Leviticus 1-9

Sarah and I have now ventured into Leviticus, and I have to say, wow. The holiness of God is so clear, and His great mercy in providing a way that we can approach Him. And the priests and the sacrifices all point so clearly to Jesus, it's thrilling.

I wanted to share something that really stood out for me.

Pretty much from Exodus 25 to Leviticus 9 you've got a list of specific commands from the LORD, followed by obedience by the people. Firstly on how to build the tabernacle He will dwell in, and secondly on how to approach Him, ie. with a substitute to make atonement. His instructions are explicitly clear, and again and again you hear the "as the Lord commanded Moses" mantra, as the people of Israel follow God's commands down to the last detail.

Then at the end of Lev 9 you get "And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces."

So Aaron offers a sacrifice for the sins of the people, God is pleased with it and blesses them. Then He burns up and utterly consumes the sacrifice. So you can imagine the Israelites looking on, seeing God destroy the sacrifice, knowing that it has been destroyed for their sin. Because there was a substitute, they receive God's blessing, and the sacrifice receives His wrath. And the people shout out and fall on their faces.

And I think, is this my response when I see Christ taking God's just wrath against my sin instead of me? Am I completely humbled and rightly in fear and awe of my God? Sadly, most of the time the answer is no. Because I spend so little time meditating on the cross, and what it means. This is my problem, and I guess the problem of most of us.

Lord, fix my eyes on the cross, overwhelm me with the death of my Saviour, that I would truly understand that His punishment should have been mine, that my blessing should have been His. Only then will I truly live a life of worship!