Think back to Eden. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, their eyes were opened and they realized their nakedness. What was once no problem in their innocence had become shameful in their sinfulness. So the couple took leaves to try to cover their bodies and their shame. But what did God do just before expelling the couple from Eden to face a fallen world on their own? He made clothing for them out of animal skins. (See Gen. 3:21)

Why? God may have had a practical reason; leaves would not last very long as clothing. But there is likely a deeper, spiritual reason for what He did. In order to clothe Adam and Eve with animal skins, animals would have to die. God had told Adam and Eve that death would result from the Fall, and this was a way to affirm God’s word. As Adam and Eve exited the garden, then, they wore on their bodies an ever-present reminder that sin leads to death—perhaps not immediately, perhaps indirectly, but always.

Fast forward to Leviticus. By this time, we have seen animal sacrifices offered to God (e.g. by Abel, Noah, Abram, and the Israelites during the Passover). But now, God was taking the next step and sharing His requirements of how sacrifices were to be made. Leviticus gives great detail of what specific sacrifices were to be offered for what purposes. Some of the sacrifices were voluntary, but some were not. Blood must be shed because of sin, as God had promised would happen.

But, we have to be careful not to go too far with these animal sacrifices. These sacrifices themselves could not save anyone. (See Heb. 10:4.) So what did they do? Why were they needed then? When God commanded His people to perform these sacrifices, He was calling them to act upon their faith in Him. This faith was anchored to the awareness that their sins had separated them from a holy God and that God’s word is true: death was required because of sin.

God had promised that a Person—a descendant of Eve—would be the snake crusher. This is the faith that Israel’s sacrifices pointed to: a future once-and-for-all death of a Savior, a sacrifice that was made by Christ Jesus.

Every week, members of The Gospel Project for Kids team offer guidance to help you as you prepare to teach every session to preschoolers and kids. Listen in as we discuss:

• The big idea of the session
• Any areas of caution or requiring additional prep time
• What we hope God will do through this session

Podcast (kidsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download

This training is available on Ministry Grid, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast platforms.