Numbers Chapter 35: Verse 33 (NIV Translation)
“Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.”
Ephesians Chapter 1 Verse 7 (NLT Translation)
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
On this Tuesday of Holy Week this verse in the book of Numbers made me remember why Jesus had to come. The Israelites were reminded in this verse that the only atonement for bloodshed was by the blood of the one who shed it. The Israelites couldn’t keep the law and neither can we. We break God’s law all the time and can’t properly atone. So, in order to release us from that obligation, Jesus did that on our behalf. There’s a chorus of an old hymn that sums it up perfectly.
“He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand-new song, Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.”
Dear Lord,
May I never take this grace and Christ’s substitution on my behalf for granted. I ask in His name with a full and grateful heart. Amen.