38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD.
Someone must bear the guilt if we are to be acceptable to the Lord. And there is guilt to bear! When we step over the ‘sin line’ we are guilty. For the Israelites, the High Priest would carry that guilt. In a symbolic act he offered the sacrifices on behalf of everyone else’s sins. As a reminder of his position he wore an engraved seal on his head which said “Holy to the Lord.” This was a reminder that he could not bear the sins personally, but only as a representative of the Lord. It is because of the Lord’s ultimate work on the Cross that the guilt of the sins was carried. We all stand today before the Lord with “Holy to the Lord” on our foreheads. We can offer to God our lives because Jesus carried our guilt. We cannot offer anything to God without Jesus’ sacrifice. If we tried, we would be rejected because nothing impure or unholy can enter God’s presence. But we are pure because of what Jesus did. That seal on Aaron’s forehead was a reminder of the consequences of sin. Without the seal, Aaron and those who followed him in the role of High Priest would surely have been killed. It reminded them of the care needed to enter God’s presence. Entering into God’s presence was dangerous business. You had to get it right or it could mean your life. When we enter God’s presence we too need to recognize that we are not here because of our own righteousness. We have been set apart, consecrated by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Each time we enter, we need to remember that we are there because of Jesus. And we ought to not take that for granted.
The Arnold Journey 