Daily Devotional for Wednesday, August 17

Darkness at Sinai

The Old Testament is simply packed with things that are referred to as pictures of other things. Generally, Old Testament pictures point to something that is to happen, or something for which believers should be looking and waiting. For you today, they allow you to look back and see the full tapestry of salvation unfold in God’s Word. You can look back and see God’s eternal plan unfold before your eyes, and it helps you to understand and believe. 

You see sacrifices being made by Old Testament saints throughout the biblical narrative; at Mount Sinai you see the beginnings of the sacrificial system as a formalized, God-mandated system of worship. As the narrative unfolds, you can learn a couple of lessons. One is that sin will not be ignored by God, and a price must be paid to obtain forgiveness. Another is that a perfect innocent party can be substituted for a guilty party, and the sin of the guilty party then forgiven. The sacrificial system reinforced this teaching with God’s people for centuries. Many, many thousands of animals were sacrificed in a never-ending cycle of sin, sacrifice and forgiveness. 

There was, however, a better way coming. This way would release them from the burden of never-ending sacrifice by the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His blood would be the last blood that had to be shed. Will you rest in that, or will you keep working away in your own way?

JUST A THOUGHT: God no longer requires sacrifices of animals; but He does ask you to give Him yourself.

Wally Fry