Sin Is A Bloody Business!

Leviticus 5:7–10 (HCSB)

“But if he cannot afford an animal from the flock, then he may bring to the LORD two turtledoves or two young pigeons as restitution for his sin—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. He is to bring them to the priest, who will first present the one for the sin offering. He must twist its head at the back of the neck without severing ‹it›. Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.

He must prepare the second ‹bird› as a burnt offering according to the regulation. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.”

This is only one example of the many sacrifices for sin recorded in Leviticus.

We learn by repetition. We understand by illustration. The entire sacrificial system was a teaching mechanism; more instructive in nature than redemptive. It taught by repetition and illustration. The blood of animals did not actually redeem. This was a “lay-away offering”—a deposit pointing ahead to that which truly would redeem—the blood of Christ.

But it also illustrates the true nature of sin. Our perspective of sin is different than God’s. We see sin as something sparkling, dazzling, alluring. We don’t see what God sees, that sin has dire and damaging consequences. Sin is that which snaps the neck of an innocent bird and squeezes out it’s blood!

Just one example: divorce. Think of the innocent children whose hearts are broken and lives are changed because mommy or daddy got bored and wanted to have “a little fling.” Redemption from sin is a nasty, ugly, bloody business because sin is a nasty, ugly, bloody business!