Animal sacrifice often comes up in Christian circles when discussing the Hebrew faith or Torah observant believers. If you don't sacrifice animals you're not keeping the whole law, right? And if you're guilty of breaking part of the law, what's the point in trying to keep the rest? Or if you're keeping the Sabbath and dietary regulations, doesn't that mean you want to sacrifice animals? The arguments go something like that.
Let's be clear here: we don't sacrifice animals. We don't need to sacrifice animals. We don't want to. And we shouldn't.
Hebrews teaches that the old Temple system of the Levitical priesthood is no longer needed thanks to the Messiah's sacrifice. Though the Levitical system was tremendously valuable, it is inferior to the priesthood of the Messiah. That seems fair, right? What could ever top the Messiah himself?
Yahusha the Messiah is our high priest and he operates under the order of Melchizedek. He is not a Levitical priest and doesn't act like one. Scripture tells us that the blood of bulls and goats can't take away our sins. But the Messiah's unchangeable priesthood remains forever and saves completely! (Hebrews 7:24-25)
I like the phrasing there, "saves completely!" Not "mostly saves." Not, "Hey I'm doing all this - can I get a little extra help from a goat?" He saves completely, so no one else needs to do this. If someone has completely cleaned my kitchen, do I need to go wash everything again? Or would that maybe be insulting to the cleaner? Wouldn't I be saying, "I appreciate you doing this an all, but I don't quite trust that you did it right, so I'm going to rewash the dishes"? Unlike how my kitchen will need cleaned again later, Yahusha does not need to sacrifice himself repeatedly.
"He entered into the Most Set-apart place once and for all, not with the blood of goats and bulls, but with His own blood, obtaining everlasting redemption." -Hebrews 9:12
His sacrifice was once and for all. His blood obtained redemption for us that is good for yesterday, today, and forever. It would be an insult to treat his sacrifice the same as the continual animal sacrifices.
-Does this mean that the Levitical priesthood was bad? Not at all. It was created by YHWH for a specific purpose for a specific time (Hebrews 9:10). It was not meant to be a substitute for the true, Heavenly plan for redemption, but was rather a copy and shadow of the Messiah's blood poured out for us (Hebrews 8:5).
-Doesn't Scripture say forever? How does this idea fit with verses like Exodus 40:15, "They shall be an everlasting priesthood"? It's important to note that the word translated as everlasting or forever (olam in Hebrew) does not always mean literally forever. It is necessary to discern if olam is used to mean for all time or for a set time. This is similar to how forever gets used in English. If you have a long shift at work, you might remark to a friend that you'll "be there forever," and of course that doesn't mean you'll be on the job for all eternity. Or if a teacher tells students that they want homework turned in a certain way, "forever," or "for the entire time," they don't mean they want students to do that for the rest of their lives, but the rest of the time they are in their class. Olam is often used to mean for all time (YHWH is the same forever), but in this case olam means a set time. Considering that the Levitical priesthood hasn't operated in close to 2,000 years it is not an everlasting priesthood.
-Aren't we just waiting for a Temple to restart sacrifices? Animal sacrifice and the Levitical system was instated long before the Temple was ever built, so no a Temple is not a prerequisite to animal sacrifices. While it's true that Judaism (a religion that does not love or accept the Messiah) is making plans to rebuild the Temple, we need to strongly consider if we should align ourselves with another religion on this matter.
-What about Ezekiel? Many people believe that Temple sacrifices and Levitical priesthood will continue into the Millennial reign because of Ezekiel 43. It is imperative that we understand that the book of Ezekiel is actually a collection of thirteen scrolls and that the book does not place these in chronological order. According to the dates found in the book, chapter 43 and the vision for Temple service actually predates chapters 1-7 by five years! If we read the book chronologically, we see that this chapter was a conditional offer for Israel at that time, and that it is not regarding the Millennial reign, or any time after the Messiah came. Which is why John didn't see any kind of Temple in his vision of the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:22).
-What about Daniel? Contrary to popular belief, Daniel doesn't prophecy of Temple sacrifice getting taken away in the end times. It's actually about sacrifice being reinstated! The literal translation of Daniel 8:11 would be, "He was magnified before the prince of host and the daily sacrifice was exalted, the exalted cornerstone of the Holy Place (the Messiah) was cast down." Daniel's abomination of desolation is the exaltation of the daily animal sacrifices instead of Yahusha's. Let's take note that animal sacrifice isn't just unnecessary thanks to the Messiah's sacrifice, but it's actually an abomination according to Scripture!
-Does this change in priesthood mean a change in the rest of Scripture as well? Not at all. The regulations for the Levitical system are not the same thing as the commandments given by YHWH to the people as to how to live. Nowhere does Scripture say instructions on eating, Sabbath observance, keeping the feasts, the ten commandments, etc. are done away with or changed, or that those commandments were intended only for the members of the Levitical priesthood. A change in priesthood doesn't mean everything else is changed too. If it seems like your Scripture says this, chances are you have a poor translation mixed with man made beliefs. Hebrews tells us that Sabbath keeping remains and that YHWH promises to write the Torah on our hearts.
Yahusha's death firmly entrenched him as our Melchizedek priest forever. Melchizedek is a different system than the Levitical priesthood, and thus operates differently. And the Messiah is much, much greater than any earthly high priest. His sacrifice was once and for all. If we believe his blood covers our sins, why would we need extra help from an animal? While his words remain forever, we need to make sure we know what priesthood our high priest operates under.
Did you know that there are two priesthoods in the Bible? Maybe it's something that you sort of know, without having ever stopped to really consider what that means. It's time to make the distinction between Melchizedek and Levi, because not doing so is a huge hindrance to accurately understanding Scripture. And it's not just about getting a few verses right either; on a whole you are going to end up with incorrect beliefs if you don't learn to distinguish between these somewhat similar, but ultimately very different priesthoods. Distinctions matter in Scripture!
The Levitical Priesthood - Members of the tribe of Levi were commissioned as priests following the sin of the golden calf. These are the priests who sacrificed animals to cover the sins of the people of Israel. They did this in the wilderness, the Tent of Meeting, and later in the Temple or Beit Hamikdash. Much of Leviticus details instructions for this priesthood. Only men from Levi were permitted to serve as priests and be part of Temple services.
The Melchizedek Priesthood - This is the order that the Messiah is high priest of. Melchizedek is not mentioned by name a lot in Scripture, but the writer of Hebrews had "much to say" about this priesthood. In Psalm 110:4, YHWH is talking to the Messiah and says, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." This is actually the most quoted verse of the Old Testament in the New Testament, so we know it's important! The Melchizedek priesthood was in operation during the time of Abraham (Genesis 14:18). Since Melchizedek means 'King of Righteousness', we can see that Peter was imploring us to be part of the royal or King priesthood in 1 Peter 2:19.
Key Differences Between the Melchizedek and Levitical Priesthoods:
-Perfection is found in the Melchizedek priesthood, but not in the priesthood of Levi. (Hebrews 7:11)
-Scripture considers Melchizedek greater than Levi. (Hebrews 7:7)
-The Melchizedek priesthood needs only the blood of the Messiah, and does not require animal sacrifice. (Hebrews 10:11-12)
-The Messiah did not sin and therefore did not need to atone for himself, whereas priests of Levi would first have to sacrifice sin offerings for themselves, before they could do so for the people. (Hebrews 7:27)
-Melchizedek is forever but the Levitical priesthood was only for a time. (Hebrews 9:10)
-The Levitical priesthood system is a copy and shadow of the heavenly Melchizedek priesthood. (Hebrews 8:5)
-It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats (the operation of the Levitical priesthood) to take away sin, but the Messiah saves completely through his priesthood. (Hebrews 10:4, 7:25)
-Levitical sacrifices had to be offered up day by day, but the Messiah's offering of his blood under the Melchizedek priesthood was once and for all. (Hebrews 7:27)
It's important to note that many English translations of Scripture fail to make this distinction, and will often use the same terms for both. Many translations of New Testament passages use "law" when it is actually talking about the Levitical priesthood Temple system. Which has caused much confusion about the value of YHWH's instructions for our lives. Learning to discern what the author of Scripture actually means when you see words like priesthood, law, or even Torah is key to correctly understanding the word!
Here's another great verse to remind us to walk in YHWH's ways. Isn't that something we all need help with? Walking in his ways and being obedient to his commands has to be intentional on our part. I love seeing this verse and it is a reminder to pray this for my life and my community.
"Make me walk in the way of your commands." -Psalm 119:35
Click here to download this printable from Psalm 119. It's free for your personal use.
Hey there, friends! I run into a lot of misunderstandings about my faith, so I wanted to clear up a few things. For those of you who don't share my faith here's what I would love for you to know.
What I wish my Christian friends knew about my Hebrew faith:
-I believe in the Messiah! Please, please hear this: I haven't walked away from the Savior. I cherish all the stories in the New Testament of the Messiah, same as you. I believe he healed the blind, and walked on water, and threw money changers out from the Temple. I call the Messiah Yahusha because that is a better representation of his name than Jesus. But if you're talking about the Messiah, born of a virgin, died for our sins, rose from the dead, then we are on the same page.
-We have a ton in common. While there are some differences in our faiths there is far more common ground between us. Far more. Like you, I read the Old and New Testaments, and want to live a life that honors the Savior.
-What Hebrew faith means exactly. You can learn more about how I define a Hebrew here, but the gist of it is someone who accepts Yahusha as Messiah, while also being obedient to the commandments given in the Old Testament and throughout Scripture. So that means that I keep the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week, observe the Biblical set apart times instead of cultural holidays, and eat a Biblically clean diet. Those are the basics of a Hebrew lifestyle and I do my best to honor the Creator by living this way.
-I'm not Jewish. If I had a nickel for each time someone assumed I was Jewish I would be one rich lady. But with nothing against Jewish people, I am not pretending or aspiring to be Jewish. While our faiths have a few similarities, no Jewish person would ever consider my faith to be Jewish. And I do not participate in Judaism, a faith that does not accept Yahusha as Messiah. So please don't assume something about Judaism is true of my faith. For example, while I keep Shabbat I do not observe Jewish law that says you have to speak certain blessings, eat challah bread, and light candles in order to do so. The Hebrew faith is much more laid back than orthodox Judaism.
-I'm thrilled with the changes I've made. So often when I share about keeping the Sabbath people feel sorry for me to be "burdened" with it or tell me I am otherwise caught up in legalism, but that's not how I feel at all! I sincerely love the changes I have made and have found tremendous blessing in Sabbath observance, Biblically clean eating, and the Biblical feast days. So when I share with you about that, please know that I am not trying to give you something to do or tell you that your faith is inadequate: it's because I want you to experience the same joy and peace that I've found in these things.
-You are still a cherished friend to me. I am so grateful for you and I don't want our friendship to stop because my lifestyle is a little different than yours. Chances are, your faith is pretty similar to how I used to believe so I get where you're coming from. I want the best for you and I don't look down on you. If you've been hurt or felt slighted because I wouldn't do something on a Saturday or wouldn't try your salad with the bacon dressing, I want you to know that was not my intent. It's not because I don't like you or value you. I'm just trying to live out my convictions, and your support would mean so much!
-You are welcome to ask me questions. Really! If there's something you want to know about my beliefs or what I eat or why I made these changes or whatever else you can feel free to ask. I would love to have a heart-to-heart about faith, and it doesn't scare me if our beliefs don't 100% match.
-I don't have it all figured out. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Messiah, and that's my plan. I don't claim to be fully grown or that I've arrived at some perfect understanding of all things spiritual. I haven't. And that's okay! The Creator does not require us to have every last detail figured out, but he does expect us to grow. Growth means change and I'm willing to make adjustments in to my lifestyle and beliefs as I learn more. I hope you are too.
If you'd like to know more about my faith journey you can read about why I started keeping Shabbat, and why I stopped celebrating Christmas here.
If you have questions feel free to ask!
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