Self-Sacrifice: A Note by Roi Ziv
“He shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.” Leviticus 1:9 NKJV
Burnt Offering
On November 12, 2015, Skip wrote:
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.’” Leviticus 1:2 NASB
In Hebrew the prepositional phrase is attached to the word “sacrifice,” not “man.” The literal translation says, “When any man brings a sacrifice of you.” Sacks notes that the rabbis consider this original word order to mean that we bring ourselves in the sacrifice. “The real sacrifice is mikem, ‘of you.’ We give God something of ourselves.”[1]
In English we make a sacrifice or bring it. That is, we do something to or with an independent object- the sacrifice. In Hebrew, however, the verb of bringing the sacrifice to the tabernacle – Makriv – comes from the same root as the word for sacrifice itself- Korban. It means that the object becomes a sacrifice by me bringing it. And the verb is not “bring” but “bring near”.
We think of sacrifice as something valuable that I am willing to give to God or others. It is that, of course, but the original word simply means something that is brought close into the presence of YHVH. When we connect that with what Skip wrote, a sacrifice is basically us drawing near to the presence of our father.
There are many kinds of offerings described in great detail in Leviticus. The first one is the Burnt Offering. This is an unblemished animal given entirely to God. All of it is burnt and nothing is eaten by the priests and the person bringing it. It is a voluntary act of worship, devotion, commitment and surrender to YHVH.
After it is cut into pieces, the person who brought it washes the entrails and the legs of the animal. What’s special about these parts?
Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word for entrails is Kerev (Kravaim– the plural form). That’s right, the sacrifice root, the “bringing close” root.
The word Kerev is widely used in scripture in the sense of “heart/ inner parts/midst of”:
“Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name” Psalm 103:1[2]
Making a sacrifice is bringing our hearts close to God!
The context in Leviticus 1:9 makes it clear the person who brought the sacrifice washes the animal’s entrails and legs, but grammatically speaking it can also mean that he washes his own heart and legs!
With all this in mind, read again the familiar passage in John, where Yeshua washes his disciples’ feet:
“Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.” John 13:9-10 NKJV
Yeshua’s statement in this act is a lot deeper than just teaching his disciples to serve. He is basically telling them “you, your lives, are going to become a burnt offering, given completely to YHVH as a sweet aroma”.
One last point: the Hebrew word for battle is Krav…sounds familiar? .
Well, who ever said that bringing our hearts near God’s presence is an easy thing to do?
Topical Index: sacrifice, burnt offering, Leviticus 1:9, makriv, kerev, Roi Ziv
[1] https://skipmoen.com/2015/11/12/the-order-of-sacrifice/
[2] More examples: Jeremiah 4:14, Ezekiel 36:27, Exodus 25:8.
The Execution
The Sacrifice of “Self”
~ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.. ~ (Matthew 16.24)
Will I die today? It’s a good day to die. Self, the answer is “no.” But to my LORD and Savior, Jesus (who is the Christ), my answer is yes.
It is NOT what I want, but what You want, LORD. Not my will, my LORD and Master, but Your will be done. LORD, I confess, I am not the center of the known universe.. – You are. Not only the center, but also the circumference and the compass. Christ is all, and – in you all. I [too] have been crucified with Christ, [a long, slow, painful process], nevertheless [however, and amazingly] I live! Yet, —not “I” — but Christ!
“Not I, — Christ!!! Friend, this.. This is the “dead” center! The hammer has hit the nail and driven it all the way home. “I have been crucified with Christ.”
Dead Reckoning
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20)
May I? [once again..] – “Christ [now] lives in me!!!” – Hallelujah!
Glory! [For this is] the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested [made clear, revealed] to His saints, [the ones] to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory [!] We proclaim Him, [yes, please!] admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete *in Christ.…
“If [far better, — “since!”] we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if [far better, — “since!”] we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since [no “if” here!] Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death [Hallelujah!] no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count [reckon] yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:5-11)
The process of sanctification – death, burial, resurrection.
~ What you sow does not come to life unless it dies ~ Is there death before life? Yes.
(1 Corinthians 15.36)
Timeless Truth
“Timeless truth I speak to you: Unless a grain of wheat falls and dies in the ground, it remains alone, but if [and when] it dies, it yields much fruit.”
Thank you for this insight. This gives even deeper meaning to Psalm 51:8 – being truthful in our inward parts. The closer we get the more we have to let HIM clean out what’s in our heart, the more we surrender and sacrifice. I hope I have this right.
Dana, did you mean verse 6?
Thank you for this additional insight!
I’m following this topic a lot more closely then others because i’m intrigued as to the significance YHVH sacrificing his own son. I know that human sacrifice is forbidden to us, why was this ok. I don’t see YHVH as a “do as i say, not as i do” entity.
There has to be a reason.
Additionally, the living sacrifice thing intrigues me. We ARE living sacrifices, holy, hopefully. When i first heard you teach on the animals that were brought to the temple and found wanting, that they were then NOT sacrificed but turned over to the priests, alive, to become part of the temple herds, to serve the priests that opened a new door of thought for me.
Presumably the animals prospered, (multiplied) and/or became whatever suited the needs of the temple (milk, food, transportation, etc.).
They were imperfect yet usable, still of value and taken care of. (this is not what you stated, but implied).
Every living thing serves somebody (thank you bob dylan).
Because i brush w/others that are living decidedly unholy lives, i think think about this, frequently. Do they realize they are ‘living sacrifices’? The ones that mouth godliness and live evil, do THEY realize they are ‘living sacrifices’, that the ARE ‘serving somebody’?
How do i even broach the topic.
Skip, i am sending you a note about this from my barbara.wade account. PLEASE respond. Thank you!
Got it.
Let’s clear up something at the beginning. “For God so loved the cosmos that He gave” is not the same as sacrifice. Why? Because sacrifice is the ritual action needed to draw close to YHVH. God does not sacrifice in order to draw close. That is ridiculous. When God gave, the idea is assigning a task to the Messiah that will accomplish the restoration of the cosmos to the plan and purposes of YHVH. This is not about “drawing close,” nor is it about forgiveness of sins. The assignment of the Messiah is to usher in the Kingdom by defeating the final symbol of defilement–death. YHVH certainly assigned others similar roles, though not with the same purpose. Weren’t the prophets called to give their lives in His cause? Couldn’t we equally say, “God so loved His people that He gave Jeremiah”? Rethink the assumptions here.
Skip,
Thank you. It is, unfortunately, over my head but i do get a glimmer of it. I have your book, but i can only focus on it for small amounts of time.
Couple questions.
First, where does it say in the Tanach that a man “can’t” be a sacrifice acceptable to YHVH? Not, a child sacrifice but, a man. Not a sinful man but, One that is blameless and righteous. I mean I know what Rabbinic Judaism says about it but, that’s a direct response to Yeshua, IMHO.
Isaac wasn’t a child and neither was the daughter of Jephthah.
And second, why are we thinking that Yeshua laying down His life for our atonement or forgiveness of our sins, is a problem? Becuase I see the Apostolic scriptures speaking about that being the case all over the text.
Mark I also kind of the same questions you have. But for now I understand that all sacrifices (whether man,beast or flour) or atonement is only for drawing near to God. No atonement forgive sins – only God forgives.
It seems that the believe of “no man dying for another one’s sin” or “forgiveness of sin” started long before Rabbinic Judaism – I am still looking into that.
Ex 32:30 -33 “and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”..”But now, if You will, forgive their sin– and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” 33The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.…
Ezekiel 18:4
For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child–both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
Deuteronomy 24:16
Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.
Ezekiel 18:20″The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity;
Jeremiah 31:30
Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes–their own teeth will be set on edge.
more questions I have:
No sacrifice ever forgave sin, why would God change the system with the death of Yeshua?
And what prophecy of the coming Messiah in the Tanach suggests that the Messiah should die for the forgiveness of sin?
and why did the sacrificial system continue for another 40 years after Yeshua’s Torah-changing,world-altering-sacrifice-for- forgiveness-of-sin-death?
Mark,
“We” are not thinking anything is a problem. *I* am mulling some things over. If you are good, carry on, brother! Shalom!
Shalom
Just to clarify to you. I wasn’t necessarily responding to “you”. So, I surely don’t want you to think I was attacking you or questioning you or your investigation personally, what so ever.
From my perspective and understanding of the “we” in a community, whether in a real face to face or even an online one, there is always far more of the “we” than the “I”.
And regardless if we realize it or not, “we” all take on the halacha of that community by being a part of it, and especially the views and halacha of the leadership of that community. So, when I say “we”, yes I’m talking about “us” as in those who are part of this community. One of the ways the Christian church gets to where it is right now is by not asking hard and direct questions.
Thank you. and my apologies. Sincerest.
YHWH Elyon never sacrificed YHWH HaMessiah… It would have been a most grevious transgression of Torah and sin.
This fabel of the fore- / church fathers a lie HaSatan has been spreading through the ages, by the hand of the false teachers / preachers.
The Messiah, who covenanted with Abba Elyon, on behalf of Abram; as kinsmen redeemer, had to pay the death penalty, invoked by Yisrael breaking the covenant on Mt Sinai (the Golden Calf episode).
But in this process, not only fulfilled all the pertaining prophesies, laws and Torah, but also conquered death (the final frontier / enemy).
Requiring of us to return to covenant (under the light yoke) next to Messiah, pulling the plough and walk out Torah as Kingdom Priests.
Pieter,
Please explain the death penalty and how it applies at the cross. Thank you.
A (engagement) covenant was made between The Father [2] (on behalf of His son) and Abram (on behalf of the future Yisrael). The Son [3](Husband to be) “signed” the contract on behalf of Abraham / Yisrael (Bride to be) in the presence of the Holy Spirit (Shekinah) [1] in Gen.15:17: “… it came to pass that, when the sun went down and there was very thick darkness[1], behold a smoking furnace / fire [2] and a lighted lamp [3] that [2&3] passed between these pieces.”
For “fornication” you can get a divorce but for adultery the Torah requires death (by stoning). The Covenator, Yeshua, “signed” with this knowledge and acceptance (demonstrating true lovingkindness).
When Yeshua signed on our behalf the Ketubah, He knew He was putting His “life” on the line. The marriage covenant was confirmed in Ex 19 and “signed” at Ex.24:1-11, but at the marriage feast (Ex.32:5b-6), the bride (Yisreal) not only “fornicated” but also committed adultery (the Golden Calf). And YHWH [1] (Ex32:9,10) said…consume them… And Moshe besought YHWH [3] (Ex32:11)… And YHWH [2] (Ex32:14) repented…
This “death penalty / debt” came into being through Abram not trusting YHWH’s (Covenant of) promise and asking in Gen15:8 “O Adonai YHWH, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?”
The engagement contract (Ketubah) has not only been signed (taken liability for) by Yeshua, it now also put Yisrael in the position of being “family” (of the YHWHs)… invoking the Kingsmen Redeemer Torah, making it “legal” for Yeshua to die on our behalf
So, coming to the tree (cross), the situation is as follows:
– Yeshua has already (before the foundation of the world) been slaughtered as the lamb for the sins of the world (I do not know what this means, but it is not sacrifice. It probably has more to do with sin = death, needing death / blood to atone / to harmonise the situation).
– Yeshua is the only legitimate heir to the Kingship in the Heavens and on the Earth.
– Yeshua has been inaugurated as Priest by the legitimate Levitical High Priest (John Emerser), upon whose death, Yeshua becomes the (only) High Priest (order of Melchizedek).
– Yeshua is falsely accused and found guilty of blasphemy.
– Yeshua has fulfilled all prophesies pertaining to the “suffering servant” Messiah.
– Yeshua is about to pay the debt (death) for His bride’s adultery.
– Yeshua has fulfilled all and every (e.g. red heifer / pass over) statutory requirement and sign to absolve us from sin and set us apart.
– Yeshua is about to be released (by death) to “legally” (re)marry Yisrael.
– Yeshua is about to conquer “death” (by His resurrection … not His death), due to Adam’s sin, and thereby rescue us from destruction and enable the offer of eternal life to be “legally” made.
My apologies for the length of this response.
Pieter, thank you. I am going to copy this.
No apology needed on the length, you were concise and i so appreciate it! Thanks!
Like Laurita i intend to print this and study it.
But what about holiness? Isn’t holiness about being able to be in His presence?
Wow. This note today is so wonderful for me. It is the missing piece I have been looking for in my lifelong study of trying to understand the sacrificial system, especially since being brought to Father’s Torah. The key is this word: korban. Thank you, I am truly blessed by this!
Sorry, I was reading from the CJB, it shows “inward parts” verse as 8, the other versions have it as 6.
Very enlightening thank you. The more I learn from the Hebrew perspective, the more loving and merciful God I see in the Tanakh…unlike what many of us have been taught.?
Interestingly about Korban. When my son, as a teenager, decided to ” find his own way”, he changed his name to Corbin.… Please pray he will come back to our loving Abba and indeed be that Korban.???