#374: Why Were there Animal Sacrifices?

 

📖 Main Scriptures:

• Leviticus 1:3–4, John 1:29, Hebrews 9:12

Why did people in the Bible sacrifice animals? Wasn’t that a little… strange? In today’s special episode, we explore a question many of you have asked—and the answer helps us understand just how incredible Jesus’ love really is.

We’ll travel back to the Garden of Eden, hear about how sin entered the world, and discover why people once used animals to cover their sin. Then we’ll meet someone called The Lamb of God—Jesus—and learn why He came to be the final sacrifice once and for all.

Kids will hear the difference between covering sin and cleansing it—and why Jesus' love changes everything.

✨ Big Ideas for Little Hearts:

• Sin is serious—but God’s love is bigger.
• Animal sacrifices pointed to Jesus.
• Jesus didn’t just cover our sin—He takes it away.
• When we mess up, we go to Jesus—not to a priest with a lamb.
• Teaching kids the Gospel through Old and New Testament connections
  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello again and welcome back to Kids' Bible Stories. Today's
story is called why were their animal Sacrifices? This comes
from Levitgus chapter one, verses three through four, John Chapter one,
verse twenty nine, and Hebrews Chapter nine, verse twelve. Today's
episode is made possible thanks to our newest patron supportors

(00:24):
and donors. Thank you, Lori, Marie, Melanie, Melissa, Hannah, Jocelyn,
Jessica an eight year old Keres who said that she
loves to listen every single night you guys. This week,
a mom wrote to say that her two boys love
the podcast. They're actually understanding it and staying engaged with

(00:44):
God's Word. That's what you were making possible, helping families
all over the world here and understand the Bible, maybe
for the very first time. This is only possible because
of those who are financially supporting the podcast. I can
create it, but it takes an entire community your help
to keep it alive. Thank you for sharing God's Word

(01:08):
with these families, and I also hope you're enjoyed the
weekly bonus content when you joined as a paying member
on our Patreon page. For those of you who are interested,
just check the link in today's show notes, it's kbspodcast
dot com and click bonus content. All right, everyone, today

(01:31):
we're doing something a little different. Instead of just telling
one story, we're going to hop around in the Bible
a bit to answer a really great question, one that
many of you have asked.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Why do people have to make animal sacrifices? What's that
all about.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
That's a great question, and the answer helps us understand
just how amazing Jesus's love really is. So let's go
ahead and start today's story. A long time ago, there

(02:15):
was a garden, not just any garden. This was the
garden of Eden. The Bible tells us. It was filled
with every kind of beautiful tree, delicious fruit, and sparkling rivers.
Imagine walking beside lions and tigers without fear, patting them

(02:40):
like kittens. Every animal was gentle, every flower bloomed bright,
and everything was perfect. But then something happened. Tell me
out loud if you know what happened.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Adam and Eve disobeyed God. They sinned, and they ate
from the tree they weren't supposed to.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
You are correct, and that's when sin entered the world.
We call this the fall. You see, God is perfect
and he made the world to be full of peace,
joy and goodness. But people didn't always obey him. They lied,

(03:36):
they took what wasn't theirs. They even hurt others.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Hey, that was a very nice and sin.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Well, sin is like a big dark stain on our hearts.
God is perfect and wonderful, and sin cannot be in
his presence with him. Maybe think about it this way.
Think about the sun. Is the sun really really hot yet?

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (04:12):
And can anything even get close to it? Like a
rocket ships two minutes where bird couldn't get close to
the sun. No, No, that's right, it's too hot and bright.

(04:34):
It couldn't handle it. Well, God's rule has always been
the same that sin brings death. It's very serious. But
God also loves his people very very much. So back then,
instead of people having to die for their sin, God

(04:57):
made a way they could all from animal as a sacrifice.
When someone sinned, they brought a perfect animal, maybe a
lamb or a dove. They would take it to the priest.
They would lay their hand on its head, showing this
animal is taking my place. Then the animal would die

(05:20):
instead of the person. This was called atonement. I know,
a really big fancy word, but it really just means
to cover over the sin. The Bible says in Leviticus,
he shall lay his hand on the head of the
burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to

(05:43):
make atonement for him. Now, remember all of this takes
place before everyone say before, before, before Jesus was born
that Christmas morning, and before he died and rose again
on Easter.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
I'm still not quite sure I understand.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Okay, let's think about this for a moment. Have you
ever had a messy room like, I mean, like really
messy legos all over the floor, barbie clothes and books everywhere,
socks thrown here and there and everywhere, and big piles

(06:30):
of clothing hiding under your bed.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Wow. Uh, I don't want clean those up. Hmmm. I
could just stuff it all in the closet, Yeah, in
the clothes, close the door and boom.

Speaker 1 (06:49):
From the outside, the room looks neat, but inside that
closet is the mess stack there. Yes, the mess is
still hiding. That's kind of what animal sacrifices were like.

(07:11):
They helped cover the sin, like shutting the closet door,
but the sin was still there. So people had to
keep offering animals again and again and again. Let's fast
forward years and years. One day a man named John

(07:36):
the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him. His eyes grew wide,
and he pointed, saying, behold the lamb of God who
takes away the sins of the world.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
Wait, Jesus a lamb.

Speaker 1 (07:55):
Yes, Jesus came to be the final sacrifice. He never sinned.
He was perfect. Remember the spotless lambs we just heard
were used to cover people's sin. Well, Jesus is like that,
but better. That's why John calls him the lamb of God.

(08:19):
Oh but Jesus he did something no animal could ever do.
He took away sin completely. The Bible tells us in Hebrews,
Jesus entered once for all into the Holy Place, not

(08:44):
by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood, securing eternal redemption. Jesus didn't just cover up
the mess in the closet. He opened the door. He
took everything out, cleaned it, folded it, and made it

(09:05):
new again. He cleans our hearts, not just the mess. Well,
that is it for our story today. But before we go,

(09:28):
let's think about what we just heard. Why don't we
sacrifice animals anymore? Well, because we don't need to. Who
was the final sacrifice?

Speaker 2 (09:44):
Say his name, Jesus.

Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yes, Jesus, his love and his death on the cross
paid for every sin once and for all. Back in
the garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve first disobeyed,
God had a plan. That plan was Jesus. Every animal

(10:10):
sacrifice was like a shadow pointing to him. This week,
when we sin, like maybe when we say something mean
on purpose, or we disobey mom and dad when they
say to stop, we don't go find an animal. We

(10:33):
go to Jesus and we say I'm sorry, Please forgive me.
And because of what Jesus did, he says, I already
paid for that. Come and walk with me. Well that

(10:56):
is it for our story today. Thank you so much
for joining us, and as always, buy for now.