Sacrificial Dedication

My daily Bible reading took me to Leviticus 8 today. In this chapter, Moses is presenting Aaron and his sons to the Lord as priests, dedicating and consecrating them. In doing so, three sacrifices were offered and I was struck by the order and meaning of the sacrifices.

But first, a word about sacrifices. Many Christians assume that people in the Old Testament sacrificed to be saved, but this is incorrect. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that this is not true: "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (10:4). In the Old Testament Samuel declared, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). I like how Douglas and Tenney explain this, that the basis for the covenant between God and Israel was obedience: "The foundation principle of this covenant was obedience, not sacrifices. Sacrifices were incidental--aids to obedience but valueless without it." The primary purpose of the sacrifices was to express the covenant relationship Israel had with God. Thus, when they disobeyed God and sinned, they came to him declaring their need for his forgiveness. The sacrifice did not wash away their sin; God washed away their sin as he saw his children's desire to get right with him.* I say this because the assumption that sacrifices were only used to "get saved" misses the whole point of sacrifice: an expression of a relationship with God. This is so beautifully evident in Leviticus 8.

The first sacrifice is a sin offering. Aaron and his sons place their hands on the bull and it is slaughtered. They come to acknowledge their need for forgiveness from God and watch a bull die in their places. In order to minister for God, to be close in relationship to him, they must put away their sin.

The second sacrifice is a burnt offering. This offering is called a pleasing aroma, a gift to God. The whole offering is burned up. It is a gift to the Lord alone. It is this sacrifice that declares atonement, reconciliation with God. It expresses that they now have a relationship with God.

The third offering is called the offering of ordination. I'd like to call it an offering of dedication. The blood is taken from the offering and applied to the right ears, right thumbs and right toes of Aaron and his sons (symbolizing the whole person dedicated to God). This is a sacrifice that declares they are dedicated to the service of God. They then eat portions of this offering at a meal. The sacrificial meal is a symbol of fellowship with God.

So, in order, Aaron and his sons are cleansed, then reconciled, then dedicated. And this, too, is what Jesus' sacrifice does for Christians.

Jesus is the sacrifice for sin. In order to even take a step towards God, we need to be clean and Jesus' blood does this for us (unlike bulls and goats, Jesus' blood utterly eradicates sin). Then, his blood reconciles us. His sacrifice is the pleasing aroma to God, the gift that opens the door to relationship. Finally, Jesus' blood is applied to us. We are covered in it and thus dedicated to God's service.

Christians will agree with the first two sacrifices. Yes, Jesus took away my sin. Yes, Jesus brought me into relationship with God. But how many also see that Jesus' blood applied to me means I am now dedicated to God? I am not my own, I am bought with a price, therefore I must honor God with my body.

Paul says that the Old Testament was written to teach us (Ro. 15:4). From Leviticus 8 we learn that Jesus' sacrifice is not only to save and reconcile, but to dedicate as well. We cannot be cleansed and reconciled without this leading to dedication. This is why our lives change the moment we become Christians. Does your life reflect Jesus' salvation and reconciliation through dedication?

*For those who wonder why Jesus then needed to come if God washed away sin of the Old Testament, it is clear that Old Testament believers were saved the same way we are: by faith in God's way of salvation. Jesus' blood is applied to Old Testament believers as much as to New Testament believers. People in the Old Testament looked forward to God's ultimate salvation, a picture of which is found in the sacrificial system. I like how theologians have often put it. Imagine a timeline in the middle of which is Jesus' death and resurrection. The Old Testament believers are on the left looking forward to his sacrifice and the New Testament believers are on the right looking back at his sacrifice.