God with us as the Sacrificial Lamb | Dec. 18
2 Chronicles 7:4-5
Jesse Schellenberg | Mission Campus Pastor
“4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God.”
– 2 Chronicles 7:4-5
A few years ago we took our kids to Kilby and wandered through the historic museum. It was a blast from the past as our kids took in what it was like to be alive in 1900’s. As we were leaving the museum and heading back to our modern home with all of its comforts, one of our kids summed up the experience this way: “Well, I’m sure glad I’m not an olden day person.”
Solomon’s temple was an amazing building, created for the purpose of worshiping the one true God who had just filled it with his glory. It makes sense that Israel would like to honour the completion of it with an elaborate dedication ceremony that would signify it as consecrated, set apart, holy and sacred. Well, honour it they did. Over an eight day period, Solomon and the people of Israel would go on to sacrifice 142,000 animals!
So great were the amount of sacrifices that they had to use the entire courtyard in order to accommodate all of it.
Fast forward to today and God is still worthy of total devotion, honour and praise. This is why 2000 years ago the blood of one animal, a perfect spotless lamb, was shed to consecrate, dedicate and set apart a new temple for God. The new temple, us, the church, God’s people, has been consecrated and dedicated in full, because this lamb was none other than Jesus, His beloved son.
We are no longer dependent on elaborate dedication ceremonies or the sacrifice of animals to set us apart. We now have confidence to enter the most holy place, to be the temple, to dwell with God—not by blood of bulls but by the blood of the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, was slain once and for all.
“Well, I’m sure glad I’m not an olden day person.”
PRAYER: Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name, worthy of all praise, honour and adoration. Your Son has set us apart, consecrated us and dedicated us to your service so find us faithful to live in such a way to bring fame to your name as we enjoy life with you as your people.