The Role of the Worshiper In Old Testament Sacrificial Ritual

The procedural order of sacrificial worship outlined in the following paragraphs is a reconstruction based on the prescriptions for the offerings and sacrifices set forth in Leviticus 15. Details may vary given the specific type of sacrifice being presented, whether offerings of expiation, offerings of consecration, or offerings of fellowship. Step 1. The person offering the sacrifice must be ceremonially clean. Ritual purity was secured by washing one's clothes and bathing, and in some cases special offerings were presented to the priest (cf. Num. 19:17-21). Step 2. The worshiper approached the tabernacle with his or her offering. Step 3. The officiating priest received the worshiper, took the sacrificial (animal) victim, and led the worshiper to the altar of burnt offering in the tabernacle courtyard. The family of the worshiper may have watched from the gate or followed the two into the court area to observe from a better vantage point. Step 4. After a statement of confessio…