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Read: Leviticus 1-7
As I read some part of the Old Testament and the Gospel accounts, I realized the importance of Leviticus and the significance of every event in Old Testament in comparison to the New Testament. Chapter 1-7 of the Leviticus tell about different kinds of offerings. And Israelites do burnt offerings pleasing to the Lord with its aroma for them to reconcile to the Lord, acknowledging sins and restoring relationship. And as we know the essentials of offering we already talked about and describe Jesus Christ as fulfillment of offering. Let us emphasize Jesus in every key point.1. Unblemished animal
In every offering mentioned in the Bible, all of it must be unblemished animals. When we say unblemished first thing comes into our minds is perfect, without fault, pure and ideal. It was mentioned in Leviticus 1:3, “If his offering is a burnt from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. The burnt offering should be without defect and acceptable to the Lord."Why should it be unblemished animal? And why must it be acceptable to the Lord?
The reason is the unblemished animal is subject to atonement on behalf of the Israelites. In verse 4 “He shall lay his hands on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” The demonstration of atonement is by laying hands in the head of the burnt offering, the sin of people will transfer to the pure animal. It will be slaughtered and the blood shall be brought and throw against the altar and people to cleanse and consecrate them from the uncleanness (Leviticus 16:18-19). It must be acceptable to the Lord because, if we read Malachi 1:7-11, the Lord said how can He show favor to the people if they will offer spotted and blemished offering? Even the governor couldn’t accept it, how much more the Lord? And he said in verse 11, His name will be great among nations and people will offer Him pure offering for the Lords name will be great among all nations. Many times the Lord said His name is great. We can say that the Lord our God deserved the best in all, offering, effort and even our time because of His name is great and He is Holy.
Now, as we know the Good news about Jesus Christ, He is the only one that can fulfill what God demands - the perfect offering that is acceptable to Him.
The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”. John 1:29
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice who takes away all of our sins once and for all. He is perfect and righteous, committed no sin. The precious blood of Christ a lamb without blemished or spot (1 Peter 1:19) covered us to become clean to become holy as Him.
2. High Priest
The priest who does the offering has a great role. Why? He is responsible in the burnt offering aside from laying of hands in the head of burnt offering. n verse 5, “Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s son the priests shall bring blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent meeting.” They will bring blood and splash it on the altar. No one can enter in the Holy place except the priest. They are the representative or mediator between human being and the Lord. So in the New Testament, Jesus is our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).Since then we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us then hold fast our confession. Hebrew 4:14
Jesus is the great High Priesr who sits in the right hand of the Father. It was said that let us hold fast our confession. We must hold firmly of what we are believing - that Jesus is the great High Priest and our mediator that through Him, we can directly talk to the Father because he, Jesus, is the only way to the Father.
3. Altar and Tabernacle
Israelites considered the tabernacle and altar as a holy place wherein the Lord filled it with His Holiness. Where people worship Him and offerings are presented. And the priest atoned and consecrated it by the blood of the unblemished animal.And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the first born from the dead that in everything he might be preeminent. Colossians 1:18
Now, tabernacle is called a church it is not just a building but our body; and Jesus Christ is the head and the body of the church. We already know that Christ is not just a Lamb of God, the Great High Priest but also the Church. Jesus Christ is the perfect offering for all of the essentials of offering was found in Him. That all of our ancestor have been waiting for and now Jesus Christ came to the earth.
Conclusion:
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. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 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 sacrifice of himself. Hebrew 9:24-26Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was and is with the Father as our mediator in our behalf. He fulfilled the perfect offering that pleases God. We don’t need unblemished animals, High priest and tabernacle because Jesus plays all role of the 3 essentials of offering. The essentials had been found alone in Christ. He offered Himself by the will of God once and for all.
Let us be reminded of what Jesus have done into our life. Without his precious blood, we will not be pleasing in the eyes of our Father. Without Jesus there is no way to the Father. Without Jesus into our life we will never be called a church. Without Jesus we already disappeared or we are now suffering hell. Jesus is our Hero, Christ is the fulfillment of offering.
Photo by: Melody Grace Gerodias
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