The different sacrifices listed after the burnt offering make provision for different aspects of what is needed for us to approach God. In a way, they are like different visual sermons on the same subject but taking slightly different perspectives. The sin offering of 5:1-13 was a sacrifice of purification. But there is more to making things right than just taking away the offense. We also need to make reparation. This is what the ‘guilt offering’ spoke to. It was an offering of compensation. These two aspects of what is required to deal with our sin are both covered by Jesus on our behalf. Jesus both takes away and adds something to our account. He takes away the record of our failure by offering himself as a worthy and acceptable sacrifice. And he adds his worthy and acceptable life to our account as reparation. As a result, you are not just out of deficit. Jesus has credited great favour to your account. Jesus does not return us to neutral, he raises us to a high spiritual status. In fact, he raises us to the very highest spiritual status. Paul says that “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). In other words, you have a seat at the right hand of God. That’s the position from which you pray and relate to God. Does that give you a lift?
Ask God for his favour to be at work in your life.
Read Leviticus 5:14-6:7
