Exodus 29:10-11 “Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
After yesterday’s reflection, I still have the image of Jesus in my head, which means that as I read about this holy sacrifice in the Old Testament, I am thinking of Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the New Testament. The horror of Jesus’s death is intensified when overlaid with the gory images here.
Exodus 29:12 Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar.
And I’m left wondering what to do with all of that–the idea of being hallowed for God, the idea of sacrificing for God, the idea that Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for me, for you, the fact that, even with all of that, God doesn’t demand a relationship with us, but He welcomes it, desires it, not because it will benefit Him but because we are His and He knows it will benefit us and because He loves us fiercely and relationship is part of that.
Exodus 29:13 Then take all the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.
Precious Savior, Thank You is inadequate, but it is all I have. Help me, as I sit and ponder the magnitude of Your sacrifice, to know what to do with it. Help me to love others as You love, to show grace and mercy as You do, to be more like You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.
Exodus 29:14 But burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its intestines outside the camp. It is a sin offering.
Have a blessed day.