BIBLE READING: Leviticus 16:20-22
We made lists of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
It is natural to hope that the people we have hurt will think better of us once we have sought to make amends. We may fear that there are some who will never upgrade their opinions about us, no matter what we do. In reality they may not, especially if they have chosen to use us as scapegoats.
Before the coming of Jesus, the people of Israel were instructed to select a live goat that would carry away their sins. (Jesus became our scapegoat when he took “our sins upon himself.) The priest was to place his hands on this goat and confess over it all the sins of the people. “He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land” (Leviticus 16:21-22).
Some of the people we have hurt will use us as their scapegoats. Since we have hurt them, they feel justified in sending us away with more than our share of the burden. They unconsciously place the blame for their pain on us so we can carry it away. As their scapegoats, we play the role of removing something they were unable to deal with in any other way. Because of this, they may never welcome us back. We should be prepared for this kind of response and realize that their behavior says more about[…]”
Excerpt From: Tyndale House Publishers. “The Life Recovery Bible NLT
We made lists of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
It is natural to hope that the people we have hurt will think better of us once we have sought to make amends. We may fear that there are some who will never upgrade their opinions about us, no matter what we do. In reality they may not, especially if they have chosen to use us as scapegoats.
Before the coming of Jesus, the people of Israel were instructed to select a live goat that would carry away their sins. (Jesus became our scapegoat when he took “our sins upon himself.) The priest was to place his hands on this goat and confess over it all the sins of the people. “He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land” (Leviticus 16:21-22).
Some of the people we have hurt will use us as their scapegoats. Since we have hurt them, they feel justified in sending us away with more than our share of the burden. They unconsciously place the blame for their pain on us so we can carry it away. As their scapegoats, we play the role of removing something they were unable to deal with in any other way. Because of this, they may never welcome us back. We should be prepared for this kind of response and realize that their behavior says more about[…]”
Excerpt From: Tyndale House Publishers. “The Life Recovery Bible NLT
No comments:
Post a Comment