A Temporary Solution
ICS Daily Devotions

Leviticus 1:1-4 (NKJV) Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying,“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

The Book of Leviticus foreshadows the work of the Messiah. Understanding the rituals there will provide us with the context for understanding the Book of Hebrews where it talks about what Jesus has done for us in the heavenly tabernacle after His resurrection.

At that time, God’s presence dwelt in the tabernacle of meeting. The rituals reveal to us that the way to approach and to worship God was through the offering of an unblemished lamb. Also, spiritual and physical cleansing was necessary before worshipping a holy God.

There were sacrifices—the dying of the innocent for the guilty—for the individual and for the nation. For the individuals, the trespass and sin offerings were to be offered up in the form of a lamb without blemish. Then once a year, on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, sacrifice was made for the nation of Israel as an atonement for all the sins of the people (Leviticus 23:27). The High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood at the golden throne. Before entering, he had to purify himself with water that had the ashes of the sacrifice of a heifer (Numbers 19:1-9).

Unless all the rituals were correctly carried out on Yom Kippur, the High Priest risked being struck dead in the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. The people rejoiced when he exited because it meant that God had accepted the offering for their sins committed last year.

There was no rest for the priest because animals were continuously being sacrificed, and even on the Day of Atonement, the sacrifice was only temporal because it could never take away the sin of the people forever. The earthly tabernacle and animal sacrifices were only a temporary solution for the people, which also served as a continuous reminder that the forgiveness of sin is only possible through the shedding of blood.

Praise be to God that He had a better and perfect plan! He prepared a body through His only Son Jesus Christ and the shedding of His blood to take away the sins of the world once and for all.

Psalm 103:12 (NKJV) As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Sermon Series: The Power of the Blood