Contradiction with Exodus 12:5-6
This passage specifies that the Passover lamb must be without blemish and explicitly marks the timing of its sacrifice, which may present a redundancy or conflict in practice with the annual sacrifice mentioned in Deuteronomy 15:20.
Exodus 12:5-6: Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take [it] out from the sheep, or from the goats: [of...: Heb. son of a year]
Contradiction with Numbers 18:17
Here, it is stated that the firstborn of oxen, sheep, or goats should not be redeemed and are holy for the priests, differing from the family-centered annual consumption described in Deuteronomy 15:20.
Numbers 18:17: But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they [are] holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat [for] an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Contradiction with Deuteronomy 12:17-18
While Deuteronomy 15:20 mentions annual consumption within one's own gates, these verses command that eating of tithes and offerings must occur at a specified place, not within individual gates, presenting a setting contradiction.
Deuteronomy 12:17-18: Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:
Contradiction with 1 Samuel 15:22
Samuel emphasizes obedience over sacrifices, potentially contradicting the repeated and ritualistic nature of the annual sacrifice in Deuteronomy 15:20 with the assertion that obedience to God's voice is more valuable than sacrifices.
1 Samuel 15:22: And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.
Contradiction with Hebrews 10:8-10
This passage suggests that the sacrifice of animals is obsolete with the advent of Christ's sacrificial offering once for all, which challenges the continuity of practices prescribed in Deuteronomy 15:20.
Hebrews 10:8-10: Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the law;
Paradox #1
Deuteronomy 15:20 instructs people to eat the firstborn of their flocks before the Lord as part of a religious observance. The potential contradiction comes from reconciling this practice with later biblical teachings, particularly ones that speak against or complicate animal sacrifices and offerings. For example, in some interpretations of prophetic books like Hosea, God expresses a preference for mercy over sacrifice. This could be seen as conflicting priorities within scripture about the value and role of ritual offerings.
Paradox #2
Deuteronomy 15:20 involves instructions regarding the consumption of the firstborn animals. A potential contradiction or inconsistency could be related to how these practices align with the different sacrificial systems or other cultural practices in neighboring regions or even within different parts of the Bible itself. Variations in religious practices between communities or shifts in religious laws over time might present conflicts in how these instructions were understood or followed.