Foundations Week 9, Day 4

Scripture Read:  Leviticus 8 - 9
Title: Aaron and his sons are ordained/consecrated for the priesthood.

H.E.A.R. Entry
(H) Highlight verse:  "It will take seven days to ordain you.  As has been done today, the LORD has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.  "  Lev. 8:33b - 34

(E) Explain:   The book of Leviticus is a book of of the Levitical laws.  The book focuses on the legal, ritual and moral practices more than doctrinal.  Chapters 1 - 7 detail five offerings that God commands Moses and the priests to perform.  I won't detail each offering (you can read them on your own if you wish) They are...

1. Burnt offerings
   
2. Grain offerings
   
3. Peace offerings
   
4. Sin offerings
   
5. Guilt offerings

Our passages for today deal more specifically with the consecration and ordination of Aaron and his sons for the priesthood.  You will notice that the ordination practice is long (seven days) and very messy and bloody.  These consecrations involve sacrifice and a lot of blood being thrown around.  I believe this is so to show 1) the holiness of God and 2) the repercussions and  extensiveness of sin.  The priests and ultimately the people needed to atone for their sins in order for God to consecrate them.  As we see, God takes sin very seriously and atonement or expiation of sins is necessary in order to be right before God.
  
(A) Application: When you look back at the institution of how people made atonement for their sins it is apparent that this was not a fun and encouraging process.  It was bloody, messy and costly.  I think about the process people went through just to be assured that their sins were forgiven was not one that people entered lightly.
But for us today this reminder of the atonement process should remind us of two things... 1) Sin is real.  2)  The consequences of sin resulted in death.  Fortunately for us today we do not need to make physical animal sacrifices to atone for our sins, but this should not mean that we take sin less seriously. 
We need reminding daily that Jesus offered himself as our sin offering at the cross of Calvary.  His sacrifice was messy and bloody, but the end result was atonement.  Jesus loves us so much that he became the ultimate sacrifice for humanity so we could do away with animal sacrifice.  The shed blood of Jesus atoned for our sins so that we no longer have to make atonement for ourselves.  This, of course, does not excuse us to sin whenever and however we want, in fact just the opposite is true.  Since Jesus gave his life as an atonement for you and me, we should be more guarded against sins, because his death is not a "get out of hell free" card that we can flash at God every time we willingly or unwillingly sin.  Jesus gave all, so we can have it all.  So let's commit to living our lives for Him as disciples who are forgiven, but not free to live as we please.

(R) Respond:  Thank you Jesus for giving your life on the cross as an atonement for sin.  Thank you that you were the perfect and ultimate sacrifice.  May the severity of your death on the cross be a constant reminder to me that sin is costly and it cost you everything.