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REFLECTION
“What’s the point?” is the theme for our reflection. What’s the point? is a question that seeks to ask for the reason, purpose, worth, or usefulness of something. We want to examine the question, what’s the point in all the elaborate and prescribed offerings performed by the priests? We shall reflect on the fact that, for us to experience the glory of God, we must bring before Him offerings without defect or blemish in atoning for our sins and to worship Him.

Beloved in the Lord, the point of following an elaborate and prescribed way of offering burnt offerings is to ensure that the priests and the assembly of worshippers appear ready without blemish to worship and experience the glory of God. “On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD. (Leviticus 9:1-2). We are told Aaron “brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way (Leviticus 9:16). The end result or the point of all the elaborate and prescribed offerings was that “…the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. (Leviticus 9:23-24)

Dear friend, the key lesson of today’s reflection is that we must appear before God with purity of body and spirit if we desire to experience His glory. In other words, we must come before God without the defect of sin if we desire to experience His glory. For us Christians, God has provided Jesus as the sacrificial lamb without blemish or defect (John 3:16-17). Jesus is our High Priest who offered Himself at the same time as the atoning sacrifice so that we will be declared righteous by faith to experience the glory of God. It is for this reason Hebrews 7:26-28 assures us that Jesus our “… high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. Glory be to God! We no longer need to sacrifice animals to atone for our sins and to experience the glory of God. All we need in our lives for the forgiveness of our sins and to experience the glory of God in our lives is to have a relationship with Jesus through repentance and regeneration. To explain further, the point of having Jesus in your lives as God’s own sacrificial lamb is for us to be forgiven our sins, to experience God’s glory in our lives and to have eternal life. If Jesus has done all these for us, what then must be our response as those who have been saved to experience the glory of God and eternal life? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 12:1-2 when he wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2) Again, one may ask, what’s the point? The point is that Jesus offered Himself for our salvation as the ultimate sacrifice of atonement and all He requires from us is for us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God as our true and proper worship. It is through our relationship with Jesus that we shall always experience the glory of God in our lives. Dear friend, have you completely or wholly offered your body as a living sacrifice to God through our Lord Jesus Christ? Do you sacrifice your time, wealth, body and all that you have as an offering to God in response to the manifestation of His grace, mercy and glory in your life? We are greatly encouraged to follow the perfect example of Jesus Christ in offering ourselves as living sacrifices to God if we desire to eternally experience His glory in our lives.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “What’s the point? We have underscored the fact that the point of following the elaborate and prescribed way of offering or sacrificing burnt offerings is to ensure that worshippers appear blameless before God so that they may experience His glory. Similarly, Christians are to appear before God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ who is both our High Priest and ultimate sacrifice of atonement. Again, if we desire to experience the glory of God through our Lord Jesus Christ then we must offer our bodies as living sacrifices which are holy and pleasing to God. Shalom.

PRAYER
Thank you Jesus for making the ultimate and priceless sacrifice of atonement for our salvation and righteousness. May the Holy Spirit strengthen and sustain us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God so that we shall forever experience His glory in our lives. Amen.