The Perfect Priest
22 He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 23 Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splashed blood against the sides of the altar.
Leviticus 8:22–24
I wonder how you would feel if you found out the psychologist someone was seeing was on anti-depressants and had just been hospitalised for mental health issues. There’s a sense in which it seems a bit crazy for people who have significant problems of their own to get paid to support other people with significant problems.
This is a little bit of the story of the priests in Leviticus. How can sinful priests offer sacrifices on behalf of sinful people? Well, first the sin of the priest must be atoned for. That’s what’s going on in Leviticus 8. The priests must be made holy before they can make sacrifices for the holiness of God’s people.
But this points forward to the glory of Jesus. Hebrews speaks of Jesus being the only one who needed to make no sacrifice for his own sin. Rather, he is the perfect High Priest who is able to make himself the sacrifice for other sinners.
It’s another wonderful continuity between the Old Covenant and the New. A great reminder of the beauty of the threads that make up the plotline of the Bible. You can check it out in chapter 9 of Hebrews.
The crucial thing being this. If Jesus was just another priest like Aaron, then ultimately, not all the goats or bulls in the world would be enough to cover all our sins. It’s only because of Jesus’ sacrifice, that God could justly accept the sacrifice of bulls or goats. And it’s only because of Jesus that we can be once and for all forgiven.
Today:
Pray:
Leviticus 8:22–24
I wonder how you would feel if you found out the psychologist someone was seeing was on anti-depressants and had just been hospitalised for mental health issues. There’s a sense in which it seems a bit crazy for people who have significant problems of their own to get paid to support other people with significant problems.
This is a little bit of the story of the priests in Leviticus. How can sinful priests offer sacrifices on behalf of sinful people? Well, first the sin of the priest must be atoned for. That’s what’s going on in Leviticus 8. The priests must be made holy before they can make sacrifices for the holiness of God’s people.
But this points forward to the glory of Jesus. Hebrews speaks of Jesus being the only one who needed to make no sacrifice for his own sin. Rather, he is the perfect High Priest who is able to make himself the sacrifice for other sinners.
It’s another wonderful continuity between the Old Covenant and the New. A great reminder of the beauty of the threads that make up the plotline of the Bible. You can check it out in chapter 9 of Hebrews.
The crucial thing being this. If Jesus was just another priest like Aaron, then ultimately, not all the goats or bulls in the world would be enough to cover all our sins. It’s only because of Jesus’ sacrifice, that God could justly accept the sacrifice of bulls or goats. And it’s only because of Jesus that we can be once and for all forgiven.
Today:
- Have a read of Hebrews 9 to see the significance of Jesus as High Priest.
- Reflect on the nature of the Bible and its continuity.
- Give thanks for Jesus, our High Priest.
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He allows a sacrifice for sins.
- Give thanks for Jesus who is our Great High Priest
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others look to Jesus as your offering for sin.
Posted in Leviticus
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