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Dear Heavenly Father, Praise I praise you as my Redeemer. The sacrificial death of Christ provided atonement for my sin and gave me new life through the Spirit. I say with Zechariah, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David…to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God” (Luke 1:68–69, 77–78). Today in Your Word Today you told me about the first three Levitical offerings: the burnt offering, the grain offering and the peace offering. In the beginning, Adam and Eve enjoyed direct fellowship with you, not needing a sacrifice, but after their fall into sin, that fellowship was broken. Leviticus teaches me that atonement for sin and restoration of fellowship with you only comes by the shedding of blood. That’s why you instituted the animal sacrifices. They were never meant to be efficacious in-and-of-themselves (they were repeated). Instead, they symbolized and pointed to the saving, atoning work of Christ (Heb 10:1–4). They showed the people that sin brings death, and blood must be shed in order to atone for sin. In this way they were a poignant picture of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. The burnt offering atoned for the individual and symbolized the complete consecration of their life to you (cf. Rom 12:1). The grain offering, which usually accompanied the burnt offering, was a gift of tribute that honored you as the source of life and offered you the best of the individual’s labor. The peace offering served as a celebration of the covenant relationship the individual enjoyed with you and a rededication to covenant duties and loyalty. How wonderful that I experience all of these spiritual realities today through my union with Christ! Reflection An obedient Israelite under the First Covenant had to kill an innocent animal because of their sin (Lev 1:5; 3:2; 4:4). Do I realize and understand that sin demands the death of the sinner? Request Father, help me to see sin for what it is: rebellion against you. I ask that you would give me a heart that will hate sin and love you above all things! Thanksgiving “Thanks be to God”—though once I was a slave of sin, now I obey the teaching of the gospel. I have been freed from sin, and have become a slave to righteousness. (Rom 6:17–18). In Jesus’ name, Amen. Suggested Hymn: “Is Your All on the Altar?” by E. A. Hoffman. Meditation Verse: Leviticus 1:3–4.