“This has an important lesson for us today. For under the old system, gifts and sacrifices were offered, but these failed to cleanse the hearts of the people who brought them. (Hebrews 9:9 TLB).
The Biblical book of Romans contains a well-known and oft-quoted portion of Scripture: “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This spiritual reality places every member of the human family in a desperate position, for there is nothing we can do on our own to escape that condition and get right with God.
Nevertheless, God has responded to this problem by offering a means of reconciliation. An extensive system of animal sacrifices served that purpose under the Old Covenant, as God graciously accepted the death of an animal on behalf of the sinner. The Old Testament book of Leviticus summarizes that arrangement for us: “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” (Leviticus 17:11 NIV).
The Mosaic Law also established standards for these sacrificial animals. For instance, there were animals that were clean and those that were unclean. Some animals were appropriate for sacrifice while others were not. A sacrificial animal also had to be free of any defect. Finally, those who brought these sacrificial offerings had to personally identify with their sacrifices.
Although the people of Israel received genuine forgiveness through these offerings, there were some flaws within this system. First, the blood of bulls, goats, and other sacrificial animals held no inherent worth with respect to sin and forgiveness. As the following chapter of Hebrews will go on to tell us, “…it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
As mentioned earlier, these Old Covenant sacrifices also failed to cleanse the consciences of those who brought them. Much like the Biblical account of a man who fulfilled his religious commitments but struggled with a nagging sense of spiritual debt, we may fulfill a series of external religious obligations yet still maintain a sense of debt within our consciences.
Thus, the Old Testament sacrificial system was clearly incapable of serving as a permanent solution to humanity’s estrangement from God. Instead, it graphically illustrated the fact that sin results in death (Romans 6:23). Yet just as God Himself provided those Old Covenant sacrifices, so He also provided the New Covenant sacrifice in the Person of His Son.