Verse of the day: Leviticus 4:1-3 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.”
The sin offering served as a way to repent and confess the sins committed by God’s people. There is an important distinction between sins committed unintentionally, and presumptuous sins. Numbers 15:30 says this about presumptuous sin, “But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people.” Presumptuous sin is sin committed by those who stand defiantly against God and His Word. The only remedy for a person whose heart is hardened against God and His ways, is for he/she to call upon Christ for eternal salvation. This person is lost and needs Christ so that he/she does not perish eternally. The person who commits unintentional sin is the person who loves God but has been caught up in sin by a choice they have made, stumbled in a temptation, and is now repentant and seeking God’s forgiveness, as they have a genuine desire to live right before God. 1 John 1:8-2:1, was written to Christians. It states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” As born again believers, we are not exempt from stumbling in our walk with the Lord. Our flesh, the world, and the devils work against us so that we are discouraged from walking with God. However, Jesus has defeated death and sin, and in Him we have victory over sin. In those moments that we stumble, we have a recourse to put us back on track. Galatians 6:1-3 tells us, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Let me caution all of us here. Let us never take for granted that fact that God’s grace reaches farther than our sins can ever take us. Romans 6:1-2 reads, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” In this chapter in Leviticus, the greatest detail, in bringing the sin offering before God, is given in respect to the sin(s) of the priest. They were a representative of the people before God, and held to a higher standard, as today’s leaders will give the greater account before God for what they taught God’s people, not just in word, but also in deed (James 3:1). In verses 5-7, we see the process by which the priest must use the blood of the bull in seeking God’s forgiveness. The sprinkling of the blood on the veil was a picture of sin being an offense against the holiness of God. When we sin, our sin is against God, regardless of who we have sinned against, humanly speaking (Psalm 51:4). Blood applied to the altar of incense was symbolic of how our sins hinder our prayer life (Psalm 66:18). The blood applied to the altar of the burnt offering is symbolic of how a blood sacrifice is required for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus was the ultimate Sacrifice, and it is by His Blood that we are washed, cleansed, and forgiven. However, that does not exclude the fact that we still must come before God with mourning, repentance, and confession of our sins (James 4:8-9). Finally, in the prescribed process for bringing the sin offering, God is making it clear to the Israelites, and to us today, that He wants us to come to Him, seeking to be reconciled, seeking true forgiveness, without selfish motives. In verses 8-12, the fat, which is the best part of the sacrifice, belongs to God, while the all the other worthless parts of the bull are burned outside of the camp. Interestingly, the parts of the bull, which were usually profitable to man, the hide and the meat (good for making products for profit or personal use, and for food), were also burned, as worthless, outside the camp. God wanted, and wants, His people to come before Him, truly seeking to be right with Him, and counting everything else as worthless, in comparison to having His forgiveness. When we sin, let us ask God to examine our hearts when we come before Him so that we are sure we are coming before Him with the right intentions, truly seeking Him, and nothing else (Psalm 139:23-24).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
No comments:
Post a Comment