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There is a connection between the sacrifices as described in this passage and the sacrifice of Christ in the New Testament. I would ask the question, is Christ’s sacrifice a substitute for the Old Testament sacrificial system, or is the Old Testament system a substitute for Christ? (…and some of you may be asking “does it matter”?)

I would argue that God’s ultimate plan was for the salvation of humankind to occur by grace through faith in Christ enabled by Christ’s atoning sacrifice. In this scenario Christ’s death and resurrection is the central point of the history of salvation and the salvation of all people at all times (before and after) is dependent upon this one event. Prior to Christ’s sacrifice there was a need for some act to signify the people’s faith in God, and the Old Testament sacrificial system served as a substitute for Christ’s eventual sacrifice.

Does it ultimately matter which sacrificial system was a substitute for the other? Probably not. However, I prefer to think that God’s plan was consistent from beginning to end, rather than changing depending upon the ability of humans to follow his plan.

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