"If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf... But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer it a male without defect... But if his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering from the turtledoves or from young pigeons." -Leviticus 1.3-4, 10, and 14
As God instructs His people on the process of atonement, He also makes provisions so that all may receive it. He knows that some people are wealthier than others, or that this would be the case in the future, and He makes provision for that. All men need forgiveness, and even before Jesus, salvation was available for all.
If an offering could be brought from the herd, then a male was to be brought without defect and killed. If a bull couldn't be brought, then a male sheep or goat that was without defect was acceptable as well. But suppose that a four legged animal was out of reach, was the person out of luck? No, God cares for the poor and makes provisions for them as well. Doves could be offered to make atonement as well.
God cares about all of His people, not just the ones with enough wealth to offer a bull for their sins. He loves the poor and wants them to be saved as well, and so He willingly accepts their offering of a dove as well. He made provision for all under the Law, and in Christ, He made provision for all under grace.
Men, all of us need forgiveness, and it is available for all. Is it something you have sought from God, or do you think you are unworthy, or unable, to receive it? No matter your social status, forgiveness is available for you. Grace has no requirements other than a humble, repentant heart. But forgiveness goes beyond us and God.
Do we seek and offer forgiveness with others? Do we seek to help others find the forgiveness of God? All men need forgiveness. Do we give it? Do we point others to it?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Showing posts with label Leviticus 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leviticus 1. Show all posts
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Atonement Under the Law
"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. He shall slay the young bull before the Lord; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.'" -Leviticus 1.2-6
We enter the book of Leviticus, the spot where most Bible reading plans come to an end. I think part of the reason for this is that people don't understand why the book of Leviticus is in the Bible. Before we get into the above verses and how they speak to the heart of a man, let's take a minute to examine why Leviticus is a crucial part of the Bible.
Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for more than four centuries. During that time they had the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They knew what God had done for them, and what God had promised to them. But they were slaves, and after more than four hundred years, many things are lost. They didn't know how to worship God or live for God. In Exodus we see that God delivered His people and begins leading them to the Promised Land, and along the way He is teaching them, through Moses, about Himself and about how to live for Him. The book of Leviticus is God teaching His people how to worship Him and live life as He created them to live it.
The first thing that is instructed is about bringing an offering to God for atonement. For a long time I had this idea that you brought an animal to sacrifice, gave it to the priest and watched as he did the dirty work of killing it and preparing it to offer to God. Clearly I didn't pay too much attention to these verses the first time I read Leviticus. We can clearly see that it says the one who brings the animal is the one to kill it, and then to skin it and cut it up for the offering. You sin, you get to kill the animal and prepare it for the offering of atonement.
Atonement was not a spectator sport because sin is serious. And under the Law, atonement for sin meant you had to get your hands bloody. An innocent animal would be killed by your own hands so that you could be cleansed before God. I think if we could be PETA on board with this we might have less sin. If every time you sinned you had to go offer a sacrifice, that you personally had to cut the throat of, how likely would you be to sin?
Men, when we sin, something pure, beautiful, and innocent dies; Romans 6.23a says, "The wages of sin is death". Because "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6.23b) we no longer have to offer animals for forgiveness, but it was our sin that crucified the Son of God. When we sin we bring death in our own lives, and possibly in the lives of those around us. We may not have visible blood on our hands, but there is blood there. When we sin we bring death to ourselves and to others, maybe not physically, but always spiritually.
Because of the cross, we will never have to cut an animals throat to pay for our sins. But what if we lived life with the mindset of every time we sin we have to put a nail in Jesus' wrist, how often would we refrain from sin?
Atonement under the Law was a constant reminder of the severity of sin, may we always live with this in mind. And with that mindset let us strive to live above sin through the power of the cross and the empty tomb. Sin always causes death, but Jesus always gives new life to those who seek it.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
We enter the book of Leviticus, the spot where most Bible reading plans come to an end. I think part of the reason for this is that people don't understand why the book of Leviticus is in the Bible. Before we get into the above verses and how they speak to the heart of a man, let's take a minute to examine why Leviticus is a crucial part of the Bible.
Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for more than four centuries. During that time they had the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They knew what God had done for them, and what God had promised to them. But they were slaves, and after more than four hundred years, many things are lost. They didn't know how to worship God or live for God. In Exodus we see that God delivered His people and begins leading them to the Promised Land, and along the way He is teaching them, through Moses, about Himself and about how to live for Him. The book of Leviticus is God teaching His people how to worship Him and live life as He created them to live it.
The first thing that is instructed is about bringing an offering to God for atonement. For a long time I had this idea that you brought an animal to sacrifice, gave it to the priest and watched as he did the dirty work of killing it and preparing it to offer to God. Clearly I didn't pay too much attention to these verses the first time I read Leviticus. We can clearly see that it says the one who brings the animal is the one to kill it, and then to skin it and cut it up for the offering. You sin, you get to kill the animal and prepare it for the offering of atonement.
Atonement was not a spectator sport because sin is serious. And under the Law, atonement for sin meant you had to get your hands bloody. An innocent animal would be killed by your own hands so that you could be cleansed before God. I think if we could be PETA on board with this we might have less sin. If every time you sinned you had to go offer a sacrifice, that you personally had to cut the throat of, how likely would you be to sin?
Men, when we sin, something pure, beautiful, and innocent dies; Romans 6.23a says, "The wages of sin is death". Because "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6.23b) we no longer have to offer animals for forgiveness, but it was our sin that crucified the Son of God. When we sin we bring death in our own lives, and possibly in the lives of those around us. We may not have visible blood on our hands, but there is blood there. When we sin we bring death to ourselves and to others, maybe not physically, but always spiritually.
Because of the cross, we will never have to cut an animals throat to pay for our sins. But what if we lived life with the mindset of every time we sin we have to put a nail in Jesus' wrist, how often would we refrain from sin?
Atonement under the Law was a constant reminder of the severity of sin, may we always live with this in mind. And with that mindset let us strive to live above sin through the power of the cross and the empty tomb. Sin always causes death, but Jesus always gives new life to those who seek it.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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