The nature of God: personal and self-sacrificing

“‘Rather, for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt–with the nations watching–so that I might be their God; I am Adonai.’ These are the laws, rulings and teachings that Adonai himself gave to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai through Moshe.” Leviticus 26:45-46 CJB

Adonai is an extremely personal God. He Himself, brought the Israelites out of Egypt; He Himself spoke and gave the people certain tenants by which to live; and He Himself, redeemed them.

“See now that I myself am he!

    There is no god besides me.

I put to death and I bring to life,

    I have wounded and I will heal,    

and no one can deliver out of my hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39 NIV


“And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” Genesis 22:8 KJV

I find it noteworthy that the pronoun “himself” is used here. The original Hebrew manuscripts of Genesis did not contain punctuation but what if commas were inserted before and after the words “a lamb” so that it read: “God will provide himself, a lamb, for a burnt offering…”? God Himself would be revealed as the offering…Either way, it seems that foreshadowing is being used here for it was a ram (ayil in Hebrew) that was caught in the bushes, not a lamb (seh in Hebrew), and substituted for Isaac. So Abraham’s prophetic utterance isn’t perfectly realized at this particular point in time. Two thousand years later however, Yeshua, Jesus, comes on the scene and is identified by John the Baptist as: “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 ESV

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”

First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

1Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Hebrews 10:1-14 NIV

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