Numbers
15:22-31
22 “But if you sin
unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has
spoken to Moses, 23 all that the Lord has
commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward
throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done
unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation
shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to
the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the
rule, and one male goat for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make
atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be
forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a
food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their
mistake. 26 And all the congregation of
the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among
them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.
27 “If one person sins
unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make
atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins
unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for him
who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of
Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. 30 But the person who does
anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the
Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the
word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly
cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”
How many
of you have intentionally sinned? How many of you deserve to be utterly cut
off? Remember it is the same rule whether you are a stranger or native among
the people of Israel. Does this mean I can go outside the congregation, sin
intentionally, then come back and I will be okay? No, if you sin intentionally
you are utterly cut off! But if you make a mistake, or miss the mark (a.k.a.
SIN), then there is an atoning sacrifice.
I do not
know all the things you have done in your life. I do not really have to look to
far through the files of your daily activity, and I will find a sin. Maybe that
first one I find was unintentional, but second or third, might not be so
unintentional. You can search through your daily logs. You can sit down and try
to count up all the different sins that would utterly cut you off from the
people of Israel.
I know
that I am in need of some help. I know that I need a savior. I know I need more
than just the unintentional sacrifice. I need a perfect atoning lamb of God who
will take away the sins of the world. The Lamb of God has taken away the sins
of the world. This Lamb of God bled and died for my intentional mistakes and
your intentional mistakes. He came to make us his Holy perfect saints. This
Lamb is Jesus Christ the only Son of the Father, who brings you back into the
people of God. He welcomes you as one of All his Saints.
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