What Love

I’ve recently been reading through the book of Leviticus; the Old Testament law given to the Israelites, God’s people, through Moses. I’m 10 chapters in, and I’ve read about the sin offerings, the guilt offerings, the grain offerings, the fellowship offerings, the burnt offerings. The detailed instructions for the priests and the requirements for the offerings are laid out. Described are the sacrifices to be made to atone for the sins of the community as a whole, and each individual person, whether a knowingly committed wrong or an ignorant mistake.

​The requirements for these offerings are given in often times gruesome detail… severing and tearing and cutting up, burning and ashes and blood… so much blood.

"If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord."   Leviticus 1:3-9

"If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect. They are to lay their hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven."  
Leviticus 4:27-31

"If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible. They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven. It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of wrongdoing against the Lord."   Leviticus 5:17-19

These descriptions and laws can almost seem appalling to us. So much blood shed. The stench… the sight… yet a necessity. To atone for sin and make right with God, so the people could continue in covenant with Him, that was the purpose of the sacrifices. Offerings made to the Holy God, to reconcile the unholy to Him.

What a picture of love.

For God’s love would not be so powerfully beautiful or beautifully powerful if He were not also holy. 

To think that these were all a foreshadowing of Jesus, He who would be the perfect sacrificial Lamb and the Good Shepherd to seek and save the lost. To think it was all pointing to Messiah, He who was anointed to save even the most unholy and sinful and fulfill all promises and laws.

That foreshadowing has become the reality. Jesus has died once for all. He has been sacrificed to atone for the sins of all… for you and for me.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
"Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”   Romans 5:6-10

“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”   Romans 3:25

“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10

Atonement made. The ransom paid. Washed and justified by Jesus’ blood. Reconciled to Holy God and being made holy. Forgiven of sin. No more guilt or shame.

​What a picture of love. 

And death could not hold Love in the grave! Jesus rose on the third day, triumphant and victorious! He ascended into heaven, exalted and given the Name is above every name.

“We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
“For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.
“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
​Romans 6:2-11

“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”   Romans 8:34

Because of His victorious life, we have new life in Him. Not only forgiven of sin, but also freed from sin and death. We have life that is abundant and free. Life that is victorious and glorious. Life that is everlasting with God. He sits at the Father’s right hand and intercedes on our behalf, so our life can be truly lived for Him.  

​What a picture of love. 

What love the Father has demonstrated, sending His Son for our sin. (Romans 5:8)
What love the Father has lavished, giving us identity and belonging in calling us His children. (1 John 3:1)
What love the Father has shown, giving us new life through His Son. (1 John 4:9)

The post What Love first appeared on The Overflowing
All Scriptures taken from the NIV, copyright 2011