Noah Builds An Altar And Offers Sacrifice

Our scripture will be coming from:

Genesis 8:20-22 KJV
[20] And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
[21] And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
[22] While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Now it is time for our verse break down:

Genesis 8:20
And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Literally, “a high place” - probably a mound of earth, on which a sacrifice was offered. There is something exceedingly beautiful and interesting to know that the first care of this devout patriarch was to return thanks for the signal instance of mercy and goodness which he and his family had experienced.

This is the first altar mentioned in Scripture​—​though it is not the first blood sacrifice, see Genesis 4:4. When Noah was commanded to save pairs of animals in the ark, more clean animals were spared than unclean ones, as found in Genesis 6:19, 20; 7:2, 3.

Perhaps the act of sacrifice noted in the verse before us has been intended from the beginning, provision for it having been made by keeping more of the appropriate animals alive. We are not told what differentiates clean animals from unclean ones at this point in history, but Noah somehow knows the difference.

Now do you see why Noah took seven of the clean beasts and only two of the unclean?

He is now offering the clean beasts as sacrifices.The first thing that Noah did when he came out of the ark was to build an altar to the Lord and offer a sacrifice, a burnt offering, to Him.

That burnt offering speaks of the person of Jesus Christ. It was offered on the basis of acceptance before God and of praise to God in recognition of Him. Without doubt, this was one of the things that caused God to be pleased with Noah at this particular time.

Genesis 8:21
And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

The writer, Moses, uses figurative language to describe God’s response to the sacrifice. Since God is a Spirit, as we read in John 4:24, we need not assume that God smells things the same way we do or has a literal, physical heart.

Nevertheless, we understand such language. The same manner of figurative language is used when Scripture speaks of the, hand and arm, of the Lord found in Deuteronomy 4:34, 5:15, 7:19, etc.

This kind of figurative language is known as (an·thruh·pow·mor·fuhk) anthropomorphic. The point being made is that God accepts the offering. Moses will use the same kind of language later to describe the sacrifices and burnt offerings that the new nation of Israel will be commanded to present to the Lord.

But we may wonder to what end God accepts Noah’s offerings. In later times, burnt offerings will atone for sin found in Leviticus 1:1–9, and to ordain the Aaronic priesthood found in Exodus 29.
Some suggest that Noah’s offerings are for atonement for the sins of all who perished in the flood, but that is not likely.

Ordinarily an offering of atonement is made in lieu of punishment, but those who have perished have already been punished. More likely, Noah’s sacrifice is to purify the earth.

Aaron and his sons will offer burnt offerings to purify themselves for the new priesthood ce