Why is killing goats and pouring their blood on the altar holy, in the Old Testament?

Question

Is there a possibility that the world has been duped and all religions are doctrines of the devil?

Answer 1

I think that religion was meant for the people without good moral values. It was probably a problem back in the day. So they created something for those people to believe in that would encourage them to be good people. I think most people know somebody that is very religious but doesn't have the will to do right without religion.

So when they created it they wrote whatever they wanted. I don't think it was created by the devil. But I don't believe in the devil either.

Answer 2

Actually, it's symbolic of Jesus, before he could "pay the price of sin", sacrificing was the order of the day. before they made the sacrifice they would place their hands on the goat/sheep/whatever, and declare (in so many word), "This sacrifice represents the Savior who will come and pay for all sins. And I offer this Sacrifice in payment of the sins I have committed until the savor comes to stop all sacrificing with the ultimate sacrifice." What they exactly said really is known, but that's basically why they did it, and ended it with Jesus. They knew before Jesus came that he would come, just not when he'd arrive.

But the trick was is it had to be a true Sacrifice, the "best of the herd". otherwise they weren't really sacrificing much. And remember Goats and sheep were very popular (and still are) back then.

Answer 3

The beginning of animal sacrifices actually started earlier than Cain and Abel...

"Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them." - Genesis 3: 21

This skin had to come from an animal, and it is from this animal/s that the first sacrifice was made. It was made because man had sinned, but it was also made to show man the price of sin. This would further be cemented by the time of Cain and Abel...

"And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering..." - Genesis 4: 3-5

From here, it was instituted that it would be the blood of animals that makes the acceptable sacrifice. It will not be the fruit of the ground, but the blood of life that is pleasing to God. It will also be what is provided by God, rather than by the work of man, that can bring us closer to Him...

These sacrifices are not however done out of the search for holiness, but out of repentance and payment for sins. Of all the references of sacrifice in the Law (that is, all the regulations under Exodus up to Deuteronomy), majority of them are for payment, redemption or repentance.

Even then, the blood of lambs and goats will not suffice...

"But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." - Hebrews 10: 3-4

Thus, the need for the blood of the one ultimate sacrifice...

"By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10: 10

And when one claims this sacrifice as his own will the need for sacrificing lambs and goats be obsolete...

Answer 4

The sacrificing of animals was used during those times because blood is extremely precious in the eyes of God, and it is the only thing that can be used to cover sin. It was also a symbolic precursor of the coming of Christ and his purpose. The animals that were sacrificed were to be without spot or blemish, Christ was without sin. After the death of Christ, and with the establishment of the New Testament, it was and is no longer necessary for animal sacrifice. Christ became the sacrifice. He died for all mankind and his blood, if applied to the heart, covers any and all sin in our lives, both past and present.

Answer 5

The OT God tells about his love of blood within the first few pages of Genesis, when he prefers Abel's dead lamb to Cain's offering of the fruit of the earth.

Imagine that...slighted by God because your brother went as far as to spill blood for Him. No wonder Cain had issues.

And no wonder this world is so f*cked up.

But I don't believe 'all religions' are the work of the devil. I think they're definitely works of MAN. If there was a devil, I'd expect him to have a little more class.

Answer 6

If A sacrifice its life than B cannot get anything out of it except few grams of meat. Killing and torture of animals and spraying their blood around is a sin by all means. Only wicked and senseless foolish people can expect any spiritual relief out of such sacrifices.

Add;
The primitive man was mainly a meat eater and his wild instinct could not identify as to what was really good or bad from the view point of life and humanity as a whole. His wants being limited to few pounds of meat or other eatables, he had nothing better to offer than sacrificing living animals to invisible evil doers.
THe sacrifices of living animals were probably made to please devil which was blindly believed to have caused human sufferings. So it was not devotion to god but man's own ignirance and fear which sought relief by subjecting other animals and human beings to numerous unethical tortures.

Answer 7

They were designed to teach Israel that God was serious about sin. And so they had to perform all these animal sacrifices, which also hit them hard in the pocket - wealth was equated with livestock. And no one really likes killing animals, and working with their blood, do they? It also showed that sin leads to death.

It also pointed forward to the sacrifice of Jesus, when his blood was also poured out on the cross

Answer 8

supposedly, because Jesus had not yet died to pay for all the sins committed or yet to be committed - before he came along, there was a balance sheet that needed to be taken care of periodically. Now Jesus has paid for all our sins, in perpetuity.

But why did God need goats blood and such? No idea - I doubt He did, it was just status quo on how you worshipped gods in those days.

Answer 9

Ask someone who has killed goats, its almost like killing a person!
It was a symbol of the blood that the Savior would spill for our sins!

Answer 10

Because the guy who wrote the old testament made his living selling goats.