The Lamb of God

‘Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has committed . . . But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect.’  (Leviticus 4:27-28, 32, NASB)

The book of Leviticus may be described as God’s regulations for the Levites, the sons of Levi, son of Israel (Jacob).  The passage above is a portion of the Law of Sin Offerings.  God prescribed laws for the sins of anointed priests; the whole congregation of Israel; the leaders of Israel; and the common people, which is shown above.  God commanded various sacrifices and offerings depending on who sinned.  A common feature of the animal to be sacrificed, whether a bull, a goat, or a lamb is that the animal was to be “without defect.”  The result of the sin offering was that “the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.”  (Leviticus 4:35)

Thanks to God’s New Covenant, we have have just such a lamb “without defect,” the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  Whereas before, whenever a person sinned, he had to go to the priest and sacrifice to make atonement for his sin.  Jesus lived a perfect life, free from sin, so He would be a perfect sacrifice to the Father.  Jesus sacrificed Himself once and for all time, so those who call on His name have atonement for their sins.  Once saved by the blood of the Lamb, if we confess our sins, we “will be forgiven.” As we move into this season of Lent, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice, and His love for us! 

I’m giving up playing golf for Lent!