Leviticus 16:1-2 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
Once again I am reminded that context matters when reading scripture. In Leviticus, God is laying down rules (through Moses) to help the Israelites see what’s acceptable and preferred in worship because they spent 400 years in captivity in Egypt where everything was different and where many unacceptable things to God were acceptable when worshipping Egyptian gods.
Leviticus 16:3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
Leviticus is a period of retraining, “If you want to worship Me, here is how you gain access.” But Jesus opened wide the door to God, giving us free, unrestricted access. Through Jesus, God says, “Come to Me, no matter Your worries or burdens or sins. Come to Me, and I will give you rest, a rest so deep that it reaches your soul” (my paraphrase of Matt 11:28).
Leviticus 16:4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.
Precious Savior, You know how I love some rules. They make things easy as I know exactly what to do and when and how. But I am so very thankful for the fact that even if I break all the rules, even if I have messed up 50 ways from Sunday, I can still come to You, dragging all my fears and burdens, and You will still give me rest. Thank You. Amen.
Leviticus 16:5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
Have a blessed day.