The Holiness of God and the Sacrifice for Sin

The Holiness of God and the Sacrifice for sin.
Lev 1:1-17.
"He shall lay his hand on the goat of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf."

To encounter God is to be confronted with our sin and guilt. In Isaiah 6, we read where Isaiah had a vision of the throne room of heaven where the angels are singing with thunderous voices the holiness of God. However, Isaiah's response was one of terror as he came to grips with his sinfulness in the presence of a holy and righteous God. Whenever anyone came face to face with God, the response was universal; they fell on their face in abject fear and an overwhelming awareness of their sin and guilt. One of the perplexing questions throughout history is how sinful man stands in the presence of a holy God without facing his infinite wrath.
Throughout the book of Leviticus, we see a series of instructions regarding the sacrifices that the people of Israel were to perform. As we read, it is easy to get confused about why these sacrifices were necessary and what was the purpose of the sacrifices. Even more important is the question, "Why did God establish the sacrifices, and what was he trying to teach?" To answer that, we must go back to Genesis 3. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they not only faced the consequence of sin; sin permeated every nook and cranny of their lives and existence. Instead of enjoying God's grace and mercy, they encountered God's wrath as sinful people who were tainted by the stain of sin. With this embracing of sin came guilt and the certainty of divine judgment. Sin violates the law of God and involves a willful rejection of him. Consequently, we are now under the penalty of sin by a God who is holy and just and cannot be associated with or tolerant of sin.
However, God, in his mercy, provided an alternative. The holiness of God demands that the sentence of sin be paid, and the penalty of sin is death. In response to humanity's sinful, God provided an alternative: the Sacrifice. The purpose of the sacrifices was to teach the people that the guilt and stain of sin could only be removed through death. The sacrificed animals died in the place of the Jew. The atonement (or covering) overcame the guilt of sin. Each of the various sacrifices was established to reveal to the people of Israel and the world that the responsibility of sin must be removed for a sinful man to approach a holy God. Sin's guilt could only be removed if another died in our place. This ultimately was pointing us forward to the coming of Christ. The payment of the life of animals was only temporary, having to be repeated. Consequently, a more permanent sacrifice was needed, one that would be sufficient for all our sins, both past, present, and future.
Throughout Leviticus, God calls his people to a life of holiness. Because holiness is the essential nature of God, we can only approach him if we also are holy. Christ provided the way for us. All the sacrifices prescribed in the book of Leviticus served to point forward to Christ as the fulfillment. The total weight of sin would only be removed by the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross. He was the complete Sacrifice, for his Sacrifice was sufficient for all our sins. Therefore his Sacrifice is final (see Hebrews 9-11).  
As we contemplate the holiness of God, we are drawn to man's sinfulness. To understand God's holiness is to come face to face with our sinfulness. However, there is hope, for God provided a sacrifice so that we can have eternal life. When you read through the book of Leviticus, remember its significance. It is ultimately pointing us forward to Christ. Then take time to thank God for providing our substitutionary death.