Leviticus is proving to be quite the revelation. Chapters 1 through 7 all deal with the various offerings (burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, sin offering, and penalty offering).
My first thought was that there was a lot of sacrificing that needed to take place, and a lot of animals and grain. It also took a lot of time. Time to find a suitable sacrifice and then to prepare and offer it acceptably. I looked up why there were so many sacrificial requirements and here is what I learned.
First and foremost, these sacrifices provided a tangible way for the people of Israel to draw near to God, to bridge that divide between sinful man and holy God. Second, it was a way to show thanks to God for his mercy and provision.
By the time I concluded chapter 7, I was very glad I was born on this side of the cross.
Because as Dr. Jeremiah said in one of his recent sermons, Jesus made the final sacrifice and now the Holy Spirit bridges that gap. No longer do we need to have a priest interceded on our behalf. The Holy Spirit (the third member of the Trinity—so God) is always with us, always hears us, always helps us, always comforts us.
However, sometimes I think living on this side of the cross can make us forget how great the divide that exists between sinful us and almighty and holy God truly is. We can often take God’s goodness and closeness and mercy and grace for granted.
There was value in having to take the effort to find and prepare the sacrifices. Doing so caused one to focus not only on the reason for the sacrifice (repentance or thanksgiving) but also on what a great, powerful, and Holy God we serve.
Romans 12:1 states “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
As we offer ourselves up each day, let us take the time to remember all that God has done for us: His forgiveness, grace, mercy, provision, protection, . . . and thank Him for it.
My first thought was that there was a lot of sacrificing that needed to take place, and a lot of animals and grain. It also took a lot of time. Time to find a suitable sacrifice and then to prepare and offer it acceptably. I looked up why there were so many sacrificial requirements and here is what I learned.
First and foremost, these sacrifices provided a tangible way for the people of Israel to draw near to God, to bridge that divide between sinful man and holy God. Second, it was a way to show thanks to God for his mercy and provision.
By the time I concluded chapter 7, I was very glad I was born on this side of the cross.
Because as Dr. Jeremiah said in one of his recent sermons, Jesus made the final sacrifice and now the Holy Spirit bridges that gap. No longer do we need to have a priest interceded on our behalf. The Holy Spirit (the third member of the Trinity—so God) is always with us, always hears us, always helps us, always comforts us.
However, sometimes I think living on this side of the cross can make us forget how great the divide that exists between sinful us and almighty and holy God truly is. We can often take God’s goodness and closeness and mercy and grace for granted.
There was value in having to take the effort to find and prepare the sacrifices. Doing so caused one to focus not only on the reason for the sacrifice (repentance or thanksgiving) but also on what a great, powerful, and Holy God we serve.
Romans 12:1 states “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
As we offer ourselves up each day, let us take the time to remember all that God has done for us: His forgiveness, grace, mercy, provision, protection, . . . and thank Him for it.
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