Without Blemish

Tuesday  3-1-16 (Fray Bentos, Uruguay)     

Scripture reading for today:  Num. 28 – 29     Mark  8

S=Scripture  O=Observation  A=Application  P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  Ex 12:5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Num 28:19 Be sure they are without blemish.

1 Peter 1:18-19  ...you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  NKJV

O.  My Old Testament reading today was from Numbers 28 and 29 in which detailed instructions are given to the Israeli priests about making sacrifices to the Lord.  Fifteen times in these two chapters alone the requirement is made... the sacrificed animal must be “without blemish.”  Then the New Testament shows us that all these strict rules requiring perfection were symbols looking forward to the day when God would supply His Son... without blemish... without even the shadow of sin... as the Perfect Sacrifice to take the punishment that we deserved.

A.  As I gaze upon God’s perfect sacrifice, without blemish... I am made aware again of my own blemished heart which seems determined to have a bent toward sin.  I am certainly a son of Adam.  He passed his sinful nature on to all of us, his descendants.

P.  But You, Father God, have redeemed me from the miry pits of sin to set my feet on Your solid ground.  This morning once again, I thank You for sending Your Sacrifice to make a Way for me to come into Your presence not only some day in the distant future, but today.  Yes, today I am basking in the comfort of Your company, not because I could ever be good enough, but because of Your Lamb, The Lamb of God sacrificed on the cruel cross... “without blemish”.  I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.  Amen.

Ralph