How does Leviticus 14:20 highlight the importance of atonement in our lives? The Verse Itself “Then the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be clean.” – Leviticus 14:20 Leviticus 14:20 in Its Ritual Context • Leviticus 13–14 deals with someone afflicted by “a skin disease” (often translated leprosy). • Chapters 14 describes a detailed, multi-day process ending in two offerings—the burnt offering (total dedication) and the grain offering (thanksgiving). • Only after these sacrifices does the priest pronounce the former outcast “clean,” restoring him to the covenant community. Why Atonement Is the Linchpin • Without atonement, the person remains outside the camp (Leviticus 13:46). • Atonement bridges the gap between impurity and fellowship with God: “the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be clean.” • The sequence—sacrifice first, cleansing second—teaches that reconciliation with God is prerequisite to any other form of restoration. Elements of the Sacrifices and Their Meaning • Burnt offering: total surrender. The entire animal is consumed, symbolizing the worshiper’s complete yielding to God (cf. Romans 12:1). • Grain offering: gratitude. An offering of daily sustenance now dedicated back to God (cf. Psalm 50:23). • Together they display both dependence and thanksgiving, wrapped in atonement. The Cost of Cleansing • Leviticus 17:11: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood… it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” • Hebrews 9:22: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” • God’s justice requires a substitutionary payment; the afflicted person cannot cleanse himself. From Ritual to Reality in Christ • Every priestly act in Leviticus points forward to the perfect High Priest: “Christ… entered the Most Holy Place once for all time… having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11-12). • Just as the leper’s defilement excluded him from fellowship, our sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). • Just as the priest pronounces the cleansed person “clean,” Jesus declares “It is finished” (John 19:30) and offers full reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Living in the Light of Atonement Today • Gratefully rest in Christ’s finished work; our “clean” status is secured by His blood (1 John 1:7). • Walk in holiness befitting those who are already pronounced clean (1 Peter 1:15-16). • Extend fellowship to others who have been cleansed, refusing to treat any redeemed brother or sister as an outcast (Ephesians 2:19). Scriptures That Echo the Same Truth • Isaiah 53:5 – our peace secured by His wounds. • Romans 5:9 – justified “by His blood.” • Colossians 1:22 – “reconciled… to present you holy and blameless.” • Hebrews 10:19-22 – bold access through the new and living way. Leviticus 14:20 shows unmistakably that cleansing flows only from atonement. The pattern never changes: sacrifice, atonement, cleansing, community—and in Christ we now experience its ultimate fulfillment. |
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