Blood and Atonement - Part 2/4

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Can other things apart from blood atone for sin?

The following thread can also be viewed at the following link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhr7bJMIKVg&feature=youtu.be

 

Another common objection raised by Jews is that the Bible says there are other things apart from the blood that make atonement. Before refuting this argument, it is important to understand what is meant by atonement.

Atonement means to make up for something in order to bring about the full satisfaction for any wrong or injustice caused.

Here is an example.

If somebody stole 10.000 dollars from you, you would be pretty upset about it. Now the person who stole the money from you could come and apologize and you may even forgive them. They may even bring you several boxes of chocolates in an attempt to show you they were sorry, and you may even accept those.

But realistically, the only thing that would fully satisfy the injustice done to you would be for that 10.000 dollars (or more  ) to be given back to you. Saying sorry or trying to give things of far inferior value is not going to fully give you the satisfaction for the loss.

In other words it becomes "like for like" and not something of inferior value to be substituted for something of superior value. Therefore, Life must atone for life.

People in their wickedness and corruption expect ‘like for like’ when it comes to satisfying any injustice done to them, so what would make anyone think that an incorruptible God wouldn’t? Who are we to insult God’s integrity by implying that things of lesser value would appease His wrath against mankind’s sin?

Anyone who claims that there are other things apart from blood that make atonement for sin, would they themselves be fully satisfied if a judge decided they were to receive a few boxes of chocolates to compensate for a loss of 10.000 dollars if it had been stolen from them? I don’t think so!

In the Old Testament, the life blood of the sacrificial animal was required in exchange for the life blood of the worshipper. This was symbolic expression of innocent life given for guilty life.

But, ultimately the sin offering given to God that would fully satisfy His wrath against mankind’s sin would:

a. Have to be of the same kind as man – i.e born of a woman which is the legal entrance into the earth for all mankind.

b. Born without the sin nature. The acceptable sacrifice could not be born with an earthly father in the line of Adam as he then would inherent the sin nature.

c. Have had to lived a sinless life, otherwise they would have had to die for their own sins.

In other words “like for like" or another Adam before his fall.

The main scriptures that are used to state that blood is NOT the only way to atone for sin or ones soul are:

Leviticus 5:11
Exodus 30:14
Numbers 31:50
Numbers 16:46
Isaiah 27:9

Before looking at the problems of trying to use these scriptures, we need to first look at the kinds of sacrifices that were given and assess the use of the word “atonement” in the Old Testament

There were 5 types of Old Testament sacrifices.

1. Burnt offerings
2. Grain offerings
3. Fellowship offerings
4. Sin offerings
5. Guilt offerings

The first 3 sacrifices were voluntary acts of worship but the sin and guilt offerings were mandatory acts of worship for atonement, forgiveness, cleansing and restitution, and were therefore priority over all the other offerings.

This sequence furnished the spiritual significance of the sacrificial system because first sin had to be dealt with or, to state in another way, there were sacrifices of expiation (sin and guilt offerings), consecration (burnt and grain offerings) and communion (fellowship offerings which included vow offerings, thank offerings and freewill offerings)

In the OT, atonement occurs in 6 contexts:

1. Atonement for sin through sin and guilt offerings. This also includes the Day of Atonement. (e.g Lev.16)

2. Atonement for the Tent of meeting /temple, altar, Most Holy Place, or atonement cover .(Lev. 16:20)

3. Atonement for the ordination and consecration of priests. (Exodus 29:33)

4. Atonement through burnt offerings. (Lev.1)

5. Atonement for cleansing or purging of miscellaneous things like unsolved murders, purification after childbirth, and skin diseases. (Lev.12)

6. Atonement through non blood, like flour, incense, money, jewelry, coal

All these (except for the last context), required blood, and we see that keywords words like “sin”, “guilt”, “sin/guilt offering”,” atonement” “forgiveness”, “cleansing” often occur together where the blood is concerned.

We shall now look at the scriptures used by some Jews to claim that there are other things apart from the blood that make atonement and the problems in trying to use these scriptures to support such a claim:

1. Leviticus. 5:11

‘But if he is not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring for his offering one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.

Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 The priest shall make atonement for him, for his sin that he has committed in any of these matters; and it shall be forgiven him.


The problem with trying to use this scripture to justify that God also accepts flour for atonement is that:

• The scripture clearly says that only the extremely poor were to bring flour. This was an exception to the rule and not the normal regulation for atonement. Flour was God’s provision in His justice and mercy so that even the extremely poor who couldn’t afford an animal could partake in the atonement system. Taking this extreme exception and using it as a basis to imply that anyone can receive atonement through flour is a weak argument.

• That would be like claiming that because there are people on low income who are entitled to housing benefit allowance, then everyone else is too.

• The irony is that this scripture doesn’t even apply to Jews who try using it to refute blood sacrifices.


The NORMAL regulations for a sin offering were as follows:

1. Young bull for the high priest and congregation. (blood)
2. Male goat for leader (blood)
3. Female goat or lamb for common person (blood)
4. Dove or pigeon for the poor (blood)
5. Tenth of an ephah of fine flour for the very poor and this had to be burnt on the altar on top of the other offerings made to the Lord by fire" and not independent of it.

So we see that the normal and acceptable method was the blood of animals. The flour was an exception and on its own had no atoning power which is why it had to be joined with the blood sacrifices.

‘He shall bring it to the priest, (the flour) and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, 1with the offerings of the LORD by fire: it is a sin offering." (Leviticus 5:12 NASB Bible)

Some people claim that the flour didn’t have to be mixed with the offerings. However if that is the case, then one must ask what happens when you add flour on its own to fire?

Flour added to fire is flammable and produces a bigger flame for a short time but then quickly subsides again. Flour added to fire on its own wouldn’t produce the ongoing aroma of animal fat that was pleasing to God . Therefore the flour had to be added to the blood sacrifices and not independent of them.

 “They are offerings made to the Lord by fire – a pleasing aroma.” (Numbers 29:6)

The next 2 scriptures used are Exodus 30:14-15 and Numbers 31:50
Both these verses, show a situation where because of a census, ransom money was to be paid to avert a plague so as not to be smitten by it, not to make atonement for sin.

The idea of atonement to avert Divine Wrath and not for the forgiveness of sin is supported in Numbers 1:53 and 8:19. The Levites had to form a protective hedge against the non-Levites to keep them from trespassing in the sacred precincts of the tabernacle so that they wouldn’t experience Divine Wrath.

“The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community.” (Numbers 1:53)

“Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary” (Numbers. 8:19)

This had nothing to with forgiveness of sins but to avert divine wrath to protect that which was Holy.
We also see that words like “sin” guilt” and “forgiveness” which are often found in the blood sacrifice verses are absent from these non blood contexts of atonement.


The atonement money in the Exodus 30:14-15 and Numbers 31:50 verses served as a tax for the service, support and maintenance of the Tent of Meeting . (e.g to buy sacrifices, flour, incense, wine oil, fuel, salt, priest’s garments etc…)
So ultimately, even atonement money tied in with the support of the atonement system - hence blood sacrifices –hence forgiveness of sins.

“Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting.” (Exodus 30:16)

“Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.”
(Numbers 31:54)

Another verse used in an attempt to refute blood sacrifices is Numbers 16:46-50

In this account God brings divine judgment on Korah and his followers for their charge against Moses.
The whole Israelite community grumbles against Moses and Aaron, unfairly charging them with the death of the Lord’s people. Moses tells Aaron to take his censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and to hurry to the assembly to make atonement for the Israelites.

Again this instance serves to pacify or soothe divine wrath of an offended God, not to atone for sin.
Notice that Aaron must get the fire from the altar rather than just light up the censer. Why? Because the altar was the place of atonement – where the blood was offered. So again it is tied in with the sacrificial system.

Isaiah 6:6-7 is another verse that is quoted since coal and not blood is used to atone.

But again, like in Numbers 16:46, we see the seraph has to take the live coal from the altar. We see from Leviticus 16:12-14 that coals of fire were taken inside the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement when sacrifice was made to atone for sin.

“He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die. 14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.” (Leviticus 16:12-14)


Leviticus 17:11 clearly tells us that atonement is made at the altar

“I have given it to you (blood) to make atonement for yourselves on the altar” (Leviticus 17:11)

So, all scriptures used in an attempt to refute blood sacrifice ultimately pertain to, are mingled with or have to do with blood sacrifices and are not independent of them. Therefore to say that there are other means of atonement apart from blood is completely misleading and collapses the whole book of Leviticus as well as any other books that speak of blood sacrifices for sins.

Other problems include:

• The idea of purging away of sin through judgment and correction like in Isaiah 1;25, 4:4 and 48:10 is different to making atonement for sin.

“The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion, He will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.” (Isaiah 4:4)


• Money, jewelry, incense or flour cannot make atonement for the soul since they are of inferior value to life, and life is in the blood. Nowhere in Jewish literature is the idea conveyed that you can just buy God off with money, jewelry, incense or coal for your sins. Who would think that God has no integrity?

• Leviticus 16:29,34 describe blood sacrifices as lasting ordinances and Exodus 30:10 says that blood sacrifices must be made for generations to come. If they are lasting, then they are irreplaceable.

• There are about 50 or so verses in the Old Testament subject to God’s standard procedure of blood Atonement. You cannot then nullify all these from just 5 versus which have been taken out of context to begin with.


• Ironically traditional Jews that claim there are other means of atonement outside the blood are the ones who are earnestly praying daily for the rebuilding and restoration of the Temple and the offering up of sacrifices. Why go through all this trouble if flour, money, jewelry, censers and coal can atone?


The importance and power of blood.

Blood was used to make atonement because nothing is more precious than life, and life is in the blood.
It was the preciousness of the sacrifice that made it powerful.  The center of the atonement system in Israel was Yom Kippur- or the Day of Atonement, and at the center of that day were the blood sacrifices that God demanded from the Hebrews. This “life for life” principle is the foundation of the sacrificial system. It is central and irreplaceable. You remove that and everything collapses.

Electricity is the powerful unseen force that causes everything our society relies on to exist and work and similarly the same is true of blood in the spiritual Realm.

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.” (Leviticus 17:11-12)

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