Offerings and Festivals
Jump to: SubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
Offerings

In the biblical context, offerings are acts of worship and devotion to God, often involving the presentation of gifts or sacrifices. The concept of offerings is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, where they serve as a means for the Israelites to express gratitude, seek atonement, and maintain a covenant relationship with God.

1. Types of Offerings: The Old Testament outlines several types of offerings, each with specific purposes and regulations. These include:

· Burnt Offerings (Leviticus 1:3-17): A voluntary act of worship, symbolizing the complete surrender to God. The entire animal, except for its hide, was consumed by fire on the altar.

· Grain Offerings (Leviticus 2:1-16): Made of fine flour, oil, and frankincense, these offerings were a way to honor God with the fruits of one's labor. A portion was burned on the altar, while the rest was given to the priests.

· Peace Offerings (Leviticus 3:1-17): Also known as fellowship offerings, these were expressions of thanksgiving and communal fellowship with God. The offering was shared between the altar, the priests, and the offerer.

· Sin Offerings (Leviticus 4:1-35): Required for atonement of unintentional sins, these offerings involved the sacrifice of an animal to cleanse the individual or community from impurity.

· Guilt Offerings (Leviticus 5:14-6:7): Similar to sin offerings, these were made for specific transgressions, often involving restitution to the wronged party.

2. Purpose and Significance: Offerings served multiple purposes, including atonement for sin, expressions of gratitude, and acts of worship. They were integral to the sacrificial system, which foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as described in the New Testament. Hebrews 10:10 states, "And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

3. New Testament Perspective: With the advent of Christ, the nature of offerings transformed. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system, rendering animal sacrifices obsolete. Believers are now called to offer themselves as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1), dedicating their lives to God's service.

Festivals

Biblical festivals are divinely instituted celebrations that commemorate significant events in Israel's history and God's providence. These festivals are outlined primarily in the Pentateuch and serve as reminders of God's covenantal relationship with His people.

1. Major Festivals:

· Passover (Pesach) (Exodus 12:1-14): Celebrated in remembrance of Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The Passover lamb, whose blood marked the homes of the Israelites, prefigures Christ, the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29).

· Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15-20): Following Passover, this seven-day festival commemorates the haste of Israel's departure from Egypt, during which they ate unleavened bread.

· Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) (Leviticus 23:15-21): Also known as Pentecost, this festival occurs fifty days after Passover and celebrates the wheat harvest and the giving of the Law at Sinai.

· Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) (Leviticus 23:23-25): Marking the beginning of the civil year, this festival involves the blowing of trumpets and calls for spiritual renewal.

· Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (Leviticus 16:29-34): A solemn day of fasting and repentance, where the high priest enters the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the nation.

· Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) (Leviticus 23:33-43): Celebrating the harvest and God's provision during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings, this festival involves dwelling in temporary shelters.

2. Theological Significance: These festivals are not merely cultural observances but are imbued with theological significance. They serve as reminders of God's faithfulness, provision, and the anticipation of future redemption. Colossians 2:16-17 highlights that these festivals are "a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ."

3. Christian Observance: While the New Testament does not mandate the observance of Old Testament festivals, they hold typological significance for Christians. The fulfillment of these festivals in Christ is celebrated through Christian practices such as the Lord's Supper, which commemorates Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection.
Subtopics

Offerings

Offerings: All Animal Sacrifices Must be Eight Days Old or More

Offerings: Animal Sacrifices: A Type of Christ

Offerings: Antiquity of

Offerings: Burnt

Offerings: Burnt: Accompanied by Other offerings

Offerings: Burnt: Its Purpose Was to Make an Atonement for Sin

Offerings: Burnt: Music With

Offerings: Burnt: Offered Daily, Morning and Evening

Offerings: Burnt: Ordinances Concerning

Offerings: Burnt: Skins of, Belonged to Priests

Offerings: Christ's offering of Himself

Offerings: Could not Make the offerer Perfect

Offerings: Declared to be Most Holy

Offerings: Different Kinds of Burnt

Offerings: Different Kinds of Drink

Offerings: Different Kinds of First-Fruits

Offerings: Different Kinds of Free-Will

Offerings: Different Kinds of Gifts

Offerings: Different Kinds of Heave

Offerings: Different Kinds of Incense

Offerings: Different Kinds of Jealousy

Offerings: Different Kinds of Meat

Offerings: Different Kinds of Peace

Offerings: Different Kinds of Personal, for Redemption

Offerings: Different Kinds of Sin

Offerings: Different Kinds of Thank

Offerings: Different Kinds of Tithe

Offerings: Different Kinds of Trespass

Offerings: Different Kinds of Wave

Offerings: Drink: Libations of Wine offered With the Sacrifices

Offerings: Eaten

Offerings: Figurative

Offerings: Free Will with Meat and Drink offerings

Offerings: Free Will: Must be Perfect (Whole, Complete)

Offerings: Free Will: Obligatory when Signified in a Vow

Offerings: Free Will: To be Eaten by Priests

Offerings: Heave in Certain Instances This offering Was Brought to the Tabernacle, or Temple

Offerings: Heave: Consecrated by Being Elevated by the Priest

Offerings: Heave: Consisted of the Right Thigh or Hind Quarter (R. V.)

Offerings: Heave: Given to the Priests' Families As Part of Their Benefits

Offerings: Heave: Plunder, Including Captives and Other Articles of War

Offerings: Heave: To be offered on Taking Possession of the Land of Canaan

Offerings: Heave: when offered

Offerings: Hezekiah Prepared Chambers For

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Abraham

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Canaanites

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Forbidden

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Israelites

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Moabites

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Offered to Baal

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Offered to Demons

Offerings: Human Sacrifices: The Sepharvites to Idols

Offerings: Insufficiency of

Offerings: Laid up in the Temple

Offerings: Made by Strangers, to be the Same As by the Jews

Offerings: Many Offenses Under the Law, Beyond the Efficacy of

Offerings: Meat: Not Mixed With Leaven (Yeast)

Offerings: Meat: Offered With the Sacrifices

Offerings: Meat: Ordinances Concerning

Offerings: Meat: Provided for in the Vision of Ezekiel

Offerings: Meat: Storage Rooms For, in the Temple Reconstructed by Ezra

Offerings: Meat: To be Eaten in the Holy Place

Offerings: Must be without Leaven (Yeast)

Offerings: Must Be: Accompanied With Leaven (Yeast)

Offerings: Must Be: Salted

Offerings: Offered at the Door of the Tabernacle

Offerings: Offered at the Door of the Temple

Offerings: Ordinance Relating to the Scapegoat

Offerings: Peace: Laws Concerning

Offerings: Required to Be: Brought in a Clean Vessel

Offerings: Required to Be: Brought to the Place Appointed of God

Offerings: Required to Be: Brought Without Delay

Offerings: Required to Be: Laid Before the Altar

Offerings: Required to Be: Offered in Love and Charity

Offerings: Required to Be: Offered in Righteous

Offerings: Required to Be: Offered Willingly

Offerings: Required to Be: Perfect

Offerings: Required to Be: Presented by the Priest

Offerings: Required to Be: The Best of Their Kind

Offerings: Sin: Ordinances Concerning

Offerings: Sin: Temporary

Offerings: Thank: Ordinances Concerning

Offerings: The Conversion of the Gentiles

Offerings: The Conversion of the Jews

Offerings: The Jews often: Abhorred, on Account of the Sins of the Priests

Offerings: The Jews often: Defrauded God of

Offerings: The Jews often: Gave the Worst They had As

Offerings: The Jews often: Presented to Idols

Offerings: The Jews often: Rejected In, Because of Sin

Offerings: The Jews often: Slow in Presenting

Offerings: Things Forbidden as The Price of a Dog

Offerings: Things Forbidden as The Price of Fornication

Offerings: Things Forbidden as Whatever Was Blemished

Offerings: Things Forbidden as Whatever Was Imperfect

Offerings: Things Forbidden as Whatever Was Unclean

Offerings: To be Made to God Alone

Offerings: Trespass: Offered by Idolaters

Offerings: Trespass: Ordinances Concerning

Offerings: Trespass: To be Eaten by the Priests

Offerings: Unacceptable, Without Gratitude

Offerings: Useless when not Accompanied by Genuine Piety

Offerings: Vow

Offerings: Wave: Belonged to the Priests

Offerings: Wave: Ordinances Concerning

Offerings: Wave: To be Eaten

Offerings: Wood: Fuel for the Temple

Related Terms

Freewill (27 Occurrences)

Vow (49 Occurrences)

Burns (34 Occurrences)

Kills (38 Occurrences)

Frankincense (22 Occurrences)

Votive (13 Occurrences)

Dog's (3 Occurrences)

Pig's (4 Occurrences)

Presents (38 Occurrences)

Blesses (18 Occurrences)

Aliens (53 Occurrences)

Breaks (35 Occurrences)

Foreigners (76 Occurrences)

Delights (39 Occurrences)

Fellowship (114 Occurrences)

Offer (403 Occurrences)

Offerings (480 Occurrences)

Cereal (124 Occurrences)

Abominations (81 Occurrences)

Eaten (211 Occurrences)

Alien (102 Occurrences)

Accepted (82 Occurrences)

Thanksgiving (49 Occurrences)

Blemish (71 Occurrences)

Consecrate (65 Occurrences)

Comparative

Thank (68 Occurrences)

Flour (69 Occurrences)

Dog (19 Occurrences)

Idol (56 Occurrences)

Mixed (96 Occurrences)

Animal (163 Occurrences)

Pontius (4 Occurrences)

Pilate (60 Occurrences)

Volunteer (2 Occurrences)

Vows (38 Occurrences)

Nehushtan (1 Occurrence)

One-fourth (3 Occurrences)

Oven (22 Occurrences)

Onesimus (2 Occurrences)

Off-hand (1 Occurrence)

One-tenth (9 Occurrences)

Jude (4 Occurrences)

Jotham (26 Occurrences)

Lady (37 Occurrences)

Griddle (5 Occurrences)

Glorifies (3 Occurrences)

Willingly (27 Occurrences)

Wafers (6 Occurrences)

Wakes (3 Occurrences)

Inner (141 Occurrences)

Ignorantly (8 Occurrences)

Instance (9 Occurrences)

Imputed (9 Occurrences)

Immanuel (3 Occurrences)

Herd (118 Occurrences)

Face (780 Occurrences)

Forum (1 Occurrence)

Fact (98 Occurrences)

Transfiguration

Retention

Resistance (1 Occurrence)

Expression (17 Occurrences)

Elect (32 Occurrences)

Errors (15 Occurrences)

Dowry (5 Occurrences)

Defect (62 Occurrences)

Divide (71 Occurrences)

Manoah (14 Occurrences)

Mover (1 Occurrence)

Modin

Prostitute (83 Occurrences)

Prepares (9 Occurrences)

Baked (26 Occurrences)

Bless (174 Occurrences)

Credited (19 Occurrences)

Carites (2 Occurrences)

Covenant (309 Occurrences)

Offerings and Feasts
Top of Page
Top of Page