Week 26/2024
A word fitly spoken is like APPLES OF GOLD in a setting of silver [Proverbs 25v11]
Today we continue our series: “Christ in every book of the Old Testament”. The Book of Leviticus has much to say about the role, dress, appearance and performance required of priests serving the spiritual needs of the nation of Israel. But of particular interest is the person and role of the High Priest, whose major function was to intercede for the sins of the people, on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. After precise preparation he went into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle/Temple and the people held their breath hoping that God would look favourably on the sacrifice he presented so he could return with good news that the nations sin was atoned for another year. What does atonement mean?
An easy way to remember is “at-one-ment”- in other words “the people and God unified and joined together as one”. However, this atonement was temporary and was reliant on the Grace of God because bei,ng human, the high priest was imperfect. He also had to be replaced on his death unlike Jesus Christ who over 15 times in the Book of Hebrews is referred to as the perfect High Priest who lives for ever as we read in chapter 7v23: “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives for ever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered himself”.
I want to highlight several points from these verses: because Christ lives forever, He is our permanent High Priest. Because He died and rose again, there is no need for us to offer sacrifices or works to obtain God’s favour. Because Christ is Holy, He is able to intercede for us all the time and not just once a year. So, when you read the Book of Leviticus again bear in mind that it all points to the perfect High Priest and that every Christian is one of His priests interceding for others in prayer and acting as His ambassadors or representatives in this broken world. Summed up in 1 Peter 2v9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”. A wonderful privilege and responsibility!
Amen
Graeme Greenwood