Leviticus 8:18 He then presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
The bloodiness and violence of these images are incredibly difficult for me. I am not a hunter, not a sportsman, so I can’t fall back on the seasonal cleaning of deer after a hunt to normalize these images. But I wonder, if this type of sacrifice was the norm in this culture, did the penitents get used to the slaughter and blood? Did the sacrifice ever lose its visceral punch?
Leviticus 8:19 Then Moses slaughtered the ram and splashed the blood against the sides of the altar.
I would think that the visceral punch was part of the process–live better so that a guiltless animal does not have to suffer in this way. But any time something becomes routine, the visceral punch lessens. That’s just how life works. Personally, I’m just thankful we don’t require this type of sacrifice any more.
Leviticus 8:20 He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces and the fat.
Precious Savior, Thank You for Your eternal sacrifice for my sins. I don’t deserve it, could never earn it, but You gave Yourself anyway. Thank You is wholly inadequate. Help me to live as the deeply, fiercely loved child of God that I am. Help me to quiet the voices that whisper that I am not enough and listen only to Your still small voice of love, grace, mercy and compassion. Help me, Jesus. Amen.
Leviticus 8:21 He washed the internal organs and the legs with water and burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Have a blessed day.