An
acceptable sacrifice
Is
human sacrifice acceptable to Yah’weh?
Many
people find the very thought of human sacrifice appalling, and use their own
thoughts and ideas on the matter to come to the conclusion that; The Eternal
does not like or want human sacrifices.
Let’s
look at two examples in the Tanakh of the sacrifice of human life to help us
gain a better understanding of the matter.
30guard yourself that you are not
ensnared to follow them, after they
are destroyed from before you, and that you do
not inquire about their mighty
ones, saying, ‘How did
these nations serve their mighty
ones? And let me do so too. 31“Do
not do so to Yah’weh your Elohim, for
every abomination which Yah’weh hates they
have done to their mighty ones,
for they even burn their sons and
daughters in the fire to their mighty ones.
16And they left all the commands of Yah’weh
their Elohim, and made
for themselves a moulded
image, two calves, and made an Asherah and
bowed themselves to all the host of the heavens, and served Ba'al, 17and
caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire,
and practised divination and
sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil
in the eyes of Yah’weh,
to provoke Him. 18So Yah’weh was very enraged with
Yisra’el, and removed
them from His presence – none was left but the tribe of Yehudah
alone.
In both of these examples the Eternal Creator looked
upon the human sacrifices with disdain and contempt. Obviously these human
sacrifices are evil in the sight of the Almighty. Is this the end of the
matter? Let’s look a little deeper.
In the Apostolic writings we have a little different
view of sacrifice. Let’s take a look.
Become, then, imitators of Elohim as
beloved children. 2And walk in love, as Messiah also has
loved us, and gave Himself for us, a
gift and an offering to Elohim for a sweet-
smelling fragrance.
For the Torah, having a shadow of
the good matters to come, and not the
image itself of the matters, was never able to make
perfect those who draw near with the same
slaughter offerings which they
offer continually year by year. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased
to be offered? Because those who served, once cleansed, would have had no
more consciousness of sins. 3But
in those offerings is a reminder of
sins year by year. 4For it is impossible for
blood of bulls and
goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, coming into the world,
He says, “Slaughtering and meal
offering You did not desire, but
a body You have prepared
for Me. 6“In burnt offerings and offerings for sin
You did not delight. 7“Then I said, ‘See, I come – in the roll of the book it has been written concerning
Me – to do Your desire, O Elohim.’ ” 8Saying
above, “Slaughter and meal
offering, and burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor
delighted in,” which are
offered according to the Torah,
9then
He said, “See, I come to do Your desire,
O Elohim.” He takes away the first to establish the
second. 10By that desire we have
been set apart through the offering of the body of Yah’shua
Messiah once for all. 11And indeed every priest stands day by
day doing service, and repeatedly offering the same slaughter
offerings which are never able to take away sins. 12But He, having offered one
slaughter offering for
sins for all time, sat down at
the right hand of Elohim, 13waiting from that time onward until His
enemies are made a footstool for His feet. 14For
by one offering He has perfected
for all time those who are being set apart. 15And
the Set-apart Spirit also witnesses to
us, for after having said before, 16“This is the covenant that I shall make
with them after those
days, says Yah’weh, giving My
laws into their hearts, and in their minds I shall write them,” 17and, “Their sins and their lawlessnesses
I shall remember no more.” 18Now where there is
forgiveness of these, there is no longer a slaughter offering for sin. 19So, brothers, having boldness
to enter into
the Set-apart Place by the blood of
Yah’shua,
20by a new and living
way which He instituted
for us, through the veil, that is,
His flesh,
21and
having a High Priest
over the House
of Elohim,
It
appears that the apostolic writings may disagree with the Tanakh. Is that the
case?
The
examples of the Tanakh are of worshipers who are sending their own children as
sacrifices to the Eternal
.
The
examples of the apostolic writings are of self-sacrifice. There is a tremendous
difference in the offerings to Yah’weh. Let’s look at a couple of more verses
on the matter.
I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim,
to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim –
your reasonable worship.
9And when He opened the fifth
seal, I saw under the altar
the beings of those having been slain for the Word of
Elohim and for the witness which they held, 10and
they cried with a loud voice, saying,
“How long, O Master, set-apart and
true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11And there was given to each
one a white robe,
and they were told that they
should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow
servants and their brothers, who would be
killed as they were, was completed.
Animal
and human offferings mean nothing to the Eternal in our world today. Yah’shua
has given himself as the ultimate sacrifice for us. He gave his life willingly
and lovingly to our wonderful Father.
What
is acceptable is that a person offers up his or her own life for the Eternal.
Becoming a martyr, by upholding the Eternal’s laws and Name is acceptable and
welcomed. Look back through history at all of the people who have given their
lives to and for the Almighty.
Millions
of people through time have given up their lives for their belief in the One
True Mighty One. More sacrifices are yet to come, and each will be a welcome
offering to Yah’weh.
