Forgiveness Without Human Sacrifice!
As an ex-Christian one of the things that kept bothering me during my years in Christianity was the notion of God required a human sacrifice for forgiveness of sin. Why would God require the blood of a human to be spilled to forgive my mistakes?
Deuteronomy 24:16
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Keep this verse in mind while reading the rest and even come back to it when you have finished this long blog post. It is commanded by God that each person pays for his/her sins directly and that no one else is to pay for them.
In fact there are several places in the Tanakh that denounce human sacrifice so why would God change His mind and require this on a pagan torture device no less? If you think about it really carefully and just be brave enough for a moment to question the ludicrous you can actually see that not only was Jesus a human and NOT a lamb, he died in pain and not on the alter! For a sacrifice to be acceptable to HaShem, it should not have suffered too much. The other point here that I would like to highlight in case you missed it, is simply the fact that Jesus was a human and NOT a lamb. If you refer to him symbolically as a lamb that is one thing but people take it literally when they say he was the passover lamb of offering for sin.
However, the passover lamb is NOT for atonement of sin! The passover lamb was for the Israelites to be protected from the wrath of God as the spirit of death moved through Egypt to take the firstborn of every household. Additionally, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son as a test to his loyalty to God. Does he allow him to kill his son on a stone? NO! He obviously does NOT want human sacrifice!
I think it is possible that someone took this verse out of context to say that God makes Himself a sacrifice in the form of a lamb
Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said: 'God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together.
However, in context it means that he will bring it by His own will not that He will become a lamb/man for slaughter.
Genesis 22:12-13
And he said: 'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.' And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.
In the story of Abraham you see clearly that the sacrifice of a son is not what is desired but was a test of obedience. What's more, there is no drinking of blood or eating the boy's flesh! The child was never meant to be killed and is why the ram was stuck in the bushes just near them.
Read these verses if you think that you must drink the blood of a human (even symbolically) to make up for your mistakes.
Consumption of blood is forbidden:
Leviticus 17:10 - 14
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
(note here that EAT blood is not limited to the eating as in food but consuming: אכל, 'âkal, aw-kal' - it also means to "consume", "devour", "dine", "eat", "feed (with)", "food, eat freely")
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.
(this means that blood is special and if a sacrifice is offered for sin then the blood should not be consumed but should flow on the alter rather than you consume it as part of the sacrifice)
Therefore I said unto the children of Israel: No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that taketh in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
(so even if you go hunt an animal and it is not an offering you must still drain the blood out of it before eating it and cover that blood with dust; NOT consume it!)
For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life thereof; therefore I said unto the children of Israel: Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
(if you consume the blood of any kind of flesh you are CUT OFF! Do you really think it is a Jewish teaching to consume the blood of a man? Also this confirms the idea of eating a man's flesh is equally repugnant!)
So how CAN we receive forgiveness? Well in the Tanakh there are some verses to describe this:
Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings.
Psalms 51:16
(51:18) For Thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it; Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.
Psalms 40:6
(40:7) Sacrifice and meal-offering Thou hast no delight in; mine ears hast Thou opened; burnt-offering and sin-offering hast Thou not required.
Psalms 34:18, 19
(34:19) The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. (34:20) Many are the ills of the righteous, but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Hosea 14:2
(14:3) Take with you words, and return unto the LORD; say unto Him: 'Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good; so will we render for bullocks the offering of our lips.
(you shall use your words as an offering with a realization and deep regret for sin)
Micah 6:6 -8
'Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?'
It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the LORD doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.
(do you see that you should NOT give your firstborn for the sin of your soul! If you shall not do that why would God do that? The question of who the "firstborn son" of God is is another discussion but here's a hint: it's Israel!)
Jeremiah 7:22, 23
For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them, saying: 'Hearken unto My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people; and walk ye in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'
(If a blood sacrifice were most important it would have been one of the first revelations. Yet here God is reminding the people that the most important thing is to LISTEN and OBEY the Creator.)
Proverbs 28:13
He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
1 Kings 8:38, 39
what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man of all Thy people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house; then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest - for Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men -
Job 33:26
He prayeth unto God, and He is favourable unto him; so that he seeth His face with joy; and He restoreth unto man his righteousness.
Numbers 16:46 -48
(17:11) And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take thy fire-pan, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the LORD: the plague is begun.'
(17:12) And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.
(17:13) And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Leviticus 5:11
But if his means suffice not for two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his offering for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering.
Lev 5:11 brings up two points worthy to note:
In conclusion it is impossible that Judaism would see a man as a proper sacrifice for other people's sins. Additionally we've seen why it is against the Torah, or teachings and laws, of God to try to put our sins on another person. There is one Torah and it makes us wise which is why it is a gift!
Deuteronomy 24:16
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Keep this verse in mind while reading the rest and even come back to it when you have finished this long blog post. It is commanded by God that each person pays for his/her sins directly and that no one else is to pay for them.
In fact there are several places in the Tanakh that denounce human sacrifice so why would God change His mind and require this on a pagan torture device no less? If you think about it really carefully and just be brave enough for a moment to question the ludicrous you can actually see that not only was Jesus a human and NOT a lamb, he died in pain and not on the alter! For a sacrifice to be acceptable to HaShem, it should not have suffered too much. The other point here that I would like to highlight in case you missed it, is simply the fact that Jesus was a human and NOT a lamb. If you refer to him symbolically as a lamb that is one thing but people take it literally when they say he was the passover lamb of offering for sin.
However, the passover lamb is NOT for atonement of sin! The passover lamb was for the Israelites to be protected from the wrath of God as the spirit of death moved through Egypt to take the firstborn of every household. Additionally, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son as a test to his loyalty to God. Does he allow him to kill his son on a stone? NO! He obviously does NOT want human sacrifice!
I think it is possible that someone took this verse out of context to say that God makes Himself a sacrifice in the form of a lamb
Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said: 'God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together.
However, in context it means that he will bring it by His own will not that He will become a lamb/man for slaughter.
Genesis 22:12-13
And he said: 'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.' And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.
In the story of Abraham you see clearly that the sacrifice of a son is not what is desired but was a test of obedience. What's more, there is no drinking of blood or eating the boy's flesh! The child was never meant to be killed and is why the ram was stuck in the bushes just near them.
Read these verses if you think that you must drink the blood of a human (even symbolically) to make up for your mistakes.
Consumption of blood is forbidden:
Leviticus 17:10 - 14
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
(note here that EAT blood is not limited to the eating as in food but consuming: אכל, 'âkal, aw-kal' - it also means to "consume", "devour", "dine", "eat", "feed (with)", "food, eat freely")
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.
(this means that blood is special and if a sacrifice is offered for sin then the blood should not be consumed but should flow on the alter rather than you consume it as part of the sacrifice)
Therefore I said unto the children of Israel: No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that taketh in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
(so even if you go hunt an animal and it is not an offering you must still drain the blood out of it before eating it and cover that blood with dust; NOT consume it!)
For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life thereof; therefore I said unto the children of Israel: Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
(if you consume the blood of any kind of flesh you are CUT OFF! Do you really think it is a Jewish teaching to consume the blood of a man? Also this confirms the idea of eating a man's flesh is equally repugnant!)
So how CAN we receive forgiveness? Well in the Tanakh there are some verses to describe this:
Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings.
Psalms 51:16
(51:18) For Thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it; Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.
Psalms 40:6
(40:7) Sacrifice and meal-offering Thou hast no delight in; mine ears hast Thou opened; burnt-offering and sin-offering hast Thou not required.
Psalms 34:18, 19
(34:19) The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. (34:20) Many are the ills of the righteous, but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Hosea 14:2
(14:3) Take with you words, and return unto the LORD; say unto Him: 'Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good; so will we render for bullocks the offering of our lips.
(you shall use your words as an offering with a realization and deep regret for sin)
Micah 6:6 -8
'Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?'
It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the LORD doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.
(do you see that you should NOT give your firstborn for the sin of your soul! If you shall not do that why would God do that? The question of who the "firstborn son" of God is is another discussion but here's a hint: it's Israel!)
Jeremiah 7:22, 23
For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them, saying: 'Hearken unto My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people; and walk ye in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'
(If a blood sacrifice were most important it would have been one of the first revelations. Yet here God is reminding the people that the most important thing is to LISTEN and OBEY the Creator.)
Proverbs 28:13
He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
1 Kings 8:38, 39
what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man of all Thy people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house; then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest - for Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men -
Job 33:26
He prayeth unto God, and He is favourable unto him; so that he seeth His face with joy; and He restoreth unto man his righteousness.
Numbers 16:46 -48
(17:11) And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take thy fire-pan, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the LORD: the plague is begun.'
(17:12) And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.
(17:13) And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Leviticus 5:11
But if his means suffice not for two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his offering for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering.
Lev 5:11 brings up two points worthy to note:
- the Christian doctrines say that the bread is the flesh of Christ. However, this is a witchcraft practice to bake bread in the shape of a man then eat it for magical rites.
- the Christian gospels show Jesus being anointed with an expensive oil but this is problematic if he is the meal offering which of course human flesh is literally NOT bread so it cannot be. However even symbolically this is errant since the oil he was anointed with to try to establish him as a messiah (which literally means anointed) negates his being a bread sin offering as it is commanded that it should have NO OIL.
In conclusion it is impossible that Judaism would see a man as a proper sacrifice for other people's sins. Additionally we've seen why it is against the Torah, or teachings and laws, of God to try to put our sins on another person. There is one Torah and it makes us wise which is why it is a gift!