Atonement

(Prov 16:6 NIV) Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.

I trust you enjoyed the long weekend and I pray that you are enjoying this New Year. Today, we get something from Solomon that is a bit weightier than his normal writings.

The very first class entitled Blood Covenanted that was taught to us in Bible Collage by Pastor Dick Bernal. This was the class that made a huge impact in my life. So I will try to recap part of Pastor Dick teaching in this lesson.

Solomon here—in addition to giving us a proverb (the latter part of the verse)—gives us some theological meat to chew on this morning. When I first read this verse I was unsure who the “love and faithfulness” in the text was attributed to. I was not sure if it meant that we, as humans, through love and faithfulness, could receive the atonement of sin or that He (Jehovah), through His love and faithfulness, provides us atonement.

However, the original Hebrew is not ambiguous. The literal translation is: “By mercy and truth he shall atone for iniquity;” the “he” being God. So He (God), by His love and faithfulness, found a way to provide atonement for the sins of His followers in the Old Testament. This atonement was provided for by the blood of a lamb on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement); once a year. Solomon, a devout Jew, understood (and I am sure he was thankful for) the substitutionary death the Lord provided through the annual lamb.

The doctrine of this verse must be understood in the light of the timeframe in which it was written. The original sin that Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden opened the door to satan’s dynamic duo: sin and death. The atonement lamb was a sacrifice for sin and there was another lamb, the PASSOVER lamb, that was the sacrifice for death.

The problem is that these were just temporary solutions. The atonement lamb could only provide a “covering” for sin, and even then the covering only lasted a year. The PASSOVER lamb was symbolic of avoiding death, but death still reigned.

It was not until the arrival of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ, that satan’s dynamic duo would be truly dealt with.

Jesus became the Lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice. His blood did what the blood of lambs, bullocks, and turtledoves could not. His blood paid the ultimate price. His blood became the payment for what Adam did in the Garden. His blood delivered us from satan’s dynamic duo. Jesus became the atonement lamb and the PASSOVER lamb in one fell swoop; but His blood did not just cover sin, it delivered us from its power. In the New Testament John says this of Jesus:

“And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world” (1st John 2:2 AMP).

Jesus put down His righteousness and clothed Himself in our sin, so that we could put down our sin and clothe ourselves in His righteousness; which takes us to the latter portion of Solomon’s text for us this morning. Solomon says, “through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.”

Walking with God is awesome and walking without Him is definitely dangerous. This is not to say that believers won’t endure challenges, but there have been countless times where, to my knowledge, the Father has delivered me from trouble; not to mention all the times that I don’t even know of.

So what does this mean to you ? It boils down to two things:
1. God loved you enough to provide a way for your sin to be dealt with and that way is His Son, Jesus.
2. One of the blessed benefits of walking with God is enjoying His protection. Expect it and enjoy it today!

Father, I thank You for providing Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice. My sins are not merely covered; they have been paid for in full by the blood of Jesus. I am forgiven and I seek to live a life that is pleasing in Your sight today and every day. You loved me enough to save me from eternal death and I love you enough to honor You in all my ways. Additionally, as I walk with You I am able to avoid evil. You lead me, guide me, and direct me in the ways that I should go. Your guidance keeps me from harm and Your angels protect me from every attack. I enter this day with Your presence, protection, and peace! In Jesus’ name. Amen!