Greetings to you beloved one. We are here again. Among the 613 articles of the law, is the law for the atonement of sin. In the book of Leviticus 16: 1-34, God gave the Israelites a law to be followed for their sins to be forgiven them. In the law, it was provided that whoever sinned must bring a goat or bull without defect (faultless), lay his hands on the goat and then give it to Aaron the high priest to kill and it's blood would be sprinkled on the person. That way the person's sin would be forgiven.
More so, for every 10th day of the 7th month, the law provided that the Isrealites must come together under Aaron for a sacrifice to made for the forgiveness of all their sins for that year. This one was no longer individual sacrifice for a daily sin but one sacrifice made generally for the forgiveness of their sins for one year.
Whenever that day came, (10th day of the 7th month), the law demanded that a goat or bull without defect(faultless) be presented and afterwards Aaron was to lay his hands on the head of the goat and confess the sins, evil and rebellions of the people , and so transfer them to goat's head and by so doing, the goat carries all their sin on itself. When this is achieved, the law demanded that the goat being the bearer of those sins should be the one to die instead of the people and it's blood used to pay for the price of those sins thereby achieving forgiveness of the sins of the people for that year.
But when it came for God to save the entire human race once and for all, both Jews and gentiles, he had to use a better sacrifice other than the blood of goats and bull. To this end, God provided his own lamb(JESUS) to be used in place of the animal sacrifice for the sins of the whole world to be forgiven once and for all.
Hebrews 9: 26
"For then, he would have had to suffer many times ever since the creation of the world. Instead, when all ages of time are nearing the end, he has appeared once and for all to remove sin thorough the sacrifice of himself."
This was because, the blood of goats and bull could not take away the sins of the people permanently instead was a reminder to them that they were sinners each time it was performed.
Hebrews 10: 3-4
"As it is however, the sacrifices serve year after year to remind people of their sin. For the blood of goats and bulls can never take away sin"
The Jewish law was therefore a faint outline, a shadow of the real thing which was Christ and was meant to last till the coming of Jesus. The goats used according to the provisions of the law was simply, a pointer to Jesus. It was a prototype(a kind of, an illustration) of the original thing to come and Christ was the original and the reality of such sacrifices performed. For instance, When a man wants to build a house, he first of all allows the pattern of the house to be drawn on a manuscript by an architect to determine how the building was to look like. What is drawn is exactly the image of the building to be built but not the main building itself. It is rather a picture containing the exact patterns of the would be building. This was exactly what the animal sacrifice illustrated of Christ. They were just an illustration of what Jesus was going to be used for.They were just a shadow of the real thing Christ. So Christ came and fulfilled the law as it was written of him.
Hebrews 10: 1-7
"For the law having a shadow of the good thing to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifice which they offered year after year continually make the people who come to God perfect. For if the people who were worshipping God had really been purified from their sins they would not feel guilty of sin and all sacrifices would stop. As it is however, the sacrifices serve year after year to remind people of their sins for the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins. For this reason, when Christ was about to come into the world he said to God 'you don't want sacrifices and offerings but you have prepared a body for me. You are not pleased with animals burnt whole on the alter or with sacrifices to take away sin. Then I said, here I am to do your will o God just as it is written of me in the book of the law."
Did you see that? Jesus himself has testified that those Jewish laws were talking about him. They were just a pointer to him. They were only but a shadow and the reality being Jesus Christ. That was why Jesus announced in
Matthew 5: 17 saying "Think not that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets, I have Come not to destroy but to fulfil."
Galatians 4:4-5 also says "But when the right time finally came, God sent his own son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish law to redeem those who were under law so that we might become God's sons and daughters."
Just like the goat must go through the processes of being without defect, laying on of hands and confession of the people's sin on its head and then be killed with its blood used to purify the people, so also must Christ go through those processes to fufil the law therein and be able to achieve the forgiveness of our sins once and for all forever. I will stop here because if I go further to explain that under this publication the write up might become so long that you might not want to finish it. As a result, I am continuing the topic in the next publication and would be sent shortly after you have received this one. In it I will be showing you how Jesus fulfilled all righteousnes; that is, the righteous demands of the law to achieve for you the forgiveness of your sins that lasts forever and no longer yearly as done by the goat. Thanks for your patience. See you soon. Love you deeply!
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