Many people think Yiremeyahu 7:22 is telling us יהוה never really wanted oloth עולות (ascension offerings) or zvachim זבחים (sacrifices) but only obedience to his voice. From this they extrapolate that sacrifices are now done away with or that they are no longer relevant. Many suppose the only thing we need to do now is obey יהוהs voice and do the following:
“For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a person and his neighbor, [if] you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor follow other elohim to your own ruin,” (Yiremeyahu 7:5-6 NASB20)
and also don’t:
“…steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, offer sacrifices to Baal, and follow other elohim that you have not known,” (Yiremeyahu 7:9 NASB20)
Did the Prophet Yiremeyahu intend to do away with sacrifices?
First and foremost, the prophets were never sent to undo or overturn any of יהוהs commandments or teachings. In fact, if any prophet teaches contrary to the Torah, we would have to say that such a prophet is a false prophet. The prophets were sent to turn Yisrael back to keeping the Torah. They were sent to help Yisrael understand the Torah correctly.
When we look to the words of the covenant in sefer habrith, clearly we see sacrifices are commanded.
“You shall make an mizbeach מזבח (place of sacrifice) of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your oloth עולות (ascension offerings) and your peace offerings, your sheep and your [bulls]; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.” (Sh’moth 20:24 NASB20)
So what is meant by Yiremeyahu 7:22-23 which reads:
“For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning oloth עולות (ascension offerings) and zvachim זבחים (sacrifices). But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your Elohim, and you will be My people; and you shall walk entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may go well for you.'” (Yiremeyahu 7:22-23 NASB20)
- When יהוה first told Mosheh that he would deliver Yisrael, he gave Mosheh a sign that He would indeed be with Mosheh, the sign was that Yisrael would leave Mitzrayim and offer sacrifices at Har Sinai:
“And He said, “Assuredly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship Elohim at this mountain.” (Sh’moth 3:12 NASB20) The word worship here is תעבדון — literally, you will work the work of offering sacrifices which is essential in worship.
2. This is made even more clear a few verses later when יהוה told Mosheh:
“Then they will pay attention to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘יהוה, the Elohim of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to יהוה our Elohim.'” (Sh’moth 3:18 NASB20)
3. Clearly, יהוה spoke about sacrifices at the very beginning of working with Mosheh to deliver and bring the children of Yisrael out of Mitzrayim. As you read through Mosheh’s discussions with Pharaoh, you constantly see the discussion is about letting Yisrael go to sacrifice to יהוה. In fact, in one encounter, Pharaoh agrees to let Yisrael go, but says they must leave all of their flocks and herds. Mosheh says no and that the Israelites would not leave a single hoof.
“Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve (לעבוד – the same verb used above translated as worship, but here as serve, literally to work, but specifically, to work the work of sacrifice which is essential in the worship of יהוה) יהוה our Elohim. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve יהוה.”(Sh’moth 10:26 NASB20)
Based on the points we have seen, clearly the prophet Yiremeyahu would not have been suggesting that יהוה didn’t speak about sacrifices when he brought Yisrael out of Mitzrayim. We obviously aren’t reading the text correctly. Something is being lost in translation.
The Hebrew text for both verses 22 and 23 of Yiremeyahu 7 start with the Hebrew word כי. This word is used when comparisons are made. Though it can be translated as “for” as in the case of the New American Standard Bible NASB2020 translation, a better translation renders both verses as follows:
“Consider this: When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about oloth עולות (ascension offerings) or zvachim זבחים (sacrifices). I also explicitly commanded them: “Obey me. If you do, I will be your Elohim and you will be my people. Live exactly the way I tell you and things will go well with you.” (Yiremeyahu 7:22-23 NET)
The Hebrew word כי being used in both verses 22 and 23 create the comparison that is best rendered in english by the term “merely”. יהוה didn’t merely commands about oloth עולות (ascension offerings) or zvachim זבחים (sacrifices), but also commanded them about obeying the voice of Elohim and doing His will, for without obedience, sacrifice has no value. The sacrifices can only have value in the context of us being in a covenant relationship with יהוה where we are obeying his voice and walking in His ways.
Like Shmeul said, “Samuel said, ‘Does יהוה have as much delight in oloth עולות (ascension offerings) and zvachim זבחים (sacrifices) as in obeying the voice of יהוה? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, [And] to pay attention is [better] than the fat of rams.” (1 Shmuel 15:22 NASB20)
Once we obey יהוה, then our sacrifices will be meaningful. This is what Daweed expressed in Tihillim 51 after he repented from his transgression in the matter of Bathsheva.
In verses 16-17, Daweed echoes Shmuel and says,
“For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in olah עולה (ascension offering). The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, Elohim, You will not despise.” (T’hillim 51:16-17 NASB20)
But Daweed doesn’t stop there. Once his heart is right. Once he has repented and started listening to יהוה and obeying His voice he says,
“By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in olah עולה (ascension offering) and whole olah עולה (ascension offering); Then bulls will be offered on Your mizbeach מזבח (place of offering sacrife).” (Psalm 51:18-19 NASB20)