Leviticus 1:1-4 (NKJV) Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying,“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
The Book of Leviticus foreshadows the work of the Messiah. Understanding the rituals there will provide us with the context for understanding the Book of Hebrews where it talks about what Jesus has done for us in the heavenly tabernacle after His resurrection.
At that time, God’s presence dwelt in the tabernacle of meeting. The rituals reveal to us that the way to approach and to worship God was through the offering of an unblemished lamb. Also, spiritual and physical cleansing was necessary before worshipping a holy God.
There were sacrifices—the dying of the innocent for the guilty—for the individual and for the nation. For the individuals, the trespass and sin offerings were to be offered up in the form of a lamb without blemish. Then once a year, on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, sacrifice was made for the nation of Israel as an atonement for all the sins of the people (Leviticus 23:27). The High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood at the golden throne. Before entering, he had to purify himself with water that had the ashes of the sacrifice of a heifer (Numbers 19:1-9).
Unless all the rituals were correctly carried out on Yom Kippur, the High Priest risked being struck dead in the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. The people rejoiced when he exited because it meant that God had accepted the offering for their sins committed last year.
There was no rest for the priest because animals were continuously being sacrificed, and even on the Day of Atonement, the sacrifice was only temporal because it could never take away the sin of the people forever. The earthly tabernacle and animal sacrifices were only a temporary solution for the people, which also served as a continuous reminder that the forgiveness of sin is only possible through the shedding of blood.
Praise be to God that He had a better and perfect plan! He prepared a body through His only Son Jesus Christ and the shedding of His blood to take away the sins of the world once and for all.
Psalm 103:12 (NKJV) As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Sermon Series: The Power of the Blood (Part 1)
暂时的代赎
利未记1:1-4耶和华从会幕中呼叫摩西，对他说： 2 “你晓谕以色列人说：你们中间若有人献供物给耶和华，要从牛群羊群中献牲畜为供物。3 “他的供物若以牛为燔祭，就要在会幕门口献一只 没有残疾的公牛，可以在耶和华面前蒙悦纳。 4 他要按手在燔祭牲的头上，燔祭便蒙悦纳，为他赎罪。
《利未记》预表了弥赛亚的工作。理解其中的各项祭祀礼仪，能够为我们理解《希伯来书》提供背景，因为《希伯来书》中讲到耶稣复活后在天上的帐幕里为我们所成就的事。
那时，神的同在居住在会幕中。祭祀礼仪向我们揭示，接近并敬拜神的方式是通过献上一只无瑕疵的羔羊。同时，在敬拜圣洁的神之前，属灵和属体的洁净都是必要的。
有祭物——无辜者为有罪者而死——既为个人，也为整个民族。对个人而言，过犯与赎罪祭必须以无瑕疵的羔羊献上。每年一次，在赎罪日（Yom Kippur），祭物为以色列全民族献上，作为百姓所有罪的赎价（利未记 23:27）。大祭司要进入至圣所，将血洒在金色宝座上。在进入之前，他必须用拴有母牛灰的水自我洁净（民数记 19:1-9）。
若在赎罪日没有按规矩正确完成所有仪式，大祭司就有可能在至圣所神面前被击杀。百姓在他出来时欢喜，因为这意味着神已经接受了献祭，为他们过去一年所犯的罪作了赎。
祭司没有休息的时间，因为动物持续被献上；即便在赎罪日，献祭也是暂时的，因为它永远不能真正除去百姓的罪。地上的会幕和动物祭只是百姓暂时的解决办法，同时也不断提醒人们，罪得赦免唯有通过流血才能成就。
赞美神！祂有更美好、更完全的计划！祂藉着祂独生子耶稣基督预备了一个身体，并通过祂的宝血一次永远地除去世人的罪。
诗篇103:12东离西有多远，祂叫我们的过犯离我们也有多远。
讲章系列: 宝血的大能