the verse behind the song

Bulls & Goats

Elevation Living Room

Read

Hebrews 10:1-14 · the full passage

¹The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. ²If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. ³But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. ⁴For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. ⁶You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. ⁷Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.’” ⁸First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). ⁹Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. ¹⁰For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. ¹¹Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. ¹²But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ¹³There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. ¹⁴For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

Hebrews 10:1-14 · NLT

more about this song

the Bible passage behind Bulls & Goats is Hebrews 10:1-14, where Jesus offers himself once for all time and then sits down because his work is finished.

Slow down

it's sunday, a day to rest. find a quiet spot, put your headphones in and listen to the song once as worship.

The line

“no more bulls and goats”

from Bulls & Goats, Elevation Living Room

What it's about

Hebrews 10 opens by calling the old sacrifices a shadow of something better, and verse 3 says they actually reminded people of their sins every year. that's the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. once a year the high priest carried the blood of a bull and a goat behind the curtain into the most holy place. then he put his hands on a second goat and sent it into the wilderness, a picture of sins being carried away. the next year he did it all again.

Hebrews seems to have been written to Jewish Christians who were worn down and under pressure (10:32-36), and some were drifting back to the old ways. the writer's answer is in verses 11 and 12. the priests stand day after day because their work never ends, and Jesus offered himself once and sat down at God's right hand. a priest who sits down is finished. that's why the song can sing no more bulls and goats.

God rested on the seventh day in Genesis 2:2-3, and Sabbath is his invitation for us to stop and rest too. on monday we read Hebrews 4:9-10, which says a special rest is still waiting for God's people. Hebrews 10 shows why we can have it, because Jesus already finished the work of dealing with sin.

Sit with it

is there something you keep apologizing to God for, over and over, that Jesus already dealt with once?

Pray

Jesus, thank you that your one offering was enough for all of my sin. help me rest in that today. amen.

Listen again

play the song once more and listen for the bulls and goats line, now that you've read Hebrews 10:4.

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