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Lev. 1
John the Baptist said that, while he baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Later, Jesus stated, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!” (Lk. 12:49). It seems to me that Jesus spoke of His own baptism by fire. John had already baptized Him with water, so it makes sense that Jesus would undergo the same baptisms He intended for us. I mention this because God declared the burnt offering, offered to make atonement, to be, “an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.” (Lev. 1:9b). Thus, the burnt offering depicts what Jesus did for us. His descent into the fires of hell, with His subsequent resurrection, soothed God’s wrath and made atonement for our sin.
John 20
We did not know Jesus in His human form personally. We did not see His crucified then risen body or the multitude of miraculous signs He performed. Nor were we there for His miraculous birth or ascension back into heaven. But God provided us with very believable eyewitness reports of all of these things. They are believable all on their own for a number of reasons, yet God gave us so much more than reports like John’s. All of Scripture and all of creation corroborate their stories. God is the Creator of all that is and He gave us Jesus as the solution to our impossible need – for reconciliation with our Creator. And, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (Jn. 20:29b).
Prov. 17
“A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully, and will share in the inheritance among brothers.” (Pr. 17:2). That speaks to me of God’s plan to include us Gentiles in His redeemed remnant. The Jews, who were the true sons, shamefully rejected Christ, opening the door for the servants to take part in the inheritance. Paul wrote about this extensively in his letter to the Romans.