Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Wisps of Sacrifices Pointed to the Eternal

Hebrews 10:1-4 
1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

The Law given to God’s people through Moses had wisps of what was in heaven to be revealed by Jesus Christ.  The sacrifices prescribed by the Law’s demands were weak representations of the true sacrifice and worship in God’s heavenly temple.  These earthly sacrifices which had to be offered every year could never make men perfect, could never make one holy.  These sacrifices only left the people with continuing awareness of sin and its guilt, and the yearly sacrifices served to remind them of these facts.  They knew that ultimately the blood of sacrificed animals could not take away their sin and give them a holy standing before the God who dwells in the true Holy of Holies.  With only the Law and Levitical sacrifices, there was no certain hope of forgiveness and acceptance by the holy and righteous God, but merely a wish to appease Him by these things.  Ah, but these shadows were based on something else that was the true sacrifice and eternal forgiveness which could not be earned by our efforts, but by God’s own perfect work and sacrifice. 

No comments:

Post a Comment