Tag: atonement

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Starting over

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Leviticus 16.

Every spring my dad would dig up the small yard on the side of our house for a garden. Once spade full at a time, he turned over the dirt, littered with a few leaves from last fall and plant stems from last year’s garden. Once it was all turned over, he would rake out the big clumps until the whole garden was a smooth plot of dirt, reading for planting. Every spring, he started a new garden.

That’s how I picture the day of atonement described in Leviticus 16. There is a whole lot of detail about animals, water, blood, and fire that sounds so strange to us. But when it’s all said and done, “You will be clean from all your sins before the Lord” (Leviticus 16:30).

It’s an annual reset when you get to start over. It doesn’t matter what you did the year before. It’s a fresh start, a clean slate, an expunged record.

That sounds really good, doesn’t it? It’s nothing less than the gospel, the good news of forgiveness that ultimately comes through Christ. With him, any day is be a day of atonement. Enjoy it!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Oops.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sven Brandsma on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Leviticus 4.

“Did you take out the trash?” “I forgot.”

“How did the dog get out?” “Oops.”

“Did you eat all of that?” “I didn’t know you wanted some.”

“Why are these cookies burnt on the bottom?” “I didn’t hear the timer go off.”

“If a person sins unintentionally” (Leviticus 4:2). This chapter covers all the “I forgot,” “Oops,” and “Was I supposed to do that?” moments in life. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a priest, the entire congregation, a leader, or anyone else, it must be dealt with. Yes, there’s a sin offering for that.

You and I would brush off the above offenses with a quick, “I’m sorry.” Most unintentional sins won’t fall into the categories of murder or theft, so how bad can they be?

Back then, such sins cost you an animal and required a meeting with the Lord through a priest. Any sin is a big deal in the presence of a holy God. Most of the sins Jesus died for unintentional sins. You and I may not have many “big” sins, but we have an extensive collection of “little,” unintentional ones that need forgiveness. And our Savior takes care of them all at the cross.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He’s got you covered

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Damir Kopezhanov on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 25.

When he got to his cubicle and logged into the computer, the first email that caught his eye was from the boss.

Come by and see me when you get in.

Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good. Now what? What did I do? What did I forget to do? Should I just clean out my desk?

But it was a different kind of meeting. It was all about a a great annual review, a promotion, and a raise.

In a flurry of instructions about building a tabernacle and an ark, God gives Moses this instruction:

 “You shall make an atoning cover of pure gold…Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. There I will meet with you (Exodus 25:17,22).

Another expression for “atoning cover” is “mercy seat.” God would come and meet with his people from a place of mercy.

This is huge. As David will later sing, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). The gold-covered lid for the ark, topped by two angels, was a visual statement of this truth. The condemning law of God, tablets inside the ark, was covered or “atoned” for by the mercies of God. Ultimately, that mercy would be seen at the cross, where the death of Jesus covers sin.

Now that I think about it, once the ark was placed in the holiest place of the tabernacle, no one but the high priest ever got to see it. When it was time to travel, the ark was covered in blue cloth. But everyone knew about it. The craftsmen made everything according to specifications. And then the cloud of God’s presence filled the tabernacle, it was an awesome and reassuring sign of his presence and mercy.