THE sacrifices are connected with, and open out to us especially the ground of our access and manner of our approach to God.
The beginning of this book goes through the different sorts of offerings, and then takes up the Priesthood, by virtue of which we have access to God.
The first chapter speaks of the burnt-offering, the second of the meat-offering, and the third of the peace-offering.—These three have a distinctive character. Then the fourth chapter is concerning positive transgression, and the sin-offering to be offered thereupon. The 5th chapter, as far as the 13th verse, speaks specially of sins or defilement under different characters, rather than transgressions; and from the 14th verse of the 5th chapter, to the 7th of the 6th, we read of the trespass-offering—that is for anything respecting conduct, “Things that ought not to be done,” and any wrong done to God or man.
The value of these offerings is their representation of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our approach to God through Him.
Many of the principles spoken of in Jesus Himself, are, in measure shown out in the believer; and again that which He wrought Himself works effectually in us. One act of Christ fulfilled them all, He made the atonement, bore the guilt, and we have communion with Him, feeding on that which has been given for us.
In this chapter, verses 1, 2, 3, 4, we have directions concerning the burnt-offering. Observe, the Lord is not here speaking from Mount Sinai—there we read a statement of what the law required.
Before, however, the Israelites received the instructions from God in the Holy Mount, they had broken that covenant, so that when Moses came down, he found them worshipping the golden calf. They had departed from God, and were made naked to their shame before their enemies, (as we should be had we to stand in the presence of our enemies in our own righteousness.) Afterward the tabernacle was set up where the Lord could meet the people, and here we get “the patterns of things in the heavens,” which patterns were purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves, with a better sacrifice, even with the sacrifice of Jesus. Now the patterns given to us in the tabernacle, are for the unfolding of the manner of our coming to God by grace through Jesus Christ. We find the most holy place where the Lord met Moses, the holy place for the priest’s daily service, and the court without, where the worshipper first approached, where were the altar of burnt-offering and the laver.
The first place of approach to God is the altar of burnt-offering.—
When the Lord spake to Moses from Sinai, it was to declare His righteous requirements from man on earth. As to their approach to God, in the character of this prescribed righteousness, we have seen how all had failed. The authority of God was thrown off by making the calf, and thus the voluntary undertaking to do all that the Lord required (Ex. 24:1313And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. (Exodus 24:13).) was broken, and they had failed altogether. How then could man approach to God? The law given had just brought out the evil that was in him. Was God then to deal with them acknowledging them in their wickedness? was He to give up His character? If not, He must speak from heaven in grace. There was now no possibility of dealing with man upon earth. “They refused Him who spake on earth.” The question then (as this had failed) was, how could man be brought into communion with God in heaven? “If they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, how shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven?”
There must be a sacrifice; but where was such to be found as could cleanse man from sin?
There was no such thing to be found in man as one willing and competent. This was not work for a sinner. But the Son of God said, “Lo I come to do thy will O God, yea thy law is within my heart.” (Psa. 40;7, Heb. 10;5.) “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.” This was the body in which He was to be the obedient One, “mine ear hast thou opened,” and we see Christ willingly assuming it, to do the will of God. We have then, here, One fit to be the sacrifice—One who took on Himself the form of a servant, and became obedient to the commands of the Lord, it was His will to do it, and His capacity was, “Thy law is within my heart.” But what was the object in doing this? To keep the law which had been broken, and to be a sacrifice, to introduce sinners into God’s presence, He must not only keep the law, but become obedient even unto death, the death of the cross. He might preach righteousness in the congregation, but men hated it; He might work all works of blessing, but they envied Him, They derided Him. All the expressions of righteousness in Him were of no avail alone; He must also become a sacrifice, must shed His blood. Now the burnt-offering represents Him in this double character. In verse 3 it is said, “He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the Lord.” Now, as regards Christ, the act is simply His own. We did not offer Him; but when we have the spirit of Christ, we enter into the value of the act, as though we laid our hands upon Him. Jesus offered Himself while on earth, without spot unto God, presenting Himself as the burnt-offering. In order for us to approach through Him, He must first be exhibited as giving Himself thus willingly. Thus, in the account of the sacrifice, we see the victim first brought to the door of the tabernacle, and then killed,
If we had merely seen the fact of the death, we might have thought there was need. of it as regarded Himself; but He is first shown to us as the willing offering, bringing Himself to the door of the tabernacle, and of His own voluntary will offering Himself to God for us. This was the sacrifice of atonement, not by anything imposed on Him, but of His own free will, as the spotless One, with no yoke of sin upon His neck. As the righteous One He walked up to the door of the tabernacle, and there the prince of this world met Him, and his first effort was to hinder His exhibiting this perfect pattern of obedience on earth.
That which was singular in Jesus was His righteousness; there might have been power, but this others had had also; but simple, abstract perfect truth and righteousness, this Christ alone could exhibit; and if Satan could have made the Lord swerve in one tittle from this, there could have been no such thing exhibited on earth; Satan tried in the temptation to make our Lord exhibit power, but He was still the obedient One, and until the word came upon His ear, He would do nothing, for He came then to be the servant, the perfect pattern of obedience in all things. Satan first tempted Him to exercise His power, to make the stones bread, then to question the providential care of God, and thirdly, in respect of His rightful dominion. Having failed in his object altogether, Satan departed from Him for a season, but met Him again, to attain the object of hindering His obedience unto death. The prince of this world comes to Jesus; as the head of religion and power of the world in the Jews and Gentiles, he cannot however hinder Him, but the word is still, “That the world may know that I love the Father, as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.” This is what, we who believe, know of Jesus, that the prince of this world had nothing in Him, and that He loved the Father, and did His will. First proving, that the prince of this world had nothing in him, He voluntarily submitted to be the sacrifice—He was thus tried and accepted.
The act was perfect in giving Himself, but there was nothing available to us, until He was killed. (See verse 5.) It is said that the Priests the sons of Aaron, (not the high-priest) shall bring the blood and sprinkle it round about the altar.—Thus we, who believe, have an interest in this, while Christ presents Himself on the day of atonement, the priests have the blood in their hands, pointing out the way of communing with what had been done.
Let the fire of the Lord search Jesus, everything in Him is found a sweet savor unto God. In us, the fire finds things in themselves offensive, but all that was in Jesus is burnt altogether, a sacrifice made by fire, for a sweet savor unto God. Noah’s sacrifice typified this, (Gen. 8:20, 2120And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. (Genesis 8:20‑21).) taking of every clean beast, and clean fowl, and offering burnt-offerings unto the Lord, and the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the heart of God was governed by the offering instead of by the sin which it covered; so that God said, He would not again curse the ground any more. He would look at the sin in compassion, because of the sweet savor of the offering of Jesus, for it was such as the all-searching eye of God, when He took it all up in the fire, found to be perfect, this was Christ’s own work—we could take no part in it, but we find it to be that which puts away our sin, “Be ye imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and given Himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice unto God for a sweet smelling savor.” Who does not know among the saints the power of this love? While the work was done in a man, and as a man—it was done in divine love, even the love of the Father. This is a wonderful thing, that One should come, having a body prepared, acting in perfect obedience, a perfect example of righteousness, giving Himself a willing offering in the fullness of divine love. The first approach to God is at the altar of burnt-offering. There the sinner meets God in judgment, but there he meets also Christ offering Himself, and therefore (in type) the blood is put on this, and not on the things within the vail. The court of the congregation represents the earth, and here it is that the act of Jesus meets the sinner, as the means of approach. It is neither in the holy, or most holy place, but on earth that a perfect sacrifice has been offered to God, in which Satan could find nothing, but God everything—In which, man could have no part nor fellowship. It was a work between the Son, and the Father, and while the saint alone reads its value, it was done in the world, Jesus Christ being evidently set forth crucified, giving a testimony to the world, which leaves the world without excuse; and if there be no other way to God but by Jesus Christ thus set forth in death, what is unbelief doing in despising and rejecting Him, who now in heaven is the giver of every blessing to them that believe.
You may be busy and careful about many things, but there is but one thing which God looks at. Has this love of God, in His Son, been but an idle tale to your hearts, while you have been eager in the pursuit after the vanity that presents itself here? Is your heart cold to the love of God? as though the place where the cross stood is a blank in the world? The natural heart hates the claim of His love and His holiness, but the cross is the power of God to redeem the heart from the love of the world.
Lev. 2—The meat-offering was of fine flour, mingled with oil, and frankincense put thereon, to be brought to Aaron’s sons, the priests, who had their portion of it; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it on the altar, to be an offering made by fire for a sweet savor unto the Lord; it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. (see vers. 1, 2, 3.) Here then is another offering made by fire; as in the burnt-offering it stands the full estimate and judgment of God, and all that comes out of it is a sweet savor unto Him. Now the fruits of righteousness are acceptable to God, but we are not represented here, for if we enter into judgment with God, no man living shall stand. Our services are indeed accepted as the fruit of His Spirit in us, through intercession.
We have in this not the character of Abel’s, but of Cain’s offering; though very different in circumstances from that, yet it is the things of nature offered to God: the Church never could be thus offered, because it is not holy.
We shall see, by and by, that when the Church is represented, leaven is commanded to be put into it; but in that which is before us, the command is, that the meat-offering be put into the hands of the Priest. Oil was poured on it, and frankincense put thereon. The perfect fragrance and grace ascends up to God—the remnant is for Aaron’s sons.
First, Jesus, as a Man, is offered to God in His perfectness, and then we feed upon Him. The fragrance of His perfectness ascends while we feed.
The ostensible anointing of Jesus was when the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in the shape of a Dove; but as we find in the first ten verses of this chapter various characteristics of the meat-offering “Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon”—so as well as the ostensible anointing of Jesus, there is the fullness of God dwelling in flesh.
The character of the meat-offering is this, it was brought to the Church offered to God, and then the Church’s portion was to feed on it.
When we look at the detail, we find. the wafers and cakes were to be unleavened. In this, as in the sheaf of first-fruits waved before the Lord, (Lev. 23:10,1110Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Leviticus 23:10‑11).) we have the definite character of Christ, without sin; for in the ears of corn there could. be no leaven. But when the Church is offered, leaven is to be put in—they are the first fruits; but we find in the 12th verse of the 2nd chap. the oblation of the first-fruits, though offered to the Lord, shall not be burnt; proving that it did not come under the character of the previous offerings, which were all burned, and to have neither honey nor leaven in them. Observe, no effect of the oil could counteract the leaven, it was commanded to be absolutely without leaven. No power of the Holy Ghost counteracts the power of evil; if there was leaven in its nature it could not be an offering to the Lord. Honey is also excluded. There are many things sweet and pleasant in themselves that can never be presented to God; nothing can be offered to Him that is for the mere satisfaction of nature. Simple natural affection, though right in itself, (nay it is a sin to be without it,) is no offering to God. Our Lord’s love to His mother was perfect; we see this in His remembrance of her and care, even on the cross; but when first He begins His ministry He did not recognize natural affection as influencing Him in it, but says, “Woman what have I to do with thee?”
In Lev. 23:1717Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. (Leviticus 23:17), we have that which was typical of the day of Pentecost, on which day the Holy Ghost formed the Church. When Christ ascended, and presented perfect righteousness to the Father, then He could work to bring out this in the Church as the first fruits.
Accordingly we find in this 23rd chapter, that which as constitute and consecrated by the Holy Ghost, could be offered to God, but no burnt, because the old nature is still there. In Jesus, however, there is nothing of this; and in the meat-offering therefore there is to be no leaven, but oil poured on it: also in the sheaf waved before the Lord. So it was that Jesus arose and was waved before the Lord; and then fifty days afterward, parallel with Pentecost, the two wave loaves baken with leaven, were brought as the first fruits to God. Remark that there is a burnt-offering and a meat-offering offered with the wave sheaf, but no sin-offering; but in ver. 19 you will find a sin offering accompanying the wave loaves, to meet the leaven in them; for the sin-offering is that which nails the evil of the Church, or it could not be accepted.
We have this most satisfactory evidence, that Jesus was offered without spot to God, and the knowledge of the blessed truth that there was the absolute absence of sin in Him, both in nature and practice; on this account alone He could. be an offering made by fire. There could be no offering for sin presented to God in which the holiness of God, searching by fire, could discover by any possibility anything that was not positively good; it would have hindered its being an offering to God. All the fullness of the Holy Ghost could not effect this; for we see this on the day of Pentecost—there was the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, but nevertheless sin was there.
The Holy Ghost to give us peace, must come with a message of peace, even that there has been that presented in the offering of Christ, by which God’s grace can act toward us in righteousness. It is not that the act of Jesus turned. God’s mind toward us, but by virtue of it, God can act according to His own mind, righteously and consistently. If God had done an act of grace, without the act of Jesus, it would have been grace without righteousness. It is then first proved, that there is no righteousness in man, who hath both broken the law, and rejected Jesus. But in presenting Jesus to God in the world, as the intrinsically righteous One, we find Him through whom God. can act in grace toward man; in Him we find the ground of our acceptance, and the originating cause of God’s dealings with us. There is amazing blessing in looking at Jesus as the occasion of grace—the soul of the poor sinner can rest in the knowledge, that grace reigns through righteousness—and I find myself a continual debtor to grace, because when I am daily offered to God, the sin-offering is also offered, without which I could not be presented, and God is thereby glorified and not man, inasmuch as it is only through Jesus that I approach.
In leaven we see the character of sin, not only in the act, but in the abstract. It is well to distinguish between sins as the fruit of our evil nature, and sin.
The Holy Ghost not only detects sins in the act, but sin in the nature. Thus we are led to the knowledge that we are all alike; all in one condition. The Holy Ghost lays bare that which the law could only notice in its minutest actings.
The moment I have a new nature, I detect not only the acts of the old nature, but I know that in me, that is in my flesh, good does not dwell; but I have this comfort, that hating and judging the evil, I know that it is put away, not that this should make us careless—no, our privilege is to judge it before it has brought forth the bitter fruits.
Have you judged it thus in your nature? If it is there it is condemned. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” By presenting Jesus a perfect man, He making Him to be sin, condemned it on the cross.
If you cannot say you are without sin in your nature, living in all the spotlessness and purity of Jesus, you are condemned but recognizing Jesus as the sin-offering for you, though in yourself a poor failing wretched creature, you can be presented to God even as He, is, because you are presented with Him. Therefore the word is, “fear not.”
If you have seen Jesus, if you have found Him, feed upon Him, as the one object on which your soul can rest, the pattern in which you can delight to all eternity, the way of learning in a sinful world what is perfect in God’s sight. Take Jesus, and as a thing most holy offer it to God, delight in it—study Jesus in the gospels, in all that He was and did, as presented to us by the Spirit, and then you will learn to have your soul fashioned in its desires according to the riches of His unspeakable grace, He offered as the sin-offering, and you knowing that you shall see Him and be made like Him, seeing Him as He is.
LEV. 3.—In the first chapter there is the description of the burnt-offering, representing the Lord’s self-dedication and obedience even unto death—first coming to do the Father’s will, and then offering Himself up without spot to God. in the second, we have the meat-offering, which shows the perfection of His nature, the memorial of which was offered before the Lord, and the rest eaten by the priests, an unleavened meat-offering.
This third chapter touches on that part of the peace-offering which was offered to God; there is no mention of what was done with the body of the animal; we must refer to the 7th chap. for this. The fat and the blood, which represent the life and energy of the Spirit, are said to be the food of the offering made by fire—they may not be eaten, but are presented to the Lord, and all burnt by a perpetual statute. The life belongs to God, this is what Abel saw, and that which made his sacrifice acceptable.
We have in the peace-offering the same character as the two former. Still a sacrifice made by fire of a sweet smelling savor. The peculiar feature in this offering is, that it is that upon which the Lord. Himself feeds; it is not merely an offering, but “food of the offering.” This gives it a peculiar character.
In the 7th chapter we find the remainder of the peace-offering was eaten by the worshipper, excepting the wave breast and heave shoulder, which were the priest’s. These three things then we may observe, the blood is sprinkled, and the fat burned for a sweet savor; the wave breast and heave shoulder are for the priest, and the rest for the worshippers to feed on, as an occasion of joy and thanksgiving before the Lord.
The practice of the offerer thus partaking of his sacrifice, was, imitated by the heathen in their sacrifice to idols, to which the Apostle alludes, (1 Cor. 10:18-2118Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. (1 Corinthians 10:18‑21).) part was offered to the idol; and with the rest they made a feast, being together common partakers of it, Again, when the Apostle is giving liberty to the Corinthians to eat what was sold in the shambles, he limits them to that which they ate in ignorance. “If any man say unto you this is offered in sacrifice to idols, eat not?” They sprinkled the blood on the altar, and then ate the sacrifice; and therefore those who knowingly partook of it, were held to be partakers of the altar, this being the way of showing communion, whether it were with an idol, or between a believer and God; and this has in it a blessed meaning. Christ is not only here represented as the perfect burnt-offering, but also as a meat-offering for us; not only is He the Lord’s delight, but that of which we can also partake with Him. He is the subject matter of communion. “As I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, he shall live by me,” The communion is between the worshipper, the priest, and God. Not only is it our privilege to see the sacrifices offered to God, opening a way of access to Him, (as in the burnt-offering and others,) but we find the Lord takes delight in communing with us about it.
The first thing to be observed in the peace-offering is, the complete and absolute acceptance of the sacrifice, so that the Lord speaks of it as His food—that in which His holiness could find intrinsic satisfaction. The inwards were presented for a sweet savor (as Jesus,)—they are tried and examined by fire, and found to be food for God Himself, The fat represents the spontaneous actings of holiness—the richness of an animal is its fat—we judge of its healthy vigorous state by this.
It is written, “Our God is a consuming fire,” This expression is sometimes wrongly interpreted, as if spoken of God out of Christ. We know nothing of God out of Christ. We may be out of Christ ourselves, and then indeed, as a destructive fire, the very presence of God would be destructive to us; but as known to us who are in Christ, He is a God intolerant of all evil, of all that which is inconsistent with Himself.
As the slain one, Jesus is that on which we must feed. He says, “The bread which I will give, is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world; whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life.” (John 6) When we come to the knowledge of Jesus, we feed on Him as thus slain, having, as it were, His blood separated from His body—“My body is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” “Without shedding of blood, there is no remission.” We feed, on Jesus as the life given, not on His life as life, but on His life as given unto death; not only as the incarnate God, but as having given His flesh to be eaten, and His blood to be drunk; being as perfect and spotless as the life which was shed out. And here also is that which not only satisfied the justice of God, but also is esteemed, fed on by Him as His delight. This Jesus was; and of this in the light of His countenance, and as the delight of God, we too have a portion. It is the common food of those assembled round as worshippers to feast before the Lord. But if any were unclean who fed on this sacrifice, they should be cut off from the people. (Lev. 7:2020But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. (Leviticus 7:20).) It was only as clean persons they could meet thus with the Lord. It can only be as those already cleansed and accepted, that we can have this mutual delight in the Lord Jesus, given as a common object of communion and enjoyment between God and us. Our worship is not here as simply coming to inquire about our acceptance, but having already access, it is to rejoice with God about the sacrifice, knowing the fruits of it. It was a thanksgiving offering, praise was in it: all proceeds upon the conviction of full satisfaction having been previously made. Often our worship has not sufficiently this character in it. We have intercourse frequently with God about our anxieties, our failures, our evil condition; but if this is all, we come very far short of the privileges that belong to us. Our religion should not be altogether a religion of regrets, but rather we are called to joy, and rejoice through the Spirit in the perfectness of all that Christ has done. Not merely joy because wrath has been intercepted, but there is that in Jesus which draws out constant love and delight from the Father, and we too are introduced into the place of communion with the Father about Him. Now if we are associated in this worship, we are there as being clean, for no unclean person is able to partake of it.
In the peace-offering the priest who sprinkled the blood had his part. He stood there as Christ, who is the one who sprinkled the blood.
We learn in these sacrifices, God in the respective characters of the Trinity, as well as in the abstract character of His holiness. If we look at God as the Father, we have surely the joy of His countenance as sons, but as God we need a priest by whom to approach Him. As one with Jesus, we stand so completely accepted in the immediate enjoyment of God’s love, that Jesus says, “I say not that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father Himself loveth you because ye have loved me.” At the same time, however, we know that as still in this body of sin and death, we have continual need of the exercise of the priesthood of Jesus, and this indeed in communion we never leave out, even the joy of knowing the priest as sprinkling the blood. In our joy we never have the priest excluded. Communion is a common thing between us. God delights, we delight, and Jesus delights with us. Marvelous thought! The Priest returns from the sprinkling of blood, Himself to be a partaker of our secret joy in the holy place. (Num. 18:8-118And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever. 9This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons. 10In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee. 11And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it. (Numbers 18:8‑11).) It is most important to see that we have no real delight of which the source and spring is not Jesus. So satisfied is God, and so cleansed are we, that we can curve thus to enjoy the communion resulting from what Jesus has done, and as the Priest He feasts with us now in the holy place—“Where two or three are gathered together, there is He in the midst of them,” as the one to sprinkle the blood and to feast even now, while we are waiting for that day, when in person He shall be present with us to eat and drink, in the Father’s kingdom. He said once, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.” He was not content without this last memorial of their oneness with Him—while the expectation was present with Him, of the time when He would drink it new in the kingdom of God, He desired them to have continual remembrance of this last interview, “This do as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”
The offering was to be eaten the same day, or at farthest on the second day; it was not allowed to be kept longer; this marks the communion to be necessarily spiritual.
It is simply in the Spirit we can have this communion with God, if the flesh comes in all is spoiled, it must be burned with fire.
The worshipper must eat his part in connection with the burnt-offering, and the priest’s portion if eaten alone, having (as it were) from the lapse of time lost the virtue communicated from the others, it becomes an abomination, and the soul that eats, must bear his iniquity. Thus we shall continually find the communion of joy in the Lord is apt to degenerate into that which is merely natural; for instance, if a man in bitterness of heart, comes to seek the Lord’s strength in communion, the Spirit is present, and he forgets his grief. The suffering was from without, but the communion between his soul and God is within the veil, and there is no sorrow there; but if he is not very watchful, his joy degenerates—It overlasts what is spiritual, and becomes joy in the flesh.
There will be difference in the power of this communion in believers. Those who rest most simply in the sacrifice and blood of Jesus will have the most power of sustaining it. “Ye beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 2020But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, (Jude 20), 21.) As we walk in the Spirit, we shall have power to continue in this holy fellowship and joy; but the earthly vessels are not competent to bear all the glory. There is always a tendency to the flesh slipping in—we may get proud of our joy, and this at once opens a door to all the folly and madness of our evil nature. After Paul had been in the third heavens, so that he knew not whether he was in or out of the body, we find he was in danger of being puffed up. What was the remedy anything that mended the flesh? not at all, but a messenger from Satan to buffet him. There is no mending the flesh, but we know this is not the place or condition in which we shall always be, for “He shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby His able to subdue all things unto Himself.” (Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21).)
LEV. 4.—These offerings differ in character from the preceding, being sacrifices made for actual transgressions. Before, we had the offering of Christ as a sweet savor, and the communion of the believer upon it; but here there is altogether a new revelation. The three former ones were delivered under one revelation, which is marked by the words, “The Lord called unto Moses and spake unto him,” (chap. 1:1.) they are again repeated at the beginning of this chapter. Accordingly we find that instead of the Lord Jesus being manifested to us as a sacrifice for a sweet smelling savor unto God, we have Him here typified as “bearing our sins in His own body;”—the sin-offering, the Lord bruising Him on our account.
The sin-offerings were consequent upon transgression. The accumulation of guilt was laid upon the head of the victim. We shall find under this class all the forms of transgression provided for. There are four different characters of sin-offerings in this chapter—in the 5th chapter, to the 13th verse, we have sins mentioned, analogous in nature but different in circumstance; and a trespass-offering commanded for them; and then from the 14th verse, another revelation from God, concerning the trespass-offering for anything done against the Lord; and in chap. 4 mention is made of trespasses against a neighbor.
In the chapter before us we have instances of defilements of conscience concerning “things which ought not to be done,” being against the commandment of the Lord. The natural conscience shrinks from murder and open sins, but there are other things which, although of a different character, nevertheless if committed, bring defilement before the Lord: there are things of positive requirement, about which a soul may be ignorant, but neglect of which brings defilement. Again, there are things which we know to be wrong by means of the spiritual perception God has given us—We learn from these details, that trespasses against the Lord and wrongs done to our neighbor, though not all of the same importance, yet all require a sin-offering, and present Christ to us taking upon Him our sins; He is our sin and trespass offering.
The first two cases mentioned are, “If a priest should sin, and if the whole congregation sin—in either case the directions for the offering are the same; some of the blood must be sprinkled seven times before the Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary, and the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord in the tabernacle of the congregation.” This was done that there might be no interruption to the general communion; for the whole congregation being identified with the priest, his worship in the sanctuary, at the altar of incense, would be otherwise interrupted by this collective defilement: and again, the priest being the representative of the whole congregation before the Lord, their failure was involved in his. Their sin is also charged upon the bullock that is slain, which is wholly burnt without the camp; and this is the only ground of their introduction to communion with God. Here is shown to us not the perfectness of Jesus as presented to God, but Jesus defiled with our sin. Yet we see the fat is still burned on the altar, (ver. 8.) as that has in it the character of the burnt-offering, but the whole bullock is burned without the camp; pointing out to us Jesus, as cast out and bruised on account of His having taken our sin, as in 2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21), “He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin.” Having presented Himself in perfectness to God, He is then made sin for us, and it pleased the Lord to bruise Him—marvelous word!—Jesus the Holy One, who knew no sin, is cast out and numbered with the transgressors.
If it was merely an individual that sinned, the order of service could still be carried on, because the communion of the congregation was not thereby destroyed. Then the blood was only sprinkled on the altar of burnt-offering, because that was the place where God met an individual, for he must be reconciled that he might have his place in the congregation to hold communion with God. It is only because Jesus bore our sins individually that we have communion. Here we find the priest is commanded to take a portion, (chap. 6:25, 26) the fat and blood only being presented to the Lord on the altar of burnt-offering. We shall see in this the character of Jesus’ work for us, and find the blessedness of it.
The Church is guilty of many offenses, not only having sin in its nature, but doing things which conscience tells them ought not to be done, and under this guilt they could have no access to God,
The character of the offenses render the offender guilty, and while under this guilt, he could not approach to God; and observe in this chapter it is not merely sin, but sins that are mentioned; and here, for a moment, I would speak of the importance of not misquoting (as is often done) the passage “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world;” it is not said sins of the world, for if that were true, God could have nothing to charge it with. It is indeed true that the world, as a system, shall be restored to God; that place over which Satan has now gained such power, shall be redeemed, as it is said in Col. 1:2020And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20).— “By Him to reconcile all things unto Himself by Him, I say whether they be things on earth or things in heaven.” In the hands of the Second Adam, the sacrifice has accomplished the restoration of all that was alienated in the first Adam, so that His atonement not only forms a ground upon which every sinner may be addressed, but through it the world shall be restored to blessing. This result however is entirely future, as we know from the present dominion of Satan in this evil world; and in the meantime many despise and reject the blessing, for whom judgment is reserved; but to believers blessing shall come, though they have no portion in the result as yet.
In the offerings before us there is not merely this general atonement, but the bearing of sins, the actual transfer of sins to Jesus, “the free gift of many offenses unto justification of life,”—as in Isa. 53 it is said, “He bare the iniquities of many”—as well as “made His soul an offering for sin.” And here we not only see Jesus presented as an offering to God, by which any sinner may be addressed, but the believer also finds that his sins are laid upon Him; and the Church in viewing anticipatively the great result, finds that it is a saved body, and is brought into the knowledge of that which the Apostle declares, (Col. 1:20, 2120And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Colossians 1:20‑21).) for He goes on to say—“and you, who were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled,” &c. Thus we get full settled peace; for we know that He has not borne some of our sins, but we get at this great general truth, that all our sins are laid upon Jesus and blotted out. if we believe that by bearing our sins Jesus has justified us, then we must know that all our sins are gone from the presence of God, as He has said, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Jesus has endured the penalty, He hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, and faith is able to look at Jesus as the bearer of all sin; and in the sin being charged upon Him, the Church is raised out of all its evil, being by one offering perfected forever. What He did was that He bore the bruising due to us. We can look at the work of Jesus in no other light than as thus complete, and we must then see all the sins of the Church laid upon Him, and consequently all put away, and God righteous and just to forgive, because Jesus had already borne them. There can be no enfeebling this, it would be doing it away altogether—If I say they are not completely taken away, then which of them remain, and where are the sins from which I am not justified? When is each sin to be separately atoned for? If it is not simply as a body He presents the Church in perfectness of acceptance, what is forgiveness? If we are brought by a sense of our need of this blood-shedding, to see the value of it, then we do come to the mercy seat, where we find all our sins put away—that He “suffered the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” It is of course only by the Spirit we are brought to know and value this, even that Jesus was our substitute—that He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, and that having done so, God is righteous to forgive; nothing can be more simple than that, if Jesus did indeed bear our sins, then every believer is justified from all things; we may look at it in all its breadth and compass—Jesus confessed our sins, bore them, and was bruised on their account. If He has opened your heart to believe in Him as bearing sins at all, then all your sins are put away; you must either deny that He was bearing sins at all, or you are justified. Here is the certainty of peace, and we stand justified from all things, and Jesus looks at us in this character.
There is no question of past or future transgression, but He bore our sins—hold fast this, and know that you are justified. There is indeed the daily consciousness of multiplied transgression, while faith says, our sins are put away; still, in looking at ourselves, we see abundance of evil, and now we find how graciously the Lord provides for us in this daily defilement. In chap. 6:26 the priest that offered the sin-offering, was to eat it; as the worshipper and the priest ate the peace-offering together, thus representing Jesus as being identified with the joy of communion. So the priest takes part of the sin-offering, showing that Jesus is also identified with the sin which hinders communion. This offering is not common to Aaron and his sons, but the priest only who offered it was to eat his portion.
Jesus is this Priest; that part on which the sin was confessed, the priest ate, and identified Himself thus with the defilement. Now in passing through the world, we get disqualified by sin for communion, even if we wist it not; we cannot take our blindness as the measure of God’s holy requirements, the blindness of our consciences is not the blindness of God’s eye, as man is apt to think, but the riches of divine mercy has provided a way in which although God sees it all, yet He sees us free from it, because He sees the sin all upon Jesus. He bowed His head under the weight of them saying, “my sins are too heavy for me to bear.” But in His resurrection, we see they were actually and effectually borne in His own body, so that we are “justified from all things,” “perfected forever,” He rose again because we were justified.
There are many things which our consciences tell us “ought not to be done,” but of the sins of ignorance it is said, “though he wist it not, he is guilty, he shall bear his iniquity.” There is no folly like that of taking the blindness of our hearts as God’s estimate of sin, but let the evil and defilement be what it may, “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.” In Num. 19 we have a special case of a sin-offering—there is this difference between Lev. and Num. In Lev. we have the sacrifices in their great distinguishing characters. in Num. we have the particular application of them in the trials of the walk of faith, meeting the case of individuals falling into evil, or contracting defilement.
In Num. 19 there is a red heifer taken, and burnt as a sin-offering according to the description in the chapter now before us, the ashes were kept for a water of separation—a purification for sin, any man that touched anything unclean was sprinkled with it. This shows the power of the sin-offering, as brought by the Spirit to the conscience; it is not a fresh sacrifice, there is no shedding of blood, but merely the ashes sprinkled.
There are but three instances of blood being sprinkled on individuals which are these; Aaron and his sons, or the day of consecration. (Lev. 8:23-3023And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 25And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder: 26And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder: 27And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the Lord. 28And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savor: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 29And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the Lord commanded Moses. 30And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. (Leviticus 8:23‑30).) the leper on the day of his cleansing, (Lev. 14:77And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. (Leviticus 14:7).) and the people on the giving of the covenant from Mount Sinai, (Ex. 24:88And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words. (Exodus 24:8)) There needed in fact but one sprinkling, for looked at in its whole character, the worshippers being once purged, had no more conscience of sins, but for the daily defilements there was the water of separation, the application of a past thing with present power to the conscience, as the case required. The sacrifice of Jesus is an act done long since; but when the believer once cleansed by faith in His blood, contrasts defilement in walking in this world, for this there is no fresh offering, but the sacrifice is brought to his remembrance by the Spirit.
It is the blood that cleanses us from sin, and gives us our portion as sons by adoption; but, as regards the conscience, it is the Spirit of God bringing the recollection of what Jesus has done, so as to give peace. These are the truths brought out in the sin-offering.
As the whole Church is concerned, Jesus is presented unreprovable and unblameable in God’s sight, and “being sanctified by the offering of His body once for all,” the worshipper has no more conscience of sins. Thus the believer is introduced at once to the knowledge, that all the Church’s sins are transferred to Jesus, and that in His resurrection the Church is completely justified.
Let the sin be of whatever character it may, though you wist it not, yet what cannot accord with the holiness of God’s sanctuary, shall not come into it. His holiness never varies from itself, and the more we know of the value of the blood-shedding of Jesus, the more we shall see the impossibility of communion with God in sin, but if our conscience condemn us, what have we to do? we have the blessed perception through the Holy Ghost of the ashes, even the remembrance of that which has been done, bringing us again into holy communion. The perception that Jesus has taken the defilement, maintains the standard of holiness in spite of our sin. Nothing but Jesus bearing the sin, charging it upon Himself can do this; and if we do not see the holiness maintained, we shall be making excuses for our sin, and thinking we can still have communion with God in it, and our estimate and standard of sin must of necessity be lowered. If my conscience cannot know the sin absolutely put away, I must give up communion; but seeing Jesus a burnt-offering and a sin-offering, we see Him made sin, and we made the righteousness of God in Him; and we see that He loved us and gave Himself for us, not for anything in us, but because of the prevalence of His love over all.
What blessed thoughts must we have in this knowledge of the perfectness of His love, and what must be the blindness of those who count God to be such an one as themselves, after He has given Jesus.
Lev. 6.—There is much that is important in the close of the account of these offerings. In the previous chapters the characters of the sacrifices were brought out. First, the perfectness of the offering of Jesus unto God; and secondly, as an outcast defiled by the sin that was laid upon Him. This trespass-offering partakes of the latter character. The Spirit of God is a holy detecter and judge of all that is inconsistent with Himself, nothing of sin can pass unnoticed. The Spirit does not judge according to the estimate of the natural conscience, but takes a standard according to the holiness of Jesus in the presence of God, so that our minds do not always discern that which He sees needs to be judged; but whether we discern or not, the Spirit takes account of the evil in us, and if it were not for the sin and trespass-offering, we should be in a worse case than ever, for there is no atonement for sin made by the Spirit; this is no part of His work.
The Spirit manifests all righteousness, revealing to us what Jesus taught, but we never read of the Spirit bearing our sins: this is a point of the utmost importance for our rest; the Spirit is the Spirit of testimony and holiness but in acceptance, in atonement, Jesus alone has any. part. Acceptance came in upon what Jesus had done in the flesh, by His offering of His body once for all—“In the body of His flesh through death,” &c.
The testimony of the Spirit is to unmingled holiness, bearing witness to our sins, showing us that in us good does not dwell, and also that peace and rest come by what Christ hath wrought. The effect of this testimony of holiness would be to destroy peace, if the Spirit did not still reveal the efficiency of the blood-shedding, but while it is His office to exalt the perception of the holiness God requires, He still witnesses to us that “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.”
When we look at the variety of sin, (for in spite of our ignorance we do perceive and know sin as still cleaving to us,) never could we have peace but through the testimony of the blood.
Supposing we have erred in the character of a worshipper committing any of those things which are forbidden, here is sin, even though we “wist it not”—the holiness of God is not limited by our conscience.
There are many things which would be sins upon the conscience, hindering communion, were it not for the blood of Jesus. The power and effect of the revelation of Jesus Christ is to bring us to God—to holiness; it is in vain, therefore, to reckon upon grace, if we do not see the place into which it brings us, even the place of worship. The effect of grace is to bring us upon ground on which nothing inconsistent with worship will be tolerated.
In the chapter before us, we have the different character of sins, which without blood could not be passed by. “He will by no means clear the guilty.” All that is inconsistent with Jesus within the veil, is guilt. In this 6th chap. we see that God’s eye equally notices sin against a neighbor, as against Himself; for the command is, “receive ye one another, as Christ also hath received us, to the glory of God.”
With unhindered liberty we have boldness to enter into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus, even where all the holiness of God is displayed, The Spirit reveals many things in us inconsistent with this holy place; but we know that Jesus has offered both a sin and trespass-offering. “God has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him;” therefore the revelation of holiness reveals nothing to hinder our entrance into the holiest, If the holiness of God has been revealed, and you have swerved from the requirements of it, may the Spirit of God so reveal to you the offering made once for all, that you may go on, resting upon the truth of the completeness of the sacrifice, assuredly knowing that “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.”
Lev. 8—We have considered in detail the work appointed for Aaron and his sons, as priests to the Lord; we have here an account of the manner of setting them apart for that office. They are first washed with water, this signifying the sanctification by the word. In this the High Priest is identified with his sons, even as Jesus says, “For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” And again, “By the words of thy lips have I kept me from the paths of the destroyer.”—And when speaking of the Church, the language is, “He gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word.”
This being done, the High Priest alone is clothed in his robes, and anointed. He needed not blood to admit him into the service of God. He was the representative of one whom God could receive and own as “His servant, His elect, in whom His soul delighted.” Thus, after His baptism, we find the Spirit descends as a Dove upon Jesus, and a voice comes from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” He needed no offering for Himself, but stood as the anointed of God without shedding of blood. Afterward He identifies Himself with His sons, when sacrifices are brought to be offered for them. Thus we see Jesus in our person entering the holy place by His own blood, that we might be made fellow-workers with Him—that we might be qualified to worship with Him. This enables Him, to say, “I ascend unto my Father and your Father, unto my God and your God;” and afterward we find that blessed association with the saints which made Him say, “In the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee.”—“He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” We are thus marvelously introduced into the presence of the Father to partake of His fellowship with Him. “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The High Priesthood of Jesus is essentially connected with our introduction into fellowship and blessing. The burnt-offering and sin-offering are offered, and also the ram of consecration; one complete act of atonement presenting them.
In the case of the leper’s cleansing, we see the same thing as a personal matter. (Lev. 14) The two birds signify the application of the blood of Jesus, and power given in consequence; one being killed, and the blood sprinkled on the person, and the other let loose in the open field. In the leper’s case, the application was individual, but here the whole Church is presented; Aaron and his sons fill their hands with the offerings, and are waved for a wave-offering before the Lord. They are qualified by the sacrifice, and obedience becomes their privilege. Their ears and right hand are consecrated for receiving instructions, and their performing service. The great toe also, that their walk through the world should be according to the blood-shedding.
The Church stands thus under the efficacy of the whole work of Christ; all that hindered from entering into the place of worship and service is done away; competency to exercise our ministry depends upon our walking in the Spirit; but provision for this has been accomplished once for all; and we cannot escape from this responsibility. Let us remember that whatever is unfit for us in entering the holy place, unfit for us as ministering priests, as worshippers in the sanctuary, must be put away.
The condition of the Church is to be introduced to all the blessings of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. If we have anything, we are made priests unto God. As a body we are looked at according to the estimate God has of the sacrifice of His dear Son. There is no renewal of the consecration, the priests were only to wash their hands and feet, that they might carry no defilement into the sanctuary from day to day. Let us be careful thus continually to cleanse ourselves from any practical unfitness, that may defile us in our daily intercourse with an evil world.
Jesus has begun the new song of praise, and puts the same into our mouths, as sprinkled with His blood, anointed with His Spirit, and feeding continually upon Him in the presence of the living God.
Consider how far you have realized this as your standing, and be careful to cast away all that defiles you as a priest set apart for such a service.
This is something far beyond walking half in the world, and half with God—questioning ever whether you do believe or not—be assured God would have you brought out of this misery; belonging to the sanctuary, entering into all the fullness of joy that results from intimacy of fellowship and service with Jesus—kings and priests unto God. Not only blood, but anointing oil was upon Aaron and his sons, and his sons’ garments. All within and without is. consecrated. He hath loved us and washed us in His own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. To Him be glory forever and ever—Amen.