L3-10: The connection between the first 3 Levitical sacrifices and Yeshua’s death

What have we learned so far about the first three Levitical sacrifices which are the OLAH (Burnt Offering), the MINCHAH (Grain Offering), and the ZEVAH (Peace Offering)?

I would say the most important thing we’ve learned about these three sacrifices is that they are all about making us acceptable to God due to our corrupt natures.

Today I want to talk a little bit about the work of Yeshua and how it relates to these sacrifices.

When we read the New Testament and the Epistles by Paul, one of the points made abundantly clear is that the first thing Yeshua’s death and resurrection did for us was make us ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

This is where it all starts folks!

If we are not first made acceptable to the Lord, then He is not interested in our gifts.

Our sacrifices, offerings, or prayers will be meaningless if we are not first made acceptable to the Lord.

There can be no peace between an infinitely Holy God and man until we are first made acceptable to the Lord.

When we read the teachings of Paul, you will notice that the issue of acceptability of men to YHVH via Yeshua’s sacrifice is NOT about our sinful actions and behaviors.

Rather it is about our corrupt or sinful natures.

When referring to the corrupted nature of man, Paul often uses the phrase “the power of sin”.

I believe Paul is referring to that spiritually dark nature that lives within all of us when he uses that expression.

He is referring to man’s naturally fallen condition which wields tremendous power over every part of our lives.

In Hebrew, this would be called the YETSER HARAH which literally would translate to “evil inclination”.

Again, when the Apostle Paul says the “the power of sin”, he is NOT referring to our specific sinful behaviors or actions.

He is talking about that evil tendency resident in the very fiber of all human beings.

Here’s the thing.

BEFORE the Lord can even begin dealing with our sinful behaviors, He has to FIRST deal with our sinful natures.

The OPPOSITE order does not work.

Atoning for our sinful behaviors alone does not make us clean because our natures are still the same.

FIRST, our corrupt natures must be taken of and then AFTERWARDS the Lord will deal with our behavior.

This is the proper God-ordained order.

We don’t instantly become acceptable to God simply because we have ceased trespassing against him.

It’s not like if we haven’t sinned for let’s say a period of three months, the Lord says “Okay, you’re now acceptable to me”.

Or if we attain some level of good behavior, the Lord says “you’re now acceptable to me”.

It doesn’t work that way.

The first thing the Yeshua’s sacrifice did was make us acceptable to the Lord just like the OLAH, the burnt offering that allows us to approach the Lord.

When we accept and trust in the sacrifice of Yeshua, we become acceptable to the Father.

And it is then and only then can the Father begin to deal with our sinful behaviors.

First we must have our natures made acceptable to the Father and this happens when we are “born again of the Spirit” as Yeshua described it.

The instant we accept our Messiah, at that instant our old and corrupt nature is exchanged for a new, clean, and holy nature.

Now you may be wondering, didn’t Yeshua also pay for our sinful behavior or our specific sinful actions?

The answer is yes, of course, He does.

But the first step is that He has to make us acceptable to the Lord so we can approach the Father.

The Levitical Sacrificial System shows us in the physical world the building blocks of how real peace with God is attained in a manner we humans can grasp.

In Leviticus, we are presented with a sequential order of ritual that shows us in bits and pieces the many aspects of sin, atonement, forgiveness and how they work according to God’s holiness and His justice system. 

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through Messiah Yeshua,
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand. 
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
-Romans 5:1-2

NEXT TIME WE BEGIN LEVITICUS CHAPTER 4