Hebrews 10:19-22. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's most holy place because of the blood of Jesus. By His death, Jesus opened a new life-giving way through the curtain into the most holy place. And since we have a great high priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts. Fully trusting Him for our guilty consciences had been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water."
This scripture is connecting Jesus' sacrifice to the Old Testament sacrifice ritual of the Israelites founding Leviticus chapters one through seven. My latest research is, how do these Old Testament sacrifices and laws found specifically in Leviticus apply to us today? Hebrews 10:22 It says that Christ's blood was sprinkled on us. This is reflecting that once an animal is killed, they slit its throat and allows blood to run in a bowl before they burn the sacrifice and they sprinkle the blood on the altar. This is showing the life of that animal consuming the life of the sinner so that when this sacrifice is burned in, that it is a pleasing aroma to God. These burnt offerings are given, creating the pathway in between the one who brought the sacrifice to the altar and God.
A lot of times we harp on these Old Testament laws saying, “Oh, they never got to encounter God.” No, no, no. The Israelites had God living in their midst. God is giving them these sacrifices so God can live in the tabernacle in the middle of their camp. So, even though they didn't get a personal relationship with God like we do, they had a communal relationship with God.
And during these offerings that they would give, even though the priests would conduct the ritual, the offer would have an encounter with God right there. This would be God's way of interacting with Israel individually. Now get it's not like the relationship me and you have with God. We do not have to go to a tent or temple to encounter God; we are living a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. However, God was still with them. God was still dwelling in their midst. God, the entire story of the Bible, has been chasing humanity, loving them unrelentingly, and being faithful, even when we were not.
These sacrifices were a shadow of what was to come. Jesus would lay down His life and cleanse us once for all, then send the Spirit to make everyone who believes in Him living tabernacles.
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