Lev 7:18 MKJV
(18) And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offerings is eaten at all the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed to him who offers it. It shall be an abomination, and the soul that eats of it shall bear his iniquity.
The book of Leviticus is difficult to read, but it gets infinitely more interesting when you start to run everything through the Jesus-filter. All of the Tanakh's references to sacrifice somehow point to Jesus, and this is no different.
It was Jesus Himself who said:
Joh 6:54-55 ESV
(54) Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
(55) For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
In the case of verse 18, none of the sacrifice could be left by the third day. Is this a clue that Jesus raised from the dead on the very dawn of day three? After all we know that He bore NO iniquity whatsoever.
Who offered this sacrifice? Jesus Himself, for He laid down His own life, and He is our high priest. What kind of sacrifice did He make? All of them including the peace offering - rolled into one. Everything required by God, Jesus fulfilled.
So what?
We, too, are to render ourselves living sacrifices. We, too, are to be resurrected on the third day - because He was. We are at the dawn of the third millennial day since Jesus went to prepare a place for us. The question is, which part of the third day does God check to see if there is any part of the sacrifice left?
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Monday, May 03, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wash It, Then Burn It
Lev 1:4-9 LITV (4) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it is accepted for him to make atonement for him. (5) And he shall kill the son of the herd before the face of Jehovah. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall bring near the blood and sprinkle the blood on the altar all around at the opening of the tabernacle of the congregation. (6) And he shall skin the burnt offering, and shall cut it into pieces. (7) And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. (8) And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall arrange the pieces, with the head and the fat, on the wood on the fire, which is on the altar. (9) And he shall wash its inward parts, and its legs, with water. And the priest shall burn as incense the whole of it on the altar for a burnt offering, a fire offering of soothing fragrance to Jehovah.
This is an incredible passage. It immediately raises questions, most of which begin with 'why'.
Why did he lay his hand on the head of the sacrifice? In the Old Testament, the priest transferred the sin of himself or the people upon the sacrifice by laying his hand upon his head. If you do a search on this throughout the Old Testament, you'll notice it was NEVER good when God's hand was upon a person or a people. "...and God's hand was heavy upon Pharaoh."
In the New Testament, when the priest laid hands upon someone, life was transferred. Healing. What (who) was the difference? Jesus. It was truly a divine reversal. To that point, the Law stated separation from lepers. Grace stated healing for lepers. Again... Jesus!
Next... WHY! Why cut a sacrifice into pieces, take the legs and take out some of the inner organs... wash them... and throw them on the fire? Because any sacrifice to God must be clean on the outside AND on the inside. No dirt! No sin! Again... lets shift to the time of Jesus.
Joh 13:6-10 LITV
(6) He then came to Simon Peter. And that one said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet?
(7) Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing, you do not yet know. But you will know after these things.
(8) Peter said to Him, You may in no way wash my feet to the age. Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.
(9) Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.
(10) Jesus said to him, The one having been bathed has no need other than to wash the feet, but is wholly clean. And you are clean, but not all.
Do you see it? It's the same picture. We are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. Peter was such. But Peter had need to be washed - by the Priest. Peter was already clean on the inside - as only Jesus can make us. So Peter says, "If you must, then, Lord wash all of me!" And what did Jesus say? "Peter... I don't NEED to wash all of you. Only that which has been in contact with the world." The feet!
Don't miss the point, though. It wasn't really about Peter's gnarly feet. It was a demonstration to Peter that once made clean by Jesus, we are truly clean. However we can all get pretty dirty in our worldly dealings. The trials of life hammer us... get us down... make us... tired. They drive wedges between us and God that keep us from drawing near to Him. You might call them 'virtual wedges', because nothing truly separates us from God once we are His. It's a perception that the enemy uses. The cure? To get our feet washed. We do this for our brethren because Jesus did it for us. We are... priests.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Fire and the Knife
Gen 22:6 HNV
(6) Avraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Yitzchak his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.
In every sacrifice, there are two elements. A knife, and fire. The knife is for killing, while the fire is for transforming. This entire process is a picture of a redemption plan.
To enter the presence of a Holy God, we cannot bring our sinful flesh. The knife puts an end to the flesh, and the fire transforms it to smoke - or spirit. Remember, it's a picture. Ultimately, pictures were only a reminder to God of what He must do to restore us completely - and ultimately - He did it, through Jesus.
The problem with the angels that sinned is they have no blood to shed, nor do they have a transformation to make, for they are already God-like in that they are spirit.
Killing time is a real phenomenon. We can really waste it away. But when sacrificed to God, it is always transformed into something beautiful that we would not trade. Finances are no different. Talents are no different. Anything can be wasted. But when sacrificed to God, something beautiful always comes of it.
(6) Avraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Yitzchak his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.
In every sacrifice, there are two elements. A knife, and fire. The knife is for killing, while the fire is for transforming. This entire process is a picture of a redemption plan.
To enter the presence of a Holy God, we cannot bring our sinful flesh. The knife puts an end to the flesh, and the fire transforms it to smoke - or spirit. Remember, it's a picture. Ultimately, pictures were only a reminder to God of what He must do to restore us completely - and ultimately - He did it, through Jesus.
The problem with the angels that sinned is they have no blood to shed, nor do they have a transformation to make, for they are already God-like in that they are spirit.
Killing time is a real phenomenon. We can really waste it away. But when sacrificed to God, it is always transformed into something beautiful that we would not trade. Finances are no different. Talents are no different. Anything can be wasted. But when sacrificed to God, something beautiful always comes of it.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Does Your Sacrifice Stink?
I've had this verse lodged in my skull for quite a while now. It just looked... odd.
Matthew 3:11-12 LITV
(11) I indeed baptize you in water to repentance; but He who is coming after me is stronger than me, of whom I am not able to lift The sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,
(12) whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and will gather His wheat into the storehouse. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
We are talking about the Fire of GOD falling in our lives! This is a picture of sacrifice. Don't all Christians have a deep-rooted desire to be accepted of God? Even Cain had a desire to be accepted.
But the sacrifice is just a stinky carcass until His fire falls on it. ANY sacrifice is this way. It just draws flies. So if we are giving our all to the church but neglecting our family, His fire wont fall on it, and it will never be holy. In fact, the longer we pretend, the stinkier it will become until nobody wishes to be near us.
I was wondering... why did John say "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire"? Why that order? I've always thought I needed the fire so the Holy Spirit would come. But He comes so the fire will fall. That second verse reminded me of this verse:
Mal 3:3 LITV (3) And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and like silver, that they may be presenters of a grain offering in righteousness to Jehovah.
Who is the priesthood? It 'was' Levi, but now it's us! He purges us first - THEN we can be presenters of our sacrifice.
As born-again Christians, we have been empowered to do EVERYTHING that God commissioned us to do. He doesn't commission us then expect us to beg for the tools to do the job. We walk as Jesus did - having open heavens above our head. The power of Heaven is at our disposal. We do not have to 'earn' it, or become 'holy enough' to use it. We simply realize that it's there - for us - and grasp it in order to achieve our purpose of representing Jesus to everyone we meet.
Matthew 3:11-12 LITV
(11) I indeed baptize you in water to repentance; but He who is coming after me is stronger than me, of whom I am not able to lift The sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,
(12) whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and will gather His wheat into the storehouse. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
We are talking about the Fire of GOD falling in our lives! This is a picture of sacrifice. Don't all Christians have a deep-rooted desire to be accepted of God? Even Cain had a desire to be accepted.
But the sacrifice is just a stinky carcass until His fire falls on it. ANY sacrifice is this way. It just draws flies. So if we are giving our all to the church but neglecting our family, His fire wont fall on it, and it will never be holy. In fact, the longer we pretend, the stinkier it will become until nobody wishes to be near us.
I was wondering... why did John say "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire"? Why that order? I've always thought I needed the fire so the Holy Spirit would come. But He comes so the fire will fall. That second verse reminded me of this verse:
Mal 3:3 LITV (3) And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and like silver, that they may be presenters of a grain offering in righteousness to Jehovah.
Who is the priesthood? It 'was' Levi, but now it's us! He purges us first - THEN we can be presenters of our sacrifice.
As born-again Christians, we have been empowered to do EVERYTHING that God commissioned us to do. He doesn't commission us then expect us to beg for the tools to do the job. We walk as Jesus did - having open heavens above our head. The power of Heaven is at our disposal. We do not have to 'earn' it, or become 'holy enough' to use it. We simply realize that it's there - for us - and grasp it in order to achieve our purpose of representing Jesus to everyone we meet.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Consecration Offering
Wow the 200th post is slow in coming. I've been out in training for work and it is GOOD to be back.
We are familiar with the concept of offerings in the Old Testament; a lamb for this, a bull for that, a dove if you can't afford it, etc. Not all of these make sense. They just seem like instruction - maybe cryptic keys to something in God's realm. Truly - most of these offerings seem very formulaic.
In Exodus 29 we read about the priests who have to give an offering of consecration. A certain amount is for them to 'consume' - because they are about the work of God. But that which is not consumed by them is TOTALLY burned up. Interesting. It seems... wasteful, doesn't it?
The picture is this: the flesh is a tool for Kingdom work. Nothing more. The flesh is never to be used for anything more, or for anything less. It's the FLESH. And when we are done with it, ultimately, it goes up in smoke. Why? Because it is HOLY.
Exodus 29:34 LITV
(34) And if any is left of the flesh of consecration, and of the bread, until the morning, you shall burn what is left with fire; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.
This is for priests, remember? We are priests. And we are consecrated to God and to His Kingdom business. In the end, when that horn blows, our flesh 'dissolves', if you will. It vaporizes, and we become SPIRIT (or smoke). Why? Because WE are holy.
Romans 12:1 LITV
(1) Therefore, brothers, I call on you through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
We are familiar with the concept of offerings in the Old Testament; a lamb for this, a bull for that, a dove if you can't afford it, etc. Not all of these make sense. They just seem like instruction - maybe cryptic keys to something in God's realm. Truly - most of these offerings seem very formulaic.
In Exodus 29 we read about the priests who have to give an offering of consecration. A certain amount is for them to 'consume' - because they are about the work of God. But that which is not consumed by them is TOTALLY burned up. Interesting. It seems... wasteful, doesn't it?
The picture is this: the flesh is a tool for Kingdom work. Nothing more. The flesh is never to be used for anything more, or for anything less. It's the FLESH. And when we are done with it, ultimately, it goes up in smoke. Why? Because it is HOLY.
Exodus 29:34 LITV
(34) And if any is left of the flesh of consecration, and of the bread, until the morning, you shall burn what is left with fire; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.
This is for priests, remember? We are priests. And we are consecrated to God and to His Kingdom business. In the end, when that horn blows, our flesh 'dissolves', if you will. It vaporizes, and we become SPIRIT (or smoke). Why? Because WE are holy.
Romans 12:1 LITV
(1) Therefore, brothers, I call on you through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Falling Fire
In the Old Testament, how did they know that the sacrifices were accepted? History says that fire actually fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifices - totally - and that was the indication of acceptance. Our clearest picture of that is when Elijah offered the bulls on Mt Carmel. The fire of God came down in a violent display, leaving no question as to whether or not the sacrifice was acceptable.
As Christians, many of us want to see the fire of God in our lives. We want it to fall on us, personally! Whenever I see a man who literally has the fire of God upon him, I refocus my own passions upon God. There is only one way to obtain the fire of God in your life.
Rom 12:1-2
(1) Therefore, brothers, I call on you through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
If there is no fire falling in your life, look to see if there has been any sacrifice.
As Christians, many of us want to see the fire of God in our lives. We want it to fall on us, personally! Whenever I see a man who literally has the fire of God upon him, I refocus my own passions upon God. There is only one way to obtain the fire of God in your life.
Rom 12:1-2
(1) Therefore, brothers, I call on you through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
If there is no fire falling in your life, look to see if there has been any sacrifice.
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