Day 48

Leviticus 4:1–5:19; Mark 2:13–3:6; Psalm 36:1-12; Proverbs 10:1-2

SIN. We love to hate it. Or maybe we hate to love it, if we’re being honest, because each day, it invites us to look anywhere but the narrow path that leads to life —and we are often seduced. In our reading from Leviticus today, we saw how intentional God was about keeping sin’s cost clear.

It’s easy to yawn and dismiss the detailed instructions about sin and guilt offerings as if they don’t apply anymore, because we so easily claim the blood of Christ over our sin. It’s also easy to check out and skip this part of the Bible, but we’d be missing the point. Sin against God has always been what estranges us from Him. It’s been this way since Eden. And this truth was being embedded into the framework of the new culture God was forming in the wilderness among the children of Israel.

Sin required sacrifice —and it was tedious. Was this because God was bloodthirsty, power hungry, and cruel? Hardly. Sin would destroy God’s chosen, and nothing has changed about that. Constant reminders of this were woven into the Israelite culture. Even now, we still need constant reminding.

Imagine taking a young sheep or goat from your property and leading the animal that you’ve nurtured toward an altar. You place your hands on its head, unsheathe a blade, and spill its blood because of your own sin. It’s a pretty stark thought, isn’t it? It’s supposed to be. Sin is a pretty stark and deadly poison.

In considering the procedure of sacrifice, we can gain incredible insight into the horror of sin, even though we no longer need sacrifice. We can also examine our heart’s posture. We might wonder why a kind God would require such harshness, and in the process, we easily find ourselves sitting in judgment. What we often forget is that if there were no sin, there would by default be no sacrifice. The sacrifice, in all its vivid, bleeding color, was a reminder of this. And this is where the truth can come rushing in. It wasn’t sacrifice God was interested in; it was a holy people set apart from the wages of sin.

Yes, Jesus came to be the sacrifice, once and for all, eradicating the claim of sin over our lives. But we must not forget the cost. Our souls did not come cheap. Leviticus keeps us from looking away, because we must face the awful price of separation from God. The only thing that can destroy the bond between us and Him is sin.

WORSHIP:

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.