“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the the tent of meeting before the LORD and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the LORD. And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the veil of the sanctuary.” Leviticus 4:1-7
The above is just one short passage from the book of Leviticus. This book was written to enshrine the laws that God had given Moses on Mount Sinai to the Hebrews, the purpose for which was to set them apart and make them a people holy unto Himself.
Anyone who gives only a cursory glance into the book of Leviticus would be amazed, or maybe even appalled, by the sheer number of mentions of blood, bodily fluids, and animal organs. In our modern day, where we buy pre-packaged meat at the grocery store completely severed of bones, tissue and organs, we really have no category for what this kind of animal sacrifice really looks like.
But that’s not our biggest issue. The glaring, gargantuan issue is that we don’t see God’s Holiness. I’m talking about “we” as in the larger, evangelical American church today, myself included. We think that God is our friend, that He is there is to answer all of our prayer requests, and if we “just ask, we will receive.” In a way, those things are true, BUT…the reason so many of us struggle in our Christian lives is that we don’t understand God’s Holiness. We have no grasp on it. We have no category for it. We’ve been deceived by the enemy of our souls into thinking we’re doing pretty good at this whole Christian thing, no need to get down on our knees and repent because God’s got us, right? I really wish I could say my life was different, but I know I am guilty of the same thing.
I think this is why the book of Leviticus is so, so, so incredibly relevant and important in our day and age. We really don’t understand the grace that we’ve been given through Christ. We really don’t have a concept for the mercy that God has shown us in not ending our lives immediately because of how wretched our sin has made us.
But when we read these passages of Leviticus, where it’s easy to imagine Aaron and the high priests being more butcher than preacher, we begin to get a glimpse of God’s Holiness and exactly what is required to approach Him. Clean, pure, sinless perfection. That’s the requirement. And none of us, no one that’s ever lived in this world, has been able to attain it. Except for Jesus Christ.
In John’s vision of the Lamb in Revelation, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb and sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10
In spite of our soul-deep sinfulness, the blood of the Lamb has made a way for us to become holy. Not just holy — but a kingdom of priests to our God, where we will minister forever before Him and before His throne.
Let us approach His Throne with all the humility and honor that He deserves.