Missy

I'm back -- to add to my previous ramblings!! (sorry -- it's Friday night and there's a sleepover going on -- a little tough to think in complete sentences!) Under #1, above, I said that the timing of OT believers was confession and then sacrifice, but for us NT believers, it is the other way around. Jesus' sacrifice occured first, and, by faith, we then confess our sins and receive the benefits of His sacrifice -- namely, our salvation. I just want to add that this new order is the mark of God's grace extended toward us. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." I did nothing to earn his sacrificial gift. He died for me before I was even a thought in anyone's mind -- except for in the mind of my Creator.

Q4. What are the basic elements involved in a sacrifice for sin? (Leviticus 4:32-35; 5:5-6) Which of these are still necessary for forgiveness of sins today? Which are no longer necessary? Why? 1. Confession or acknowledgement of sin is a necessary part of the sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ for our sins was done before any human could comprehend that Jesus was THE final sacrifice. We weren't born, and the disciples were certainly clueless of God's plan, as is seen by their despondency from Friday at 3 pm until early Sunday morning. So, humans didn't participate in the sacrificial death except that we were responsible for it. What I mean is, the sacrifice was made BEFORE we confessed or acknowledged our sin. But AFTER the sacrifice was made for us, we received the benefit of the sacrifice upon our confession of our own sin. A different timing is involved for us and for the OT believers. They confessed first and then sacrificed. For us, Jesus sacrificed, once for all, and then we confessed and were granted forgiveness. 2. A sacrificial animal is costly to the sinner. Nothing free here. The more we "get to know" Jesus, the more valuable we see Him to be. 3. There is a close identification between the sinner and the sacrifice. The imparting of sin by the laying on of hands suggests that the animal becomes a substitute for the sinner. 4. Killing the animal is very personal. It is not done for the sinner by a third party but by the sinner himself. Both 3 & 4 don't happen formally, but I do know that I must acknowledge that Jesus' death was a direct result of my sins.

I think that our being "sanitized moderns" has helped us to miss out on the deep object lesson God intended to give us through the animal sacrifices, which is: Sin is messy, stinky stuff. I wonder this, and maybe someone can help me here. In order for an animal to be considered perfect enough to be sacrificed, would it have required special care and attention from its owner? If so, that would make the sacrificing even more difficult, wouldn't it? Almost like killing a pet.

I think it is clear that anger toward sin is a justifiable reaction. I'm reminded of an analogy which Ron Hutchcraft used. He said, "Imagine 2 men at a party. One of the men begins telling drunk driver jokes. The second man is not laughing. When the first man asked why the second was not laughing, he replied, 'Because a drunk driver killed my son.'" Sin killed God's Son. It is not a matter to be taken lightly. This question also has me pondering how easily I get angered over the sins of someone else, but also how easily I overlook my own sins. Those don't seem to anger me nearly as much. As far as how to express the anger we feel over sin, I have been trying to develop the habit of venting to God FIRST when I'm angry about something. I won't call my sisters, my dad, my husband first. I shout it out to God first. He is the divine and wise judge -- I CERTAINLY am not. In these heaven-directed explosions, I find that I'm able to release the initial anger and then let God be the judge. Sometimes He wants us to confront sin. Other times He asks us to be dispensers of His Grace......the same grace that He's shown us ..... and let Him do the correcting. It's tough to be human, but what a relief to know that God is in control, and that He will guide.

It seems we all agree that God had been there all along, but Gideon and the Isrealites were too self-absorbed to notice. They were focusing on the problems and how they could handle it, and not until they cried to the Lord, did He send them a prophet (v. 7-8). How easily we make props for ourselves, fooling ourselves into thinking we're self-sufficient. When that begins to happen, we quit focusing on God, because our pride tells us that we don't need to......we've got it covered. Sometimes (too often, I'm afraid) God needs to knock those props out from under us, so that we'll seek Him and His answers instead of trying to handle it on our own. Gideon's situation reminds me of USA's September 11th crisis. We were all pretty much at ease in America, prior to 8:30 am that morning, and then WHAM! Many people asked, "Where was God?" As Christians, we can say with confidence, "God was right there." The churches were flooded for the next few weeks because people had had their props knocked out, but after a few weeks, attendance began returning to normal as the horror of that day faded, and people began rebuilding their props. Please don't think I'm being judgmental. I'm as guilty as anyone in not praying about something because "I've got it covered, Lord. I'll call you when I need you." Constant reliance on God is a trait to be admired.