The Cost of Sin

I have just moved from reading in Exodus to Leviticus and there is much talk about sacrificing.
We obviously don't sacrifice, as the Israelites did, but there is application and wisdom that can be gleaned from these chapters.

Lev. 4:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the LORD.

God wants us to understand that sin is not always intentional, but any sin is still sin in His eyes and must be accounted for.
Then God talks about the priest, or leader, sinning and bringing guilt on all the people. WOW, we need to be praying that our leaders are walking uprightly as much as we are praying that we would live upright.
And then God brings right to the front the cost of sin.

I know that Kimmy's small group had talked about this a long time ago. Imagine being an Israelite and having to sacrifice tangible things for your sin. This was obviously set up for them to understand the cost of sin and redemption, but I have often overlooked it as much as they missed the picture for them. So, you have sinned and you go to the Temple, to sacrifice, with your animal. Now there are many people in line to sacrifice and the practice is a very messy one. The priests had to be standing in blood and had blood on their hands much of the time. So you're in line to take care of your first sin and someone that is irritating you in in the line close to you. You are doing fine until they have just pushed the wrong button and now you don't have enough animals to atone for your sin. You have to get out of line and go back home and get another one. Do you really have time for this? And then then actual cost. Every time you sin you deplete your herd, or flock, and there is a real cost associated with this. I wouldn't have very many animals and I would be spending a lot of time in line.

I am thankful to live in the age of grace. I should focus more on the cost for the payment of my sin. "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe." God gives us these stories so that we might remember His faithfulness and provision to His people in every way.

Romans 6: 1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.