Our Substitute
I remember a very sad experience I had several years ago. My dog was very sick, and I took her to the vet. It ended up that she needed to be put down. That was sad, but it was even harder, when I watched as she was given a shot and slumped over dead. I will never forget that sight. I can't imagine how much worse it would have been if I had put my hands on her and actually felt the life go out of her. That would have been traumatic, even if she wasn't my pet.
The book of Leviticus was written to give the Israelites all of the instructions on how to offer the sacrifices the Lord commanded for them to make to be right with Him, as well as other things God commanded them to do. When they needed to have their sin atoned for, God was very clear. (Leviticus 1:4) They were to lay their hands on the animal's head, and hold them there while the priest cut the animal's throat. The blood would drain out and the animal would die. Then, God would accept its death in their place, a substitute, to purify them, making them right with God. Let's notice the details here as they apply to us today.
The wages of sin have always been death. When we sin something or Someone has to die for us to be made right with God. There are no exceptions. This shows us the extreme seriousness of sin. We must never take it lightly. Also, without the shedding of blood there is no remission is sin, since the life is in the blood. Again, that shows us the terrible consequences of sin, since that is what it takes to purify us and make us right with God. Of course, we do not have to kill animals today, but we still need a substitute.
Jesus is our Substitute. The God/Man was the only One who could die in our place to purify us. His blood was the only payment to atone for our sins, once and for all. He gave His blood and His life, so we could be right with God and have eternal life. Without Him, we are lost forever. I know we couldn't be at the Cross to watch Him die, but we can allow the magnitude of what God did for us to touch our hearts, so that we love Jesus and trust Him alone to save us and purify us. I pray we will all realize these truths and trust Jesus as our sin-bearing Substitute.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 3-5.