Blood

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. "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 16:1-3 NIV)

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. (Leviticus 17:11 NIV)

I learned an interesting concept early in my adult life while Traci and I worked in children's ministry.  Whenever a child would get in "trouble" with us by misbehaving, they would suddenly become our "best friend" afterward.  Anything we would ask, they would do.  They would try to find ways to make us happy because they knew they had made us unhappy by misbehaving.  They wanted to "make up" for what they had done wrong.

After these earlier experiences, I noticed the same pattern in my life as well.  Whenever I had done something "wrong" or seemed to fall short of my parents', teachers', or bosses' expectations of me, I noticed that my immediate actions would be to try and "make up" with them or "pay them back" for my shortcoming.  My dad would even joke with me when I tried to pay him back.  "You owe me your life," he would say.  "Don't worry about paying me back.  Let's just go from here."

God shows us just how serious it is to fall short of His expectations.  When we sin, we owe him our lives.  The only way to make atonement (make up) for falling short is to pay with our lives.  "It is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." (Lev. 17:11b)  Old Testament practices with regular animal sacrifices remind us of that fact.  Sin is serious stuff - not to be played with.

I'm so glad that God doesn't leave it at that.  In addition to reminding us of the fact that we "owe Him our lives," He also offers to say "don't worry about paying me back" - if we start over with Him again.  That's why Jesus died on the cross.  "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)  Because of him, we can "go from here."

So what do you think?  Do you want to make things right with God?  Do you want to make up with Him?  Do you want to go from here?  Accept the payment of the blood of the Lamb.