Having recently passed Easter and the remembrance of Jesus Christ, Son of God, being sacrificed for the remission of sin, for those who fully embrace and believe in God, Father and Creator of all, we can look back at Mosaic law to see what thus ended.
Throughout the early books of the Bible, we see a constant need for offering and sacrifice. The soul was in constant need of atonement. There were many types of offerings given: whole burnt offering, peace offering, meat offering, sin offering, and drink offering, and these became a perpetual ordinance.
The people were weak, sinful, and often had thoughts against God and the leader God had chosen for them. In numerous books of the early Bible, you see every 2nd or 3rd paragraph begin with, “And God spoke to Moses saying, tell the people…”
I attribute some of the weakness of the people to having been used as a slave race for the Egyptians and the mindset of servitude and lack of responsibility for outcomes. Numerous times they “murmur” against God and claim they would be happier as slaves where they could eat their wine and figs.
God is providing miracles, signs, and wonders, and often they are grumbling and even going off to worship other false gods. God, at times, becomes angry, states that He is a jealous God, that “you can have no other gods before me,” and those who are blatantly following gods like Baal are swallowed up by the earth, die of plagues God brings, or are struck down.
Thousands of defiant children of God die at the hand of God’s wrath.
Is God a different God in the Old Testament?
We get to see God’s love, mercy, power, and His absolute adherence to what He has instructed. We see Him constantly guiding the children of Israel on the path of purity and righteousness.
He does say the wages of sin is death.
The consequences of utter defiance are laid out for them, and they can choose what they will do.
Once the life and death of Christ are fulfilled, the final sacrifice has been carried out, and we see a message of love, and we now are able to receive the guidance of Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit actively in our life.
God still expects, even demands, obedience.
If we followed Baal, we will experience a death of the soul, a transformation to evil.
If we follow Lucifer, we will follow a fake pretender, and our ultimate path will be one of evil, separated possibly forever from the Lord.
The ancient sin offering was a goat. We have talked about this previously as we look into the scriptural writing of the scapegoat, a goat who would carry all the sins and inequities of the tribe, ultimately to be sacrificed.
The peace offering was the lamb and restored peace between the supplicant and God.
The God we experience after the resurrection is God the Son, and, of course, the guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
God is the same.
He is constant and faithful.
He is everlasting, righteous, and true.
