Imparting Sin
My day went fairly fast with meetings, calls and connections. It was good to connect with my friend George Brauchler District Attorney in Arapahoe County. He was in Fort Collins on a “listening tour” as he considers his political future.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” Leviticus 1:4 ESV
Scripture declares, “the wages of sin is death….” (Romans 6:23 NIV) and “the soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:20 NIV) There is one exception to this spiritual law. That exception is another taking the place of the one deserving of death.
I recall episodes of some CSI type of programs. A parent will plead guilty to a crime they did not commit because it is believed in doing so, they will keep a child from judgment. Perhaps it is the other way around. At any rate the concept of someone being willing to take someone else’s punishment seems to be evidence in various actions of people.
As the law was given to Moses, it was an animal sacrifice that was offered in the place of the sinful individual. But the process involved the laying on of hands on the head of the offering. This was a symbolic act of imparting the sins of the guilty onto the innocent that would be sacrificed. The Lord told Moses that this offering would be accepted by God and would be an “atonement” for the person.
Leviticus reveals the instructions for unintentional sins, “He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord.” (Leviticus 4:4 ESV)
It reveals the instructions for forgiveness of corporate sins, “And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be killed before the Lord.” (Leviticus 4:15 ESV)
When a leader sins unintentionally, “…he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish, and shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord…” (Leviticus 4:23,24 ESV)
If a “common” person sins unintentionally, “And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.” (Leviticus 4:29 ESV)
In each situation there is this “laying on of hands” on the sacrifice. This creates an identification with the sacrifice and is the symbolic act of transferring sin from the person to the sacrifice.
All of this is a picture of what Christ would fulfill for us. Hebrews declares of Christ’s role as High Priest, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12 NIV)
Speaking of the work of Christ hundreds of years before hand, the prophet declared, “…the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6 ESV) John declared of Jesus, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2 NIV)
It was in that difficult to understand moment, that God the Father, allowed to be laid on Jesus, the sin of the world and it caused him to cry out, “My God, My God why have you forsake me?”
To understand the power of the New Testament, we need to see the God of the Old Testament. We are those who are guilty, He is innocent. But in His compassion for us, He was willing to take the judgment of our sin on Himself, so that we might be free to live a new life.
Prayer for today…. Lord, thank You that You took our place. That our sin was “laid on You as You hung on the cross.” We rejoice that our sins have been paid and we are released to live a new life in You.