Children of the New Covenant
Exodus 24:7-8: "Then Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.' And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.'"
Moses has finished speaking the words of the Lord to the nation of Israel. Offerings have been made on behalf of the people, and half of the blood is put into a basin while the other half of the blood is thrown across the altar. A holy God is making a covenant with a sinful people. To reconcile a holy God and a sinful people, a payment must be made on account of their sin. Innocent animals that are found without blemish or fault are killed in place of the people. Their blood makes the required payment for sin.
To our modern ears, this picture is nothing short of gruesome, maybe even offensive to the animal activists. However, to a holy God, our sin is much more gruesome. Holiness and sin cannot coexist. The people cannot make themselves clean, so they need a substitute - one who will stand in their place and make the payment for their sins. As the author of Hebrews teaches, "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin" (Hebrews 9:22). The Israelites were purified by the burnt offerings of the oxen made before the Lord on their behalf.
Moses, as mediator, reads the words of the covenant to the Israelites. They declare their assent: "All the words the Lord has spoken we will do" (Exodus 24:3). To seal the covenant, the blood of the animals is thrown upon the people. Their sins are covered and paid for in full, making the people clean and acceptable to the Lord. It is a new beginning. They are children of the covenant.
As children of the New Covenant, we, too, have had our sins covered and paid for by the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Hear the words of Hebrews: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 9:22). We are sinners. We fall short of the glory of God. And yet, the Lord wants to be in relationship with us. Therefore, he has made the once-for-all sacrifice on behalf of our sins through his Son. Through the blood of Jesus, we are washed, purified, redeemed, and cleansed of our sins. We can enter the Covenant of the Lord with full assurance. What a gift!
Reflection:
Are you living into this assurance of the New Covenant, trusting that all your sin - past, present, and future - is atoned for by the blood of Jesus?
Moses has finished speaking the words of the Lord to the nation of Israel. Offerings have been made on behalf of the people, and half of the blood is put into a basin while the other half of the blood is thrown across the altar. A holy God is making a covenant with a sinful people. To reconcile a holy God and a sinful people, a payment must be made on account of their sin. Innocent animals that are found without blemish or fault are killed in place of the people. Their blood makes the required payment for sin.
To our modern ears, this picture is nothing short of gruesome, maybe even offensive to the animal activists. However, to a holy God, our sin is much more gruesome. Holiness and sin cannot coexist. The people cannot make themselves clean, so they need a substitute - one who will stand in their place and make the payment for their sins. As the author of Hebrews teaches, "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin" (Hebrews 9:22). The Israelites were purified by the burnt offerings of the oxen made before the Lord on their behalf.
Moses, as mediator, reads the words of the covenant to the Israelites. They declare their assent: "All the words the Lord has spoken we will do" (Exodus 24:3). To seal the covenant, the blood of the animals is thrown upon the people. Their sins are covered and paid for in full, making the people clean and acceptable to the Lord. It is a new beginning. They are children of the covenant.
As children of the New Covenant, we, too, have had our sins covered and paid for by the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Hear the words of Hebrews: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 9:22). We are sinners. We fall short of the glory of God. And yet, the Lord wants to be in relationship with us. Therefore, he has made the once-for-all sacrifice on behalf of our sins through his Son. Through the blood of Jesus, we are washed, purified, redeemed, and cleansed of our sins. We can enter the Covenant of the Lord with full assurance. What a gift!
Reflection:
Are you living into this assurance of the New Covenant, trusting that all your sin - past, present, and future - is atoned for by the blood of Jesus?
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