Question:  Hello Greg,

            In my weekly Bible study we had a question that came up and my pastor wasn’t sure of an answer.  We have been studying out of 2 Kings and in chapter 12:1-3 a discussion arose about whether the people could only sacrifice at the temple or could they have had other altars in their own cities to sacrifice at?  One person commented that you could only sacrifice at the altar in Jerusalem and another person said that some people traveled to Jerusalem once or twice a year at the most.  So therefore they built altars in their synagogues in their cities to sacrifice.

            Could you comment on this? 

            Thanks,

            Randy

Answer:  Hello Randy,

            Your question is centered on sacrifices and their place in the life of the Hebrews—the people of God under the old covenant.

            By way of overview:

            First—Genesis tells us that sacrifices were offered before the covenant made at Sinai.  Sacrifices were offered by Cain and Abel, by Noah, Abraham and Jacob in the book of Genesis.  Abraham, in particular, was in the habit of offering sacrifices to God.

            Second—the period of the tribe of Israel--before they had a king and were under a monarchy.  At this time God instituted, as part of the old covenant, an elaborate set of sacrifices and offerings—all pointing to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, our Lord and Savior.  A priesthood was instituted in order to serve in the mobile tabernacle.  There were three special times when Jews traveled to Jerusalem to sacrifice, but the one sacrifice that pointed the way to Jesus was offered on Atonement.  Today Atonement is known as Yom Kippur.  It was the time of reconciliation.  The book of Hebrews tells the story about Jesus, who is both the sacrifice as the Lamb of God and our High Priest, who always makes intercession for us and who atoned for our sins once and for all.

            Third—the period of the monarchy, which really started with Solomon, and the building of the Temple in Jerusalem.  The temple replaced the tabernacle as the center of formal worship and sacrifices for the nation.  This temple stood for almost 400 years before it was destroyed.

            Fourth—there was the exile, the Diaspora, when Jews were scattered throughout Babylon and then throughout the known world.  This period ended with the rebuilding of the temple by Cyrus, and then a glorious rebuilding of the temple by Herod.  Herod’s temple stood for about 80 years, and then it was destroyed by the Romans.

            So, before there was a tabernacle, offerings and sacrifices were given, as we note in the book of Genesis.  After the old covenant was ratified, there was a place (tabernacle) and a priesthood authorized to carry out sacrifices.  We know from the Bible and from history that the Jews were not the only nation to sacrifice—other nations sacrificed to their gods, and it was this kind of sacrificing that the one true God of the Bible prohibited the nation of Israel from being involved in.  The sin of idolatry is a common one, noted throughout the Old Testament, having another god in the place of the one true God.  Sacrifice and offerings to these false gods of wood and stone, in groves, high places, etc., were very much a part of the rebellion of the nation of Israel.

            So the Hebrews were not allowed to simply decide to construct an altar anywhere and have anyone offer sacrifices.  At times there was a place, and at times a priesthood.  Samuel, for example, rebuked Saul, the king of Israel, for offering an offering before Samuel (the duly constituted Levitical authority) had arrived (see 1 Samuel 14:12).  Sacrifices and offerings could be given at places other than the tabernacle or temple, but only through the approved authorities.  A few chapters after the chapter where you are studying (1 Kings 18) records Elijah in a confrontation with the priests of Baal, building an altar on Mt. Carmel (far from Jerusalem) and demonstrating to all those who were gathered that the God of Israel was the one true God.

            As far as an altar in synagogues, this never happened.  There were no synagogues before the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians, and the exile.  The synagogue was instituted, extra-biblically (for there is no specific instruction in the Old Testament about its building) as a place for Jews to gather and meet.  The temple was destroyed, no sacrifices were being offered, they were in exile in “strange” lands and needed a place to gather.  No sacrifices were offered (nor are they today) in synagogues.  The synagogue was a place where exiles could gather on Sabbath and holy days, to worship God, as a substitute for the temple—but no sacrifices were offered.  Rather, prayer and the reading of the Torah took the place of sacrifices, and soon the synagogue also served as a social gathering place, giving life to a Jewish community.  In many ways, the synagogue was a bridge between the Jewish temple and the New Testament Christian church.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht