If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally…then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats...for his sin which he has committed. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
— Leviticus 4:27-29
THE WORD sin means to “miss the mark.” Missing the mark isn’t always intentional. If I deliberately, willfully do what I know is wrong, that is a transgression. But when I, through weakness, inability, or ignorance do things unintentionally that aren’t right, then that is sin. And even sin needs atonement.
WHAT IS THE MARK? IT IS PERFECTION. AND WE HAVE ALL COME SHORT OF THAT.
Sin causes spiritual death, and thus, alienation from God. Because sinful man cannot have communion with a holy God, God provided the sin offering so we could have fellowship with Him.
But looking at the Scripture, goat sacrifices could not take away sins, only cover them. The people could only enjoy this glorious fellowship with God until they blew it again, which, unfortunately, didn’t take too long. And, of course, it wasn’t long before the common people ran out of goats.
So God provided another sin offering: Jesus Christ, who took my guilt and punishment. By dying in my place, He enabled me to have fellowship with God and experience the joy, the blessing, the thrill, the glory, and the richness of knowing Him.
Father, we thank You that Jesus has become the sin offering for us so we might know the joy of living in fellowship with You.
Amen.