Abraham Was No Dummy

I am working through the book Feast by Derek Leman. It is a Threads study about Jewish traditions. Currently, I am reading about Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. I have been knocked over learning more about the sacrificial system, specifically Christ as the sacrifice, once for all. This morning I read this:

Hebrews 10:1 Since law has [only] a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.

The law is not only a shadow. The law is a shadow of good things to come. Imagine being trapped in a dangerous alley and needing rescue. You hope your rescuer will come, then you see his shadow coming from around  the corner. You suddenly have hope and peace. That is what the Law does. It was and is a shadow of good things to come. Yom Kippur is not an empty picture, a mere trifle. Yom Kippur is a beautiful image, a wonderful sign of hope that would come.

As Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all of their descendants observed Yom Kippur, they weren't only sacrificing in the Holy of Holies because the law said they should. They were sacrificing because they believed in the sacrifice that is once for all.

Thankfully I worship with the knowledge of Christ, but studying Yom Kippur hopefully leads me to mourn my sin and live with a contrite spirit.