‘for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord . It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible. ‘ Leviticus 17:11(NLT)
‘But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
The Law and God’s Promise
Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. ‘ Galatians 3:13-15(NLT)
‘for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.’ 1 Corinthians 6:20(NLT)
‘For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.’ Colossians 1:13-14(NLT)
‘“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood —over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. ‘ Acts of the Apostles 20:28(NLT)
‘So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect. That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. ‘ Hebrews 9:11-18(NLT)
Remember our fictional characters, Jack the farmer and Diane the young Jewish girl? We left off yesterday talking about their first few steps in the Jewish wedding process and today, we’ll pick back up with the next step.
So far, Jack and his father have chosen Diane to be Jack’s bride. They’re now at her house presenting her family with the “ketubah” (or binding marriage contract) and talking numbers. How much is she worth?
Jack must now pay a “bride-price” or “mohar” for his bride. This sounds kind of weird, but it was actually a way to protect the woman in that day. The husband was obligated to provide for her and take care of her, so he would pay her family for her.
If the bridegroom couldn’t afford her, he would work to earn her for himself. For instance, in Genesis 29, Jacob worked 14 long years for his wife Rachel. (Remember, these were real people!)
In today’s passages, we can see that just as Jack paid his bride-price for Diane, Jesus also paid a price for us. He didn’t purchase us with money, though; He purchased us with His blood. He died a brutal death for us to free us from the dominion of darkness and rescue us from our sin.
In God’s holy design, blood atones for sin.
The first example we see of this is with Adam and Eve. As a result of their sin, they realized that they were naked physically and emotionally, felt shame, and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That didn’t do the trick, because only God can cover our sin and shame.
God killed an animal and made proper coverings for Adam and Eve with the animal skins. Through this first sacrifice in Genesis, He gave us a physical picture of what was to come. God is always giving us visuals we can understand.
Later in the Old Testament, God’s people would sacrifice a lamb to cover their sin. As we read in Leviticus today, those who are covered by the blood sacrifice are set free from the consequences of their sin. All the many blood sacrifices in the Old Testament foreshadow the ultimate blood sacrifice made by our bridegroom, Christ.
When Jesus was starting His earthly ministry, John the Baptist called Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus came to fulfill the Old Covenant, and His mission was to shed His blood in the ultimate sacrifice on the cross to save us from our sin.
So, how does this all tie in? Our “bride-price” was paid by Jesus’ blood. He paid with the highest cost: His own life. He wants to cover our shame and cleanse us with His Spirit, and He asks us to receive His gift of eternal life. Just as Jack the farmer in our story wants to purchase Diane as his bride, Jesus already paid the price for us. We only have to accept His invitation.
Jesus gave His life to save ours. If that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is.
from Will You Marry Me?