THE ATONEMENT

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Leviticus 16:2,16,21-22,34

The Lord said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.

Through this process, he will purify the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites.

He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness.

As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.

This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the Lord once each year.”Moses followed all these instructions exactly as the Lord had commanded him.


Man's problem from the fall was sin!


Sin separated us from God.


The whole bible story is about man's reconciliation.


Atonement was needed for man to be reconciled to God.


According to the Oxford dictionary, atonement is: 


"the action of making amends for a wrong or injury.

(in religious contexts) reparation or exiation for sin.

the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ."


Leviticus 16 shows us the rigorous procedures the priest had to go through to make atonement for the children of Israel. It started from himself (else he dies), to his family then the whole of Israel. 


Someone had to be specially trained to lead the scapegoat bearing the sins of the people, out of the camp to an uninhabited place.

This ritual had to be repeated year after year.


Then Christ was revealed.


Christ became our atonement, He was both the High priests and the sacrificial lamb. This is why He had to die. He had no sin and He was the perfect sacrifice, offered once and for all..


Oh if we can comprehend the extent of the sacrifice, Christ made for us.


Remember only the Jews benefitted from the atonement sacrifice, they where the chosen people, the gentiles were outsiders. God began His redemption agenda through them.


However, when Christ was revealed it was for the whole world.


John 3:16-17

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.


1 Peter 2:10

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. 

Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”


O what love, o what grace!


Let no one tell You otherwise; coming to God through Christ Jesus makes You part of God's family, and eternal bliss is yours, starting from this life onto the one after.


Remember, we shall not perish but have eternal life.


Dear Heavenly Father please keep us in the victory You gave us through Christ Jesus, may we never turn back to sin, instead, may we continue to walk in Your righteousness, knowing You more and more as each day is revealed.


Aaron could not enter the holy place freely, but today we all can because of what Christ has done for us:


Hebrews 4:14,16

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.


Listen, He who has taken care of your eternity can take care of whatever it is you are facing in this present life, just bring it to Him in prayers with faith, then continue with thanksgiving, victory is yours. 


Glory to God forevermore.


He calls us blessed.


Love

@the watcher

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