Atonement, in the context of the Old Testament, refers to the reconciliation between God and humanity, achieved through the sacrificial system established by divine command. The concept of atonement is central to the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites, serving as a means to address sin and restore fellowship with God.

Biblical Foundation

The practice of animal sacrifices for atonement is rooted in the Mosaic Law, primarily detailed in the book of Leviticus. The Hebrew term for atonement, "kaphar," conveys the idea of covering or purging sin. Leviticus 17:11 states, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life."

Types of Sacrifices

Several types of sacrifices were instituted for atonement, each with specific purposes and regulations:

1. Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1): This offering was wholly consumed on the altar, symbolizing complete surrender to God. It served as a general atonement for sin and an expression of devotion.

2. Sin Offering (Leviticus 4): This sacrifice was specifically for unintentional sins. The blood of the animal was used to purify the altar and the people, signifying the removal of sin's defilement.

3. Guilt Offering (Leviticus 5:14-6:7): Also known as the trespass offering, this sacrifice addressed specific transgressions, particularly those involving restitution. It emphasized the need for repentance and reparation.

The Day of Atonement

The most significant atoning ritual was the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, described in Leviticus 16. This annual event involved the high priest entering the Holy of Holies to make atonement for himself and the entire nation of Israel. Two goats were central to this ceremony: one was sacrificed, and the other, the scapegoat, was sent into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away the sins of the people. Leviticus 16:30 declares, "For on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD."

Theological Significance

Animal sacrifices underscored the seriousness of sin and the necessity of a substitute to bear its penalty. The shedding of blood was a vivid reminder of the cost of sin and the holiness of God. Hebrews 9:22 affirms this principle: "According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Foreshadowing Christ

The sacrificial system foreshadowed the ultimate atonement made by Jesus Christ. As the Lamb of God, His sacrifice on the cross fulfilled and surpassed the Old Testament sacrifices. Hebrews 10:4 states, "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Christ's atonement was perfect and complete, providing eternal redemption for those who believe.

Conclusion

The practice of animal sacrifices for atonement in the Old Testament was a divinely instituted means of addressing sin and maintaining the covenant relationship between God and His people. It highlighted the gravity of sin, the necessity of a substitute, and ultimately pointed to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.Exodus 29:36
And you shall offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you have made an atonement for it, and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it.
Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 30:12-16
When you take the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when you number them; that there be no plague among them, when you number them.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 1:4
And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 4:20,22-35
And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 5:6-10
And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 6:7
And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he has done in trespassing therein.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 9:7
And Moses said to Aaron, Go to the altar, and offer your sin offering, and your burnt offering, and make an atonement for yourself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 10:17
Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God has given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 12:6-8
And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to the priest:
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 14:12-32
And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 16:6,10,11,15-19,24-34
And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 19:22
And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he has done: and the sin which he has done shall be forgiven him.
Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 15:22-28
And if you have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD has spoken to Moses,
Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 28:22,30
And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.
Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 29:5,10,11
And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:
Nave's Topical Index

Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Nave's Topical Index

Atonement.
... views of God and his government, to suppose that either animal, or merely ... 10.Public
justice required, either that an atonement should be made, or that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/finney/systematic theology/lecture xxv atonement.htm

The Burnt Offering a Picture and a Prophecy
... shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.' The atonement was made, as
we ... offerer say in effect, by that act, 'This is I? This animal life shall ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the burnt offering a picture.htm

The Day of Atonement
... The ritual for the atonement of the sins of the people ... of cleansing the leper; namely,
because one animal could not ... The same use is made of the blood, which is ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the day of atonement.htm

Acts XXI
... his mind, and the Holy Spirit made to him ... exhibited the utter inefficiency of animal
sacrifices; the sacrifice ... the insufficiency of the blood of the atonement. ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xxi.htm

The New Covenant.
... in a weary round of ceremonies only made it more ... sin, inasmuch as it was an unreal
atonement, God prepared a ... is between the vanity of animal sacrifices and the ...
/.../chapter viii the new covenant.htm

The Sacrifice
... is the killing of the sacred animal of the tribe, the animal which was ... "The Blood
makes atonement by the Life that is in it." Man can only be made at one ...
//christianbookshelf.org/beibitz/gloria crucis/viii the sacrifice.htm

First Sunday after Epiphany
... Christ in its awful perversions; this, satisfied with the atonement once made ... The
priest is not made. ... For the life of the animal was but temporal and external ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol ii/first sunday after epiphany.htm

Leviticus
... of the narrative of the Exodus is made plain by ... A female animal shall be offered
for certain legal and ... the law for the great day of atonement, with regulations ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/leviticus.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... sacrifice. The animal was then slain. ... removal. God commanded that an
atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments. "He ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /23 what is the sanctuary.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... sacrifice. The animal was then slain. ... removal. God commanded that an
atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments. "He ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 23 what is the.htm

What are the various theories on the atonement? | GotQuestions.org

If Jesus is our atonement, why did He die at Passover instead of the Day of Atonement? | GotQuestions.org

What is the concept of the vicarious atonement? | GotQuestions.org

Atonement: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus