Have you ever wondered why you matter to the Almighy? “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him.” (v6)
This week we are focusing on the atonement provided by Jesus. The Bible has many references to man’s desperate need for such atonement. There was a time when man knew the joy of meeting with God and having an intimate relationship with Him. But, even before Adam, there was sin and evil. Satan had already been cast out of God’s presence and sadly, man abused the freedom of choice that God gave him. Man chose to be deceived by Satan and take on a sinful nature as well. God could have given up on man and left him in the hopelessness of his poor choices. But He chose instead to provide a means of atonement and to give you and I the gift of choice as well.
Man became isolated away from God because of sin. But, Jesus became the hinge that opened that closed door and allowed man to enjoy God’s presence and sweet fellowship again. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19)
The sacrificial system of the OT taught that there had to be atonement for sin. But goats and lambs were not perfect sacrifices and man in his sinful state could not be reconciled to God on his own merit or effort. Jesus, however, was willing to be that perfect sacrifice, stepping out of the glory of heaven to become flesh and blood himself so he could give every man opportunity to be saved and reconciled to God.
“But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (v9)
By tasting death, he freed us from the power of death. Not only did Adam’s disobedience bring physical death to man, but also spiritual death. This spiritual death became like a closed door that Satan had imprisoned us behind. Jesus came to show us the love of God and provide an open door back to God. He became human “like us” so that He could serve as our High Priest, mediating on our behalf between us and God.
“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (v17)
Jesus provided propitiation by becoming God’s mercy seat.
“The mercy seat was the golden lid or the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood of an innocent victim to atone for the broken Law. The tables of stone on which were written the holy Law were kept in the Ark. The sprinkled blood covered the broken Law and made possible a meeting place between God and the sinner. “(Don Stewart)
Isn’t it amazing the lengths that God would be willing to go to give us opportunity for atonement? He sent us atonement through his beloved son, Jesus. "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all . . . (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Praise be to Jesus, who became one of us to bring us back into fellowship with God.