There is a Cost
We are coming to the end of another day at Grand Camp. Riley and I slept in later today than yesterday and we even took a nap this afternoon. It was timely because we received a fairly heavy rain for about 30 minutes. We had an interesting scavenger hunt and have been involved with a couple of craft projects which challenges grandpa. It has been fun to meet several grandparents here from other states; so this camp has a wide impact in terms of geographic representation.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “if the anointed priest sins…then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. …Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins…then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting.…When a ruler has sinned…he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. …‘If anyone of the common people sins…then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.” Leviticus 4:3-28
The Book of Leviticus is the Book of the Laws of Moses given by the Lord for the God’s people. First and foremost are the regulations regarding the way to sacrifice an animal in worship to the Lord, the offerings for fellowship with the Lord and the sacrifices for sin against the Lord. Leviticus 4 actually deals primarily with “unintentional” sins. When the transgression is discovered a sacrifice for the sin must be offered.
What is obvious from the requirements is that the sacrifice required for the sin of each individual or group is different. The requirement for the “anointed priest” and the “whole congregation” is a “young bull.”
This is the most costly sacrifice. A young bull represents the potential of the animal to the congregation or priest. It would have been the animal with the highest value. This is a reminder of the adage, “the higher the calling the fewer the choices”; or in this situation the greater the consequence.
The sacrifice of the King or “ruler of the people” is a “kid male goat.” The sacrifice a “common person” is a “kid female goat.”
In each situation, we see that there is a cost for sin and reconciliation. The righteousness of a Holy God demands justice and a sacrifice. That sacrifice represents something of value to the individual or congregation; something that they surrender in their place. The repeated result of the act of sacrifice is, “So the priest shall make atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.” (Lev. 4:31,35)
As I considered this, I was reminded of the personal testimony of Melanie, the young campus minister, I met last week. When she expressed a desire to serve the Lord, like those who had influence her life, she was asked, “is there anything that you are not willing to give up to serve the Lord?” At the time her dependence on drugs had a significant hold on her life, so she had to answer honestly, “yes.”
But she came to the point where she realized that fellowship with the Lord and fulfilling His purpose for her life was worth surrendering all, to Him. She had to conclude that, “if He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.”
This side of the cross, we have the realization that Christ is our sacrifice for the sin of the whole world. Through faith in Him, we have sins forgiven and fellowship with the Lord. As a result, the concept of our “salvation costing us” something can be lost.
That is why the words of Paul to the Romans can be so powerful. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.“ (Romans 12:1,2)
God’s will is for us to “hold nothing back” and to experience His best, as we are connected in right relationship with Him. The New Century Version uses the phrase, “…he will belong to the Lord” as a substitute for the word “atonement.” When we understand “we belong to the Lord” it provides identity, value and relationship.