Read His Words Before Ours! Hebrews 9:1-10 Leviticus 16 Isaiah 53 Hebrews 2:14-18 Hebrews 13:11-15 Sisters, the more I study the Bible, the more I write these Journey Studies, the more vividly aware I become of how little I know about God and His love letter to us. Familiarity with His Word will do that….make you hungry for more of Him. Transparency is central to all of us at Gracefully Truthful, so, know that we are right here with you, journeying and learning more of our Savior together. What we share on these pages…. you’re glimpsing our hearts, you’re seeing Jesus with the same fresh eyes that we are. These aren’t just cleverly crafted words to us, These are the result of hours and hours of pouring over His Word that we might know Him better. This precious Word, intricately crafted by the Father God as He wove together every single word to declare His love, making known to us the way of salvation and intimacy with Him. No detail lacks intentionality. Even the parts we think are boring. Just a few months ago, I didn’t even know that each portion of the tabernacle symbolized anything. I feel completely unworthy of sharing what I’ve learned with you, but the beauty in this is a reminder that we don’t need to be a certain age to study the Bible, we don’t need a degree in Theology, we don’t even need to be a follower of Jesus for a certain number of years. The first time I read the Bible cover to cover was in fifth grade. Even today I remember dozing my way through the Old Testament, specifically Leviticus and Numbers. Boy oh boy were those books a bore! I wondered why God even included them in the Bible! What did they really have to do with ANYTHING? In books and movies, the most fascinating characters to me are those who, being incredibly intelligent, are able to map every little detail of their lives. Their knowledge of every supporting character is so thorough, they know exactly how to evoke the intended response. Sometimes you may be confused by their response or action, but as the story unfolds, you realize that every action was part of a well-intentioned plan. I didn’t sidetrack there! That is a picture of how God wrote the Bible. The more we study His story, watching it unfold, it becomes evident that even those incredibly boring books, full of instructions and lists, are all part of His well-intentioned plan. The Day of Atonement is also known as Yom Kippur. One day a year, the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies (the most sacred section of the Tabernacle) to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the people that God would forgive them and remove their sin. Throughout the year, people would offer sacrifices for their individual sins, but this one was corporate as a whole nation before Yahweh. Two perfect goats were selected for the annual sacrifice. One goat would be slaughtered and the spilt blood would be sprinkled in the Holy of Holies to “atone” (Hence, “Day of Atonement”) for the sins of the people. A second goat, a scapegoat, would be sent into the wilderness to “remove” the sins from off the people, carrying them away. The High Priest would place his hands on the scapegoat’s head, symbolizing all of Israel’s sin for that year being transferred to the goat. Then the goat would be sent into the wilderness, never to return again. God specifically set up the Tabernacle, the intricate details of the sacrificial system, all the feasts and countless minutia we will never fully grasp, to paint a picture with deep, beautiful strokes. A portrait of all the coming Messiah would be for us, both at the cross and beyond, into eternity. Jesus is our High Priest, giving us access into the Holy of Holies that we might have an intimate and close relationship with the Holy God of the Universe. Jesus is our sacrificial Passover lamb, offered up to free us from sin, just as Israel was freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Jesus is the Scapegoat of the Day of Atonement, taking our sin, being crucified “outside of the city” (Hebrews 13:11) and removing our sin from us “as far as the east is from the west”. (Psalm 103:12) Jesus is the fulfillment, the perfect fulfillment. Every picture painted in the Old Testament, finds its beginning and ending in the heart of God as He very intentionally invites each of us to be partakers in the life that will never end. The delicate detail put in place hundreds of years before Jesus came, long before prophets even began prophesying of His coming – Is incredible! The Lord does NOTHING without a specific and perfect purpose. Nothing about Him or His love is reckless. How incredible it is to know that He loves us THAT MUCH! He had a great plan to redeem us, but it wasn’t a simple plan. The more I learn this, the more I realize I will never be able to grasp the great and mighty Love of the Lord. And the more I learn that, the more I fall in love with Him. So sisters… Leviticus and Numbers, and every “boring” book or chapter in between…all have a purpose. They all point to His redeeming plan and incredible love for us! This Bible Study is property of Gracefully Truthful, where it was first published. For more studies like this one, visit GracefullyTruthful.com!
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Kendra LeeAnneFrom Bible studies to blogs, articles to musings of the heart, Kendra's writings are unbarred and raw - exactly how she speaks. Categories
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