herefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?”
(Leviticus 10:17)
We know from multiple passages of Scripture that in ancient times priests played a significant role as intercessors between God and His people. This explains why God gave them very specific instructions for carrying out their priestly duties, particularly in terms of how sacrifices were to be prepared and presented. The reason these instructions were of utmost importance was because the various offerings God ordained were deeply symbolic, representing such doctrines as atonement, purification, and consecration.
Through this intercessory process detailed by God to His people, these animal sacrifices symbolically carried the weight of the people’s sins, and the blood shed by that animal sacrifice covered their sin for a specified period of time. This ritualistic practice ingrained in His people what was required for redemption (a substitutionary blood sacrifice where an innocent gives its life for the guilty), and the lengths to which God would go to bridge the gap between the Himself and sinful humanity.
Of course, these Old Testament practices were all forward-looking, directing our attention to the pivotal point in God’s timeline when the substitutionary, sacrificial death of Christ purchased redemption for God’s chosen people once for all (1 Peter 3:18, Heb. 7:27). Calvary abolished the former sacrificial system, for Christ was God’s ultimate sacrificial Lamb.
Three main elements underline this truth: substitution in place of the offenders, the offering to God, and the subsequent expiation of sin. All these elements are mirrored in Christ’s passion and death.
- Substitution in Place of the Offenders: The sacrifices in the Old Testament often involved the substitutionary death of an innocent animal in place of the guilty person offering it. This substitution was a profound representation of Christ, who would later become the ultimate sacrifice, dying in our place and bearing the weight of our sins.
- Offering to God: The act of sacrifice was not merely a ritual but an offering to God, the way of seeking and obtaining His mercy and favor. Christ’s sacrifice was the ultimate offering, a testament of love and grace to redeem His elect.
- Expiation of Sin: The act of sacrifice also symbolized purification from sins. While the sacrifices in the Old Testament provided a way to cleanse from ritual impurities, Christ’s sacrifice suffices for a deeper cleansing – that of the soul and conscience.
Various passages from Leviticus as well as the teachings of the Epistle to the Hebrews both highlight the requirement of innocent bloodshed in order to achieve remission of sins. The sacrificial shedding of blood had profound implications that emphasized the gravity of sin and the lengths to which God would go to provide a means for atonement.
Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary is a reality that offers hope, redemption, and a bridge back to God. It is an act that surpasses all previous sacrifices which were only a type of God’s ultimate sacrificial Lamb that would offer not just temporal reprieve from judgment but eternal salvation.
Contemplations:
- The Weight of Atonement: As I reflect on Leviticus 10:17, I’m reminded of the gravity of sin and the weight it places on the soul. The priests of old bore this weight, symbolically consuming the offerings. In a similar vein, Christ bore the weight of all our transgressions, thereby providing our redemption.[1]
- The Power of Substitution: The idea of an innocent animal dying in lieu of the person who is guilty is both humbling and enlightening. It reminds me of the immense love and grace God bestows upon us, sending His Son to be our substitute, bearing our sins, and paying the ultimate price.
- Blood as a Symbol of Redemption: The repeated mention of blood in sacrifices underlines its significance. Blood signifies life, and the shedding of it represents the giving of life. Christ’s blood, shed on the cross, became the ultimate life-giving act required for our redemption.
- Christ’s Sacrifice – Beyond Rituals: While the Old Testament sacrifices offered a means of purification and atonement, as symbolic types they were limited in scope and effectiveness. Christ’s sacrifice transcends these limitations, offering a complete soul-cleansing redemption. His sacrifice is a testament to God’s enduring love for His people, always seeking ways to draw us closer to Him.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Perfect Atonement of Christ
O Lord, my God, the Holy One of Israel, who has established righteousness and truth from everlasting to everlasting, I come before You in reverence and awe. You are the God of justice, and Your holiness cannot abide sin. Yet, in Your infinite mercy, You made a way for sinful man to be reconciled to You through the atoning sacrifice of Your Son, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. What love is this, that You would send Him, spotless and undefiled, to bear the weight of my iniquities, to take upon Himself the chastisement of my peace, and to pour out His own blood for my redemption?
Lord, I confess that I am unworthy of such grace. My sins rise against me like a great multitude; my transgressions are ever before You. As the sacrifices of old were required daily to remind Your people of their sin, so too am I reminded of my unworthiness apart from Christ. I have strayed in thought, in word, and in deed. My heart is not pure before You except by the blood of the Lamb. If You should mark iniquities, who could stand? But in Christ, You have provided full atonement. In Him, my sins are removed as far as the east is from the west. In Him, the debt of my guilt is canceled. And in Him, I stand justified before You. Blessed be Your holy name!
Father, I thank You that what was once shadow and symbol has now been fulfilled in Christ. The sacrifices of bulls and goats could never take away sin, yet they pointed to the perfect sacrifice to come. How marvelous is the wisdom of Your eternal plan, that Christ should come as both Priest and Sacrifice, both the One who offers and the One who is offered! In Him, I have a High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for me. In Him, I have a Redeemer who has paid the price in full. The work is finished. The veil is torn. The way into the Holy of Holies is opened, that I might come before You boldly, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
Spirit of God, help me to live in light of this great redemption. Let me never take for granted the price that was paid. Let me never approach my salvation lightly, as though it were a common thing, but let my heart be filled with reverence and gratitude. Sanctify me daily, that my life may be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You. Let me walk in obedience, not as one striving to earn salvation, but as one who has been redeemed at great cost. Let me bear the fruit of righteousness, as a branch that abides in the True Vine, showing forth the life of Christ in me.
And Lord, let my lips proclaim this gospel of atonement to those who are still far off. Many walk in darkness, blind to the weight of their sin and unaware of the salvation that has been accomplished. Open their eyes, O God. Draw them by Your Spirit. Let them see that no other sacrifice is needed, that Christ alone is sufficient, that in Him is life, and life everlasting.
Until that great day when faith shall be sight, when I stand before the Lamb who was slain and join the redeemed in singing His praises, let me live each day in the light of this great atonement. I rest in the finished work of Christ. I stand in the righteousness of Another. I cling to the cross, my only hope, my only plea. Blessed be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
In the name of Jesus Christ, my Sacrifice and my Savior, I pray. Amen.
Further References for Lev. 10:17:
Exod. 28:38; Lev. 6:25; Num. 18:1; Ezek. 42:13
[1] Edward Stillingfleet, A Discourse Concerning the Doctrine of Christ’s Satisfaction (London: printed by J. Heptinstall, for Henry Mortlock at the Phœnix in St. Paul’s Church-Yard, 1697), 175.
