Thus he shall make
atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the
people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses....Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and
make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and
some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all
around....And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. Leviticus 16:16, 18, and 20
This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter fourteen - God Forgives and Removes Sin - covering Leviticus 16:1-34, looking specifically at the first theme for the chapter - Sin Defiles Us and Our Environment. Here, in this chapter of Leviticus, which the commentary refers to as perhaps "the central chapter of [Leviticus]," we see a description of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement for the Jewish religion. The commentary describes how "[o]n that day, the most sacred person entered the most sacred space and performed the most sacred worship ceremonies." Looking at the theme specifically for today, the commentary focuses on v16, 18, and 20 and God's commands to Moses and Aaron to make atonement for the holy place itself. The commentary responds to the question we might have on our minds: if the holy place - an inanimate object - did not sin, then why is atonement required for the holy place. The commentary writes that sometimes when we sin in a place, "we associate wrong with that place...and every time we go back to back to the place where we committed that wrong or every time we even think of that place, we feel the guilt all over again....The tabernacle had done nothing wrong. Nevertheless, the people came there all year with their sins and offered sacrifices in that space to atone for them. They associated that place with their sin. It was supposed to be a holy place, but their sin made it dirty....Sin defiles us and our environment."
Comment and discuss this post here.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, worthy of full surrender, submission, and white-hot worship. You died on the cross for me so that I could have not just atonement, but life to the full now and eternal life! Thank You Jesus! Yet I am completely undeserving of this and the grace You pour out for me daily. I worry and I have other sins. Please forgive me. 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.
