I’m your host Lance Smith. Join us each week as we dive headfirst into the most perplexing, intriguing, and downright baffling passages of the Bible—from the chaotic beginnings in Genesis to the mind-bending visions of Revelation. We’re not just reading; we’re unraveling, exploring, and making sense of it all in a way that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening. Whether you’re a scripture novice or a seasoned theologian, get ready for a journey that promises to be anything but ordinary. Fasten your seatbelts; your scriptural adventure awaits!
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I’m your host Lance Smith. Join us each week as we dive headfirst into the most perplexing, intriguing, and downright baffling passages of the Bible—from the chaotic beginnings in Genesis to the mind-bending visions of Revelation. We’re not just reading; we’re unraveling, exploring, and making sense of it all in a way that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening. Whether you’re a scripture novice or a seasoned theologian, get ready for a journey that promises to be anything but ordinary. Fasten your seatbelts; your scriptural adventure awaits!
Leviticus 3:2 – Splatter and Salvation: Why Leviticus Sprinkles and Pours
The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast
12 minutes
1 month ago
Leviticus 3:2 – Splatter and Salvation: Why Leviticus Sprinkles and Pours
Ever stared at your Bible and thought, "Sprinkle? Pour? Is this a holy contradiction or just ancient wordplay?" Buckle up, truth-seekers—welcome to Episode 183 of The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast, where we turn Leviticus' ritual riddles into revelations of grace.
From The Big Book of Bible Difficulties by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe comes today's head-scratcher: Leviticus 3:2 commands priests to "splatter the blood against all sides of the altar" (NLT), while Deuteronomy 12:27 insists on "pour[ing] it out on the altar." Contradiction in the peace offering? Spoiler: Nope! Drawing on Jewish sage Maimonides, we unpack the two-step choreography—sprinkle the top (zārak: scatter like divine confetti), pour the base (shaphak: full release)—no conflict, just sacred precision. It's like two camera angles on a steakhouse sizzle: dash for flavor, pool for depth.
But we don't stop at harmonizing verses. Dive deeper with P.M. Venter's "Atonement through Blood in Leviticus" (Verbum et Ecclesia, 2005), revealing blood as life's costly bridge in priestly reconciliation: "Sacrifice and blood are the main means…for reconciling man with God." Then, Joshua M. Vis's Duke dissertation (The Purification Offering of Leviticus and the Sacrificial Offering of Jesus, 2012) flips the script: Blood purges both sanctuary and sinner in a two-stage dance—from guilt to forgiveness (Lev 4–5), sanctuary cleanse to purity (Lev 16)—echoing Hebrews' heavenly offering.
Bridge to today with David Mathis (Desiring God, 2017) on Paul's "poured out" life (Phil 2:17) as modern peace offering, Cornelis van Dam's burnt-offering parallels (1991), and Daniel J. Brege's eucharistic ties in Hebrews (2002): From external sprinkles to internal feast—tabernacle to Lord's Table.
Messy mercy? Absolutely. But every drop points to Christ's ultimate pour-out. Laugh at dad-joke analogies (IKEA holiness, anyone?), ponder your "splatter" stories, and emerge with faith fortified. Perfect for skeptics, seekers, and Sunday school pros.
Listen now—grace awaits in the gore! Subscribe, rate, and share your Bible "gotcha" at bibledifficultiesandanswers@gmail.com.
References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:
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Email Address: bibledifficultiesandanswers@gmail.com
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas Howe. The Big Book of Bible Difficulties. Baker Books, 1992. Available at: https://a.co/d/7shn4hI
Venter, P.M. "Atonement through Blood in Leviticus." Verbum et Ecclesia 26(1), 2005, pp. 275-279. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266529232_Atonement_through_blood_in_Leviticus
Vis, Joshua M. "The Purification Offering of Leviticus and the Sacrificial Offering of Jesus." PhD Dissertation, Duke University, 2012. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/71249791/The_Purification_Offering_of_Leviticus_and_the_Sacrificial_Offering_of_Jesus
Mathis, David. "Poured Out for Others: The Meaning of a Sacrificial Life." Desiring God, 2017. Available at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/poured-out-for-others
Brege, Daniel J. "Eucharistic Overtones Created by Sacrificial Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews." Concordia Theological Quarterly 66(1), 2002, pp. 61-78. Available at: https://ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/bregeeucharistic.pdf
van Dam, Cornelis. "The Burnt Offering in Its Biblical Context." Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary, 1991. Available at: https://canadianreformedseminary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1991-Burnt-Offering.pdf
The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast
I’m your host Lance Smith. Join us each week as we dive headfirst into the most perplexing, intriguing, and downright baffling passages of the Bible—from the chaotic beginnings in Genesis to the mind-bending visions of Revelation. We’re not just reading; we’re unraveling, exploring, and making sense of it all in a way that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening. Whether you’re a scripture novice or a seasoned theologian, get ready for a journey that promises to be anything but ordinary. Fasten your seatbelts; your scriptural adventure awaits!
