EXODUS 29 - THE COST OF SIN
EXODUS 29
In this Chapter, we see that both the priests and the place of worship (the Tabernacle) had to be sanctified with the innocent blood of rams and bulls before more sacrifices could me made of innocent lambs for the people. There is an ongoing process depicted here of constant sacrifices for the sin of every man, woman and child, no matter what their position, background, or station in life. All of this took place while the people were still wandering in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. As possibly upwards of 3 million people journeyed with God, there were these constant acts of sacrifice going on in their midst, with the slaughter of innocent animals and then the constant smell of the burning of their flesh. The people lived with a constant ongoing reminder of the high cost of sin.
All of this was necessary for the people to have any fellowship with God, because He is a Holy God and can tolerate no sin in His presence, so it has to be atoned for. When the 1st sin was committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden, God made it clear that the fig leaves they had sewn together for themselves to cover their nakedness and shame before Him because of their sin was not sufficient, and that the only acceptable covering for them in His presence was a new set of clothes, made and provided by God, of the skin from an innocent animal, whose blood was shed for them. This point was reinforced when God had regard for Abel’s offering of the firstlings of his flock, but had no regard for the grain offering brought by Cain. As Hebrews 9:22 says, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
Yet, the atonement provided by all of these sacrifices was only partial and temporary, and it had to be repeated day after day, week after week, and year after year. After the people had established themselves in the Promised Land, the Tabernacle was replaced by the Temple as a more permanent and fixed location for communion with God through the ongoing shedding of innocent blood.
But all of this looked forward to a coming day when God would provide, through the shed blood of His innocent Son, Jesus, a complete and permanent sacrifice for sin which would permanently and forever atone for the sin of anyone who trusted in Him and Him alone for forgiveness, salvation, and new life.
Thankfully, when we gather now to corporately worship God in church, we do not have to engage in any animal sacrifices in order to have communion and fellowship with God. Jesus has done it all. Listen to the words of Hebrews 7:27, “He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself.”
Jesus did what no amount of ongoing animal sacrifices could ever do, and that was to make a permanent once and for all sacrifice for sin. As is explained in Hebrews 9:26-28, Jesus “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”, and that He was “offered once to bear the sins of many.” Because of this, He has secured for us who believe in Him what Hebrews 9:12 says is an “eternal redemption.”
Since Jesus did it all, then any attempt by us to add any further sacrifices for the purpose of atoning for sin, would be useless and unnecessary, and frankly, an affront to God, since we would in effect be saying to God that we did not believe that the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, on the cross was sufficient to pay for our sins.
Now, this does not mean that we do not make sacrifices for God, but rather that they are now for a different purpose and with a different motive. Rom. 12:1 tells us that we who have received the mercy of God, are to present our entire bodies as a living sacrifice to God. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were made in order to obtain a partial and temporary atonement for sin. In the New Testament, they are made in loving response to the fact that God has already fully and permanently done that for us in Jesus.
The closing verses of this Chapter show us God’s purpose in all of this, which was so that He, a Holy God, could be in the presence of His people and dwell with them. This was the type of relationship that existed in the Garden before sin entered the world, and it is what God will one day fully restore to perfection in the new creation depicted in Rev. 21:1-4. God longs for fellowship and communion with us as much as we know that we need it with Him, and He went to the greatest length imaginable to make it possible.