A ppeasing the wrath of the gods was certainly an element in the practice of human and animal sacrifice. But there was much more to sacrifice than that. Let s look at the Hebrew nation in its literature we call the Old Testament. First, sacrifice was not so much an act invented by humans for affecting God. This gift from God is to be used by the people to actualize the special relationship between God and Israel.
T here are two basic concepts in the sacrificial notion.
First, there is the sacrifice for guilt . This sacrifice was an offering made to God to help overcome the debilitating estrangement resulting from breaking the law of God. Sacrifices are mentioned throughout the Old Testament. The sacrifice was properly made not to influence God, but to respond to the promise of God in the law to heal and to forgive. To make sacrifice was an act of trust and faith.