Scripture to Read: Genesis 8:20-22
Today we continue to examine the sacrifice that Noah made to our Lord. We find in Leviticus 1:3-4 that God's Law states that when a burnt offering was made to Him, the offering had to “be accepted before the LORD…to make atonement for him.” And then in Leviticus 1:9; 1:13; 1:17, God’s Word says that the priest must burn the offering on the altar “with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” The sacrifice had to be accepted by our Lord, and it had to please Him. The only way a sacrifice would be acceptable to our Lord and please Him is if it was offered in the exact way God commanded it to be offered. Through God's Word, we know that the sacrifice had to be an unblemished lamb, bull, goat, or clean bird. Through the atoning sacrifice, God covered man’s sin and it kept man in right fellowship with God. The sacrifices found in the Old Testament are incredibly important for us to understand the ultimate sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ. God ultimately tells us, though, in Hebrews 10:1-7, that the blood of animals could never completely take away the sins of mankind. Because the blood offered through the sacrifice of animals could only cover mankind’s sin, our Lord Jesus Christ had to offer His perfect blood as the perfect sacrifice. For through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, every follower of Christ is completely cleansed of all our sins. Only Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross provides for our salvation.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about the sacrifice of animals and the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ?
2. Who will you share the Good News of Christ with this week to let them know they can be completely forgiven of all their sins?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!