Feasting on the Sweetness of the Lord

So maybe I'm not a goalie after all.  I intended to publish at least the daily reading everyday for anyone (if there IS anyone else reading this) to follow, but I don't even seem to be able to do that.  Problem is, spring has sprung, and the gardening chores have consumed what would be my writing time.....I'm trying to seriously stay reading though.  I've also been trying to keep up the Beth Moore study Psalms of Ascent, just finishing the 3rd chapter.  I was amazed upon re-reading my last post how the theme (shadow) has carried through in this study also.  I closed last post with a cry to the Lord to help me to see him, and tonight I echo what mom & I said earlier in the day that so many people just flippantly read the Bible without seeing!  Once you recognize Jesus in the New Testament as God, you see him everywhere in the Old Testament as Jesus. 

I'm actually drawing from the end of Chapter 2 in Psalms of Ascent,  here we're seeing Jesus in the feasts.  I know my kids are always asking why God in the Old Testament was so....bloody, harsh.  In order for us to KNOW the effect of sin (death, eternal separation from God), we must see and feel the effect of sin.  In order for sin to be done away with, the punishment of sin must be upheld.  The bloody sacrifice shows us that sin is death, sin is to be dealt with, and the results of sin not dealt with are destruction.  Lev. 17:11 says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."  The flesh is not eternal.  The soul is eternal.  How can we picture an eternity separated from God without the representation of the terrible destruction of life?  Sin is the ugly taskmaster.  The sacrifice demonstrated its effect and foreshadowed God who would provide himself the lamb (Gen. 22:8) because, it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Heb. 10:4).  He in his mercy, became that sacrifice once for all, taking our place - the scapegoat, upon whom the full effect and wrath of God fell - then turned around and told us we were free in him!  Reminds me of Braveheart, "FREEDOM!"  or in Jesus' words, "It is FINISHED!"

So parallel Christ's death and resurrection with the Feasts of Leviticus.

The first Pilgrim's Feast was "Unleavened Bread" that began at the end of the Passover and lasted for seven days.  Leviticus 12:17-28 describes this feast.  In addition to the unleavened bread was Passover where the Israelites were to take a lamb (one per family) and dip hyssop into its blood and paint it on the door lintel and side posts - then the angel of death would "pass over" their house.   Unleavened bread was eaten at Passover.  Leaving just a smidgen of leaven in bread eventually ferments the whole lump - like leaving just a little sin eventually corrupts the whole person.  But the amazing picture here is that Jesus is the Passover Lamb - spotless, without corruption - no sin in him.  What I never saw before was the connection of Jesus telling his disciples at Passover, "Take, eat, this is my body" to his body NOT seeing decay.  Read Acts 2:29-33.  Thus while Passover represents Christ's death, taking place literally on Passover, representing the end of sin ("It is Finished") and the beginning of freedom (Israelites flight from Egypt), Unleavened Bread represents his body (bruised, pierced as prophecied in Is. 53) and his burial - "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." Ps. 16:10

To me this is another layer of that onion skin.  Peel away.