Fulfilled Completely

Have you ever read something a lot of times, never seen something awesome about it until much later, and then kicked yourself for repeatedly missing it for so long? I’m there right now, but it’s slightly different, because I’m kicking myself out of joy. Allow me to explain...

The book of Leviticus often gets a bad rap for being the thru-the-Bible-in-a-year killer. Genesis—great stories. Exodus—God is powerful. Leviticus—chop this this way, this smells good, blood poured out here and there, cleansing, laws, laws, laws. It’s no wonder most people stop reading their Bibles straight through in the midst of this book.

However, there is something that is greatly missed when we do this, because Leviticus is just as much from God as Genesis and Psalms and John and Romans. And the point of the book is the same as all of the other 65 books in our canon: the supremacy, beauty, and worth of Jesus Christ. Jesus said Himself in Luke 24:44, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Leviticus speaks about Christ. For this reason we are burdened to spend time in it. The fact that it begins with the phrase, “Then the LORD summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting,” tells us that it is God’s words that are meant to be listened to.

I’ve been in Leviticus for the last month, and I’ve been seeking and praying that I would learn about Jesus through it. I’ve also been reading Allan Moseley’s commentary in the Christ Centered Exposition series on the book as I go through Leviticus. You can find it by clicking here: Leviticus; and I highly recommend it. A whole lot of things finally clicked for me today as I read and reflected on the section 5:14-6:7, speaking of guilt offerings.

I read Moseley after I finish the section he takes for a chapter, so since his first chapter is on 1:1-17, I read chapter one after I had moved on to 2:1. Since I haven’t yet finished reflecting on portions of 5:14-6:7, I haven’t read his comments yet, but he has been very good at pointing out different aspects of the sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7 and showing how they are fulfilled in Christ. He posits that the burnt offering of chapter 1 is representative of Jesus’ atonement for our sin (which is the conclusion I’m least sure of given Leviticus 16’s point). He posits that the grain offering of chapter 2 is representative of our response to Jesus’ sacrifice; we thankfully sacrifice our firstfruits back to Jesus.  He posits that the fellowship offering of chapter 3 is representative of Jesus’ death for our renewed fellowship with Jesus and other believers. He posits that the sin offering in chapter 4 is for purification from daily sinning, also fully realized in Jesus.

And I haven’t read it yet, but I’m going to make the claim that the sacrifice in Leviticus 5 is also fully realized in Jesus, because He takes away our guilt. All of these sacrifices that had to be offered repeatedly all the time, for all different reasons—atonement, thanksgiving, fellowship, sin, guilt—are all fully realized in Jesus in His one sacrifice on the cross. His offering tells me that I’ve been atoned for. His offering should lead to my grateful response. His offering gives me unhindered fellowship with God and should lead to improve my fellowship with other people. His offering covers my daily sin, purifying me for continued standing as being “atoned for” and continued fellowship with God and others. And His offering takes away my guilt. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.”

This is the crazy part, and where I’m about to start a preachy ramble, so bear with me. Jesus’ one offering has perfected already those who are being sanctified. Because of all the offerings in Leviticus, I know what Jesus’ sacrifice covers. It doesn’t just cover my initial standing as depraved, wretched, and deserving of wrath. It also doesn’t just cover a limited number of failures into sin. It also doesn’t just cover the first 490 times I feel guilty about a certain sin.

God is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5), so God as the perfect embodiment of love doesn’t count up my sins and say, “Nope, that makes 491 times. That’s one more than 70 times 7. We’re done!” This is good news. Christ’s sacrifice is still sufficient for me. Christ’s sacrifice puts the Levitical sacrifices to shame. Too often I put myself in a place where I say, “I need to do something to make amends for this sin. I need to do penance, offer a sacrifice, assuage my guilt.” I know in my heart that Jesus has purified and atoned for my sin, but I feel like I need to do something about the guilt.

This is why Leviticus 5:14-6:7 hit me so hard today. I finally realized after some foolish decisions in the last week or so that Jesus still loved me regardless, but I was having a hard time getting past the guilt that I was feeling. God’s holy Word, in Leviticus, smacked me up the face and said, “Hey Mr. Mopey, rejoice! When I died on the cross, my sacrifice covered your guilt too. You don’t need to be bogged down under that anymore. Walk in freedom from sin, but also in freedom from guilt! They go together! You can’t do one without the other, which is why My sacrifice is so much greater than the things in this book that you’re studying.”

So my exhortation to you today, is rejoice! Look to the cross. Know that Jesus covered your sin and your guilt when He died on the cross and walk in that truth. Don’t listen to the lies that Satan whispers about past guilt, present guilt, or even potential future guilt. If you know Jesus, you are forgiven and covered. Seek Him!

Soli Deo Gloria

P. S. I would also encourage you to read Leviticus, but as you do, look for ways in which it points to Jesus and screams, "He is better!"