Full transcript
0:02I'm going to look deeply into one of the
0:04most important teachings in all of
0:06scripture. That animal sacrifices never
0:09took away intentional sin. The Torah
0:12makes a clear distinction. Sacrifices
0:15were given for unintentional sins for
0:17the one who ered without realizing it.
0:20But when a person sinned deliberately,
0:22knowing full well what was commanded, no
0:25animal, no ritual, and no blood could
0:27remove that guilt. only repentance
0:30could. Let's begin in Numbers 15 where
0:33the Torah spells this out. Numbers
0:35chapter 15 27-28. It says, "If anyone
0:39unwittingly fails to observe any one of
0:41the commandments that the Lord has
0:43declared to Moses, the priest shall make
0:45expeation for that person who heard
0:47unintentionally and it shall be
0:49forgiven."
0:50But then immediately after it, it says,
0:53"But the person, whether citizen or
0:55stranger, who acts defiantly, reviling
0:57the Lord, that person shall be cut off
1:00for having spurned the word of the
1:01Lord." And that's in verses 30 to31.
1:05Right there is the boundary. Forgiveness
1:07was given for error, not for defiance. A
1:10mistake could be cleansed by sacrifice,
1:13but rebellion required the heart to
1:15change.
1:16When David sinned with Basheba, he
1:18didn't run to the altar. He ran to the
1:21eternal in humility. He said in Psalm 51
1:26verses 18 and 19 that you do not desire
1:29sacrifice, else I would give it. You do
1:32not delight in burnt offerings. True
1:35sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit, a
1:38crushed heart you do not despise.
1:41David knew no animal could erase
1:44deliberate wrongdoing. The only
1:46sacrifice that mattered was a broken and
1:48changed heart. Isaiah said in Isaiah 1
1:5211 and 13 that when what need have I of
1:56all of your sacrifices, says the Lord, I
1:58have had enough of burnt offerings of
2:00rams and the fat fatlings. Bring no more
2:03vain offerings. Your incense is
2:04offensive to me. Jeremiah added, "When I
2:08freed your fathers from Egypt, I did not
2:10command them concerning burnt offerings
2:12or sacrifices, but this is what I
2:14commanded them. Obey my voice." In
2:16Jeremiah 7, the prophets never denied
2:19that sacrifice had its place. But they
2:21shouted against the idea that ritual
2:24could replace the obedience.
2:27Sacrifice was never a payment plan. It
2:29was a symbol, a reminder that life
2:32belongs to the eternal and that sin
2:34carries a cost. In Leviticus 17:1, it
2:38says, "For the life of the flesh is in
2:40the blood, and I have assigned it to you
2:42for making expeation on the altar for
2:44your lives." It reminded Israel that
2:47mercy existed for mistakes, but not as a
2:49license to rebel. So, what happens when
2:52someone sins on purpose, when it's
2:54willful, knowing, defiant? The Tanakh
2:57gives one answer: repentance.
3:01In Isaiah 55:7, it says, "Let the wicked
3:04give up their ways and the sinful their
3:06schemes. Let them turn back to the Lord,
3:08and he will pardon abundantly."
3:11Repentance means change, turning around,
3:14restoring what was broken, and walking
3:17humbly before the eternal.
3:20Now, let's look ahead to the time of the
3:21end. The prophet Daniel said in Daniel
3:2512:2, "Many of those who sleep in the
3:28dust of the earth will awake, some to
3:30eternal life, others to reproaches and
3:32everlasting ahorance."
3:35That's the resurrection to eternal life.
3:37And the prophet Ezekiel describes that
3:39future age, a restored temple, a
3:42purified priesthood, and a renewed
3:44worship. He says in Ezekiel 45, "Thus
3:48said the Lord God, on the first day of
3:50the first month, you shall take a bull
3:52of the her without blemish and cleanse
3:54the sanctuary." And in verse 22, it
3:56says, "On that day, the prince shall
3:58provide a bowl of sin offering for
4:00himself and for all the people of the
4:02land."
4:03Those sacrifices are not replacements
4:06for repentance. They are part of a
4:08restored order for cleansing for
4:10unintentional sin for a world that has
4:13finally learned to live under divine
4:15law.
4:17And this is why we do not perform animal
4:19sacrifices today. The Torah says clearly
4:22in Deuteronomy 12:3-14.
4:25Take care not to sacrifice your burnt
4:27offerings in any place you like, but
4:29only in the place that the Lord will
4:31choose. Without the temple, there is no
4:33lawful place for offerings. To attempt
4:36it elsewhere would be to profame what is
4:38holy. So we wait not in despair but in
4:42obedience. We wait for the day the
4:44eternal restores all things. And we live
4:47now by the mercy shown to those who
4:49repent. The Torah teaches that mercy
4:52covers the mistaken but repentance
4:54restores the rebellious.
4:56The person who acts defiantly spurns the
4:59word of the Lord. Numbers 15:30. but
5:01also true fa sacrifice to God is a
5:04contrite spirit in Psalm 51:1 19.
5:08This is the pattern of justice and
5:10mercy. Sacrifice cleanses error.
5:13Repentance transforms the heart.
5:16When the righteous rise to eternal life,
5:19they will already have turned back. The
5:22temple Ezekiel saw will stand again, not
5:25as a means to erase sin, but as a symbol
5:28of cleansing and peace. Because by that
5:30time those who stand before the eternal
5:33will already have repented. They will
5:36live not by ritual but by righteousness.
5:39That's what the whole Tanakh points to.
5:41Restoration, obedience, and mercy joined
5:44together under the rule of heaven. So
5:47remember this truth. Sacrifices covered
5:50unintentional sins. Repentance covers
5:53deliberate ones. And in every
5:54generation, the eternal waits not for
5:57the blood of animals, but for the return
5:59of the heart. If you want to learn more
6:01about how repentance restores peace,
6:04read my book, True Peace with
6:06Restoration to God,
6:08available right now on Amazon. It's a
6:11guide to understanding the same message
6:14that true forgiveness comes not through
6:16ritual, but through returning directly
6:18to the eternal. Let us pray.
6:22Eternal one, teach our hearts to turn to
6:25you in truth. Help us to recognize our
6:28errors, to repent of our deliberate
6:30sins, and to walk humbly in your ways.
6:34Forgive our mistakes and restore us to
6:36peace under your kingship. May we be
6:39counted among those who awaken to
6:41eternal life, faithful and pure before
6:43you. Amen.