Leviticus 4: Up in Smoke
The Israelite's offerings fell into three broad types. The guilt and sin offerings were usually offered first: they cleansed people from sin. Then came the burnt offerings, in which whole animals were burnt to ashes. Made at least twice a day, these sacrifices expressed complete dedication to God. The final sacrifice was the fellowship offering, essentially a family meal shared in the presence of God. In many ways, the sequence of the offerings- forgiveness of sins, then total dedication, then fellowship- shows that that the Israelite's goal was fellowship with their God.
Just how can killing a goat make things right between God and his People? Is the sacrifice of an animal really enough to "pay for" our mistakes? For us, these sacrifices seem outdated primarily because one great sacrifice- that of God's own Son- outdid them all. The animal sacrifices were not enough, ultimately, to pay for human sin. They prepared the way for a sacrifice that was. Furthermore, we no longer have to pay the cost. Jesus paid it all.
Unlike the first two books of the Old Testament, Leviticus has few personalities and stories. Instead, it gives exhaustive detail on how to live with God. However, it is imperative to understand the wonderful news behind this book: God has entered the life a of small nomadic tribe. The Isrealites could not immediately fit God into their lives. They needed to entirely restructure every aspect of their daily life- food, sex, exonomics, etc... to fit with His.
Life Question: Do you think of God as One who requires sacrifice? How does the picture of God in Leviticus fit with your ideas about God?
Well, obviously animal sacrifices aren't too relevant anymore. But, I do think that God expects us to offer sacrifices in different ways. These Old Testament sacrifices costs the Israelites dearly- right in the pocketbooks. I think it's prudent to examine our lives to see if we truly repent for our transgressions. Repentance can come in the form of doing without (i.e. sacrificing) some little luxury in life- a dinner out, a sporting event, shopping spree, etc... Instead of indulging in these things- knowing that we all live imperfect lives- we can go ahead and make a meaningful sacrifice to honor God...sponsor a child, volunteer/ donate for a noble cause, send an anonymous gift to someone in need...I think these may be the 2007 Leviticus-style sacrifices that we can embrace.
The Israelite's offerings fell into three broad types. The guilt and sin offerings were usually offered first: they cleansed people from sin. Then came the burnt offerings, in which whole animals were burnt to ashes. Made at least twice a day, these sacrifices expressed complete dedication to God. The final sacrifice was the fellowship offering, essentially a family meal shared in the presence of God. In many ways, the sequence of the offerings- forgiveness of sins, then total dedication, then fellowship- shows that that the Israelite's goal was fellowship with their God.
Just how can killing a goat make things right between God and his People? Is the sacrifice of an animal really enough to "pay for" our mistakes? For us, these sacrifices seem outdated primarily because one great sacrifice- that of God's own Son- outdid them all. The animal sacrifices were not enough, ultimately, to pay for human sin. They prepared the way for a sacrifice that was. Furthermore, we no longer have to pay the cost. Jesus paid it all.
Unlike the first two books of the Old Testament, Leviticus has few personalities and stories. Instead, it gives exhaustive detail on how to live with God. However, it is imperative to understand the wonderful news behind this book: God has entered the life a of small nomadic tribe. The Isrealites could not immediately fit God into their lives. They needed to entirely restructure every aspect of their daily life- food, sex, exonomics, etc... to fit with His.
Life Question: Do you think of God as One who requires sacrifice? How does the picture of God in Leviticus fit with your ideas about God?
Well, obviously animal sacrifices aren't too relevant anymore. But, I do think that God expects us to offer sacrifices in different ways. These Old Testament sacrifices costs the Israelites dearly- right in the pocketbooks. I think it's prudent to examine our lives to see if we truly repent for our transgressions. Repentance can come in the form of doing without (i.e. sacrificing) some little luxury in life- a dinner out, a sporting event, shopping spree, etc... Instead of indulging in these things- knowing that we all live imperfect lives- we can go ahead and make a meaningful sacrifice to honor God...sponsor a child, volunteer/ donate for a noble cause, send an anonymous gift to someone in need...I think these may be the 2007 Leviticus-style sacrifices that we can embrace.
1 comment:
The Bible states that the wages of sin is death , but we often do not think in these terms. A "little white lie" ; I may have "stretched the truth a bit" ; I am not " a perfect man" but he has done far worse than me. These stories of Leviticus remind me of the fact that : when I sin, something dies. Jesus said we should deal severely with these actions in our lives, even to the point of removing the offending body part, ( the eye , the hand) , that causes offense. The beatiful part of the new sacrificial order is that even though sins cause offense; Jesus died for mine and will help me with His forgiveness to clean up my mess.
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