HOLY LAMB OF GOD
“Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.” Lev 20:26
“like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Today’s reading from the book of Leviticus is hard on sin and on those who choose to reject God’s call to live holy lives, but it also gives a glimpse of the heart and holiness of God. It is such a powerful verse that Peter repeats it in the NT.
The book of Leviticus is the instruction manual for the tabernacle given to Moses. God’s people have been called out of Egypt and are to be holy as He is Holy. That’s a big order considering the people of Israel and the lists of sins laid out in the book that need a path to forgiveness. God, since the beginning of time, has wanted to dwell with man, but our sin comes between us and a holy God. The book lays out for us the 5 offerings and 7 feasts God instituted for them to follow.
Not only were they to worship God through their 5 offerings, they were also to remember the things God has done on their behalf through the 7 feasts. These chapters in Leviticus are strong words to Israel’s leaders and the people about how God hates sin and that He is holy and righteous. This passage spells out in detail specific sins and consequences for those sins. The sacrificial provisions in Leviticus taught the Israelites that God can be approached with the blood of a worthy substitute. It also gives us a picture of the one who the New Testament points to…One called “the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:36
Moses goes on to say…
And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. Leviticus 22:21 (ESV)
Jesus was that perfect lamb the OT prophets were waiting for. As they gave their offerings in the OT, it was picture of what Christ would do in fulfilling God’s plan for redemption and forgiveness. This passage points us forward to Jesus as our perfect sacrifice without blemish and to the holiness of God. Year after year as they did the sacrifices, it was a temporary solution that would one day fully be forgiven with God’s perfect lamb. Aren’t you thankful God has sent His Son and made the way for our sins to be forgiven permanently, and they are “as far as the east is from the west” and “remembered no more” by our heavenly Father. (Psalm 103:12, Jeremiah 31:34)
“like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Today’s reading from the book of Leviticus is hard on sin and on those who choose to reject God’s call to live holy lives, but it also gives a glimpse of the heart and holiness of God. It is such a powerful verse that Peter repeats it in the NT.
The book of Leviticus is the instruction manual for the tabernacle given to Moses. God’s people have been called out of Egypt and are to be holy as He is Holy. That’s a big order considering the people of Israel and the lists of sins laid out in the book that need a path to forgiveness. God, since the beginning of time, has wanted to dwell with man, but our sin comes between us and a holy God. The book lays out for us the 5 offerings and 7 feasts God instituted for them to follow.
Not only were they to worship God through their 5 offerings, they were also to remember the things God has done on their behalf through the 7 feasts. These chapters in Leviticus are strong words to Israel’s leaders and the people about how God hates sin and that He is holy and righteous. This passage spells out in detail specific sins and consequences for those sins. The sacrificial provisions in Leviticus taught the Israelites that God can be approached with the blood of a worthy substitute. It also gives us a picture of the one who the New Testament points to…One called “the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:36
Moses goes on to say…
And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. Leviticus 22:21 (ESV)
Jesus was that perfect lamb the OT prophets were waiting for. As they gave their offerings in the OT, it was picture of what Christ would do in fulfilling God’s plan for redemption and forgiveness. This passage points us forward to Jesus as our perfect sacrifice without blemish and to the holiness of God. Year after year as they did the sacrifices, it was a temporary solution that would one day fully be forgiven with God’s perfect lamb. Aren’t you thankful God has sent His Son and made the way for our sins to be forgiven permanently, and they are “as far as the east is from the west” and “remembered no more” by our heavenly Father. (Psalm 103:12, Jeremiah 31:34)
by Jerry Hull
Posted in Read Through the Bible
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Amen