THE VERSE
It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall be regularly on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.~Exodus 28:38
THE THOUGHT
Under the old covenant system of sacrifice and priesthood, it was one of the high priest's duties to symbolically "bear the guilt from the holy things" that the people of Israel brought to consecrate to the Lord. God is so holy, and people are so fundamentally corrupt, that even their holy gifts were stained with guilt that needed to be atoned for before they could be acceptable to God.The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our Great High Priest, who perfectly fulfills and completes what the Israelite priesthood pointed towards-- a perfect sacrifice to take away sins once for all, and a perfect mediator to intercede for His people. Jesus is our Great High Priest because He offered Himself as the unblemished offering for our sin, and now He pleads His blood for us before the throne of the Father.
But though we have been cleansed and forgiven by the sacrifice of Christ, we still struggle with indwelling sin. Even our best deeds and best days are shot through with sinful motives for which we need to be forgiven. What a humbling, yet uplifting reminder, that Jesus is our Great High Priest, who still bears the guilt from our holy things. John Owen writes, "Believers obey Christ as the one by whom our obedience is accepted by God. Believers know all their duties are weak, imperfect and unable to abide in God's presence. Therefore they look to Christ as the one who bears the iniquity of their holy things, who adds incense to their prayers, gathers out all the weeds from their duties and makes them acceptable to God."
THE PRAYER
Jesus, My Great High Priest, Thank you for the sacrifice of Yourself that cleanses me from all sin and frees me to be a holy one, a saint. Thank you for Your unceasing intercession for me, for pleading Your blood and Your righteousness before the throne on my behalf, for constantly undoing the work of Satan and the work of my still-wayward heart. And thank you for daily bearing the iniquity of my holy things, for adding the incense of Your righteousness to my feeble prayers, for gathering out all the weeds from my Christian duties, and for every day making me and my work acceptable to God.EXTENDED READING
Exodus 28:36-38Romans 8:1-4
Hebrews 7:23-8:2
THE QUOTE
"It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor." ~Martin LutherTHROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Review and catch-up
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