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A Chapter by John Onyekachi

This chapter deals with the revelation of the perfect atonement of the Lord Jesus as depicted through the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament.

CHAPTER TWO
THE SIN OFFERING
"If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and it be hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done what the Lord has commanded not to be done and are guilty. When the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the congregation shall offer a young bull for a sin offering and bring it before the Tent of Meeting. The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be killed before the Lord. The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the Tent of Meeting, and shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, before the veil [which screens the Ark of the Covenant]. He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar [of incense] which is before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting, and he shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering near the door of the Tent of Meeting. And he shall take all its fat from the bull and burn it on the altar. Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull for a sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for [the people], and they shall be forgiven. And he shall carry forth the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the congregation." (Leviticus 4:13-21)
In studying the scriptures, it is helpful to realise that the Old Testament foreshadows the New Testament, and only in the light of the New Testament can the scriptures be clearly understood.
Ever since the fall of man, God has been working to restore man to a relationship with Himself. Notwithstanding the sin of man, God has been interested in His human creation. In the scripture above, God provided a way under the old covenant for sinners to draw near to Him, receive forgiveness for their sins and stand qualified for God's blessings.
It is required, according to the law, that when the whole land sins, they are to present a sacrifice before God at the tabernacle of the congregation. The priest is required to carefully examine the animal to be sure it is spotless, blameless and healthy. If accepted by the priest who mediates for God, the elders are required to lay their hands on the head of the animal, symbolically transferring their sin and guilt to the innocent animal, after which they are to kill it before the Lord.
Next, the priest dips his finger in the blood of the animal and sprinkles it seven times at the veil of the temple separating the outer court (holy place) from the inner court (holy of holies). He's also required to pour the whole blood of the animal at the base of the altar of burnt offering before the Lord.
Then, he (the priest) carries the whole animal outside the camp to the altar, wash the inwards in water, then burn everything to ashes. This way, atonement is made for the whole land.
The animal is judged, condemned and punished for the sin of the people, while the offenders (people) stand blameless before God to receive His blessing and favour.
How does this concern us today? There are no irrelevant details in the Bible. The Bible tells us that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16 ESV).
Jesus became our sacrificial lamb. He was blameless, spotless and perfect. On our behalf, He was judged and punished. He took our sins so that we can take our place in His righteousness. He died for us on the cross. His body was broken and His blood poured out for us. He died for our sins. But much more than that, He rose again for our justification never to die again. Glory to God!
When we believed in Jesus, we died with Him so that as He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we also should walk in the newness of life by the power of an endless life. Right now there's no more condemnation for us who believe in the finished, complete and perfect work of the Son of God.
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us�"for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”�" so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:13-14 ESV)
What does this mean to you, my friend? Think about it for a moment. I pray for you beloved, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that by the revelation of this truth, you will walk in the reality of the fullness of the blessings of the gospel. Amen!