March 12, Day 71 – Forgiveness Is Not Cheap
- Dr. Eric Stricker
- Mar 12
- 3 min read
Today’s readings focus on the topic of forgiveness. We see this clearly in Leviticus 23-24 which emphasizes the different kinds of feasts, sacrifices, and offerings that – under the law – were necessary to bring Israel back into a right relationship with God. “These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times … The LORD’s Passover … the First fruits … the Feast of Weeks … the Feast of Trumpets … The Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles” (cf., Leviticus 23). Think of the ritualistic animal sacrifices and the all the livestock that they required; think of the time consumed in offering up all these sacrifices to the Lord; and then think of all the related activities necessary to carry them out. Thus, we learn from this chapter (and others) that the forgiveness of sin is costly. Every feast, every offering, every activity that God required had a high price tag. We need to understand that while forgiveness is free, it is not cheap. In Leviticus 24, we see God’s requirement that the lamps in the tabernacle had to “be tended continually” (verses 2-4). The lamps, which are a picture of our Lord – the Light of the world – were to be kept burning because only Christ’s light can penetrate the thick darkness of sin. In the darkness of our world, hope can only be found in Christ. Here, we read further that the “son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out” and “blasphemed the Name with a curse” (verses 10-11). The LORD told Moses to remove this man – take him outside the camp and have him stoned for his curses and his blasphemy. A holy God requires his people to be holy, and from this incident, we see that God means business.
Psalm 32 is a beatific Psalm which informs us how wonderfully blessed we are to know the forgiveness of the LORD. David indicates that forgiveness depends upon and comes to us through acknowledgement and confession of our sins to God. If “His hand is heavy upon us” (verse 4), we ought to consider that we may have committed sin, and if so, we should confess that sin before Him. God delights in forgiving us; His love is “unfailing” (verse 10). Not only does God forgive us, but also He becomes our “hiding place” to protect us from trouble, and to “surround us with songs of deliverance” (verses 7-10). I can’t imagine a more beautiful picture – this is what God Himself desires for all of us.
In Mark 15:33-47, we are confronted by the extreme costliness of our forgiveness – the precious, shed blood of God’s own Son. Nothing in this universe was more precious to God our Father than the blood of His Son. Economically, we could say that His blood was the most precious commodity in the entire universe because, through the shedding of His blood and by His death, Christ paid our debt of redemption – a price we could never cover – and He reconciled us to the One Whom we offended. Not all the gold in the universe could accomplish that. And, importantly, we were the ones who needed reconciliation – not God. The cost of forgiveness is so expensive that we could never afford it or bring it about. We also notice here in Mark 15 that, upon the death of Christ, the temple veil was “torn in two from top to bottom” (verse 38). Both the action and the direction of this breach are significant. On the basis of His forgiveness, God Himself did this – opening the way for all of us to enter into His holy presence. Forgiveness is not cheap.
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