Not a Bull, but The Lamb

In Leviticus 1:4 it says, “Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.” This verse is found in the laws of God for sacrifices. The man who was doing the sacrificing would lean onto the live animal and it was symbolism for a transfer of sin. The man’s sin was transferred to the bull, then the bull died. This is the picture of Jesus Christ. He was made sin for us. We, like the children of Israel, are called to lean upon the sacrifice with faith. In the burden and guilt of sin, believers can lean on the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. That’s good news. However, unlike the multitude of bulls that were slaughtered in Israel over the years, our substitutionary sacrifice defeated death. Christ did die. He had to in order to pay for the sins of His people. But death couldn’t defeat the creator of life. The Sin-Bearing Savior not only purchased for us union with God but rendered death and the fear of it useless. Rejoice and worship at the sacrificial work of a living resurrected King of kings.