Read Leviticus 1:1 through 7:38
The Israelites, like all of humanity, were imperfect; they sinned just as we all do. But God had granted them a way to atone for their sins: a complex system of sacrifices where blood would cover the sins of those who had broken the law. And because sin never stopped—this is the nature of sin—the fire on the altar where the sacrifices were burned had to be ready at all times.
The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out (Leviticus 6:13).
The fire constantly burning was a reminder not only of the sin that pervaded the world, but also of the way out God had given. Sin may corrupt, but forgiveness was within reach.
Christ’s death on the cross—the last sacrifice we would ever need—made the fire on that altar obsolete. The sacrifice of animals happened over and over again, but Christ’s death on the cross once and for all time took sin away (see Hebrews 9:26). Sin still brings death and destruction, but the blood of Jesus has given humanity a way out.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
We are the fire that Christ left burning—walking reminders of his atoning work on earth.
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