The
following quote is taken from evilbible.com:
"The
first seven chapters of Leviticus have extensive rules regarding animal and food
sacrifices. These offerings are supposed to be burnt so that God can
smell them. If you read through these it seems clear to me that the
priests were getting their followers to make a big feast for them every
week. The priests were very particular about what kind of food to bring
and how to prepare it."
Let's examine the first seven chapters of Leviticus. You can read the
full text here:
(A side note: I find it interesting that this section is included under
"Ritual Human Sacrifice" on the website, since there were no human
sacrifices commanded in Leviticus 1-7.)
Leviticus is one of the books of the Torah, the first five books of the
Bible. At this point in the story, God had freed the Israelites from
slavery in Egypt and had led them into the wilderness. There, he gave
them the Law. The first seven chapters of the book of Leviticus describe
the various offerings that the people had to make to God: the burnt offering,
grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, and guilt offering.
The primary purpose of these sacrifices were not so that the priests or those
making the offering could eat them, although the priests received a portion of
some of the grain and sin offerings (Leviticus 2:3, 10; 5:13; 6:26-30; 7:7-10,
28-36) and some offerings were eaten as a communal meal by the one who was presenting
the offering (Leviticus 7:16-21) . The primary purpose of these
sacrifices were to make atonement for sin, to make oneself right with
God. The animal being sacrificed died in the place of the person offering
up the animal. The animal had to be without defect or blemish, in order
for the offering to be accepted by God.
A burnt offering (chapter 1) was a voluntary act of worship. It was an
expression of devotion. The animal, once slaughtered, was completely
burned on the altar. None of it was set aside, and none of it could be
eaten. This represented a whole commitment and complete surrender to God.
A grain offering (chapter 2) was also voluntary, it was a recognition of God's
provision, and symbolized devotion to God. A portion of the grain
offerings were set aside for the priests. Since the priests lived near
the Tabernacle and had no land of their own (Numbers 18:20-24; Deuteronomy
10:9, 14:27), God made provision for them by providing grain and meat to be eaten.
However, God commanded that the blood and fat of the animal were never to be
eaten (Leviticus 3:17; 7:22-27). Those were always reserved as an
offering to God, and there were serious consequences for any priest who
attempted to take the best part of the animal for themselves (1 Samuel
2:12-17).
A peace offering (chapter 3) was voluntary, it expressed thanksgiving and
fellowship (a portion of this offering could be eaten both by priests and by
the one making the offering).
Sin and guilt offerings (chapters 4-7) were mandatory. Priests also had
to make this kind of an offering themselves (Leviticus 4:3-12). The
offering made atonement for sin, and allowed the one presenting it to be
forgiven by God (Leviticus 6:7).
We come now to the comments on evilbible.com: "God wanted to smell some
burnt flesh" and "these offerings are supposed to be burnt so that
God can smell them". While the phrase "a pleasing aroma to the
Lord" is used 37 times in the Torah, the meaning is not literal. God
did not want them to sacrifice animals just so that he could smell the
aroma. (The smell of an animal burnt whole is not appealing in the
slightest.) It was what the offering represented that pleased God - a
complete dedication and surrender to him, a willingness to make a sacrifice to
him and acknowledge him as sovereign. Burnt offerings on their own,
without the person's commitment and dedication to God, meant nothing to
him. “Does the LORD delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22). (See also Jeremiah 6:18-20; Amos
5:21-24).
