By Joshua Cooley
Being an ancient Jewish priest was not for the faint of heart. For one thing, they had to deal with animal blood…a lot of animal blood. And entrails. And severed limbs. And burning internal organs. Oh, and did we mention the dung?
Here’s a snapshot of a priest’s regular activities from Exodus 29:10–14:
“You are to bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on the bull’s head. Slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Take some of the bull’s blood and apply it to the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. But burn the bull’s flesh, its hide, and its waste outside the camp; it is a sin offering.”
Phew! It was enough to make the local country butcher blush.
This was just a small part of the consecrating rituals that God commanded Aaron and his sons to perform as they prepared to serve Him at the tabernacle. Because God is holy and His people were not, approaching Him in worship required painstaking care.
It was a dirty, messy business. Blood and death were everywhere. And the work was never done. Israel’s sins—in thought, word, and action—continued to mount. Priests came and went. Countless animals were slaughtered each year.
Yet the blood of bulls and goats could not truly remove the guilt of sin. God graciously used the Old Testament sacrificial system to atone for the people’s sins. But something greater and more permanent was needed.
Praise God for Jesus Christ! As the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus provided a once-for-all, fully sufficient atoning sacrifice for us through His death and resurrection, removing our guilt before a holy God. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament law and sacrificial system. Now, we no longer need to continuously atone for our own sins—something we could never do anyway.
Of Jesus, Hebrews 7:27 says, “He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all time when he offered himself.”
This is great news! Like the Israelites, our sins—in thought, word, and action—will mount even as we attempt to faithfully follow the Lord. But Jesus shed His precious blood to remove our sin-guilt. In God’s sight, every believer is clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
As the old hymn goes:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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