March 9
March 9
The Sin Offering -- The sin offering in the Old Testament foreshadows Christ's sacrifice.
Today's Readings:
Reading 1: Leviticus 4:1-12
Reading 2: Hebrews 9:16-28
Reading 3: Hebrews 10:1-18
To start our journey in Leviticus, we have a very significant principle. All our readings have been showing us the place of each individual story in God's Story, and today we see a cornerstone of our relationship with God. Again and again, we have seen the devastation caused by sin, expressed in self-rule, rebellion against God, idolatry, disobedience, and many other ways.
Today we read a key principle that throws light on the whole sacrificial system that forms the foundation of the covenant between God and Israel: "without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22).
The clear message of today's readings is to point us to Jesus. Jesus must be the lens through which we read and interpret all scripture. The writer to the Hebrews shows us the centrality of Jesus to the whole of God's history with humankind. "But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand" (Hebrews 10:12).
Sin is very serious, even if it is unintentional because sin infects all of us and separates us from God. BUT Jesus shed His blood for forgiveness to be fulfilled eternally. All the sins you and I have not yet committed have already been paid for by the blood of Jesus! All that remains is for us to acknowledge that we have sinned (even unintentionally) and trust Jesus for our forgiveness. God has already told us what He will do in response: “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” (Hebrews 10:16-17)
And as the writer tells us in verse 18: "when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices." That is good news today - who will you share it with?
Have a great day!
Mark.