Leviticus 16-17

Transcript

GRS 36
05/10/1987
Leviticus 16-17
Gil Rugh

Leviticus chapter 16 in your Bibles, Leviticus and the 16th chapter. Chapter 16 of Leviticus is the pivotal chapter in the book of Leviticus. This is the focal point of the book and really the Day of Atonement becomes the focal point in the worship of the nation Israel, key day, or the nation. It is going to focus attention on God’s cleansing of the nation that they might continue to worship Him, that He might continue to dwell among them that they might have access to Him, that He might forgive them and remove their sins from them.

The Day of Atonement which encompasses the entire 16th chapter was an annual feast as the end of the chapter will tell us and it was to involve the whole nation. It would involve cleaning the tabernacle from the defilement of sin that would have taken place through the year from the defilement of the uncleanness that would have affected the sanctuary so that God could continue to dwell there and it is also going to picture the removing the sins of the nation.

In effect we talk about the Day of Atonement we are atoning for the sins of the past year, if you will of the nation. Now this doesn’t mean that this is a rote or mechanical operation. The only ones who are cleansed through the worship system of the nation Israel are those who come to believe in the God of Israel and come with faith and we are familiar with the denunciations of the prophets where the Israelites just came and went through the motions, offered the sacrifices and observed the holy days and so on. It was repulsive to God because they did not come to Him out of hearts of faith and belief and we can appreciate that today. Anything you do on a regular basis and you become familiar with can become somewhat common and that happened with the nation Israel. We are going to see in chapter 16 and 17 that God wants to draw the attention of Israel to the fact that His presence among them and the worship of Him must always be an awe inspiring event.

But you stop and think how easy it is for us to come together to worship God to honor Him, to come and go through the routine, the ritual if you will and not give it a second thought. To come and worship God so to speak and our minds are still at home, still on the activities of the day or planning tomorrow’s activities. We can see how Israel easily degenerated because the tendency is there for sinful people.

The Day of Atonement and we will pick up with verse 1 because you will note a connection here to a previous event. “Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they had approached the presence of the Lord and died.” That connects chapter 16 of Leviticus to chapter 10 of Leviticus because there is recorded the death of Nadab and Abihu because they offered strange fire to the Lord.

Now what we do is pick up in chapter 16 with additional revelation from God so that the priests might not experience the same judgment from God for not functioning as they should.
In verse 2 the Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother, Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil before the mercy seat which is on the ark lest he die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.” So here is a word of warning and again it comes following on the events of the death of Nadab and Abihu. God says, “I must be worshiped according to My instructions otherwise the result will be judgment.

Aaron as priest is not to enter at any time into the holy place, into that holy of holies, that cube within the tent where the mercy seat is over the Ark of the Covenant. He is not to enter there at any time. Now chapter 16 will give the exception, the Day of Atonement. That is the only day that the high priest and he is the only one allowed can go in to the very presence of God before the mercy seat to do what is necessary to atone for the sins of the nation.

The ark here is described back in Exodus 25 and we have seen pictures of that and have some idea of what is entailed here. God’s presence manifests itself over the mercy seat. That is where His presence is centered for the nation Israel. God is going to be dwelling permanently among the people. This is the danger. Remember when God came at birth on Mt. Sinai and the nation was in awe. They were in terror that the living God had come down to speak to them. Now He is going to dwell every day in their midst in the tabernacle, in the holy of holies over the mercy seat. You know the danger of that? It will become a commonplace event. It is not the same as when He came the first time and you lose something of that awe, that sense of the holiness and majesty of God, that sense of your sinfulness and the need to be forgiven and the need for worship. So these instructions are very important for God desires His people to always maintain that proper relationship and attitude toward Him.

The mercy seat is the cover over the ark and that is where atonement or propitiation will take place. The blood will be sprinkled on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat to atone for the sins of the nation on the Day of Atonement.

Come down to verses 6 to 10. We have the attire of the high priest in verse 4 which is rather simple attire but in verse 6 to 10 you have an overview of the Day of Atonement. Here is what is going to happen. In verse 6 Aaron will offer a bull for his own sin, a sin offering for his own sin, the sin of his family. Verse 7 he is going to select two goats and present them before the Lord. Verse 8 he will cast lots between the two goats for one of the two goats is going to be sacrificed and the other goat will be sent out into the wilderness. Verse 9 mentions, “The goal that will be sacrificed.” Verse 10 we have the scapegoat. We will talk about that in a little bit which will be sent off into the wilderness to bear the sins of the nation. So that is the overview and then we pick up with verse 11. We are going to back and look at the details of each of these events.
In verses 11 to 14 you have discussed the sacrificing of the bull for the sins of the high priest. Verse 11: “Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household. He shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself.” Note the emphasis in that verse. Aaron is the high priest. First he has to offer sacrifice for his sin, for his family, for himself. This is a key theme that will be picked up in the book of Hebrews to show the superiority of Jesus Christ. He was without sin. He did not have to offer sacrifice for Himself but the Old Testament high priest – first he had to deal with his own sin before he could be an instrument in dealing with the sin of the nation.

The procedure here is very similar to what was described in chapter 4 of Leviticus where the High Priest makes his regular sin offering. The difference on the Day of Atonement is where the blood will be offered. It will be offered in the very presence of God in the holy of holies.
Verse 12 the incense that will be included here and you note the last statement in verse 12: “He will bring it inside the veil.” Now this is special. He is on this day permitted to go behind the veil that separated the presence of God from the people. “Put incense on the fire before the Lord that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Ark of the Testimony lest he die.” So as he comes in with the incense burning and the cloud that that forms that will keep him from looking directly on the mercy seat, directly on the presence of God and thus keep him alive. That seems to be the purpose of the cloud here to keep him from looking on the presence of God at the mercy seat.

Verse 14: “Moreover he shall take some of the blood of the bull; sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side. Also in front of the mercy seat it shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times;” that is to make atonement for his own sin.

Verse 15 to 19 there is the sacrifice of the goat for the sins of the nation. He doesn’t talk here in repetition about the choosing of the two goats and the separating between them with lots. He talked about that in verse 7 and 8 so that is presupposed here. Now he talks about the goat that is going to be slaughtered. “He shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil.” So he slaughters the bull, then he takes the blood inside the veil. That is for himself. Then out to slaughter the goat and back inside the veil now on behalf of the people. And do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bulls – sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in the front of the mercy seat. “He shall make atonement for the holy place.” Now note this, “Atonement for the holy place because of the impurities of the sons of Israel. Because of their transgression in regard to all their sins thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities.”

Remember all the uncleanness that was discussed in chapters 11 to 15? Well uncleanness in the midst of the people of God where God dwelt defiled the place where God would dwell so it had to be cleansed from the defilement of the people, from their impurities and you remember the discussion of those. It is quite a list and through the year this is viewed as having defiled the place where God would dwell. So this is sacrifice for their sins and is to cleanse the holy place from the defilement that might have come to it from the people and their uncleanness. This enables God to continue to dwell among His people who obviously are sinful people.
Verse 17: “When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place no one shall be in the tent of meeting.” So he goes in alone. The high priest is the only one who ever goes in and only on that day.

Verse 18: “Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make an atonement for it and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. And with his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it, and from the impurities of the sons of Israel consecrate it.”

So you see there is a cleansing with everything associated here with the worship of God that might be defiled. There is some discussion whether this altar is altar of incense or the altar of burnt offering. The Jews said it was the altar of incense but most commentators say it is the bronze altar since he comes out and cleanses it here. Either is a possibility but most
commentators do identify it as the bronze altar as you came in to the tabernacle itself and where the sacrifices were made on a daily basis. This is spoken of as an altar before the Lord back in chapter 1, verse 3 and verse 5 so that would fit there as well.

Probably along with the high priest going in behind the veil to the very presence of God the other outstanding thing on the Day of Atonement is the scapegoat and that is discussed in verse 20 to 22. We are familiar with the sacrifice. We talk about the sacrifice of the bull, the sacrifice of the goat. That is special because their blood is taken within the veil but the sacrificing of animals is a regular daily event. Going into the veil is unique but the scapegoat is something unique and special to the Day of Atonement.

It is interesting. The word scapegoat, what we have translated scapegoat here is only used in Leviticus chapter 16. It is used in verse 8 where the other lot, last statement is for the scapegoat, verse 10, the last statement, “into the wilderness as the scapegoat.” And in verse 26 where the one released the goat as the scapegoat. Scapegoat or if you put an “e” on the front of it, that is what we are talking about, the escape goat. That is why we call it the scapegoat in our English translation. It is escape goat. It is the goat that is going to get away if you will or go away. It is the goat of removal. This goat is going to escape into the wilderness, be sent away into the wilderness. It is not going to be executed. So that marks it off as different.

Verses 21 and 22: “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in regard to their sins. He shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.” In other words, there is going to have to be a man who is going to lead this goat out into the wilderness or he will never go. Not a dumb goat. He will be let out but when you put your hands on the head, confess the sins what you are doing is transferring the sins of the nation onto this goat. And then when that goat it let out into the wilderness, verse 22, “The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land. He shall release the goat in the wilderness.” Take him out in the wilderness, away from the camp. That pictures that God has taken away the sins of the nation. They are taken off into the wilderness, removed and lost if you will. That is the picture of the scapegoat.

So, two things happen here: one goat for sacrifice for the people and one goat to picture the removal of the sins of the people. Now the rest of the chapter talks about some details we are not going to go into such as cleansing from the ceremonial defilement and so on that will come from certain contact. But verse 29: “This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls.” I note this because as you read on the Day of Atonement many will make the comment that this is a fast day for the nation. You humble your souls in connection with the Day of Atonement. That is where they pick this up. Some say the hungering of your souls is a reference to fasting. Nowhere does the Scripture clearly say that the Day of Atonement is a fast day but this is where the implication may be. Some of you have a study Bible that has a note that it is a fast day that comes from this expression to humble your souls.
You will not do any work. Verse 30: “For it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute.”

It is interesting to me of the significance of the Day of Atonement Leviticus chapter 16 is the only place where is specifically referred to in the entire Old Testament. So this central day, the day when the high priest went in behind the veil, the day when the sins were sent off into the wilderness, if you will but it is not referred to at least specifically any other place in the entire Old Testament.

The significance of the day, two things I want to note: the high priest’s access into the presence of God and the removal of the sins of the nation; these two things are key. Both of these things will be picked up in the book of Hebrews. Want to note something here, on this day. I think there is benefit in seeing the day as a unit. Sometimes we get into difficulty and say now we’ve got the high priest sacrificing a bull for himself, then you sacrifice a goat for the people, then you send a goat out into the wilderness for their sins and does this save the nation or was the nation saved before? I think the events of the day all go together.

The book of Hebrews emphasizes this as all centering in Christ. He doesn’t need to offer a sacrifice for Himself and He has offered the sacrifice that is acceptable and He has removed our sins from us. So all of these different aspects of the picture come together in Jesus Christ and that is what is important to see. Both the goat dying and the goat carrying away the sins picture basically what goes on in our forgiveness. The penalty is paid and our sins are removed. Now two goats are used to picture that along with the purifying of the tabernacle here. I don’t think it is necessary to find well, in our situation then is the goat the dies different than the goat that removes the sin? They come together in Christ for us. He is the One in whom all the picture centers and so our forgiveness, the penalty being paid and the removal of the sins and so on all center there.

The book of Hebrews is the place in the New Testament where the Day of Atonement is tied to Christ. Maybe you want to look at Hebrews chapter 9 just quickly, Hebrews chapter 9, verse 11: “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, not through the blood of goats and of calves but through His own blood He entered the holy place once for all having obtained eternal redemption.” So you see the difference here for Christ. He is not in an earthly tabernacle. He is in heaven itself, not the place where God manifested His presence on earth in that earthly tabernacle but into the very presence of God in glory. Not through the blood of animals but through His own blood He entered the holy place once for all. The high priest entered once. The next year he would have to enter again; the next year again, the next year again, the next year again. A constant reminder, this nation needs cleansed. This nation needs cleansed, defilement. Jesus Christ entered once, it’s done. So there is the fulfillment and that striking contrast.

Down in verse 24 of Hebrews 9: “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor was it that He should offer Himself often as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood, not his own. Otherwise He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the age as He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself,” and then into chapter 10, numerous verses. Verse 12: “Having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time He sat down at the right hand of God.”

So all of this in the Old Testament reminding the nation you need forgiveness, you need forgiveness. The penalty for sin is death. Your sins must be taken away to prepare them for the coming of that One who by the sacrifice of Himself would pay the penalty and remove the sins finally for good forever for those who believe.

Come back to Leviticus and chapter 17. Chapter 17 is sort of a transition chapter but it fits well with what goes before and closely with what we had in chapter 16 of Leviticus. It is matters related to sacrifice. It is a key chapter on blood and the importance of the blood in God’s plan and program. The first two verse show again this is an authoritative revelation from God. The Lord spoke to Moses and so Moses is to tell Aaron and then all the people of Israel are to hear what God has said.

Verse 3 to 7 in this chapter talk about the fact that no domestic animals, you know, the animals used in sacrifice are to be killed outside the tabernacle. Interesting insight here. None of the sacrificial animals are to be killed outside the tabernacle. While in the wilderness they are not going to be killing a goat or a bull out here by their tent to have steak tonight or something like that. It is limited to being executed in the tabernacle.

Verse 3: “Any man from the Israel who slaughters an ox, or a lamb or a goat in the camp or who slaughters it outside the camp and has not brought it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, blood-guiltiness is to be reckoned to that man. He has shed blood and that man shall be cut off from among his people.” This is a serious matter. You are not allowed to slaughter animals, domestic or sacrificial animals anyplace but at the tabernacle. He will be cut off from among the people.

Three possible meanings of “cut off from among the people.” It could be executed, capital punishment; it could mean that he’ll be expelled, exiled from the nation; it could mean God will intervene in judgment against that person. So anyone of those would be a possible meaning here.
Verses 5-7 tells you why. Why wouldn’t God want the people? I mean if you want steaks, it’s your bull or goat or whatever, why can’t you kill it? Is there a problem? It keeps any kind of other religious activity from developing apart from focusing in the tabernacle. If you are offering animals that are normally used for sacrifice that would allow people then to start their own little worship center rather than going to the tabernacle and that’s inconvenient. Keep in mind we are dealing with millions of people. I am going to go all the way over to the tabernacle or we could just do it out here. Then we could worship the Lord this way or we could worship other gods which becomes a problem.

Verse 5: “The reason is that so the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field that they may bring them into the Lord at the doorway of the tent of the meeting to the priest. Sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting, offer up fat and smoke as a soothing aroma to the Lord. They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons. This shall be a permanent statue to them throughout their generations.” So you see the purpose was to keep them from offering to other gods.

Interesting in verse 7: “They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons.” This may be a reference to gods or demons that they viewed as taking the form of goats and it is interesting. In Lower Egypt goat worship was practiced. Keep in mind that Israel came out of Egypt and they may have had some exposure from this influence of goat worship that took place in Lower Egypt at least. That might help you appreciate also when we get further into Leviticus the command against things like bestiality because part of the goat worship in Egypt repulsive as it was was bestiality and involved in the worship of the goats was that sexual perversion. Now God says that he doesn’t want any sacrifices offered to any other gods; particularly here He picks up the goat demons as a possible worship that would be going on.

Now this command to not sacrifice any of these domestic animals anywhere but at the sacrifice is modified when they settle in Canaan. In Canaan they are going to be quite spread out and so that will be modified so that there is some allowance then. Not for sacrifice to other gods but for slaughtering animals, other place than the tabernacle, Deuteronomy chapter 12 beginning with verse 20 talks about that modification of the instructions here.

Verses 8 and 9 follow up on this. The previous verses talked no animals to be slaughtered outside the tabernacle because that could lead to false worship and here verses 8 and 9 specify there are to be no sacrifices offered outside the tabernacle; now again, that would even mean to the living God. It has to be done God’s way in God’s place and there may be some selfish motivation. To sacrifice someplace else they wouldn’t have to give the priest his portion. So I can sacrifice to God and that priest doesn’t need it as bad as I do. But if I take it to the tabernacle he is going to take his portion. This guarantees that it will be done God’s way and everything will be handled as He has said.

Verses 10-12 talk about the fact that no blood is to be eaten and it is, you know, you probably haven’t had a great desire for a glass of blood lately but the principle of the sacrificing of the meat, the draining of the blood and so on. The reasons are given here.

It is interesting that seven times in the Pentateuch the command is given not to eat blood. Now this passage in Leviticus is the fullest and clearest and the rationale for it is developed here.
Two reasons are going to be given why they were not allowed to eat blood. Number 1, the life of the flesh is in the blood. Number 2, the blood is to make atonement for sin on the altar. Verse 10: “If any man from the house of Israel or from the aliens who sojourn among them who eats any blood I will set My face against that person who eats blood, will cut them off from among his people.” The reason: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement for the soul.” Therefore no one can eat blood.

Verse 14: “As for the life of all flesh its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel you are not to eat the blood of any flesh for the life of all flesh is in its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.” The life of the flesh is in the blood. Life and blood are identified together.

So when an animal or a person loses their blood they die and we still use this kind of expression. We talk about bloodshed in a war. What do we mean? Many people died. That is when a person’s blood is shed they have died. You can’t live without your blood. So in a real sense the life is in the blood. Not eating blood then demonstrates respect for life which comes from God. To eat blood would be to show your authority over life and only God has authority over life. He gives it. He takes it. That is His authority so there is a respect here and a recognition of life and life is coming from God.

The blood makes atonement. The penalty for sin is death so that when the blood is offered it indicates that death has occurred. Now the word ‘blood’ is used often in the Old Testament. I forgot to jot down how many times but many times throughout the Old Testament. The most common use of the word blood is to refer to a violent death whether in sacrifice or in some other way.

Now because of the expressions here, the life of the flesh is in the blood and so on, some have taught that life somehow exists in the blood and so that the life remained in the blood after the animal had been sacrificed. There is a teaching that some who teach, I should put it that way, that when the blood is offered it really is presenting life to God, it is releasing life to God. So the important thing in the blood is not death but life. If you are not following that, that is alright. I had to think about that for a while after I read it. If you think about it for a while and ponder it you can see what they are saying. The life of the flesh is in the blood so blood is life so when you take the blood you have the life in your hands. It is not death, it is life and when you have the blood in the bucket from this animal you have its life. So when you present that to God you are presenting life to God. I don’t think that can stand the examination of the Scripture. I think the indication of Scripture is that the penalty for sin is death. What God requires for the payment of that penalty is death. So the giving of the blood, the shedding of the blood indicates death has occurred and that is the point.

I was interested how the debate on blood is going on within a telephone conversation the last week. An individual talking about the issue of the blood and concerned about saying that I say that blood means death. I don’t know about that. That doesn’t sound right so I think the Scripture is clear that is what we are talking about. The penalty for sin is death. The shedding of blood is an indication that death has occurred. Now we don’t drink the blood because that is indicative of the life of the person and it is the blood that gives life to the body that enables us to live.

Interesting to me in the New Testament we are told that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Remember Jesus in His glorified body, what did He say, “Touch Me, handle Me. A spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see that I have.” This may indicate that blood will not depart of the resurrection body since flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God but flesh and bone will because Jesus Christ had a glorified body of flesh and bone. But the point here, I think, is that the life is in the blood. When you have shed the blood you have taken the life. Death has occurred.
This carries over, verse 13 to 16 when you talk about hunting wild game. Obviously you can’t chase a wild turkey into the tabernacle to kill it or another wild animal so these animals would be killed other places and they are not animals of sacrifice so it is not the same issue, the ox and the goat and so on but the principle on blood still applies. You can’t drink the blood; you can’t eat the blood in any situation.

It is interesting this issue of restriction on eating blood pops up in the New Testament. Remember in the Council of Jerusalem in Acts chapter 15 when they settled on how they were going to deal with the Jewish problem? Maybe you want to turn to Acts 15 quickly. James writes the conclusion of the elders and church leaders there to send a letter and in verse 28 of Acts 15 he says, “It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials. That you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourself free from these things you will do well, farewell.” You keep yourself from blood, from things strangled as some strangled the blood is not properly drained.

Now does that mean that we are not to eat blood today? You have to be careful that there is no blood in your meat. Some people like rare meat. We obviously don’t, most of us at least, don’t eat kosher meat that’s been killed properly and drained properly. So there, you know, may be the possibility of blood being present in the meat that we eat. Why some people eat a rare steak that looks like a bad auto accident to me. I would never have given a thought to eating something like that but they said it was good. I know I am going to get notes on how good rare steaks are. Have me over and I will try one with you. There may be some indication in the context here that this doesn’t apply or have to carry through to today. We would have to look for other places in the New Testament because you will note also in verse 29 he says to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and later on I Corinthians chapter 8, chapter 10, the apostle Paul is going to say it is okay in certain circumstances to eat things sacrificed to idols. So if that is the case it seems what we have here are conditions set down to not offend the Jews, to be non-offensive to the Jews in their ministry at this point. And that would be a principle that Paul adheres to as he talks about when you can eat meat sacrificed to idols in I Corinthians 8. He wouldn’t want to be offensive so that seems to be the point here not that today we are bound by that Old Testament obligation.

Chapter 17 then of Leviticus I think as demonstrated that God expects and requires us as His people to be obedient, follow His instruction. That would be chapter 16 as well. But in chapter 17 when He talks about limiting our worship to Him you know Israel had a problem with this. When you get to Deuteronomy chapter 32 you are going to find out that they did sacrifice to demons that became a problem with them.

We come to the New Testament. We are warned about the danger of demon worship. You remember that in I Corinthians chapter 10, verse 20 and 21? All the things the Gentiles sacrificed, they sacrificed to demons and I don’t want you to have any part of that. False worship gets involved in the worship of demons. It is a danger for us like it was for Israel.
Materialism Christ warned in Matthew 6, you cannot serve God and mammon. These things that would divert our allegiance and our singleness of commitment to worship and serve the living God are always dangers that I must watch, be careful of. That point is being driven home to the nation Israel. I need to remember that I am a worshipper of the living God today and He still demands that I worship Him in accord with His Word and of course that is the whole thrust of Hebrews that worship can only be carried out by virtue of the fact that we have a High Priest and He has entered into the presence of God today on our behalf with the sacrifice that is acceptable to God. That sacrifice is sufficient to cleanse us from all sin for all time.

If Israel had every reason to be faithful in their worship of God how much more so we that don’t live with the type, that don’t live with the symbol but live in light of the reality, the sacrifice of the Son of God knowing that He represents us even today as we are here studying His Word. He represents us personally and individually in the very presence of God. That guarantees that our salvation is secure for all eternity.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness and Your goodness. Thank You for revealing Yourself, for making possible the worship of the God who is holy and righteous. Lord thank You for forgiveness and cleansing that enables us to come through the veil that has been rent into the glory of Your presence, to come with boldness and confidence. Not because of our worthiness but because of the greatness of our High Priest, because of the sufficiency of His sacrifice. Lord, I pray that we might have that commitment, that allegiance in our service to You that You called for from Israel and You called for from us today. May we be a people who indeed worship You. Guard us from those things which would distract us, Lord which would divide our attention. May we be a people who are faithful to You in all that we do. Thank You for the blessing of a day together in the Word. Lord we look forward to the good things before us to serve You in coming days we pray in Christ’s name amen.