In my private reading time, I’m
currently in the book of Leviticus. I know some of you may wonder, “Did he just
say Leviticus?” Yes, I said Leviticus! It’s actually a really good
book. I strongly encourage you to pick it up. You will encounter the holiness
of God and how He reveals and regulates the people of Israel.
Holiness is the clear theme in
this book, which is part of God’s character and what He desires.
The great theologian, R.C.
Sproul, writes, “I am convinced that it [holiness] is one of the most important
ideas that a Christian can ever grapple with. It is basic to our whole
understanding of God and Christianity” (Sproul, 1998, p.11). Furthermore, this
book is full of rich theology, but one thing that stuck out to me was this
phrase: “without blemish.” Theologically speaking, something that has a flaw or
mark is not worthy, sufficient, nor acceptable as a sacrifice.
Consider these verses, which
contain this phrase “without blemish”:
Leviticus 1:3-
“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish.”
Leviticus 1:10-
“If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats,
he shall bring a male without blemish.”
Leviticus 3:1-
“If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from
the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without
blemish before the Lord.”
Leviticus 3:6-
“If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male
or female, he shall offer it without
blemish.”
Leviticus 4:3- If
it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he
shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering”
Should I continue? I don’t mean
to be beat a dead horse, but I think you guys get the point. Without blemish is a repeated phrase
throughout this great book. But what exactly does it mean?
First, we have to understand the
context. The people of Israel were commanded to live a certain way because God
desires for His people to be Holy (Leviticus 20:26). Mark Dever, the founder of
9Marks and a pastor in D.C., writes, “…[H]e also wants [H]is people to live
distinctly from the fallen world around them, where people do not naturally
reflect [H]is character. His special people should be distinguished from the
nations by the way they live” (Dever, 2006, p. 94-95). In addition, He governed
His people in a way that they were to make sacrifices (i.e. burnt, grain,
peace, and other offerings).
Second, we must understand that
perfection is the standard. God’s holy righteous standard has always been
perfection. This is what the phrase without
blemish is trying to communicate. All of the animals in the Old Testament
that were sacrificed had to be spotless to be considered an offering in the
first place. Moses makes this point evident with the previous verses that I
mentioned (Leviticus 1:3, 10, 3:1, 6, 4:3).
Last, we must understand that
these sacrifices ultimately point to Jesus Christ. These sacrifices symbolized
the payment for sinful deeds, but do not fulfill them. Christ does that on
behalf of all those who repent and believe in Him. He is the embodiment of what
it means to be without blemish. He
was born of a virgin, fulfilled the law, suffered, died, and was resurrected.
Hebrews 4:15 tell us the He was tempted like we were, yet was without sin.
Philippians 2:6 tells us that He was in the form of God. Who better to meet the
criteria of perfection?
In conclusion, I love the book
of Leviticus. I’m looking forward to continue learning more about His holiness
and how God regulated the people of Israel. It is important to understand the
context, to know that perfection is the standard, and to see that the
sacrifices foreshadow the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate sacrifice that
satisfied the wrath of God. Have you repented and trusted in the risen Savior
who is without blemish?
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