God Is Not Far Away

Today's Reading: Leviticus 6:8-7:10

Leviticus 6:13 (ESV) "Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out."

There are two types of people in the world. Ones who follow recipes, and ones who make them up as they go. I will admit I am the former. As much as I want to be a creative type, making things up as I go, I'm just not. I am the ultimate rule-follower. And it's not just recipes; it's all areas of life. I believe if I follow every instruction exactly, I can rest in the outcome knowing I did my part.

In today's passage we really get into rules and details. But whether we are detail-oriented rule-followers or not, today's passage has good news for each of us.

We've covered these five types of offerings in Leviticus 1-5: the burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering and guilt offering. But God has more details to give to the priests about these offerings. The expectations were clear, and the consequences laid out if they did not perform them correctly.

God's holiness meant He could not be in the presence of sin. The priests had a big responsibility to make sure they kept their distance from God. They had to follow these instructions exactly, or they would die. (Leviticus 10:2)

And yet God put His tabernacle right there, where the sinful people lived. God made His home separate from, but in the middle of, their sin. He didn't ask them to go far to find Him. He invited His people to come near. He got close and made a way, through these offerings, to be with His people, even in their sin. All of these offerings were meant to restore Israel's relationship with Him.

Sin required a sacrifice. It still requires a sacrifice. Israel would fail again and again to obey the laws and observe the offerings, so God the Father sent the ultimate sacrifice: God the Son, Jesus.

Jesus gave Himself entirely as the burnt offering, completely dedicating His life to God. (Ephesians 5:2; Mark 12:33)

Jesus is the Bread of Life, a grain offering (John 6:35) and a peace offering, (Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20) so we get to take Communion as a means of thanksgiving for God's provision to us through Jesus. (Luke 22:19)

Jesus died as our sin offering so we could be forgiven. (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24)

Jesus bore our guilt as a guilt offering on the cross, paying for our sins, bringing restitution and canceling our debt. (2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 2:13-14)

As a rule-follower, reading all of the details of these offerings makes my head spin because I know I would never get them right. But in Christ, I don't have to worry about failing; I can rest in God's grace, knowing that, because of Christ's perfect sacrifice, I can approach God freely.

In the middle of our brokenness God is still making a way. He still invites us to draw near today. In Christ, we can approach God's throne of grace and mercy with confidence because every sacrifice was completed and fulfilled in Jesus offering His life. (Hebrews 4:16)

So, on the days when we feel ashamed in our sin, God doesn't run away. He is not far; He is near. His grace is never-ending, like the fire on the altar in Leviticus 6:13, which burns "continually" and "shall not go out."

Prayer: God, You are holy and there is no one like You. Thank You that, even in Your holiness, You invite us to come near. More than that, we praise You for drawing close to us. Thank You for making a way through Jesus for us to be in relationship with You, even in our sin. In Jesus' name, amen.

More Moments About Leviticus 6:8-7:10

If Jesus is our High Priest, and His life was the ultimate offering, (Hebrews 4:14) then what does that mean for us? Do we just throw everything in this passage away? While we no longer have to give burnt offerings, or have priests to present a grain offering, it doesn't mean we can just live unrepentant in our sin.

Paul gives us a new instruction: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1; emphasis added)

What does that mean?

In our bodies, in our living, in our worship, we give our holy God a holy offering that He accepts through Christ. Which has a cost, but the cost is worth it.

We are called to be holy and set apart. (1 Peter 1:15-16) We get to choose to obey what God's Word says about how we should live. Not because we have to earn salvation or right standing with God but because it's our response to the grace we have been given. It's a way to worship God for what He has already done for us through Jesus.

Major Moment: God laid out precise instructions for His priests.

This was originally published as a teaching from The Hard and The Holy in the First 5 app.