Tag: Christ our sacrifice
Approaching a Holy God
Scripture reading for February 2nd: Leviticus 1-3
Yuk! Leviticus! What can we possibly learn from all this sacrificing of animals? Why all the blood and death? Why the burning of offerings? Why all the rules for priests and people on what and how they are to bring these sacrifices? Isn’t all of this a bit bizarre? How can we worship a God who would demand this from His people?
This might be your reaction to this book of Scripture. I know that I had a hard time getting into it at first myself. But after careful and prayerful reflection, it starts to add up. Sin causes death. (Genesis 2:16-17) Death spread to all men by Adam’s sin. (Romans 5:12-14) In preparing God’s people to have God live in their midst, they must have a blood sacrifice as a way to symbolically cover their sin and avoid death themselves. God provided the first blood sacrifice for Adam and Eve after they sinned. Before, they had used fig leaves, but God clothed them with bloody skins of animals. (Genesis 3:21) He was showing them the effects of sin each time they put their new “clothes” on.
Now, years later, in these rules in Leviticus, God is again visually helping His people to see how sin affects their lives. The Law makes us aware of sin. (Romans 3:19-20) These sacrifices offered made man aware of the cost of sin. The soul that sins must die! An animal could be offered as a way for sinful man to meet with his God. When offered according to God’s instructions in Leviticus, God would accept the sacrifice and be pleased. (Leviticus 1:9,17; 2:9) God is pleased because those who obeyed were using their faith in His Word!
Today, thankfully, we enjoy the final sacrifice for sin that was made for us 2000 years ago. Jesus Christ shed his precious blood on the cross of Calvary and declared: “It is finished!” (John 19:30) When we approach this same Holy God, we can come boldly before His throne any time day or night for prayer, fellowship, or forgiveness. (Hebrews 4:14-16) We do it by faith in the sacrifice of the body and blood of our Savior! (Hebrews 9:24-26) What a blessing to be free from the laws and sacrifices of Leviticus!
Read this today and take time to thank the Lord for what He has provided for us! Enter His gates today boldly by faith in Christ’s final sacrifice with thanksgiving in your heart! God will be smiling, Jesus rejoicing, and the Holy Spirit will encourage and comfort! This is true fellowship with a Holy God who is living inside of us!
“But now He (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:26-28