The Lord continues to instruct Moses as to the proper means of making holocausts, sacrifices, and offerings. The priests serve as the intermediaries for those who have sinned and have come to offer sacrifice--"the priest shall make atonement for the sin [using the offering brought by the sinner] . . . and it will be forgiven." But through this mediation the sins are forgiven. Similarly, Jesus as High Priest is the mediator for our atonement. His dying on the Cross was the sacrifice that atoned for the sins of all of us.
Is it too simplistic (or worse, condescending) to note that the Old Testament, up to this point, makes me think about God as a parent and the Israelites as children? God tells Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. He doesn't explain why, just as you don't explain to your toddler why not to eat food off the floor or why you shouldn't put a fork in an electric socket. As the story of the Chosen People continues, God is very directive and prescriptive about what the Israelites are to do--explaining why in some instances--just as you would with an older child. It is possible that God needed to lay the groundwork gradually for what was ultimately to come many hundreds of years later. Now, perhaps my reaction is a function of my ignorance of Biblical scholarship or reflects my lack of sophistication, but no criticism is intended. It just that the tone of much of what I have read so far feels so parental to me.
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