January 26 Why Can’t I Forgive Myself?

Leviticus 16:
11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering…….14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.
15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: ……. 16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. ….., having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.
20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.

You’ve confessed your sin, repented from it and you are still hounded by guilt. Why? The person you have harmed has said they forgive you. God has offered you forgiveness. What’s it going to take to get out from under this dark cloud? If God can forgive you, why can’t you forgive yourself? Because you don’t think you are worthy of His forgiveness, that’s why. What is it about us that we struggle so much with letting go?

When God’s presence rested over the Atonement cover in the Most Holy Place (Leviticus 16), He looked down on the Ark of the Covenant which contained the Law God Himself carved into the two tablets. As He looks down, He sees that we have broken His Law. When Aaron sprinkles the blood of the sacrifice on the atonement cover, it covers the sins of the people. God now sees the Law through the blood of the sacrifice. Just as many years later, God sees us through the blood of the perfect sacrifice, Jesus the Christ.

God created the sacrificial system for us to be able to atone for our sins. The second goat was supposed to carry our sins off into the wilderness and remove them from us. This goat was to carry the guilt and shame away. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, shed His blood once for all. He did that for you and for me. John 15:13 says Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus calls you His friend. You are holy righteous and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. The One who formed the universe calls you the apple of His eye and a masterpiece. It is time to stop listening to those voices in your head telling you that you are not good enough. It is time to listen to the voice of Truth, the voice of God who tells you that you are His beloved child. Let go and let God. Accept His Word and His Truth and say Amen!

Thank You Lord that Your forgiveness is complete. By the sacrifice of Your Son, we have all been cleansed and can now stand before You dressed in His robe of righteousness. It is only by the blood of the Lamb that we can come before You. By His stripes we are healed. Thank you for healing us. In Your name we pray!

Psalm 103:12   as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Jesus loves me this I know, Cause the Bible tells me so……

https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1998/10/the-scapegoat

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