It All Points to Him, Part 2

Deuteronomy 17:1 You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish or defect, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God.

Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

John 5:39 [Jesus said] You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

Yesterday’s reading reminded us that His commandments are meant to be joyful, yes, even the commandment about unblemished animals for sacrifice. This is a truth we should treasure and hold onto our whole life long.

Yet there is another treasure hiding in Deuteronomy 17:1. It—like every other part of the Old Testament—points to Jesus. As we look back on this ancient law from our New Testament perspective, we can see that it’s a foreshadowing of the Great Sacrifice that was to come—the sacrifice with the perfect, sinless, unblemished Lamb of God. Yes, it reminded the Israelites that God is perfect and holy, and that our interactions with Him are not to be taken lightly. But it planted deeply into the heart of the nation and the hearts of those with spiritual eyes to see it that the Ultimate Sacrifice was going to be without sin. In reality, that “obscure scripture” has Jesus right at its center.

In fact, Jesus is in the center of everything. If we can’t see that, we just need to keep looking. If we seek Him, we’ll find Him, and when we find Him, we’ll see that he’s in the middle of it all (as well as at the beginning and the end). Colossians 1:16 says that “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” Ephesians 1:9 says that “in the dispensation of the fullness of the times [God] might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.”

So it all begins, and ends, with Him. All is “through Him and for Him,” including every commandment, every scripture. Deuteronomy 17:1 points to His perfection and the great worth of His sacrifice for us. Other scriptures point to His life, His obedience, His death, His love, His character, His care for us. Some are easy to see, and some are head-scratchers at first. But behind all we see, hear, know and read, is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, let the rest of my life be like the road to Emmaus story in Luke 24, where You spent time showing others all those things that pointed to You. Heal my heart and take the scales from my eyes, that I might see You in all the places You are, in Your word and in Your world.