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)
临时解决方案
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。理解了其中的仪式就能理解希伯来书中讲论耶稣在复活之后在天上的会幕中为我们所做的一切。
那时，神的同在住在会幕中。仪式告诉我们，就近和敬拜上帝的方式是通过献上一只没有瑕疵的羔羊。此外，在敬拜圣洁的上帝之前，灵和身体的净化是必要的。
有献祭— 无罪的为有罪的而死— 为个人和为国家。若是为个人，赎愆祭和赎罪祭要以无残疾的羊羔 献上。然后每年一次，在赎罪日，为以色列国献祭，作为对人民所有罪孽的赎罪 (利未记23:27)。大祭司会进入至圣所将血洒在金色宝座上。在进入之前，他必须用祭牛犊的灰水净化自己(民数记19:1-9)。
除非赎罪日的所有仪式都正确地进行，否则大祭司就有可能在至圣所中上帝的彰显中被击杀。当他出来的时候，人们都很高兴，因为这意味着上帝已经接受了他们为去年所犯之罪而献上的礼物。
祭司不能休息，因为不断有动物被献祭，即使在赎罪日，献祭也只是暂时有效的，因为它不能永远 除去人的罪。地上的帐幕和动物祭对人们来说只是一个暂时的解决方案，这也不断地提醒人们，罪的赦免只有通过流血才能实现。
感谢神，因为祂有一个更好更完美的计划!祂藉着祂的独子耶稣基督预备了一个身体，藉着祂流出的宝血毕其功于一役以洁除世人的罪。
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