He Took My Place

I recently came across an old hymn entitled “He Took My Place.” I was renewed in my heart to meditate on the truth that Jesus Christ was my substitute. I began to look back through the Old Testament, and the story never gets old. Year after year the high priest would put on his special garments and take two young goats or lambs. Some type of indiscriminate choice would be made concerning the two innocent beasts. One of them would be doomed to die, the other would be set free apart from the camp where he would not be seen again. The lamb who would not be set free would be led to the altar where his throat was slit and the blood would pour out. The priest, catching the life-sustaining blood in a container, would sprinkle that innocent’s blood on the mercy seat where the glory of God abode. The priest would burn up the dead lamb completely. The priest would then lay his hands on the “scapegoat” and confess the sins of the people. That lamb was then taken out into the wilderness and set free probably reminding us that when sins are forgiven they are forgotten never to be seen again. O, the bloody sacrifice and smell of burning flesh! Can you imagine how disgusting that was? But doesn’t that make Christ’s sacrifice even more beautiful. Yes, the death of Jesus on the cruel cross was disgusting. It was as “ugly as sin.” It was perverted, captial punishment, based on an illegal trial, by immoral rulers. But it was the most beautiful thing that I can imagine, because the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, took my place!