he should offer a young bull without blemish as a sacrifice, laying his hand on the bull's head, then killing it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then, the anointed priest should take some of the blood, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle some seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary, and put some of the horns of the altar of incense in the tabernacle, with the rest of the blood poured at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle, and all the fat burned as a sin offering. The hide and its flesh, with its insides and head, should be carried outside the camp to a clean place to be burnt on wood and fire and the ashes poured out in the same place. If the whole congregation sins unintentionally, when the sin becomes known, the whole assembly should offer a young bull for the sin, with the elders laying their hands on the head of the bull, then killing it before the Lord. The same ritual as the latter should be done with its blood (the same as the last sin offering,) so making atonement for their sins. When a ruler has sinned unintentionally, when it is found out or he realizes it, he should bring a kid of a goat unblemished, and lay his hand on it and kill it where the other burnt offerings are killed. The priest should take some of the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and some at the base, and burn the fat on the altar. If any common person sins unintentionally, he should bring a kid of the goat, a female without blemish, lay his hand on its head and kill it at the place of burnt offerings. Then, the priest should take some of the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and the rest of it at the base of the altar. The fat should be removed and burned on the altar. If he brings a lamb, it should also be female without blemish, and he should also laying his hand on its head. Then, the priest should take some of the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and the rest at the base, removing fat and burning it as a burnt offering to atone for his sins.
Thoughts/Discussion Questions:
Thank God for the new covenant!!