I'm reading through the Bible again this year. Currently I'm in the book of Leviticus. Today I read about Nadab and Abihu, two priests who were the sons of Aaron. In chapter 10 they presented an offering that was unauthorized by God, and fire came out from the presence of God and annhilated them.
Volumes can be written about the serious nature of worship and how God wants our worship to be thoughtful and meaningful and in accordance with His instructions. But that's not what struck me this morning as I was reading. What struck me most is how under the terms of the Old Covenant, God demanded meticulous adherance to set a prescribed instructions for rituals of sacrafice for sin. Sin must be considered an incredibly heinous thing to God, because the sacrafices to atone for sin were blood baths. There was so much involved in the sacrafices that it made me wonder if the priests ever prayed for a job transfer.
An understanding of the nature of Old Covenant sacrafice for sin and the role of the priests creates a new level of wonder and appreciation for what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus is the High Priest that ended the priesthood; the Sacrificial Lamb that ended the need for sacrafices. His own bloody sacrafice satisfied all the written code of the Law and the rituals of sacrafices. He is our Scapegoat so that all guilty sinners can go free when we place our trust in Him. May His Name be praised forever!
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