Leviticus. Even the name makes me yawn. I opened my bible this morning as though it was my first day working in a lawyer's office and I had to dissect an out-of-date legal document.
Remembering my journey with Exodus, however, I kept an open mind.
I began reading....
Yup. My initial opinion was pretty much correct. The book opens with a description (a VERY detailed description) of many different sacrifices. Burnt offerings, peace offerings, grain offerings, offerings of worship, offings of guilt....
Each offering was accompanied by a very specific ceremony - although very similar to the previous one. Then, if that wasn't enough, because everyone had a different financial situation, it goes on to explain what to do if your sacrifice is a bull, or if it's only a goat, or just a bird - which again...was usually quite similar.
Then, hold on to your hat! There's a review of it all....yay! I get to read it again.
Ouch.
Throughout the tediousness of these chapters, though, one verse kept ringing out.
"It was very pleasing to the Lord."
- Leviticus 1:17
As awful as it would have been to gain access and maintain fellowship with God through sacrifice...at least they had a tangible way to know they were restoring their fellowship with God and being forgiven.
As humans I think we have a natural tendency to feel like we have "to do" something in order "to get" something.
And, I guess we kind of do. Every new sin, even an unintentional one, demanded that another animal be slain. When an animal's life was given to pay the penalty of sin, the guilty person was cleansed. By placing their hands on the head of the animal (which is what they had to do), the worshippers identified with it. They clearly saw that the animal was dying for their sin as a substitute.
That made sense to me. But why couldn't God just forgive them if they asked? He's God - he can do anything he wants. I forgive people all the time, I don't make them kill something for me. (I might make them buy me lunch though...) I mean, He can see our heart. He knows if we are sincere.
So why can't He forgive us just simply because we ask?
I found the answer in my "Quest" bible, NIV version. There was a footnote that said,
"A just and holy God does not ignore sin, it has grave consequences. However, God mercifully allowed a substitute to take the place of the sinner. The substitute could suffer the consequences of sin, so the sinner would not have to die."
"God required such a gruesome payment because He did not want people to ignore the seriousness of sin. Anything less than blood would have devalued forgiveness in the eyes of the people."
"When a person heard the cries of an innocent lamb, saw it's blood spilled on the alter and smelled the smoke of it's burning flesh, he or she would be struck with a sobering thought: I deserved to die for my sin; that sheep died in my place."
Once again, as I devour a "boring ol' testament book", I'm awakened to the truth and goodness of the gospel in the New Testament - when Jesus comes!
God made it very clear that Jesus came to be to be the final sacrifice. We don't have "to do" anything but accept His gift, His innocent lamb.
