perfect sacrifice – Be Still…

Numbers 19:1-22 – Purification is a Big Deal

Read Numbers 19:1-22

This isn’t the only place the Bible speaks of the importance of purification. You may recall Leviticus 11-15 as well as a couple other places in the law of Moses. However, it is my understanding this is the only account that talks about the red heifer. An interesting reference to be sure! While color usually didn’t matter for animal sacrifice, this one must be perfect and resemble the color of blood.

The mere necessity to talk about touching dead people in more than one Biblical text leads me to believe it was a big deal in those days. Was it a “thing” for people go around touching dead people? What made it so defiling? Perhaps these texts are the reason I have never touched a dead person, and I’ve had plenty of loved ones go before me. Continue reading “Numbers 19:1-22 – Purification is a Big Deal”

Leviticus 22:17-33 – Without Defect

Read Leviticus 22:17-33

It’s as if the precepts for sacrificial animals in this passage jump through time and help us appreciate the perfect sacrifice Jesus represents for us. He was certainly without defect because he never sinned.

What does God’s desire for perfection say about the value of the gift, the recipient, or the giver? Certainly, an animal without blemish would be more valuable in a monetary sense, but God (the recipient) looks at the heart of the giver. God doesn’t want our cast offs or leftovers. Such would be insulting, showing an utter disrespect for God. Continue reading “Leviticus 22:17-33 – Without Defect”

Hebrews 9:11-28 – What Jesus Did For You!

Read Hebrews 9:11-28

What was your reaction to this reading? Did you take note of some of the gems of truth the Preacher is sharing with us. It’s easy to let these words just whiz on past. Remember that what Jesus did, he did for you! Jesus “secured our redemption forever.”

The old covenant was good for external purity. In the new covenant, Jesus cleanses us on the inside as well. We now live in freedom to encounter and experience God without exhausting ourselves trying to be perfect by following the law. Paying attention to God’s law is not a bad thing, but we don’t want to let our striving to be perfect consume us and distract us from the importance of a worshipful relationship with God. The laws we want to follow are those affirmed in the New Testament (not the ceremonial laws).