100 Words with David Mainse

The offering of the precious blood of Christ is truly sweet to God and this is the way God made His love complete.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 3-4

 Key Verse: Leviticus 4:17-18a

Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting…

Leviticus 1-3 explains the intricacies of the “sweet savior” offerings. Six times we read “a sweet aroma to the Lord.” In chapter four, “sacrifices for sin” are introduced. Again we read, “the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the Lord.” When words are repeated over and over, we recognize that the subject is of great importance to the Lord. Why was it “sweet”? The love that God has for His human family is the very reason He created us in the first place. Here is a most graphic picture of the suffering of Christ on the altar of the Cross. Jesus took His own blood to the altar, which is before the throne of God in Heaven, and presented it as the ultimate and final “sweet aroma to the Lord.” The sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His blood, even though painful to God in the extreme, was the only way for God’s love to be consummated. It is hard to understand from a human perspective. Read Hebrews 7:25-27, 9:18-28.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, the offering of Your precious blood on the altar in Heaven is truly sweet to God and to me too. Only by this means could Your love for me and my love for You be complete. Please give me the grace to never take my cleansing in Your blood for granted, but rather to cherish intensely what You’ve done for me. Amen! (1 John 1+7-9)  

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Leviticus reminds me why, back in the late ‘70s, I switched from a one-year Bible reading program to a two-year program. Years before, I noticed the majority of people were dropping out of the program somewhere in Leviticus. It was simply too much for most people. Like my Dad before me, I read three chapters on weekdays and five on Sundays, enabling me to read it all in one year. When I changed to the two-year program, at least 70% of those who started with me completed reading the entire Bible. I could tell by the way people ordered the printed materials for the next quarter. I’ve designed this service so that a person can start at any point, going back and forth between the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek, and complete the reading in two years.