He didn’t stay dead . . .

Leviticus 1; Proverbs 17; John 20; Philippians 4

Leviticus isn’t known for being an exciting read, but the typology in it is fascinating. Typology is a literary device or figure of speech in which a something in the Old Testament is understood to correspond with a something in the New Testament. In most cases, the OT type points to Jesus Christ.

For instance, the burnt offering description says that the one who offered it must “lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” (Leviticus 1:4)

The word translated “to lay his hand on” means “resting or supporting oneself” on the animal. Through this act the worshiper identified himself with the animal as his substitute. In the NT, those who believe in Jesus Christ identify with His death and declare that they are totally resting their life on Him.

“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6:8)

The burnt offering is repeatedly said in Leviticus to be “a pleasing aroma to the Lord” which is an anthropomorphic expression or figure of speech attributing human attributes to God. This expression indicates the Lord’s approval and acceptance of the completed sacrifice. In the NT, it says . . .

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2)

As I was reading about the killing of lambs etc. I thought how shocked those OT people would have been had the animal on the altar returned to life. I remember my dad reluctantly disposing of a large dog because it was chasing the neighbor’s cows. He shot it between the eyes out in the trees. Two weeks later, that dog walked into the yard. What a stir that created! Most people would not have believed it.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19–20)

However, Thomas was not there and he didn’t believe it happened. He had to see it for himself . . .

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:26–29)

Jesus, not a tough dog but the Lamb of God and a vulnerable and willing sacrifice, did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which John did not write in his gospel, but he said, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30–31)

Types don’t work backwards. We read them that way now after easily being able to see the fulfillment they pointed toward, but those slain animals could not save anyone offering them. They stayed dead, yet had a purpose . . .

“But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:3–4)

Instead, the NT says that by the will of God, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10) Jesus is the better sacrifice, the One needed to resolve the sin problem.

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:16–18)

APPLY: Today, the OT points me again to Jesus who died for my sin — but He did not stay dead. He is no longer on the cross and He did not die so I could earn my salvation (like one cult believes). He died and rose. He is alive and He lives in me. He gives me His incredible peace and joy — and I can experience both even as the world news threatens. Because His offering was accepted, I am also accepted and death cannot rob me of His abundant life here — or His eternal life beyond this life.

Without the blood . . .

Does the sight of blood make some people queasy? One of my children fainted when a lab tech took his blood. I turn my face away if a TV show is gory. Blood signifies pain, suffering, and death, but without blood, no one would be alive, and without the shedding of blood God does not forgive sin.

The story of God’s redemptive work using shed blood includes the exodus of His people from their bondage as slaves in Egypt. This historical situation depicts the wrath of God on sin and the provision of God for deliverance.

The people were about to leave under the leadership of Moses and Aaron, but first the final plague of death would strike the firstborn of every living creature. God told each household to take a lamb without blemish and on a certain day they were to kill it . . . 

“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” (Exodus 12:1–14)

Those who mock this practice and say it is barbaric have little understanding of the seriousness of sin. God is holy and sin must be punished by death. Nothing else will do, but in mercy He told His people He would send a Savior, and in the meantime, He would accept a perfect lamb as their substitute, an atoning sacrifice that bore their guilt and saved them from God’s wrath on sin.

In the fullness of time, the Savior came and was put to death, shedding His blood to atone for human sin. Mock it, dismiss it, laugh at it, but to our own peril . . .

“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) (‘Almost everything is forgiven except the rejection of God’s saving plan!)

I don’t like to think about His blood. First, it reminds me that my sin is a serious matter, and that God the Son had to come here, suffer, and be put to death because of it. Yet I have peace with God and my conscience is purged from guilt because of the blood of the Lamb, His sinless sacrifice. . .

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:19–20)

“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 9:12–14)

These and many other verses speak of the power of His blood. Through it I have access to God and a secure victory over my spiritual enemies, death, hell and the grave. I will stand wholly pure before God, and praise Him for saving me from sin by the blood of Christ.

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation . . . .” (Revelation 5:9)

The second reason that I don’t like to think about His blood is what He suffered. This is the Creator of the universe put to death by mere mortals who think our way is better than His. We are fools — He humbled Himself for billions of fools, many of whom ignore Him, shake their fists at Him, curse Him, and make fun of a faith that requires blood. Yet He died asking the Father for our forgiveness.

Jesus, what can I say? You died, shedding your precious blood to release me from the bondage of sin and to continually cleanse me from sin’s power. Forgive us for our lack of response and consideration for the redeeming blood You poured out on our behalf.

Making a mess?

Growing up on the farm meant doing (or witnessing) some unpleasant chores. One of them was dehorning and branding cattle. The horns had to be removed to prevent injuries and branding to prevent cattle rustling (which happens in real life as well as in the movies).

The other chore, worse in my mind, was butchering chickens. They would go in the freezer to feed us during the winter, but seeing a chicken beheaded and then scalded to remove the feathers didn’t do much for my appetite. Of course, for either chore, our mom told us to put on old clothes, certainly nothing we would wear to school or for finer occasions.

After reading in Exodus of the beautiful garments God wanted His priests to wear, and after reading of the bloody sacrificial rites they performed — in those garments with jewels and fine linen — I’m shaking my head at the scenes I imagine. Blood on their clothes, blood spatter on the altar; it is an unpleasant sight. I don’t understand why they couldn’t wear coveralls, but I do understand the sacrifices. God says without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sin.

As my mind imagined details, a couple of verses at the end of this first reading pull me back for the big picture. God said, “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.” (Exodus 29:45–46)

As awful as what they were doing seems (at least in my imagination), these sacrifices were continual reminders of the fact that God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and reminders of His holiness, and of the awfulness of their sin, and their need for forgiveness.

I couldn’t put the images of fancy clothes and sacrifices out of my mind, but a couple of phrases in the second reading gave me a glimpse into God’s view of these priests and their bloody garments . . . . “Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil . . . .” (Song of Solomon 4:1)

This refers not just to the priests, but the entire Bride of Christ being praised for her beauty. Does the bride, the church always look good? No, but because God puts us in Christ, He sees us and says, “Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful!” How gracious is our God!

Also, as I read about those priests and their glorious clothes, I wondered if they wondered about wearing them instead of coveralls. There is no mention of it. No doubt it was an honor. They probably felt unworthy even as they did their work with a sense of privilege. Their hearts were filled with holy reverence for the One who had delivered them, who gave them this task of intercession.

Then the NT reading makes an echo. In the passage for today, John describes how Jesus is like those priests. Just as they following the instructions of the Lord God, so also did Jesus do as the Lord God told Him. He repeatedly told His listeners that He did the will of God, and included this explanation . . .

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:30)

Application is sometimes blatantly simple. Even if God asked me to dig in the mud wearing my best clothes, or asked me to get messy helping someone out of the mud, I’m to behave like a priest and like Jesus, and do exactly what He tells me. I might look less than spiffy in the mirror, but in His sight and because of Jesus, no matter what I’m wearing I am beautiful.

It is finished!

In the Old Testament sacrificial system, sacrifices were offered frequently, just as sin was committed frequently. God had declared that there was no remission of sin without the shedding of blood and this system covered their sin for a time. They needed to make the sacrifices in faith, realizing that a Redeemer would come.

Jesus did come, the Lamb of God who bore the sin of the world. Unlike the other sacrifices, His was sufficient. It covered all sin and He only had to do it once.

As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 9:27-28)

As the people of God looked ahead to full redemption, I look back. Just as Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and my redemption is complete. Every time I or anyone else sins, there is no need for another sacrifice. Jesus did it. His blood was shed, not just for the sins up to His sacrifice, but all sin for all time.

I know many people do not understand this or believe it. It seems weird, or gory, or a silly way to deal with sin, but this was God’s plan from before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20). He knew that humanity would fall into sin and He knew that His Son would have to die for that sin, bearing the punishment we deserve.

Every morning I ask the Lord to give me truth and thoughts that I need for each day. Sometimes I am startled by the way His response fits my needs. When I have a question; He answers it. When I have a need; He supplies what I need.

Today, I’m tired from a full and wonderful day of worship yesterday, and He gives this — the simple truth of the Gospel — Jesus came, bore all my sin and gave me eternal life. Further, He is coming again and when He does, I will experience the fullness of the salvation that is mine. Today, He bids me to simply rest in the wonder of that reality.

Offerings, His and Ours

Some might think that the descriptions of Israel’s sacrifices are boring, or old stuff that has nothing to do with now. As I read my Bible along with Recalling the Hope of Glory, my heart is thrilled at how much these rituals are relevant to worship, not only then but for me today.

Leviticus describes the major offerings. The first one required was the purification or sin offering. This was required for sins committed and involved a dramatic ritual with blood and fire. The blood represented the life that had been forfeited because of sin and points forward to the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The fire demonstrated that God accepted the offering. This offering was brought with confession of sin and in genuine repentance as preparation for worship. Otherwise, sinners could not approach God.

However, sometimes the sins confessed were of such a nature that things had to be made right before the sin offering could be made. In other words, if the worshiper had harmed another or defrauded God in some way, they must make a trespass or reparation offering. This showed the need for reconciliation between sinners and those sinned against. Jesus said, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

While some sins cannot be made right, I am to do my best. Neglecting this can hinder worship, never mind what it does to my relationships with other people.

Besides offerings for removing the guilt of sin, there was an important atoning sacrifice called the burnt offering. This one was completely burnt on the altar and signified that the worshiper had totally yielded their life to God, and God accepted them.

These three offerings were given by God to provide a way for worshipers to have and maintain a right relationship with Him. They signified that He removed the barriers of sin and guilt to those who genuinely repented of their sin and came to Him seeking mercy. This also involved faith that God would someday provide a Messiah who would give them total redemption.

In the church today, these sacrifices are fulfilled by the offering of Jesus Christ on our behalf. His shed blood has been accepted by God as our full atoning sacrifice. We are set apart or sanctified at salvation, and are continually set apart and sanctified because of His blood.

Of course no one earns or deserves His incredible mercy. In gratitude, Israel wanted to give something back—to repay God—but this is impossible. So God provided another offering, the dedication or grain offering. It involves food, not blood, and is called the “memorial” meaning “to remember.” This offering was the worshipers way of saying that all he has and does and is belongs to God.

In the New Testament, it is reflected by Paul’s call to Christians, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1) and other verses that speak of wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ.

The fifth offering is the one that blessed me this morning. It is called the peace offering and was given not to make peace with God but celebrated because those who truly worship Him already have that peace. It is a communion with God, not to establish or renew it but simply to enjoy it. It is sitting down with God for a meal.

Some tried to do this without repentance and the other things involved in a true relationship with their God. They had sin that was not covered by blood, therefore, eating this offering was also a sin, and it resulted in being “cut off” from His people, even by death.

In the New Testament, this ritual is paralleled by Holy Communion. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul gives instruction that believers do this properly. The regulations are almost identical to those involving the peace offering.

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep (a biblical euphemism for death). For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”

The peace offering was a sacrificial meal shared between God and His people. Anyone could participate as long as they had a right relationship with Him because that is what this meal signifies. Those who partake must first experience His forgiveness and redeeming power, but also be keeping short accounts, confessing their sin, making things right with others, and be wholly dedicated to Him. Otherwise participation is a sham and a mockery of all God has done.

Further, as Paul said, those who tried to participate in this wonderful and special meal would face judgment and possibly death.

Yesterday a few people described their struggles with the woes of this world and their inability to cope with life. I sit here in silence, overwhelmed at the grace of God. Yes, I’ve had my share of struggles and certainly know that inability to cope with any of it, yet at the same time, with God in the middle of everything, the cares and concerns of this life seem like nothing.

Paul said, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body . . . . Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (1 Corinthians 4).

During my own difficulties, God keeps giving me a vision of the eternal. In time and back then, His people celebrated with a peace offering. Today I can celebrate in Holy Communion, but there is more. Jesus said of that ritual, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

This is what overwhelms me. He makes life rich, but someday, because of His great grace, I will be totally free of not only the penalty and power of sin, but also its presence. When that great day comes, we will sit down together, me and Jesus, at the marriage supper of the Lamb and celebrate all He has done as we eat together in eternity!