Why Did People Sacrifice Animals In The Old Testament?
The Bible explains that there must be a sacrifice of blood before God can forgive sins:
22 God's Law taught that blood was necessary to make almost everything clean. We see that God does not forgive people for their sins unless there is blood from a death.
Hebrews 9:22 EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)
In the time before Jesus, people used animal sacrifices to do this:
5 If someone becomes guilty for any of these reasons, he must say clearly that he has done a wrong thing. 6 He must bring a female sheep or a female goat for his sin offering. That will be the price to pay for his sin. The priest will offer the animal to the Lord as a sin offering. The Lord will accept the animal's death to pay for the person's sin.
Leviticus 5:5-6 EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)
But Jesus died and he was the ultimate sacrifice:
28 Christ also died only once as a sacrifice. In this way, he took God's punishment for the sins of many people. Christ will return to earth a second time, but that will not be as a sacrifice for sins. Instead, he will come to save those people who are waiting for him with great hope.
Hebrews 9:28 EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)
To read about why Jesus’ death means that no more animal sacrifices are needed, see the Book of Hebrews.
