In my mind if you cast this requirement away, you are not being honest with yourself, and it causes me to question whether or not you can, or want to see the whole plan God developed for mankind? It's one thing to not believe, it's another to deny the facts right in front of you. Blood sacrifice was most certainly required for the remission of sin as laid out in OT scripture. It only makes sense based on what God said in the past. Sin is death. (He doesn't take that back)
Okay, lets go through this carefully, this is important. It isnt that I discard it. On the contrary. But while we are in this period of exile, there isnt that option. Sacrifice is obviously necessary when there is a temple and alter. G-d, for his own purposes put it on a sliding scale, depending on what a person is capable of offering. A the top of the scale bulls and goats, at the bottom, turtle doves and at the very bottom, fine flour. There is a "cost" to sin. This is done when G-ds glory resides among us in the temple.
Now when are in a period of exile. No temple, no alter. Now what?
Psalms 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Hosea 3:4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their G-d, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. (repeat)
1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.
Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
Psalms 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of G-d [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O G-d, thou wilt not despise.
Psalms 69:30 I will praise the name of G-d with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. [This] also shall please the LORD better than an ox [or] bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
Exodus 30:16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.(Charity)
Prayer, repentance, fasting
Jonah 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed G-d, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. [6] For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. [7] And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: [8] But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto G-d: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. [9] Who can tell if G-d will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? [10] And G-d saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and G-d repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. (All of Nineveh was spared...forgiven....no blood sacrifice!)
2 Chronicles 6:24 And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; [25] Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. [26] When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; [27] Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.
2 Chronicles 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; [14] If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Okay, so there are examples of forgiveness of sin, with and without the temple. When the people were exiled to Babylon, did they all go to hell because they couldnt offer a blood sacrifice? NO! G-d gave them the above means of forgiveness. In this long exile, that is now coming an end, did the Jews of the last 2000 years go to hell? No! They obtained forgiveness through, prayer, repentance, charity and fasting.
Is the entire world better off when there is a temple with sacrifices? Yes!
And that is why the Temple, Beit HaMikdash, is returning! This a major problem for the Christian narrative! Read Ezekiel 43/44. The temple will be rebuilt, G-ds presence will once again dwell among us! Scarifices will be offered!
Jer 33: 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it [c] will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.' 17 For this is what the LORD says:'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.'
Zech 14:21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them.
Ezek 44: 4 Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the LORD filling the temple of the LORD, and I fell facedown. 5 The LORD said to me, "Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations regarding the temple of the LORD
9Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel. (Interesting, the law of circumcision applies to gentiles in the 3rd temple!)
23And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. (We are not dead to the law as Paul insists)
29They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering: and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.
So, back to your original statement about the sacrifice being necessary, yes! When there is a temple and G-ds holy presence is dwelling in the temple, you bet! And it IS RETURNING! So, the 60,000 dollar question is, what about Jesus? He was supposed to be the last sacrifice...the Once for all sacrifice.....but sacrfices ARE returning? So, there is a fatal problem for the church. Jesus (who couldnt be a sacrifice anyways, no human sacrifices, no human vicarious atonement)....was not the last sacrifice...
In my view YOU are purposely avoiding half of the message by not relying on God's grace, but his law! Grace involves spirit. I challenge you search your heart and tell me if God hasn't provided GRACE. Almost all of scripture points to this.
You can see from my above statements that I accept it all! There is a time coming (very soon) when all will be restored by Moshiach ben David. And regarding Grace. Yes! Big time important. But that is where the Church has misunderstood the OT system. The Church has taught Law/Gospel and Sin/Grace as OT/NT divisions. But what I maintain is that G-d has always extended Grace to his people. Even under the sacrificial system, it is ultimately grace and mercy of G-d that saves us from sin.
28 Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,' so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
G-d asks us to do the law, tells us we can do it, but knows we cant do it perfectly, nor do we have to! We repent (teshuvah), pray, give charity and do our best to do the Mitzvot (commandments) and that act of doing the mitzvot, helps to repair the world, make it a better place, doing the mitzvot elevates the physical into the spiritual. Even the mundane acts of washing your hands is an opportuniy to thank G-d. Setting apart shellfish and pig meat is an opportunity to thank G-d, to acknowlege his Kingship, a reminder that He is in control, we just dont do what WE want. And when we do these things, it is a pleasure! Not a curse. The world is a better place and G-d will return to his dwelling place on earth....then all mankind will benefit from the house for all nations!
Ok, I see what you're saying here. I understand more readily when you say "exile" based on your belief. It almost makes perfect sense based on what I believe and the little I know about the Jewish religion. I definitely understand based on the scriptures you quote where you are coming from. However you're leaving a multitude of things aside which are also in scripture (OT) and in the signs of scripture. Now, here's my problem. I know I can search throughout scripture and find tit for tat, but I think it's important I don't just do that, but try earnestly to understand your viewpoint, which I'm pretty sure I do. The only thing is I have to show you why and give a reason for you to see what I see. If a blood sacrifice offering is not required then God's grace is...however there has to be an atonement for sin or God's word do not ring true.
And that is why the Temple, Beit HaMikdash, is returning! This a major problem for the Christian narrative! Read Ezekiel 43/44. The temple will be rebuilt, G-ds presence will once again dwell among us! Scarifices will be offered!
I beleive the temple will be rebuilt and have no problem at all with it. In fact most Christians believe it will be rebuilt.
So, the 60,000 dollar question is, what about Jesus? He was supposed to be the last sacrifice...the Once for all sacrifice.....but sacrfices ARE returning? So, there is a fatal problem for the church. Jesus (who couldnt be a sacrifice anyways, no human sacrifices, no human vicarious atonement)....was not the last sacrifice...
Because you have stated ONLY God can forgive sin and is so stated, Jesus is God. If you believe Jesus no problem. God actually has another plan for the Jewish people, however you still have confess Jesus is Lord.
Even under the sacrificial system, it is ultimately grace and mercy of G-d that saves us from sin.
Yes, we agree on this, however there still has to be atonement, that's where the Messiah comes in. Even the rabbi's of old taught this! The temple was destroyed in 70ad...Why hasn't another one been built yet?
It's such a pleasure discussing this with someone who is solely of the Jewish faith! My perspective is quite different bantering with you than say a Mormon or someone from another faith.
I am on a search to locate scriptures in the OT to show you. I have learned quite a bit in this discussion, thank you.