Atonement is God’s gracious means for restoring broken fellowship.
When Leviticus was being given to the Israelites, they were encamped at Mount Sinai, a rugged mountain located in the southwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula, between what is now Egypt and modern-day Israel. Here, God revealed detailed instructions on how His people should live and worship around 1446 BC. In outlining how to reconcile sins and restore peace with Him, Leviticus 6:7 says, “Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt” (v.7). This verse not only provides assurance of divine forgiveness but also highlights God’s provision of a mediator to stand in the gap when an individual incurred guilt.
When the passage declares, “Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD” (v.7), it emphasizes the role of the priest, who was from the lineage of Aaron. Aaron, brother of Moses, served as Israel’s first High Priest around 1440 BC, leading his descendants to continue fulfilling this priestly function. The priest offered the sacrifice that would absolve guilt before the LORD. Such a God-ordained system demonstrated that human wrongdoing could be covered through the obedient practice of the required offering, underscoring the crucial need for an intermediary between sinful humanity and a holy God.
Finally, the promise that a person “will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt” (v.7) speaks powerfully of God’s grace. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is portrayed as the ultimate High Priest who made the final and complete atonement for sins (Hebrews 4:14). This Old Testament verse directs us to the timeless truth that God always intended a means of forgiveness, culminating in the sacrifice of Christ, where humanity finds permanent reconciliation with Him.
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Leviticus 6:7 meaning
When Leviticus was being given to the Israelites, they were encamped at Mount Sinai, a rugged mountain located in the southwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula, between what is now Egypt and modern-day Israel. Here, God revealed detailed instructions on how His people should live and worship around 1446 BC. In outlining how to reconcile sins and restore peace with Him, Leviticus 6:7 says, “Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt” (v.7). This verse not only provides assurance of divine forgiveness but also highlights God’s provision of a mediator to stand in the gap when an individual incurred guilt.
When the passage declares, “Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD” (v.7), it emphasizes the role of the priest, who was from the lineage of Aaron. Aaron, brother of Moses, served as Israel’s first High Priest around 1440 BC, leading his descendants to continue fulfilling this priestly function. The priest offered the sacrifice that would absolve guilt before the LORD. Such a God-ordained system demonstrated that human wrongdoing could be covered through the obedient practice of the required offering, underscoring the crucial need for an intermediary between sinful humanity and a holy God.
Finally, the promise that a person “will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt” (v.7) speaks powerfully of God’s grace. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is portrayed as the ultimate High Priest who made the final and complete atonement for sins (Hebrews 4:14). This Old Testament verse directs us to the timeless truth that God always intended a means of forgiveness, culminating in the sacrifice of Christ, where humanity finds permanent reconciliation with Him.