Those of us who were rooting for the Chiefs on Thursday got a rush of relief on the very last play of the game. It seemed the Ravens had completed a perfect touchdown pass that would send the game into overtime. But, lucky for us, the refs are able to watch reviews to make sure everything is legit. Because Ravens receiver Isaiah Likely had half a toe out of bounds when he caught the pass. Close, but not close enough! Chiefs for the win!

This brought to mind some themes from Leviticus that I have been studying lately. Leviticus is not one of those parts of the Bible that we turn to very often. We don’t normally turn there for an encouraging verse or an uplifting life lesson. It’s the place where God gave instructions on how the Israelites were to make sacrifices in order to restore peace with Him and atone for their sin. It contains verses like:

“Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of the meeting.” (1:5)

“And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water.” (1:8-9)

“Then he shall bring his offering of turtle doves or pigeons. And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar.” (1:14-15)

These sacrifices were necessary daily for the Israelites. Because God is holy, righteous, and perfect, and they were not. No matter how hard they tried, they would never be good enough to meet God’s standards. Because of our fallen human nature, we will always have a part of our foot over the out-of-bounds line. And the only way to atone for that sin is through blood. Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” God’s people had to make sacrifices over and over to continually make up for their sin.

But…thankfully, God had a wonderful plan in mind. He sent His Son Jesus to earth. His blood, the perfect sacrifice, became the final atonement for our sins. Hebrews 9:26 says, “he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Jesus caught the touchdown pass for us and we won the game! The Superbowl of life!

And through this, I have freedom. Forever. Freedom from worrying that I am not close enough to being acceptable to God. Freedom from having to make up for my sin with the blood of a bull or a goat or a dove. Freedom from having to do anything to earn my salvation.                       

What do I do with this freedom?

Even though we are free from the bloody, gory, sacrifice of animals, God still commands sacrifice from us. He wants us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, which is holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1). We are to sacrifice our own wants and desires so our lives coincide with His will.

I think that sometimes this might be even harder than sacrificing an animal. Especially when we are going through a difficult time. To give our entire lives to God, opening our hearts to Him and accepting whatever comes our way, is not easy. But this is the way we are able to “live justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly” with Him. (Micah 6:8)

God, thank you that I do not have to be perfect to earn your love and acceptance. Help me to truly appreciate the freedom that I have through the sacrifice of your Son. Show me how I can offer myself to you each day, living my life wholly and completely for you, no matter what the sacrifice.