Smoodock's Blog

In the context of presenting arguments that are used on the internet by folks who deny the need of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I intend to present one today that argues the cross is not needed because God never wanted blood sacrifices. I remember one gentleman, but he wasn’t alone in his understanding, who kept insisting that God wouldn’t be happy with any number of burnt offerings and quoted Micah to make his point. I tried to tell him that the context of this Scripture would not permit him to make such a deduction and base it upon God’s word. As is usually the case, he wasn’t willing to admit he was in error. Notice what the Scripture says:

Micah 6:6-7 JPS  ‘Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?  (7)  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’

The context of Micah is that the LORD had a contention with his people (v.2). He claimed that he had done only good for his people, giving them such leaders as Moses, Aaron and Miriam (Micah 6:3-4). Yet, the current leaders have abused their authority and oppressed the people (Micah 2:1-2, 8; 3:2-3, 9).

They had wandered so far from God that they no longer remembered how to approach him (Micah 6:6-7). Their questions are as those of Balak who hired Balaam to curse Israel. All Balak wanted to know was how much it would cost him to have God do as he (Balak) wished. There was no love for God in Balak’s desire to curse Israel. All he wished to do was to bribe God with offerings and have him do Balak’s will. The implication is that this is exactly what Israel was currently doing in their relationship with God. They had no desire to draw near him. What they wanted to do was to appease God with an abundance of sacrifices:

Micah 6:8 JPS  It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the LORD doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.

Micah 6:8 KJV  he hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I prefer the KJV over the JPS for this verse because the punctuation of the JPS runs two clauses together that should express two different ideas. The sense is that God has already revealed to his people what is good. That is to say, God told his people in Torah (the Law) how they should approach him. Their questions in verses 6 & 7 show that they had forgotten how to come to God for forgiveness. For this reason, God has a controversy or contention with them (v.2). The point is that they were to come to him with the appropriate sacrifice and change their behavior for “What does the LORD require of you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

If one would use this Scripture to say that God does not require anything of man but to do justly etc., why did the blood sacrifices continue to be offered? Why did Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah renew the blood covenant with God when the Jews returned to Judah from captivity? The understanding of those who would remove the blood sacrifice from the Mosaic Covenant is wrong and to teach so is forbidden (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32). In fact, no man has authority to add to or take away from the established covenant. All things in the Writings and the Prophets must be interpreted within the context of the Law. No new covenant was made before the time of Christ. Therefore, nothing that was originally required in the Mosaic Covenant could be legally done away. That is, a contract was agreed upon and set into motion. No one could later revise such a covenant without constructing a new covenant with God. Neither could God legally change anything within the Mosaic Covenant without coming to a national agreement between himself and all Israel.

So, what about justice, mercy and walking humbly with God, doesn’t that count for anything? You can be sure that it does, but these things do not atone for one’s sins. God does require us to be just and merciful toward others, and to walk humbly with him. However, when we sin, these things have no power to deliver us from death, which is the just reward for iniquity. God requires blood—our lives—for our life is in our blood. However, God provide for our forgiveness, in that, he has taken our place. He has paid the price the Law requires of us due to our iniquity. Jesus paid the ultimate price in our stead. He gave up his life that we could live eternally with him.

As we approach the season in which we again look back to what Jesus has done, let us all remember the great cost that was paid for our lives. No one could have accomplished our total salvation except God. He became a man and lived with us, taking part in our human lives, feeling what we feel, needing the same things we need like: food, water, shelter, rest etc. He lived with us, gave us an example that we should follow, and suffered and died the death of crucifixion, so we could live. I would say that he fulfilled the above Scripture, in that, he did that which was good—substituting his life for ours; he satisfied justice and extended mercy to each one of us; and he showed us how to walk humbly before our God.

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