In the Old Testament we note certain forms and institutions for worship,
and as some of these received their shaping during the wilderness life
of the Is'ra-el-ites, we give a brief account of such institutions at
this place in the history.
I. Earliest of all institutions for worship we find the =Altar=, and
throughout the Old Testament the altar worship stands prominent.
1. =Its Principle=, the root idea underlying the altar, was of a meeting
between God and man. As the subject always came to his ruler with a gift
in his hands, so the worshiper brought his offering to his god, whether
Je-ho'vah, the God of Is'ra-el, or Ba'al, the divinity of the
Ca'naan-ites.
2. =Its Origin= is unknown, but it was early sanctioned by a divine
approval of the worship connected with it (Gen. 4. 3, 4; 8. 20; 12. 8).
3. =Its Universality.= There was scarcely a people in the ancient world
without an altar. We find that the worship of every land and every
religion was associated with altars. (See allusions in Isa. 65. 3; 2
Kings 16. 10; Acts 17. 23, to altars outside of the Is'ra-el-ite faith.)
4. =Its Material.= Among the Is'ra-el-ites it was of earth or unhewn
stone. Where metal or wood was used it was merely for a covering, the
true altar being of earth inside. The laws of Is'ra-el forbade any
carving of the stone which might lead to idol worship (Exod. 20. 24,
25).
5. =Its Limitation.= In the patriarchal age the chief of the clan was
the priest, the altar stood before his tent, and there was but one altar
for the clan, which thus represented one family. When Is'ra-el became a
nation only one altar was allowed by the law, carrying out the idea that
all the Twelve Tribes were one family (Deut. 12. 13, 14; Josh. 22. 16).
Yet the law, if known to the Is'ra-el-ites, was constantly ignored by
the prophets (1 Sam. 7. 9; 1 Kings 18. 31, 32).
6. =Its Prophetic Purpose=, as revealed in the New Testament, was to
prefigure the cross whereon Christ died (John 1. 29; Heb. 9. 22; 1 Pet.
3. 18).
II. The =Offerings=, as fully developed and named in the law, were of
five kinds, as follows:
1. =The Sin Offering.= 1.) This regarded the worshiper as a sinner, and
expressed the means of his reconciliation with God. 2.) The offering
consisted of an animal. 3.) The animal was slain and burned without the
camp. 4.) Its blood was sprinkled on the altar of incense in the Holy
Place (Lev. 4. 3-7).
2. =The Burnt Offering.= 1.) This regarded the worshiper as already
reconciled, and expressed his consecration to God. 2.) It consisted of
an animal, varied according to the ability of the worshiper. 3.) The
animal was slain and burned on the altar. 4.) Its blood was poured out
on the altar, a token that the life of the worshiper was given to God
(Lev. 1. 2-9).
3. =The Trespass Offering.=[4] 1.) This represented the divine
forgiveness of an actual transgression, whether against God or man, as
distinguished from the condition of a sinner represented in the sin
offering. 2.) The offering consisted of an animal, generally a ram,
though a poor person might bring some flour. 3.) The animal was slain
and burned on the altar. 4.) The blood was poured out at the base of the
altar (Lev. 5. 1-10).
4. =The Meat Offering.=[5] 1.) This expressed the simple idea of
thanksgiving to God. 2.) It consisted of vegetable food. 3.) The
offering was divided between the altar and the priest; one part was
burned on the altar, the other presented to the priest to be eaten by
him as food (Lev. 2. 1-3).
5. =The Peace Offering.= 1.) This expressed fellowship with God in the
form of a feast. 2.) It consisted of both animal and vegetable food. 3.)
The offering was divided into three parts, one part burned upon the
altar, a second eaten by the priest, a third part eaten by the worshiper
and his friends as a sacrificial supper. Thus God, the priest, and the
worshiper were all represented as taking a meal together.