Saturday, April 12, 2014

A Sacrifice and Incense

The High Priest, before entering the Holy place had to choose animals and set aside them aside for the sacrifices to come. The sacrifice for his own sin and the sin of those of his house required a bullock. Such a grand, powerful beast once chosen was led to the place of slaughter.  Along with that bullock the High Priest had to also choose two goats but these goats weren't for his sins or the sins of those in the priesthood, but rather the people of the congregation. But that wasn't all. Next the High Priest had to pick out two rams, and these rams would both ultimately become burnt offerings, one for the congregation the other for the High Priest and his house once again.

With all the animal readied, the High Priest had to take the slaughtering weapon in his hands. Then without laying his hands upon the bull as one did for sin sacrifices any other time, he simply raised the sharp knife and while the people all around continued their soul affliction, he brought the blade down upon the pulsing throat of the bull and swiftly ended its life. The blood, hot and pungent spilled thickly and rapidly into the basin. The life before him was over, the blood given, the sacrifice of the bull had been made. The bull no longer snorted hotly, no longer tried to buck its head free of its restraining grasp, its limb no longer trembled under the binding ropes that held it in place, but he lay limp, lifeless forever more.

With the blood of sacrifice collecting in the bowl, the High Priest had another task to complete before He could take that blood and apply it as needed.  Leaving the blood there he moved into the Holy Place, alone.

Over to the altar of incense he went and very reverently filled a censer with burning coals of incense. The incense was such he prepared every day, every morning, only this morning the sweet incense, beaten small, filled a censor in his hand. At last the High Priest moved slowly towards the thick vail that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place.  He didn't have far to go, the vail being directly behind the altar of incense, yet every step he took was taken ever so slowly.  To go where he was about to go was something done only once every year.  He was going within the vail and within the vail was the mercy seat, the very place God would meet with Him.

As the smoke from the incense moved all around him, the High Priest could barely see in front of Him. He didn't need to see though, in fact, he knew the cloud of incense would protect Him from certain death.

Laying the incense upon the fire before the LORD, the cloud of smoke thickened intensely and surrounded the mercy seat which rested above the Ark of the Covenant, above the Testimony of God written in stone and placed within that ark.  The protective smoke was now in its place and the High Priest took a deep breath, he knew if he'd failed to do as commanded he would now be dead.  Letting the breath out slowly he moved from the Most Holy place, leaving the fire to burn, the protecting incense to smoke. He had so much more to accomplish. With silent prayers before God, He left to retrieve the blood of the bull so recently slaughtered, a sacrifice had been given and now an atonement needed to be made.

*******

Lev 16:5  And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6  And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

Lev 16:11  And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself

Lev 16:12  And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13  And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

*******

Are you understanding?

The Day of Atonement, this most holy of days was underway, the ceremonies, the rituals begun.

Our Heavenly High Priest has been CLEANSING the Heavenly Sanctuary in preparation of the complete and utter end of all sin that will never exist again in all the world, and surely not in heaven where it began.

Eze 28:13  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Eze 28:14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Eze 28:16  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

The final cleansing, so far on going for one hundred and seventy years this year, will soon, very soon be completed the last act of the cleansing before the scapegoat is to be led out into the wilderness.

The people.. those of the ministry,  the congregation, the individuals… will all have either been cleansed or they will be cut off from God's people.

None need be lost, none need to be cut off except they choose to be.

Please, LORD, we afflict our souls before You! Please, SAVIOR, we give our lives into Your hands, we would be Yours all by YOUR SACRIFICE, YOUR LOVE, YOUR CLEANSING! YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! YOUR GRACE! YOUR MERCY! YOU! Save us as ONLY YOU CAN!

No comments: