The Central Theme by Melissa Clayton
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Proverbs 9; Psalms 46 – 50)
Read the “0209 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage – “There Is a Fountain,” and “Abomination.“
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. … And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.” (Leviticus 17:11, 13-14)
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
The central theme and significance of the book of Leviticus, and specifically chapter 16, is Atonement. This once yearly ritual where the high priest would come offer sacrifice to the Lord to atone, not only for his own sins, but also for the sins of all the people, is a huge part of understanding the significance of the Cross and Jesus’ sacrifice.
Notice in Leviticus 16:2 “for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat”. The actual Spirit of The Lord dwelled in the temple and because of this, the requirements for the priest, as well as the animals to be sacrificed, were very detailed. Not only did the priest have a very detailed list of how he was to cleanse himself, but he was also to offer a bull for his own sins before he could offer the atonement for the people. Any failure to follow the guidelines exactly as laid out would end in the death of the priest. Im not a man, or a priest, but there is no way I would not have messed this up. When I was reading this passage, I was overwhelmed with the details. It seems a little excessive until you understand that you cannot enter a place so holy without being, without a doubt, clean enough to enter His presence.
We see all through Leviticus our own sinfulness and the blood required to atone for our fallen condition. There are not enough bulls or goats and there is not enough blood in the world that would ever pay for the sinful condition of man. Thankfully, Jesus made Himself that sacrifice. His blood alone accomplished atonement. We no longer need the blood of a lamb or a scapegoat. There’s no more purifying or rituals, or hoping we got it right. We do not need a earthly mediator, a priest; just the precious blood of our Savior, who provided His sacrifice that was so huge that it atoned for the sins of the entire world.
Posted in Devotions by Melissa Clayton with 4 comments.
Amen Melissa. The value of Jesus willingly becoming a living sacrifice for us so that we can have the forgiveness of sin and eternal life with our Lord and Savior is Priceless. like the post.
We can’t even thank you enough Lord Jesus for dying for our sins. Great devotion Melissa.
Good message dear Melissa. Thank you Lord for what you did for us, & continue to do for us every day. We are such weak & sinful creatures & so undeserving. But you died for us anyway.
Thank you Melissa forgiveness and sin cone together. You should not sin against gods will. He provides for us so that we don’t take for granted about sin.