“To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the Lord.”
This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings. The purpose of the centralized slaughter requirement: to redirect the sacrifices that the Israelites were making in the open fields — potentially to other gods or in unauthorized ways — to the proper location and the proper mediation. Deuteronomy 12:5–14 will adapt this regulation for the settled land context where Israel will be dispersed far from the central sanctuary. The centralization of sacrifice serves both the purity of the worship and the unity of the community.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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