In an average bull, there are 31.2 liters of blood.  A ram has 3.6 and a goat 3.15, a pigeon fr\om 16-30 ml.  I share this because we need to be well aware of what was going on with these offerings.  The blood was poured out at the altar, sprinkled seven times before the Lord, put on the horns of the altar for the sin offering.  I don’t want to even try and guess how many sin offerings were made each day, but with around 2 million people, it had to be quite a few.  Everyone makes mistakes.  One thing I never noticed before was the difference in which animal was offered.  A young bull for either the priest or the whole congregation as a sin offering, a male goat for a king who sinned, and a female goat for a common person. The trespass offering was a bit different in that this was. This was always a ram without blemish.  Restitution was part of the trespass offering as well.

I want you to consider what a bloody scene this was.  We don’t think about the amount of blood that was spilled, day in and day out, because of sin.  The priests were basically butchers, and blood flowed all the time around the altar.  Their garments were always being washed because of the blood that would spurt out.  Blood was applied to the horns of the altar.  The altar stayed burning continually, day and night, so a person could bring their offering to the Lord at any time they realized they had sinned.  How much wood did this require?  I often have thought of the wilderness as a desert place, but there must have been quite a supply of wood for the fire to continuously burn.  The scene must have been horrible, the fragrance like that of a cookout on the fourth of July.  No wonder God said it was a sweet smelling savor!

For the Israelites, this was the only way they could atone for the sins or trespasses they committed.  Every single time, they had to bring an offering.  As you consider this scene, the altar, the blood poured out, the blood soaked garments, the burning wood, and all the work that went into these many sacrifices each day, doesn’t it make you cry with joy!  If we have no other reason to be joyful, we should rejoice in the fact that Jesus spilled His blood once for all mankind, for all our sins, for all our guilt and shame.  A Christian really should never be downhearted or lose their joy.  The joy of the Lord is based on His sacrifice, not our feelings.  It wells up deep down inside of us because we know that we don’t have to spill any blood to relieve our sin.  We just have to come to Jesus.  One sacrifice for all of time.  One spilling of blood for all my sins.

At the same time, we must remember that it is not the blood of bulls and of goats that pleases God, even in these old days.  It only appeased their sin.  God does not delight in burnt offerings because it means that they had sinned in the first place, and it had to be brought. What pleased God in the whole process was a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:16-17).  Sin is a matter of the heart, and if our heart is not broken because of our sin, our offering means nothing to God.  We can cry out to Jesus for forgiveness, and He will forgive us (as long as we forgive our brother), but if our heart is not broken  over our sin, God is not pleased.  We have a church today whose people rarely experience a broken heart over their sin.  They enjoy the benefit and blessing of Christ’s blood, but have not brought themselves to the place of brokenness before God that pleases Him. They are proud and arrogant before God,. demanding Him to answer their prayers.  There is nothing broken about their attitude toward God. This leaves them in a state of continually offering His blood by asking His forgiveness, but never coming to a place where they please God!

In conclusion, I must ask myself this question: “Do I please God?”  Is my heart broken over my sin, or do I just ask forgiveness and go my way? My desire is to be pleasing to God!  Not that I am pleased with Him,. but that He is pleased with me.  This is not something I can just confess is true.  It takes a broken and contrite heart to please God, not an arrogant profession of faith.  May we always yield our hearts to Him.  May we be as broken vessels, ready for Him to put the pieces back together and fill us up.  This is what He delights in!