What significance does the "three-year-old bull" have in Old Testament sacrificial practices? Opening Passage “After she had weaned him, she took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.” (1 Samuel 1:24) The Bull in Israel’s Sacrificial System • Bulls were the most valuable animals Israel possessed—symbols of strength, prosperity, and leadership. • God required bulls for the highest-level offerings: – Sin offering for priests and the whole congregation (Leviticus 4:3, 14). – Burnt offering of complete consecration (Leviticus 1:5). – Day of Atonement sacrifice (Leviticus 16:3). • Presenting a bull signaled total submission and the surrender of the worshiper’s best. Why Three Years Old? • Prime maturity: At three, a bull had reached full strength without yet declining (cf. Jeremiah 48:11’s picture of wine “settled on its dregs,” untouched and undisturbed). • Untasked vigor: Like the red heifer that had “never been under a yoke” (Numbers 19:2), a three-year-old bull likely had not been used for plowing or breeding, preserving its body as unblemished. • Full value: A three-year investment represented significant cost; the giver felt the sacrifice. • Scriptural pattern: God asked Abram for animals “three years old” when He cut covenant with him (Genesis 15:9), signaling completeness and maturity—nothing half-grown or half-given. Symbolic Richness • Completeness: “Three” often marks wholeness (Jonah 1:17; Hosea 6:2). A three-year-old animal mirrors that fullness. • Strength offered back to its Giver: The worshiper returned life at its peak to the Lord who granted it (Psalm 24:1). • Foreshadowing: The bull’s life given on behalf of others prefigures the perfect, fully mature sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 9:13-14). Other Old Testament Echoes • Genesis 15:9—three-year-old heifer, goat, and ram seal God’s covenant with Abram. • 2 Samuel 24:24—David refuses a cheap sacrifice, buying oxen “at full price,” echoing the principle of costly, valuable offerings. • Leviticus 22:27—an animal had to be at least eight days old to be offered, but the very best were older, fully formed. Practical Takeaways Today • Give God the best portion of our resources, not leftovers. • Offer service at the peak of our abilities and time. • Remember that true worship costs something valuable (Romans 12:1). • Trust that every sacrifice made in obedience cements deeper covenant fellowship, just as Samuel’s parents experienced God’s faithfulness. Summary The three-year-old bull represents mature strength, highest value, and complete devotion. In Old Testament worship, it underscored that God deserves nothing less than the best—an enduring principle for every believer. |
    |