Bible contradiction? Did God command the Israelites to make him burnt offerings?

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Did God command the Israelites to make him burnt offerings?

Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes shows a Bible contradiction:

God commanded the Israelites to make him burnt offerings.

“We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He commands us.”” (Exodus 8:27)

“But Moses said, “You must also [a]let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we may [b]sacrifice them to the Lord our God.” (Exodus 10:25)

“You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.” (Exodus 20:24)

“and you shall slaughter the ram and take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head. 18 And you shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.” (Exodus 29:16-18)

No

“This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. 22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Jeremiah 7:21-22)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:

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