in order to purify or cleanse themselves again in the eyes of the Lord. The peace offering, outlined in the third chapter, gives a detailed account of how man was to bring this sacrifice for atonement. Offering it voluntarily, the animal must be offered at the door of the tabernacle where the man must put both hands upon the head of his offering. This action of putting his hands on the head of the offering was to signify his desire and hope that it would be accepted as atonement for his sins. The sacrifice was to then be killed by the priests who would then sprinkle the blood of the victim upon the altar.It is important to note that the Israelites as a culture were largely vegetarians. Fat during this time and still even today are considered delicacies in the Middle East. The consumption of meat then, especially the fatty parts, was reserved for festival occasions (Gerstenberger, 1996;48). It was also from these fatty portions that the offerings to God were made.Chapter four and five discuss the sin offering and the role of sacrifice in ritual purification. The Hebrew word chattat encompassed the sin, the sacrifice that deletes it, and the victim of such a sacrifice. When an individual or the community committed a forbidden action, an offering was to be made for redemption. The sin offering is much like the burnt offering in that the victim is burnt on the altar, but the distribution of parts is never eaten. Rather the ashes of the victim are carried outside the sanctuary to be burnt. Leviticus 4-5 represents a core text of the priestly effort at the elimination of sin and guilt (Gerstenberger, 1996;56). The text focuses in on atonement. This act of reconciliation brings a person back into the fellowship with God after there is disruption in the initial relationship. This disruption consists of ethical, legal and rational discernible transgressions against commandments and affronts to God (Gerstenberger, 1996;57).In the pr...
