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Leviticus 7:7-10   “The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering:  They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them.  The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself.  Every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who offers it, and every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron. 

Throughout this section of Scripture (Exodus 19:1 to Numbers 10:10) we are constantly reminded of two important and confronting truths: the utter holiness of God, and the utter sinfulness of man.  In the light of this, we can only approach him on his terms not ours.  It is not about what we feel, but about what he desires; and it is part of our sinfulness that these two things don’t always, or even often, coincide.  But the exciting news for us is, all the requirements of these verses were both met and fulfilled in Jesus.  This is why Jesus could claim: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6).  If there was room for private interpretation about how to approach God in the Old Testament, Jesus could not make this claim, and there would be many paths to God – but Jesus’ claim makes it clear that there is no other way.

The other exciting thing regarding today’s verses is the wonderful, liberating truth proclaimed by the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago: ‘The Priesthood of all believers.’  What created a formidable ‘wall’ of separation between the priests and the people in Moses’ day (symbolising and emphasising the vast,  ‘distance’ between God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness) has now been removed by Christ’s atoning death, so that the Apostle Peter was able to write to the early Christians: “As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Let us rejoice in this amazing freedom which we have in Christ, but let us also remember the context in which Peter proclaims this freedom: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.   But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16). 

– Bruce Christian