Complexity made simple — by grace!

 

 

Leviticus 5-8

I’m making a complicated quilt with lots of pieces and fabrics and a complex design. Its pattern was a guide but not helpful in the arrangement. In other words, no rules to follow and I am using experience and my sense of design and color for this challenge. While enjoying the process, I look forward to the next one which will be simple and much easier.

Then I read these four chapters in Leviticus with directions for sin and guilt offerings and realized how little I know about complexity. These rules were vital in the relationship of God’s people with Him, their only way to be forgiven for sin and yet they seem so impossible. A sample of a few commands:

When he realizes his guilt in any of these and confesses the sin he has committed, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin. (Leviticus 5:5–6)

But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. (Leviticus 5:7)

But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. (Leviticus 5:11)

If anyone sinned regarding the holy things of the Lord, to be forgiven he must sacrifice a ram without blemish for a guilt offering and make restitution for what he has done, adding a fifth for the priest. If anyone breaks a commandment unintentionally then realizes his guilt, he must do the same. (Leviticus 5:15–18)

Those who gain by robbery or take something entrusted to him, or find something another person lost and do not return it, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, then restore what was take to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. (Leviticus 6:4–5)

As for the burnt offerings, they were to be on the altar all night until the morning. This fire must be kept burning with the priest adding wood every morning, then the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings. This fire shall not go out. (Leviticus 6:8–13) Also, the grain offering must be burned, not eaten. (22-23)

There were specific laws for the guilt offerings, sin offerings, peace and grain offerings, alike in some ways yet with variations. For instance, a vow offering or a freewill offering must be eaten on the day it is offered and the next day, but the rest burned on the third day or he who offered it will not be accepted and shall bear his iniquity. If that person eats the sacrifice of the peace offerings while unclean, they shall be cut off from his people. Eating fat or blood was forbidden. Those who did it were also cut off from their people.

Ordination offerings were “waved for a wave offering before the Lord as He commanded Moses.” When Aaron and his sons were consecrated as priests, some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar was sprinkled on them and their garments. They were not to go outside the tabernacle for seven days or they would die.

I’m not aware of all the symbolism in these rules and rituals. I just know that Jesus is the sinless Lamb offered for the sin of the world and slain on a cross, not an altar. His blood was shed to atone for their sin, our sin, my sin — so I can experience forgiveness and a relationship with Him — apart from all the laws and rule-keeping that became even more complex as the Pharisees kept adding more rules to “protect the rules” and sinful human hearts kept saying “I will do this myself” instead of trusting Him. I think of the noises and smells of dying animals, and the grief of realizing these rituals would need repeating because humans are so helpless to stop the sin that would otherwise condemn them — constantly, constantly. And I think of Jesus who “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)

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 . . . And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 9:12; 10:10)

Lord, by grace You saved those who trusted You back then and those who trust You now, by grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, once for all. Thank You, thank You, thank You.

 

What about God’s Laws?

 

For many years I’ve heard people say that being a Christian was not for them because there are too many rules and “I can’t keep them all so why bother?” Behind that is the idea that rule-keeping is necessary to earning salvation and entering heaven. Today’s focus is on the Mosaic COVENANT, but before my heart goes there, I want to clarify the reason God gave all those rules. It was NOT so His people could become His people; they already were. His Law was given to show them how to behave as His people.

Compare this to being in the army. No one goes through bootcamp to join up; that has already happened. Bootcamp is learning how to be a soldier, not to sign up. In the Mosaic covenant, God is instructing His people how to live. That said, God gave His ‘army’  613 commands (not just 10), 365 do not do this and 248 do this instead. They would be blessed for obedience and suffer for disobedience.

Included in this covenant were blood sacrifices to atone for sin. These provided forgiveness and restoration of fellowship, covering their sin but not removing it as the blood of Christ would later accomplish.

Also included were diet restrictions. One of them, the forbidding of pork, indicates God was protecting them. In those days, no one knew about trichinosis or how to avoid it in that meat. This may apply to other restrictions concerning harmful foods.

Also in these rules, the death penalty was expanded to other sins besides killing another person. This illustrates that certain sins were blatant behaviors that smeared the image of God. Death (separation from God in a spiritual sense) is serious and His people needed to live with the understanding that His grace is not to be abused. Even today, those sins dishonor God far more vividly than the many other things people do in disobedience.

The sign of circumcision remained, not just for Jews but for non-Jews who wanted to be part of Israel. In the NT, they were later warned that being circumcised obligated them to keep the entire Law of God since they had the idea that circumcision would also justify them before God. This is not the intention for this sign then or now.

Another sign or token was given: His people were required to keep the Sabbath or one day of rest out of seven. Oddly, every reason given for the observance of the Sabbath has relevance only to Israel, not to the Gentiles or the Church, nor was it connected to being like God and reflecting His rest after Creation. Not only that the Sabbath was a day of rest, not a day of corporate worship. His people were prohibited from working, traveling, and burden bearing. References to the Sabbath as a holy convocation point to priestly duties only. The term can refer to spiritual renewal, however the NT defines it as the rest that trusts Christ alone rather than ‘working’ for our salvation.

The Law of God was given to reveal God’s holy standards, give rules of conduct, provide occasions for worship, and keep God’s people distinct from all other people. Those rules revealed sin. Humans sinned before the Law but that was clarified when the Law was given. They also revealed that no one could keep it all, driving people to saving faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

The Mosaic Covenant was the basis for the Dispensation of Law. It was conditional and came to an end with the death of the Messiah: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4) because He is our righteousness! Those who think rule-keeping will do it have departed from grace as Paul said, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:21)

Another important truth is that the Law of God is singular, not to be divided into moral, ritual, dietary etc. so that anyone can claim some parts are valid and other parts are not. The Bible is clear that if we break one commandment, we are guilty of all (James 2:10). Instead, “we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7:6)

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. There is much more that could be said about the Law and how it is not a rule of life for Christians. Instead, we live in freedom from all demands of that Law in the New Covenant. However, I am to not use that freedom as an opportunity to do whatever my sinful flesh wants. The whole law is fulfilled by loving God and “loving my neighbor as myself.” I’m to serve Him and others in love. The only way this is possible is by walking in the Spirit so I will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:13–16) The only way to walk in the Spirit is to keep short accounts through confessing sin, asking the Spirit to fill me, and keeping my eyes on Jesus. In Christ, the Law is fulfilled — in Christ there is no condemnation.