Lesson 6 Understanding Sacrifice

Lesson 6 Understanding Sacrifice

(Isaiah 1, Hebrews 10, Exodus 12, Revelation 5)

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.  Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Can you describe the way sins were forgiven and salvation achieved in the Old Testament? The answer is the system of animal sacrifices.  When a human sinned, an animal would die.  In the debate between salvation by works and salvation by faith, this is not works. What do you think about that system? Humans like to blame others for their failures. We are generally grateful when someone else takes the blame for our mistakes. The animal sacrifice system looks like humans never had to take personal responsibility for what they did. Does that trouble you? Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and see what we can learn about the full meaning of animal sacrifices!

1.     The Point of the Sacrifice?

1. 1.    Read Isaiah 1:2-5. What is wrong with God’s people? (They are evil and “utterly estranged” from God.)

1. 1. 1.     God talks about the ability of an ox or a donkey to know its master. Is God saying that His people are dumber than an ox or a donkey? (That is exactly what God is saying.)

1. 2.    Read Isaiah 1:6-9. How close is Israel to being totally destroyed? (Close. A few survivors make it distinct from what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.)

1. 1. 1.     What hope do they have about getting better? (Verse 6 says that their wounds are not being treated.)

1. 3.    Read Isaiah 1:11-13. If sacrificing an animal is the correct response to sin in your life, why would God tell His people He has “had enough?”

1. 1. 1.     What do you think is the real problem? (Verse 13 summarizes it - God does not want “iniquity” and “solemn assembly.” If you have no interest in serving God, then why go through the motions? God is not favorably impressed by hypocrisy.)

1. 4.    In Isaiah 1:11 God says that He does not delight in the sacrificing of animals. Since that is true, why did God set up the sacrificial system?

1. 1. 1.     Could we call the time of the sacrificial system “righteousness by faith?” (Yes. The method of lifting sin did not involve the person being fined, physically harmed, or otherwise punished for his sins.)

1. 1. 2.     If God was not enjoying the killing of animals, if humans were not punished for their sins, I ask again, was this just a bad idea? God gets no joy from it and humans get no discipline? (There was discipline in that their cities were being burned and their land devoured by foreigners. See Isaiah 1:7. But it does not seem to be individual punishment for individual sins.)

1. 1. 1. 1.     If general punishment for sins came from strangers, why sacrifice innocent animals? (In theory, seeing an innocent animal die for your sins should make you take your sins seriously. But I think God’s greater point was that the sacrifice was a kind of prophesy of the coming Jesus. Let’s discuss this next.)

2.    The Prophecy of the Coming Jesus and Passover

1. 1.    Read Hebrews 10:1-3. What does Hebrews say is one reason for the animal sacrifices? (To remind humans of the nature of sin.)

1. 2.    Read Hebrews 10:4-5 and Hebrews 10:9-10. What is the reason why God established the animal sacrifice system of the Old Testament? (The purpose was to educate humans about how God would handle their sin problem. It was prophecy through practice.)

1. 3.    Step back a moment and think about this. Assume that God came to earth and humans killed Him. What lesson would you draw from that? (Evil won. God lost.)

1. 4.    Read Exodus 12:3-6. If you are going to kill this lamb, why would it matter if it had a blemish? (This is not like breeding stock. This is another key part of the prophecy in practice. Jesus would come to earth and live a perfect life on our behalf. For that reason the lamb had to be perfect.)

1. 5.    Let’s focus on Exodus 12:3 and Exodus 12:6. How long did the family keep the lamb before sacrificing it? (Four days.)

1. 1. 1.     What point is God making? (They might fall in love with the lamb. Thus making the sacrifice more personal.)

1. 6.     Read Exodus 12:7-8. Why would they eat the lamb? (Jesus did not just die in our place, He gives us life through His sacrifice. John 6:48 has Jesus saying, “I am the Bread of Life.”)

1. 7.    Read Exodus 12:12-13. Why smear the blood of the lamb on the door of your home? (The angel that destroyed the enemy of God’s people passed over the homes with the blood and did not kill the firstborn of those who followed God’s directions.)

1. 1. 1.     What point is that making in this prophecy by practice? (God calls “balls and strikes.” By that I mean that God is serious about us doing His will. Following the instructions for accepting Jesus’ sacrifice gives us life instead of death.)             

1. 8.    Let’s step back a moment again and consider this. What was the context for the destroying angel at Passover? (The Egyptians enslaved God’s people for hundreds of years. They would not release them from slavery despite the warnings of the prior plagues. God not only shows love and mercy to us, He stands up against our enemies in a very lethal way. This is part of the prophecy.)

3.    The Prophecy of Triumph

1. 1.    Read Revelation 5:5-7. Has the Lamb now become a Lion?

1. 1. 1.     Who is this lamb? (The reference to it appearing to be “slain” is proof that this is Jesus.)

1. 2.    Read Revelation 5:8-10. What has Jesus accomplished by being slain? (He “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” This is the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy through the practice of sacrificing the lamb.)

1. 3.    Read Revelation 5:11-14. Is the universe still divided?

1. 1. 1. Who worships Jesus? (Everyone and everything!)

1. 4.    Read Revelation 7:9-10. What does this reveal about the number of those who are saved? (A great multitude are saved. One that cannot be numbered.)

1. 5.    Read Revelation 7:13-15. What do the white robes represent? (They are made white by being washed in Jesus’ blood. This is righteousness by faith alone.)

1. 1. 1.     Notice that this number of saints comes “out of” the great tribulation.”  If this is some final persecution, how can we have so great a multitude? (My thought is that since the elders in heaven do not know them (see verse 13), these are not those who already reside in heaven. The great tribulation can reasonably refer to the great fight over planet earth. These are the saints who have survived the rebellion of Satan and his fallen angels.)

1. 6.     Read Revelation 7:16-17. What other lamb prophesy do we see here? (Jesus is also our Shepherd. He keeps us from all suffering and He gives us joy!)

1. 7.    Friend, will you accept that Jesus’ incarnation, life, and death by torture was all predicted through the sacrificial system? Will you accept His sacrifice on your behalf and rejoice in the victory that He made possible for you? Why not do that right now?

4.    Next week: Foundations for Prophecy.