And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. Leviticus 16:32-33
This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter fourteen - God Forgives and Removes Sin - covering Leviticus 16:1-34, looking specifically at the third theme for the chapter - God Offers Atonement for Sin. Here, the commentary starts by stating that "atonement" appears fifteen times in Leviticus 16. Atonement is required by God for our sin - it is, according to the commentary, "doing what God says is necessary to reconcile us to Him." The commentary also talks about the role of judges in God's justice. It first describes the role of judge in Israel's history (see Exodus 23:6-8 and Deuteronomy 1:16-17). It then discusses how sin must be punished by the judge and it states that "[a] judge who lets a guilty person go free with no punishment for his wrongdoing is not a good judge; he is not upholding justice." The commentary then moves to how God solves the "tension between His justice and mercy. However, God must let guilty people go free if He is going to save guilty sinners like us. God is merciful and loving, so He doesn't want us to perish for our sin....God expressed His justice against sin in the death of the sacrifice, and God expressed His mercy to the sinner by allowing the sacrifice to substitute for the sinner....The old covenant sacrifices atoned for sin, they taught the world the meaning of sacrificial atonement, and they prepared the world for the sacrifice of Jesus." See also this post from DesiringGod.com.
Comment and discuss this post here.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You provided the "once and for all" sacrifice for me and for all of humanity! Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such an incredible gift of grace. My sin of worry, etc. continues. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
