guts, entails and cuds...

Leviticus. This is where I have landed again as I read chronologically through the Bible this year. It is easy (and of which I am guilty) of just reading through it, check marking it off and moving on. I started thinking about everyone who reads this book (or those who don't) and wonder why even include it? It's a valid question, and one I often asked myself years ago. Surely there was something more to this book than just blood and guts, entails and cuds (the first 18 chapters). Surely. Turns out, it is quite a fascinating story of God and of us.

The book before, Exodus, is a story of God delivering His people, only for them to turn away. But God still desired to be with His people - a beautiful picture of the true meaning of mercy and grace was unfolding. Because of their wanderings, an atonement (a sacrifice) was necessary for their sanctification (setting apart, holiness). God would call on Moses and here starts Leviticus. "You must distinguish between the holy and the common...", the clean and unclean (Leviticus 10:10a). This set in motion a long list of regulations, which had to be practiced year after year. God saw that there was a spring in their soul that needed to burst forth...they simply needed direction.

Year after year, they would momentarily be cleansed - but it didn't take away their sin forever. "Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins...". There had to be a greater sacrifice..."But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God..." Hebrews 10:11-12. These sacrificial laws in Leviticus were a shadow of a better sacrifice to come, because the sacrifices of the Israelites could never make perfect, make clean, those who were drawing near.

You see, the Israelites had to learn obedience through these specific laws and had to learn what being set apart really meant. When Jesus came, the law was still in place, but it was a new law - one that didn't require cleansing (because we had been made white as snow - Isaiah 1:18). The new law called us to now offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. The Israelites had blood and guts to offer - our offering to be set apart was now brotherly love, not neglecting to show hospitality to strangers, remembering those in prison and those who are mistreated, keeping marriage held in honor, free from the love of money, content with what we have, strengthening our heart by grace, sharing what we have...just to name a few. These were and are the sacrifices now pleasing to God (Hebrews 13). We too, every one of us, has a spring inside of us waiting to burst forth - just like the Israelites...we just need direction.

Although Leviticus is a difficult read, it is a beautiful pathway to seeing the true depth of meaning in Jesus' sacrifice once and for all. And it is a way to see our own story of depravity, and a merciful and gracious God who would do anything to set us apart - who gave us a way. The book of Hebrews is the rest of Leviticus, and read together is a beautiful story of love, grace, forgiveness and the pursuit of holiness.

"Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean..." Hebrews 10:19-22a