Troublesome Topic: A Short Summary of Four Sacrifices

The primary purpose of the grain offering was to show gratitude to God for the harvest.

The primary purpose of the peace offering/fellowship offering was to establish, reestablish or solidify a wholesome relationship between the worshipper and God.

The sin offering (which I call the “oops” offering) was offered when someone had committed an unintentional sin or had unwittingly hindered their relationship with God.

The guilt offering/restitution offering was for unintentional sins committed against God’s “Holy things,” and also for offenses committed knowingly or unknowingly against another person’s possessions. Every time this offering was offered it had to be accompanied by a payment of restitution.

The next lesson in this short series on covenants is Why Did God Hold Them Guilty for Unintentional Sins?