blood

The Sole Simple Solution

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1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. – 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ESV

After spending three chapters on the issues surrounding the use of spiritual gifts, Paul now shifts his attention to what he says is “of first importance.” The Corinthians had lost sight of the overwhelming significance of their salvation made possible by the death, resurrection, and appearance of Christ. In other words, they had allowed the gospel and its life-changing message to take a back seat to what they believed was the more significant role of the spiritual gifts. So Paul reminds them of the gospel he preached to them.

It is the gospel message they received by grace, and that allows them to stand justified before God as His adopted children. It is the same gospel that makes possible their daily sanctification – their transformation into Christ-likeness. The spiritual gifts do not accomplish any of this for them. It is the gospel and the gospel alone that redeems, justifies, sanctifies, and guarantees our future glorification. The gospel encompasses the entirety of our salvation experience. And just to make sure they understand what he means by the gospel, Paul provides them with a summary statement that contains the key ingredients to its power and significance.

“Jesus died” – the death of Jesus is central to the gospel message. It was necessary for Jesus to die so that the penalty for our sins could be paid and God could be satisfied. Otherwise, we would still be guilty and under condemnation for our sins against God. But Jesus did die in our place. He took our sins upon Himself and suffered the death we deserved.

“according to the Scripture” – Jesus’ death was not happenstance or just a run of bad luck. It wasn’t the result of the Jewish leadership and their behind-the-scenes plotting against Jesus. It wasn’t even the result of Pilate’s orders or the Roman government’s power. It was preordained by God. The Old Testament prophets spoke of His death hundreds of years before it took place.

Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53:4-5 ESV

Jesus was sent by God to die. The penalty for mankind’s sins against God was death, and God, because He is just, required that the penalty be paid in full. But in a divine display of mercy, He provided His own Son as a substitute to satisfy the just and holy requirement for a sinless sacrifice. The author of the Book of Hebrews explains the need for this blood sacrifice.

…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. – Hebrews 9:22 ESV

“he was buried” – Jesus’ death was real; He did not swoon or pass out. He was not placed in the grave barely alive, only to later revive and escape. The Romans oversaw His burial and were convinced of His death. His burial paved the way for His resurrection. The rolling of the stone across the opening to His tomb and then sealed by the Roman guards convinced the disciples that their Messiah was dead and their hopes for a new kingdom were gone. They went into mourning and hiding. And the words of the two disciples whom Jesus encountered along the road after His resurrection reveal just how dejected they were.

“He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.”– Luke 24:19-21 NLT

“he was raised on the third day” – Jesus was not a martyr; He was the Messiah, the anointed one of God, who died and was raised back to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. He was raised to new life and walked out of the tomb in His resurrected body, proving that He had accomplished what He had come to do and had satisfied the just demands of His Father in heaven. Just a few verses later in this chapter, Paul writes, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV). He follows that up with the good news that “In fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV). It is His resurrection that assures us of our future hope of eternal life and the glorification of these earthly bodies. The apostle John assures us, “We are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2 ESV).

“in accordance with the Scriptures” – Once again, the Scriptures predicted Christ’s death, but also His resurrection. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
    Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see  and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities. – Isaiah 53:10-11 ESV

He was crushed, but He was also resurrected and restored. His days were prolonged. As a result of His death and resurrection, many have been accounted as righteous.

“and that he appeared” – During the days after His resurrection, Jesus was seen by more than 500 people. His appearances to His disciples renewed their hopes and revived their commitment to follow Him. He gave them their marching orders, commissioning them to carry on His work and to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. He appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, calling him from a life marked by persecution of the church to a new mission of taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul’s work and words were given to Him by the resurrected Christ. And he proved faithful to do what Christ had called him to do.

Jesus died, was buried, resurrected, and appeared. That is the heart of the gospel message. And when anyone accepts the reality of those facts, placing his or her faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, they experience salvation. They are born again and given new life in Christ. Their sins are forgiven, they are given a new nature, and they are made children of God and heirs to the Kingdom of God. They stand before Him as righteous, not because of anything they have done or accomplished, but because of the blood of Christ.

Father, thank You for the gospel, the good news of new life found in the sacrifice of Your Son. But I thank You as well for the simplicity of the gospel’s message. You took a very difficult and impossible to solve problem and provided a simple solution. You sent Your Son as the substititionary atonement for the debt we owed. He died so would not have to. He paid the penalty for our sins and satisfied Your righteous judgment against us. And I am eternally grateful for the glorious gift of Your grace, mercy, and love. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Back to the Future

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24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. 25 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. 26 I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, 27 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. 29 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

31 Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days. 33 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

35 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God. – Ezra 8:24-36 ESV

Having successfully recruited the additional Levitical priests and temple servants he required, Ezra led the returning exiles in a time of fasting and prayer (vs 21-23). This brief worship service was intended to seek God’s protection and provision for their journey and remind all involved of the holiness of their mission. They were on a divinely ordained assignment from Yahweh to return the sacred vessels to the Temple in Jerusalem. Among the returning exiles was a sizeable contingent of Levitical priests to assist Ezra in teaching God’s Law to the people of Judah. The journey ahead would be long and fraught with danger. It didn’t help that they would carry vast amounts of silver and gold and the priceless sacred vessels stored in the Babylonian treasury for 80 years.

In a display of wise leadership, Ezra delegated responsibility for the treasure to 12 hand-picked priests. It has been estimated that the total weight of the silver and gold was as much as 28 tons. The value of this precious cargo was inestimable but not just because of its financial worth. The gold and silver represented the offerings of Artaxerxes and the people of Judah who remained behind in Babylon. These donations were gifts to Yahweh and were to be considered holy. As Ezra distributed the treasure among the priestly leaders, he conveyed to them the seriousness of their assignment and the sacredness of their cargo.

“You and these treasures have been set apart as holy to the Lord. This silver and gold is a voluntary offering to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. Guard these treasures well until you present them to the leading priests, the Levites, and the leaders of Israel, who will weigh them at the storerooms of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem.” – Ezra 8:28-29 NLT

Ezra wanted these men to know they were “holy” (qōḏeš). As Levitical priests, they had been consecrated to God and served at His pleasure. They belonged to Him. Even though they had spent their lives living in exile in Babylon, nothing had changed their set-apart status as God’s servants. Now they were returning to Jerusalem and would be reinstated to their role as the caretakers of the Temple and the mediators between Yahweh and the people. Ezra wanted them to embrace their priestly responsibilities and take seriously the consecrated nature of their heritage. As Levites, they were descendants of Aaron the first high priest, and were expected to carry on the legacy of spiritual leadership that God had graciously bestowed on their tribe.

Centuries earlier, God had chosen the Levites as His own, setting them apart as His servants, the caretakers of His house, and the teachers of His Law.

“Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. For all the firstborn males among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.” – Num ber 8:16-19 NLT

After a lengthy trip, Ezra and his entourage arrived safely in Jerusalem. Their request for God’s protection had been answered and Ezra gratefully acknowledged Yahweh’s providential role behind it all.

…the gracious hand of our God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way. – Ezra 8:31 NLT

No travelers were lost, no gold or silver was stolen, and no Temple treasures were misplaced or missing.

Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the total weight was officially recorded. – Ezra 8:34 NLT

After four days of rest, the people gathered at the Temple for a sacred assembly at which they offered sacrifices to Yahweh. This must have been an emotional occasion for these recently returned exiled. Most, if not all of them, were too young to remember the former glory of Jerusalem and the Temple that Solomon had built. These people had been born and raised in Babylon, the descendants of those who had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar decades earlier. This was a new generation of Judahites who received a crash course in the worship of Yahweh and the intricacies of the sacrificial system. It must have been a sensory overload as they witnessed the sacrifices of 12 bulls, 96 rams, 77 male lambs, and 12 male goats. They would have never experienced anything like this during their days in Babylon.

As the people watched, their unblemished bulls, rams, lambs, and goats were ceremoniously sacrificed by the Levitical priests and offered as atonement for their sins. There was deep and meaningful symbolism behind every action. The blood of the animals was spilled and sprinkled on the altar.

“If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the Lord. Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him. Then slaughter the young bull in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present the animal’s blood by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands at the entrance to the Tabernacle. Then skin the animal and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest will build a wood fire on the altar. They will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” – Leviticus 1:3-9 NLT

This was a participatory event. No spectators or uninvolved observers were permitted. This religious ritual was intended to remind God’s people of their sinfulness and their need for atonement. The author of Hebrews points out the significance of the sacrificial system when he writes, “…according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT).

Centuries earlier, God had told the people of Israel, “…the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible” (Leviticus 17:11 NLT). As the recently returned remnant looked on, copious amounts of blood flowed as hundreds of innocent animals were slaughtered by the priests. This gruesome spectacle must have been difficult to watch and even harder to reconcile. They had no precedent for understanding what they were observing. None of them had ever offered a sacrifice at the Temple before. This was a new experience for each of them and it’s likely that Ezra, as an expert in the Mosaic Law, had to explain all that was taking place. Even the Levitical priests found themselves in the difficult spot of having to perform sacred duties with which they were totally unfamiliar. This entire event was literally a baptism by fire as the participants rekindled their devotion to Yahweh and received unmerited atonement for their sins.

They were back in the land and because of their sacrifices, they were back in right standing with Yahweh. Their sacrifices had been accepted and their sins atoned for. Now the real work would begin as Ezra attempted to teach the people the code of conduct God had ordained for them. He and his priestly assistants face the formidable task of instructing the people about God’s expectations of them.

Despite their 70-year exile in Babylon, God’s view of the Israelites had not changed. He still held them to a higher standard. When He delivered them out of their captivity in Egypt, God had declared His non-negotiable requirements as His chosen people.

“For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

“The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.” – Deuteronomy 7:6-11 NLT

God’s Law had not been altered or amended. His expectations of them had not changed. Their ancestors had disobeyed and been punished. Now it was their turn to hear God’s Laws and decide whether they were willing to keep them. God had proven Himself faithful. But would they?

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

Our Sin Substitute

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11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”’ 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. – 2 Samuel 24:12-25 ESV

David had sinned. He had conducted a census to determine the size of his nation and, ultimately, his army. His actions revealed that his trust was not in the Lord but in the size and strength of his army. But having completed his ill-fated census, David immediately regretted his decision and recognized it as an affront to God.

“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” – 2 Samuel 24:10 ESV

David was wise to confess his sin, but his iniquity and guilt remained. He knew that restitution would need to be made. Some form of payment would be required to cover the sin he had committed. David was well-acquainted with the requirements of the sacrificial law and knew that his sin must be atoned for. The author of Hebrews reminds us: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22 ESV).

David couldn’t just say, “I’m sorry” and then expect everything to go back to the way it was before. Payment for sin was required, and God offered David three different payment plans. He sent word to David through a prophet named Gad.

“I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.” – 2 Samuel 24:12 NLT

His three choices included a lengthy famine, a devastating plague, or a three-month time period when his mighty army would be powerless against its enemies. In all three cases, death was a non-negotiable outcome. His people were either going to die by the sword, starvation, or sickness. David’s response seems to indicate that the one option he ruled out was the three months’ worth of defeat at the hands of his enemies. He cried out to God, “let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands” (2 Samuel 24:14 NLT). This man who had just taken a census to determine the size of his army had no desire to go to war. It wasn’t that he was afraid of a good fight, it was that he knew this one would be a losing proposition. For someone used to always coming out on the winning side, the thought of being humiliated by his enemies was not an option. So, he begged God to remove that option.

“…let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” – 2 Samuel 24:14 NLT

David opted to have God mete out the punishment, trusting in His mercy and grace. So, God sent a plague across the entire nation of Israel. The nature of God’s chosen form of punishment should not be overlooked. David had just finished numbering his people and determining the size of his fighting force. The census revealed that he had a potential army of one million three hundred thousand men, a fact that must have pleased David greatly. During his reign, the population of Israel had increased greatly, making him the ruler of a mighty nation and the commander of a formidable army.

But God’s judgment would prove costly and go directly to the heart of David’s sin: His misplaced trust in the size of his army. As a result of the plague, David lost 70,000 men, a staggering figure that represents close to 20 percent of his fighting force. Sadly, these men all died as a result of David’s sin, not because they had done anything to deserve it. They didn’t have the honor of sacrificing their lives in the heat of battle while facing the enemies of Israel. They were struck down by a debilitating plague because of a sin committed by their commander-in-chief, and they were not alone. An undetermined number of women and children also died as a result of the plague.

The text makes it clear that the death toll was going to increase greatly because God’s angel “was preparing to destroy Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 24:16 NLT). The plague had already lasted three days and now the city of David was to be the target of God’s wrath. But when David witnessed the destruction he had brought upon his people, he cried out to God again.

“I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.” – 2 Samuel 24:17 NLT

As a result of David’s plea, God sent the prophet Gad with instructions.

“Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” – 2 Samuel 24:18 NLT

This is where it all gets interesting. The threshing floor of Araunah was where the angel of the Lord had been stopped by God from bringing any more destruction upon the people.

But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. – 2 Samuel 24:16 NLT

This place held special significance for the Israelites. Centuries earlier, the patriarch Abraham had gone to this very same spot to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God.  He and his wife Sarah had waited over 60 years for Isaac to be born. Yet God, who had promised to give Abraham a son and had miraculously caused his barren wife to give birth, commanded that the long-awaited child be put to death.

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” – Genesis 22:2 ESV

Amazingly, Abraham obeyed the command of God and prepared to sacrifice the life of his son. But at the last second, God intervened and an angel of the Lord stayed Abraham’s hand. Then God provided a substitute sacrifice, a ram whose horns had been caught in a thicket. That ram took Isaac’s place and its blood was spilled on his behalf.

So he [Abraham] took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). – Genesis 22:13-14 NLT

Now, centuries later, God commanded David to build an altar to offer a sacrifice on behalf of his people.

David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. – 2 Samuel 24:25 NLT

This was no coincidence. God chose this spot for a reason. It was at this location that He had spared the life of Isaac. It was here that He would spare the people of Israel. And it would be on this very same spot, the threshing floor of Araunah, that Solomon would build his magnificent temple, where countless sacrifices would be made on behalf of the people. Sacrifice was required for forgiveness to be received because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. David could confess his sins, but payment was still required.

As followers of Christ, we live under a different dispensation. We are no longer required to make payment for our sins. We don’t have to shed the blood of an innocent animal to satisfy the just demands of a holy God. Why? Because our sins have been paid for in full. The apostle John reminds us, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9 NLT). All we have to do is confess our sins. There is no more condemnation for our sins. There is no further payment required because Jesus paid it all. The author of Hebrews tells us just how different things are now because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

The sacrifices under that system [the Mosaic law] were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. – Hebrews 10:1-4 NLT

But he goes on to give us the good news:

For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. – Hebrews 10:10 NLT

Our sins, past, present, and future, have all been paid for by Christ’s death on the cross. He paid the debt we owed. He covered our sins with His blood. As a result, we have complete forgiveness for ALL of our sins. We don’t have to ask for forgiveness; we simply have to confess our sins. The forgiveness is guaranteed. When we sin, God’s Spirit convicts us, and that conviction leads us to confess our sins to God. To confess means to agree with Him that we have sinned against Him. When we confess, He responds with forgiveness – each and every time – faithfully and fully.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Faith in the Faithfulness of God

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4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. – Hebrews 11:4 ESV

This chapter of Hebrews opens with the familiar words, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” But as 21st-century Christians, we struggle to understand exactly what this statement means. Faith is a nebulous and sometimes mysterious thing to us. We claim to possess it, but we’re not exactly sure what it is or even looks like. Is it something we have to muster up or is it given to us by God?

Even when we think we have faith, we wonder if we have enough. While most of us would define ourselves as a “people of faith,” we regularly wrestle with the concept and even question whether our faith measures up. So, the author of Hebrews has provided us with a much-needed lesson on the subject. Chapter 11 has been called the “Hall of Faith.” In it, we find a list of Old Testament men and women who exemplify the life of faith. Their stories, familiar to the author’s predominantly Jewish audience, are intended to demonstrate the non-negotiable nature of faith. Long before Jesus appeared on the scene, the people of God were expected to be people of faith, placing their hope and trust in the One who had created them and revealed Himself to them.

The author starts out by reminding his readers that “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command” (Hebrews 11:3 NLT). No one was there when creation took place. There were no witnesses to God’s grand display of divine power and creativity. We didn’t see it happen, so we have to take God at His word – by faith. The book of Genesis tells us how the universe was created by God, and we must believe that it happened just as it says it did. When we do, we exhibit faith. We are giving evidence of a “conviction of things not seen.”

Faith involves trust. It requires belief. And it is based on hope. But we tend to use the word “hope” in a purely speculative sense. We say things like, “I hope I win the lottery!” or “I hope he asks me out!” Our hope usually lacks assurance or a sense of confidence. It tends to be little more than wishful thinking. But that is not what the author of Hebrews is talking about. So he gives us further evidence of faith from the lives of the Old Testament saints.

Nineteen different times in this chapter, the author uses the phrase, “by faith.” His point seems to be that faith was both the motivator and the power behind the actions of each of the individuals he lists. What they did was done because of faith; faith in something hoped for and as yet unseen. Faith is God-focused and future-oriented. It has its roots in the faithfulness of God. It gets its strength from the promises made by God. So, when Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, is said to have “offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain,” faith is central to understanding the difference between his sacrifice and that of his brother. It has less to do with the content of their individual sacrifices than the hearts of the men who made them.

The question we have to ask is why either of these two sons of Adam and Eve were making sacrifices to God at all. Where did they learn to make sacrifices? We don’t see evidence of this practice in the Garden of Eden. We see no command given by God to Adam and Eve to offer up sacrifices to Him. So why were their sons doing so? If you go back to the original story in Genesis, which the author’s Jewish audience would have known well, it simply states:

Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. – Genesis 4:2-5 ESV

The phrase, “in the course of time,” would seem to indicate that this was a regular occurrence. The first family must have established a habit of offering sacrifices to God., but there is no indication that this was something that God required of them. It appears to be wholly voluntary. And each son brought an offering that was consistent with his area of expertise. By this time in the creation narrative, both young men were old enough to have joined their father and mother in keeping the creation mandate.

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – Genesis 1:28 ESV

Despite the fall, they were still caring for the world that God had made. One son had become a shepherd and the other had become a farmer, and there is no indication from the text that one occupation was deemed to be better or more acceptable than the other.

Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and Cain brought the fruit of the ground. One brought animals while the other brought produce. We are not given any insight into the quality or quantity of their offerings. So, it doesn’t appear that God’s response to the two men had anything to do with the content of their offerings. The issue was their faith.

Cain gave an offering of the fruit of the ground. He most likely gave grain, dates, figs, or whatever else he had grown. But keep in mind, he gave “the fruit of the ground.” He did not give God the tree from which the fruit grew. So, he was assured of having more fruit to replace that which he had given. It also doesn’t say that he gave God the best of his fruit. He simply gave God a portion.

Yet, concerning Abel, it says that he gave the “firstborn of his flock and their fat portions.” This would seem to indicate that some kind of blood sacrifice was involved. In the sacrificial system that God would later mandate for the people of Israel, the fat, kidneys, and lobe of the liver of an animal were given to God as a burnt offering. These were considered the best portion of the animal and were reserved solely for God.

When Abel brought his offering to God, he not only gave the best of what he had, but he made a permanent and costly sacrifice. He didn’t just give the firstborn of his flock to God, he sacrificed its life. This means that Abel would never receive any benefit from that firstborn animal again. He would never be able to breed that animal to produce more sheep. It would not produce more of its kind, and it would never serve as food for Abel’s family. He had given the best of what he had to God and placed his faith in God that He would provide for his future needs.

We know from the Genesis account that Cain went on to kill his brother. Why? The author of Hebrews tells us that Abel’s offering was “commended as righteous” because he made it based on faith. The apostle John provides additional insight into this first recorded case of fratricide.

We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. – 1 John 3:12 ESV

If Abel’s offering or deed was commended as righteous because of his faith, then it would seem that Cain’s offering was deemed unrighteous by God because of his lack of faith. He was not trusting God for His future provision. He had not given God the best and what he had, therefore he was not having to trust God to provide for his future needs. He was simply going through the motions. And when God rejected his offering, Cain became angry. And God’s response to Cain’s display of anger reveals a lot about what was really taking place in the young man’s heart.

“Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” – Genesis 4:6-7 ESV

What did God mean by, “if you do well”? It would seem that He was talking about faith. Cain hoped for more crops. He hoped for abundant fruit. He wanted success. His concern was for future provision. But rather than trust God, he chose to trust in his own effort to meet his needs. He lacked faith in God and his offering demonstrated it. His offering required no sacrifice and displayed no sense of dependence upon God.

By sacrificing the life of the firstborn among his flock, Abel was putting his hope of future provision in the hands of God. There can be no doubt that he wanted his flocks to grow, but by offering his firstborn to God, he was having to place his assurance in God, not his flocks. He was showing that his faith was in God, the one who created the entire universe. Abel’s actions demonstrated that his hope was in the One who had provided all that he had, including the firstborn of his flock. Cain’s faith was in the fruit he had grown and his own ability to grow more. Whatever fruit he had given, he still had the tree or vine from which it came. So, in a way, his offering was more of a statement of self-reliance. It was as if he was declaring to God, “look what I have done!”

Yet Abel’s offering was an expression of thanks to God for all He had done and a statement of faith in all that God was going to do in the future. In other words, it was a clear demonstration of “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

He Died So That We Might Live

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16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. – Hebrews 9:16-28 ESV

Throughout this section of his letter, the author has been attempting to establish the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice. His death ushered in a new and better covenant. The shedding of His blood was necessary for that new covenant to replace the old one, and the blood that was shed resulted in death. This point is key to understanding the effectual nature of Christ’s sacrifice. The Son of God had to die so that the sins of mankind could be atoned for, and the author uses a clever play on words to make an important point. The Greek word for “covenant” is diathēkē, but it can also be translated as “testament” or “will.” In verse 16, the author states that “where there is a testament (diathēkē), the death of the testator (diatithēmi) must of necessity come in” (Douah-Rheims Bible).

For a will to go into effect, the one who made the will must die. In the same way, for the new covenant to replace the old one, Jesus’ death was “a necessity” (anagkē). Without His death, the promise of atonement, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life would have remained unfulfilled. Had Jesus not sacrificed His life, the old covenant would have remained in effect, leaving mankind with an awareness of sin but with no way to remove the guilt and condemnation that came with it.

The Jewish recipients of this letter were very familiar with blood sacrifices. Before coming to faith in Christ, they had taken part in the sacrificial system of Israel, in which the shedding of blood was an everyday reality. Under the old covenant, blood and death were unavoidable necessities if any Jew wanted to have his sins forgiven and his relationship with God restored.

When Moses dedicated the Tabernacle in the wilderness, he sacrificed unblemished animals and sprinkled their blood on the book of the law, the people, as well as the Tabernacle and its contents. Before the new house of God could be opened and the presence of God could fill the Holy of Holies, everything and everyone associated with it had to be purified. For, as the author reminds his readers, “under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22 ESV).

In the same way, the new covenant went into effect when Jesus sacrificed His life and allowed His blood to be poured out as a spiritual offering to God on behalf of sinful humanity. At the final Passover meal He shared with His disciples, Jesus held up a cup of wine and stated, “…this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (Matthew 26:28 NLT).

Just hours later, Jesus would shed His blood on the cross, sacrificing His sinless life on behalf of sinful mankind. And that sacrifice would prove to be better and more effective than any other sacrifice that had ever been given. When Moses inaugurated the Tabernacle, he said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you” (Hebrews 9:20 ESV). And when Jesus had prepared to use His body as the new means of sacrifice and the key to atonement, He said, “…this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28 NLT).

Both covenants were sealed in blood. But there is a huge difference between the two. The old covenant involved the blood of bulls and goats. The new covenant was based on the blood of the sinless Son of God. He “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26 ESV). Jesus didn’t require an animal sacrifice because He was without sin. He needed no atonement. Instead, His death was vicarious in nature, as He served as a substitute for sinful humanity. He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:20).

And His sacrifice was not offered in some Tabernacle made with human hands.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. –  Hebrews 9:24 ESV

Under the old covenant, the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. After offering sacrifices for his own sins, the high priest could pass through the veil and enter the Most Holy Place where he would sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull on the ark of the covenant. He would also sacrifice a goat and sprinkle its blood on the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat “because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:16 NLT). Then he would take a second goat and “lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel” (Leviticus 16:21 NLT). This symbolic action would “transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat” (Leviticus 16:21 NLT). That living goat would become the “scapegoat,” bearing the sins of the people and being led into the wilderness where it would inevitably die.

But with His death, Jesus entered into the presence of God. He did something no other sacrifice had been able to do. He died and was brought back to life by the power of God’s Spirit, which signified that His sacrifice had been acceptable by God. Jesus did not cease to exist after death. While His earthly body died and remained in the grave for three days, the Holy Spirit raised that body back to life.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, they fully recognized Him because He was, in a sense, His old self. His body even carried the holes left by the nails in His hands and feet. The disciples could clearly see the wound from the spear that had pierced His side. Jesus had died but was now alive. And as the author makes clear, Jesus was not going to have to die again. His sacrifice was fully sufficient.

…he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. – Hebrews 9:25-26 NLT

Paul reminds us of the incredible power that raised Jesus back to life because we have it available to us in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s power not only brought the body of Jesus back to life but it raised Him back to heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. – Ephesians 1:19-21 NLT

And just as Jesus came the first time in order to die for the sins of mankind, He is coming a second time to complete what He began. We all face the inevitable and inescapable reality of death. But the author of Hebrews gives us the good news regarding the death of those who have accepted Christ as their Savior.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. – Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT

Jesus is coming again. And to all those who have placed their faith in His substitutionary sacrifice, He will provide victory over death. They will receive new resurrected and redeemed bodies, free from pain, suffering, and sin. Those living under the old covenant depended on the blood of animals to cleanse them from their sins and any atonement they received was temporary in nature. They lived to sin again. They enjoyed forgiveness for the moment, but would eventually be required to offer another sacrifice. And they had the constant presence of their guilt before them and the fear of death facing them. But because of Jesus’ death, those of us who call Him Savior no longer live with the condemnation of sin or the fear of death. We are forgiven. We have the firm assurance of our promised inheritance. Our future is secure. Because we have placed our hope in a better sacrifice.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Sinless, All-Sufficient Sacrifice

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23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. – Hebrews 7:23-28 ESV

The sacrificial system of the Jews (and the priests who administered it) was designed to be temporary, not only in its duration but also in its efficaciousness. As the author clarifies in chapter ten, “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship” (Hebrews 10:1 NLT).

And the author explains why those repeated sacrifices were ultimately ineffective.

For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. – Hebrews 10:4 NLT

He goes on to say that God never really wanted and was never pleased or satisfied by the sacrifices that consisted of the blood of bulls and goats – even though they were required by the law of Moses (Hebrews 10:12). They were intended to be a foreshadowing of something far greater to come. The blood offerings were meant to demonstrate the costliness of sin. This is why the author says, “under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22 ESV).

Even the priests who ministered under the old covenant, the covenant of law, were impermanent, hampered by the reality of their own mortality. And as long as they lived, they had to continually offer sacrifices for their own sins before they could come into God’s presence on behalf of the people. Their own susceptibility to sin and vulnerability to death made them less-than-perfect representatives for the people. They couldn’t stop sinning and they couldn’t keep from dying. And eventually, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the people in Babylon, the temple would become non-existent and the priesthood, non-essential.

This brings us back to chapter seven, where the author continues to present Jesus as the better high priest. While there were many priests under the old covenant, the new covenant requires only one. Jesus is enough. He is sufficient. And the sacrifice He made was a one-time sacrifice, never needing to be repeated. His offering, which required the shedding of His own blood, completely appeased or propitiated the requirements of a holy God.

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. – Hebrews 7:27 ESV

His sacrifice was completely efficacious or effective. It accomplished exactly what was intended, paying the penalty for the sins of mankind and securing a verdict of “not guilty” from the lips of the Judge of the universe.

All the sacrifices under the old covenant were little more than bandaids on a much larger problem. They could not provide the sinner with complete and permanent absolution from sin. That’s they had to be offered repeatedly, year after year. God had given the law to the people of Israel in order to expose their sinfulness and to demonstrate His holiness. As the apostle Paul wrote, “the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good” (Romans 7:12 NLT). Paul would provide his young protégé, Timothy, with the following explanation of the law and its purpose.

We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. – 1 Timothy 1:8-11 NLT

Jesus came to change all that. With His death, burial, and resurrection, He inaugurated a new covenant that would be available to all – not just the nation of Israel.

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV

And this new covenant, made possible by the shedding of His blood, provided all of humanity with a remedy to the lingering problem of sin and the dark shadow of condemnation and death that came with it.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:12-15 NLT

With His sacrificial death, Jesus paid the penalty for sin – once and for all. And because He was sinless, He made the perfect sacrifice. His sinlessness meant that He needed to offer no sacrifice on His own behalf. And rather than offering the life of a bull or goat to pay for the sins of mankind, Jesus sacrificed His own life. He became both the priest and the offering. He gave His life so that we might live and never die.

Peter tells us, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18 NLT).

The bulls, goats, and lambs that were sacrificed on behalf of the people of Israel died permanent deaths. But Jesus died, only to be raised again to life by the power of the Spirit of God. Paul reminds us, “Yet now he [God] has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Colossians 1:22 NLT).

Jesus is the better high priest. He has accomplished what no other priest before Him could have ever hoped to do. He has reconciled sinful men to a righteous, holy God. He made possible the unbroken fellowship between a sinless God and sinful people. There would be no more need for anyone to try and earn their way into God’s good graces. No more striving to keep the law in an attempt to keep God satisfied.

Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. – Hebrews 7:25 NLT).

But there’s the rub. We have to come to God through Him. It has to be based on His efforts, not our own. Salvation is the result of the work of Christ, not our human effort. As Jesus told Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT).

Jesus is our high priest. He has offered Himself as the perfect, sinless sacrifice. He has paid the debt we owed. And as John so clearly reminds us, “We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus the Messiah, who is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20 ISV).

We need no other priest. God requires no other sacrifice. There is no debt still owed. Jesus has taken care of our sin problem, once and for all.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jesus is Enough

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Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. – Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV

There is probably no other New Testament book that contains so many Old Testament references, especially those related to the Tabernacle and the entire Levitical system associated with it. For anyone who has read the book of Leviticus, its detailed account of all the laws, rituals, sacrificial rites, and yearly festivals can be difficult to read and even harder to understand. The degree of specificity used when describing the mandatory sacrifices can leave modern readers perplexed and a bit put off by all the gory details involving blood, entrails, and burnt offerings.

“Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” – Leviticus 1:5-9 ESV

To our modern sensibilities, it all sounds so barbaric and cult-like. But the author of Hebrews takes those very same unsettling descriptions and instills them with new meaning so that his more “modern” readers can grasp their significance in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. – Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV

While do not know who the author of the Letter to the Hebrews was, we can almost certainly conclude that his audience was made up primarily of Jewish believers. Throughout the letter, he makes references to facts regarding Judaism, apparently assuming his readers were well-versed in them. He takes little time to explain details regarding the sacrificial system, the office of the high priest, the history of Israel, or the identity of the individuals listed in chapter 11, who were primarily Hebrews.

The fact that the author was also addressing Jews whose faith in Christ might be in question is evidenced by his repeated warnings against drifting away, neglecting so great a salvation, having an unbelieving heart, and failing to enter into the rest God has promised. Even in the opening line of his letter, the author tells his readers that, “in these last days he [God] has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2 ESV). He appears convinced that his audience is very familiar with the words of Jesus and the message of the gospel. Interestingly enough, he does not mention the name of Jesus anywhere in this first chapter but simply refers to Him as God’s Son. That Jesus was inferred and understood by his readers as the one being talked about is quite clear. The original recipients of this letter would have known exactly who was being discussed.

That the writer would delay the mention of Jesus’ name until the ninth verse in chapter two is intriguing. But it would seem that he felt no need to use the name of Jesus, but simply referred to His unique designation as the Son of God. That term would have been very familiar with his Jewish audience and would have brought to mind the very reason for which the Jews had rejected Jesus, to begin with. It was Jesus’ claim to be divine, the very Son of God, that led the Jewish leadership to accuse Him of blasphemy and to seek His death.

At one time Jesus said, “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27 NLT). These kinds of statements did not endear Jesus to the Jewish religious authorities of His day. In fact, when He was arrested and brought before them on the night He was betrayed, Caiaphas, the high priest, questioned Jesus asking, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” (Matthew 26:63 NLT). Jesus answered, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64 NLT). And Caiaphas, in shock and horror, responded, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” (Matthew 26:65-66 NLT). And his fellow religious leaders shouted out, “Guilty! He deserves to die!” (Matthew 26:66 NLT).

It was Jesus’ claim of divine Sonship that got Him in trouble – not the miracles, signs, and wonders He performed. It was not His teaching that drove the high priest and his cohorts mad with rage, but it was His insistence that He was divine. And the writer of Hebrews eagerly supports Jesus’ bold claim by stating that God had “spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2 ESV).

He attributes to Jesus the divine role of creator of the universe. According to the author of Hebrews, Jesus was and still is God. In fact, he boldly claims, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command” (Hebrews 1:3 NLT).

This man from Nazareth, who was murdered at the hands of the Romans at the insistence of the Jews, was the Son of God. And it was this very fact that made His sacrifice on the cross acceptable to His Heavenly Father. As the Son of God, He was completely sinless, making Him the perfect sacrifice and the only acceptable payment for the sins of mankind. And, the writer of Hebrews reminds his readers, “When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NLT).

Jesus returned to where He had come from, the very throne room of God. The apostle Paul writes about this very reality in his letter to the Philippians.

When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:7-11 NLT

Over the next chapters, we will see the author go out of his way to insist on the superiority of Christ. He is superior to angels, Moses, and any earthly high priest or institution. His sacrifice was greater and more effective than anything man could ever hope to accomplish through the sacrifice of bulls and goats. Jesus was and is incomparable. There was nothing in Judaism that could compare. There was no reason for those who had placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior and Messiah, to return to the old covenant of laws and ritualistic rule-keeping. Christ was sufficient. The good news was good enough. There was nothing missing and no man-made requirements necessary to complete or complement what Christ had done on the cross.

Peter reminds us, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT).

In Christ, we have all we need for salvation, sanctification, and our ultimate glorification. Nothing is missing. Nothing needs to be added. As the old hymn, Rock of Ages, so aptly puts it, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” Jesus is enough.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Beauty of God’s Forgiveness and Forgetfulness

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6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 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. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 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. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

20 “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. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.” – Leviticus 16:6-22 ESV

God ordered Aaron to bring a bull, one ram, and two male goats to the Tabernacle for use as sacrifices on the Day of Atonement. Each of these animals had a different role to play in the annual ceremony and verses 6-10 provide a succinct summary of their use. The bull was to be offered by Aaron himself as a sin offering that was intended to provide purification for him and his family members. Once this process of atonement was complete, he was properly prepared to act on behalf of the people of Israel.

The next step in the process was to cast lots over the two goats. This was done to determine which goat would serve as a blood sacrifice and which goat would be released into the wilderness. It remains unclear how the casting of lots took place, but the Hebrews practiced this form of divination as a way to determine God’s will. The Book of Proverbs states that the “lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33 ESV).

By casting lots, Aaron was allowing God to make the determination as to the fate of each of the goats. One was to be slaughtered for the sins of the people, with its blood used to purify the Tabernacle, the altar, and the Holy of Holies. The life of this innocent animal would serve as a form of substitutionary atonement so that all of the sins the people had committed that year could be forgiven and forgotten. King David wrote the following Psalm to celebrate the goodness and graciousness of God.

He revealed his character to Moses
    and his deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
    nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west. – Psalm 103:7-12 NLT

The imagery of the two goats aptly illustrates David’s point. The first goat died so that the Israelites might live. But the second goat lived so that the sins of the Israelites might be symbolically removed from them. This goat has come to be known as the “scapegoat,” a term first coined by William Tyndale. The Hebrew term used for this goat is עֲזָאזֵל (ʿazaʾzel), and it appears four times in the Scriptures, all in this passage. The exact meaning of the term has been much debated over the centuries.

The passage suggests that one goat was chosen “for the Lord,” while the other was to be “for Azazel.” Over the centuries, many scholars have determined that the word, “Azazel” could best be defined as “the goat that departs.” This is what led Tyndale and others to refer to this animal as the “scapegoat.” Even the modern definition of the term, “scapegoat” reflects the practice of using this animal as a substitute or proxy for the people. Dictionary.com defines a scapegoat as “a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.”

Yet, more recent scholarship has arrived at a different meaning for the name, “Azazel.”

“The most common view among scholars today is that it is the proper name of a particular demon (perhaps even the Devil himself) associated with the wilderness desert regions.…Even if a demon or the demonic realm is the source for the name, however, there is no intention here of appeasing the demons. The goal is to remove the impurity and iniquity from the community in order to avoid offending the Lord and the repercussions of such.” – NET Bible Study Notes

Whatever the exact meaning of the word, Azazel, it is clear that this goat, like its companion, was intended to serve as a substitute. The only difference was that its life was spared. It was allowed to live but was forcibly banned from the community and sent out into the wilderness, bearing the sins of the entire nation.

“He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.” – Leviticus 16:21-22 NLT

These two goats served two separate but connected roles. One provided its blood as atonement for the sins of the people. This blood was sprinkled on the altar in order to “cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel” (Leviticus 16:19 ESV). The presence of unconfessed and unatoned-for sin among the people had ended up contaminating the Tabernacle which required its purification. So, Aaron was required to sprinkle the blood “over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat” (Leviticus 16:14 ESV). In doing so, he would “make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins” (Leviticus 16:16 ESV).

But the second goat served a different but no less important purpose. The sins of the people were ceremonially transferred to this goat by the laying on of hands. As the God-ordained representative of the people, Aaron verbally confessed their sins and placed them on the “scapegoat.” If the name, Azazel, was meant to represent Satan, perhaps this ritual was intended to send the people’s sins back to where they belonged, back to the one who was the ultimate cause of all sin. By sending the goat into the wilderness, they were returning their sins to their source. The blood of the first goat provided purification and cleansing from their sins. But the life of the second goat provided a permanent separation from those sins.

Amazingly, both goats represent the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). The apostle Peter describes how Jesus served as both the source of our atonement and the means of permanent separation from our sin.

He never sinned,
    nor ever deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
    nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
    who always judges fairly.
He personally carried our sins
    in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
    and live for what is right.
By his wounds
    you are healed.
Once you were like sheep
    who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
    the Guardian of your souls. – 1 Peter 2:22-25 NLT

The “scapegoat” was exiled to the wilderness, where it would ultimately die from either exposure or by being eaten by a predator. Symbolically, the sins it carried would die along with it. In the same sense, Jesus bore our sins on the cross, and when He died, our sins died with Him. In a way, before coming to faith in Christ, each believer lived under the weight of sin and, like the scapegoat, wandered the wilderness of life waiting for death. But Jesus provided a means by which those sins could be paid for, forgiven, and removed forever. He paid the debt we owed with His own blood, atoning for all our sins – past, present, and future – and removing any trace of them from our record.

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:13-14 NLT

As the Israelites stood and watched as that second goat was led into the wilderness, they must have felt a palpable sense of relief and thanksgiving. Sins they didn’t even know they had committed were disappearing into the distance. Sins they had committed but had refused to confess had been removed from their record and transferred to that innocent animal, never to be seen or heard from again. Many of them had lived with the burden of unconfessed sin all year long. But now, they were able to enjoy God’s forgiveness as well as His gracious forgetfulness. As the goat disappeared into the distance, so did the memory of their sin. That’s why the apostle John reminded his readers:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Day of Atonement

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1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.” – Leviticus 16:1-5 ESV

At the midway point of the book of Leviticus, we find God instituting what came to be known as the Day of Atonement. It remains one of the most sacred days on the Hebrew calendar and is better known today as Yom Kippur. This solemn day was intended to prepare the people of Israel for another year of holy living before the Lord. It would culminate the 364 days of the previous year during which the people had been expected to keep all the sacrificial rituals and purity regulations outlined in chapters 1-15. While many of the sacrifices offered throughout the year could provide atonement for individual sins, the Day of Atonement was designed to atone for the sins of the entire community.

This once-a-year rite was prescribed by God so that no sins would be overlooked or unaccounted for. God knew that during the normal course of life, the people of Israel would fail to account for every sin they had committed. Neglect or denial could result in unconfessed sins that left the individual Israelite in a state of defilement and impurity before God, and any sin left unatoned for would impact the entire community’s standing before God. So, the Day of Atonement served as a year-end purification ritual that would account for all the residual sins that remained hidden and in need of atonement.

On this one day out of the year, the high priest was given access to the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was located. Only on this day was Aaron allowed to enter the inner recesses of the Tabernacle where God’s presence dwelled above the Mercy Seat. So, it was on this solemn and highly sacred day that the high priest, acting as a mediator between God and the people of Israel, passed through the veil and ventured into the presence of Yahweh. But for that to happen, the high priest and every Israelite must be free from all sin and defilement. Nothing could be left out or overlooked. No hidden sins could be ignored. No impurity or moral imperfection could be treated as insignificant or unimportant. Entrance into God’s presence required complete holiness which demanded a total absence of any trace of sin.

What separates the Day of Atonement from all the other days of the year is its emphasis on God’s provision for corporate absolution and sanctification. On that one day, God did for the people of Israel what they had failed to do for themselves. They had been given 364 days to confess and atone for all their sins but God knew that their efforts would be incomplete and unsatisfactory. Hidden sins would remain. Impurity would still infect the camp. And as long as this was true, the Holy of Holies would remain off-limits and God’s remain unapproachable. He would be among them but attainable by them.

So, God provided this gracious and undeserved plan for corporate atonement, and like all the other sacrifices He instituted, it involved the shedding of blood. And it required that the people enter into a period marked by stringent self-denial and a laser-beam focus on their need for God’s forgiveness and atonement.

“On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn, you must deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you. On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the Lord’s presence from all your sins. It will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a permanent law for you.” – Leviticus 16:29-31 NLT

The chapter begins with a firm warning from God. He told Moses to remind Aaron of the danger of entering His presence unannounced or in a state of unholiness.

“Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.” – Leviticus 16:2 NLT

Only on this one day was Aaron allowed to venture into this most sacred section of the Tabernacle, and only after He had followed the stringent rules set out by God.

When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on. Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.” – Leviticus 16:3-5 NLT

These rules were non-negotiable and had to be followed down to the last letter. To fail to do so would result in death. Aaron was tasked with a heavy responsibility. He held the fate of the entire Israelite community in his hands. Any failure to carry out every detail of God’s instructions would have devastating consequences, not only for Aaron but for every Israelite man, woman, and child.

The central focus of the Tabernacle was that small room called the Holy of Holies in which the Ark of the Covenant was located. On top of this ornate gold-covered box was the Mercy Seat, a solid gold slab measuring 44” x 26,” and on which two golden cherubim were affixed with their outstretched wings covering the surface of the lid. The Hebrew name for this golden seat was כַּפֹּרֶת (kapōreṯ), which can be translated “place of atonement” or “place of propitiation.” The combined Ark and Mercy Seat served as God’s throne and footstool. It was here, in the inner recesses of the Tabernacle, that His holy presence dwelled among His people. But His holiness remained off-limits to the people as long as sin remained among them. No one was allowed to venture into His presence, including Moses or Aaron, as long as any sin remained unaccounted and unatoned for.

But the Day of Atonement was God’s gracious way of providing access to His presence despite the presence of sin among His people. He had made a way. And this providential provision by God had been going on ever since He had delivered the people of Israel from their captivity from Egypt.

“I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    Israel’s Creator and King.
I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,
    making a dry path through the sea.
I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
    with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
    their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.” – Isaiah 43:15-17 NLT

God had made a way for them to escape their captivity in Egypt. But that was not the end.

“But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
    the jackals and owls, too,
    for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
    so my chosen people can be refreshed.
I have made Israel for myself,
    and they will someday honor me before the whole world.” – Isaiah 43:18-21 NLT

God had made a way through the Red Sea and across an uninhabitable and inhospitable wilderness. He had provided for all their needs. And now, He was providing a way to escape the vice-like grasp of sin’s hold on their lives. They were still living in captivity to sin. They were suffering from spiritual thirst and hunger because of sin’s persistent presence in their lives. And while He had given them His law and the sacrificial system, they were incapable of flawless obedience and imperfect when it came to atoning for their own sins. So, God provided a way – a gracious and completely efficacious way that accounted for every sin so that perfect and complete atonement could be experienced by all.

But God’s way required complete dependence upon Him, and it demanded the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. There was no way around the fact that sin demanded the death of the guilty party. But God had provided the sacrificial system as a way of exacting payment without demanding the life of the sinner. The sacrificial system provided a form of substitutionary atonement, where the unblemished animal shed its blood and gave its life on behalf of the guilty sinner. And this pattern was continued on the Day of Atonement but with the added benefit that the entire faith community was included in the process. Full atonement for all.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

From Isolation to Restoration

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1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field. 8 And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 9 And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.

10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil. 11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 12 And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 13 And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 17 And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord. 19 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil; 22 also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23 And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord. 28 And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord. 30 And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31 one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for him who is being cleansed. 32 This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.” – Leviticus 14:1-32 ESV

Chapter 13 paints a far-from-pleasant picture for all those who suffer from skin diseases.

“Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.” – Leviticus 13: 45-46 NLT

These unfortunate individuals were to be treated as outcasts, forced to live outside the camp, and treated as social pariahs. Not only were they forbidden to come into contact with their fellow Israelites, but they were also denied access to the Tabernacle and separated from the presence of Yahweh. In their infected state, they were forbidden to come anywhere near the house of God for fear that their ceremonial impurity would render the Tabernacle unclean and unfit for God’s presence. So, once they were diagnosed by the priest and declared to be “leprous,” they were forced to live outside the camp for a period of seven days.

“…the priest must quarantine the infected person for seven days. On the seventh day the priest must examine the person again.” – Leviticus 13:26-27 NLT

Chapter 14 picks up the story on the eighth day, “the day of his cleansing” (Leviticus 14:1 ESV). The priest was required to examine the individual one more time but this required the priest to visit the infected person outside the camp. Even on the eighth day, the “leprous” individual was denied re-entry to the community. Before he could return to camp, he had to be ceremonially cleansed. This involved two separate and highly elaborate sacrificial rites. The first was done outside the camp and required that the one wishing to be restored to fellowship bring “two live birds that are ceremonially clean, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch” (Leviticus 14:4 NLT).

One of the birds was to be killed over a clay bowl containing fresh water, allowing its blood to mingle with the water. Then the priest was to take the remaining live bird, along with the cedar, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the mixture of water and blood. The contents of the bowl were then sprinkled seven times on the one who desired to be cleansed. At the end of this ceremony, the priest pronounced the individual to be clean and the live bird was released into the wilderness.

The next step involved physical cleansing, requiring the worshiper to “wash their clothes, shave off all their hair, and bathe themselves in water” (Leviticus 14:7 NLT). But even then, they were required to spend another seven days in isolation. At the end of this period of time, “they must again shave all the hair from their heads, including the hair of the beard and eyebrows. They must also wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water” (Leviticus 14:9 NLT).

Only after having completed all the required rituals would the worshiper be deemed ceremonially clean and free to return to the camp and to the Tabernacle. And his ability to return to the Tabernacle was vital because it was there that he would experience the second half of his cleansing. While the formerly leprous individual was officially clean, he needed atonement. This required that he offer a series of sacrifices that included reparation, purification, burnt, and meal offerings.

The point behind all of this was the restoration of the outcast. The one who had been as good as dead had been restored to life, and his healing had fostered his return to fellowship within the community. Now, it was time for him to be restored to fellowship with Yahweh.

This entire ceremony took place at the entrance to the Tabernacle, the house of God.

“…the officiating priest will present that person for purification, along with the offerings, before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle.” – Leviticus 14:11 NLT

This must have been a time of great joy and excitement for the former outcast. Once considered a threat to the community, the cleansed congregant was welcomed back into fellowship and allowed to enter the house of God. The one who had spent weeks verbally declaring himself to be unclean was reinstated to the faith community and welcomed with open arms at the gates of the Tabernacle.

While the one seeking atonement had not contracted his skin disease as a result of sin, he still needed to make reparations and atonement because his condition had rendered him unclean and an offense to a holy God. His forced separation had kept him from offering sacrifices and even presenting his tithes to God. Now it was time to make things right.

The very fact that the affected person was standing in the courtyard of the Tabernacle was evidence that he had been accepted by the priest and the people. But it was essential that his cleansed state be approved by God. This required sacrifice and it is interesting to note the similarities between the rite for priestly ordination and the restoration process of the newly cleansed individual. The blood from the sacrificed animals was sprinkled on “the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified” (Leviticus 14:14 NLT). This same process was done to set apart Aaron and his sons for the priesthood.

“Then Moses took some of its blood and applied it to the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. Next Moses presented Aaron’s sons and applied some of the blood to the lobes of their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet.” – Leviticus 8:23-24 NLT

The formerly exiled worship was being reconsecrated to God and fully accepted into His presence and approved for service. The unclean outcast was now considered a purified child of God who was welcome in His house. His sacrifices were deemed worthy and acceptable to God.

A vital point to consider is that none of the rituals contained in chapter 14 were meant to provide healing. Everything was intended for purification and not for curative purposes. The healing of the individual was God’s doing. Even though the one affected by the disease was cast out from the community, God did not abandon them. Their physical restoration was provided for them by God. And their return to the faith community was also made possible by God.

God had told the Israelites, “I am the Lord, your healer” (Exodus 15:26 ESV). He would later reiterate that truth, declaring His sovereignty over life and death, sickness and healing.

“Look now; I myself am he!
    There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
    I am the one who wounds and heals;
    no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!” – Deuteronomy 32:39 NLT

All could receive renewed health and healing from God. Even the poorest among them could be restored because God made provision for their poverty. Verses 21-32 outline the alternate offerings that God deemed acceptable for any who were financially challenged. There was nothing to keep the penitent sinner from receiving full atonement from the Lord. Decay and disease had separated them from their God and their fellow Israelites, but God had made provision for their full restoration and redemption.

“Through this process, the priest will purify the person before the Lord.” – Leviticus 14:29 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.