Feb 21

Good morning!
Today is a reflection day.
We have started our reading of Leviticus, and perhaps some of us are thinking, “Oh, boy, here comes the hard part.”  Maybe, but, “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful…” (2 Timothy 3:16), so our challenge as we read is to ask the Lord to speak.  Do that, and pay attention, and you will get a lot out of Leviticus.
So far we have read the first four chapters – and they are all about different sorts of sacrifice.  Apparently, sacrifice matters.  In fact it does – it is by Jesus’ sacrifice that we are made whole again, our sins forgiven, and the provision is made for our eternal life and blessing.  Here is a detail. In introducing the guilt offering procedure, the Lord says,
 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionallyin any of the Lord’s commandments…”
Wait a minute. Unintentional sin requires a penalty, a sacrifice?  Yes it does.  And that may offend our sensibilities.  It seems pretty harsh to us that if someone  should be condemned when they unknowingly cross a boundary.  The reason it bothers us speaks to our lack of comprehension of the awfulness of our sin.  It is worse than we think – way worse.  And all this sacrifice stuff is actually laying the foundation for our only way out – the blood of the Lamb!  Praise God!  Amen.
in Him,  Mike