The sacrifices are connected with, and open out to us especially, the ground and the means of our approach to God.
The beginning of Leviticus goes through the different sorts of offerings, by virtue of which we have access to God, and then takes up the priesthood, which sustains the soul in approaching.
Chapter 1 speaks of the burnt-offering, chap. 2 of the meal offering, chap. 3 of the peace offering. Each of these has a distinct character. Chapter 4 treats of positive transgression in things against conscience, and the sin-offering to be offered thereupon. Chapter 5, as far as ver. 13, speaks specially of sins or defilements of different character, rather than transgressions in things which ought not to be done. From ver. 14 of chapter 5 to ver. 7 of chapter 6 we read of the trespass-offering, for anything respecting conduct in which wrong was done to God or man. The special 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 as regards Jesus Himself are in measure shown in the believer; again, that which He wrought Himself works effectually in us. One act of Christ fulfilled or consummated them all. He made the atonement; He was a perfect sweet savor to God when tried to the utmost; we have communion with Him, feeding on that which has been given for us. He bore our sins and effaced our guilt.
THE BURNT-OFFERING. Lev. 1
In this chapter, vers. 1-4, we have directions concerning the burnt-offering. Observe, Jehovah is not speaking from Mount Sinai: there a statement was given of what the law required. Before, however, the Israelites received the instruct ions 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. Afterward the tabernacle was set up, where Jehovah would 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 better sacrifices,” 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 Jehovah met Moses; the holy place, for the priests' 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. It may be remarked here that, in the description of the offerings, they are in the order in which they regard God in their proper nature and value, our communion with God being introduced in the third. Then provision for positive transgression is made. In the application or use of them by sinners this last comes first, as it does really with the soul.
When Jehovah spoke to Moses from Sinai, it was to declare His righteous requirements from man on earth. God testified on earth what His righteousness required from man on earth. As to their approach to God in their own righteousness thus prescribed, we see at Sinai itself how all failed. The authority of God was thrown off by making the calf; and thus the voluntary undertaking to do all that Jehovah required (Ex. 19:8; 24:3) 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 had 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, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven.” But full entrance into heaven was not then revealed, the veil was unrent; but the shadow of good things to come was given.
There must be a sacrifice; but where was such to be found as could cleanse man from sin, of which we have here the shadows? 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; 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 the body to do the will of God. We have in Him One fit to be a sacrifice, One Who took on Himself the form of a servant, and became obedient to the commands of Jehovah. It was His will to do it, and He was capable of doing it. “Thy law is within My heart.” But what was the object in doing this? Not only to keep the law which had been broken, but personally to be a sacrifice. To introduce sinners into God's presence, He must not only keep the law Himself, but become obedient unto death, even 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, He must shed His blood. Now the burnt-offering represents Him as perfect in Himself, and offering Himself up to God.
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 Jehovah”. Now as regards Christ, the act of offering Himself as a sacrifice is simply His own. “Through the eternal Spirit He offered Himself without spot to God.” We did not offer Him: He was the Offerer and the Victim. But when we have the Spirit of Christ, we enter into the value of the act as though we laid our hands on Him. Jesus offered Himself while on earth without spot unto God, presenting Himself as the burnt offering. In order that we might 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 Christ's death, we might have thought there was need of it as regarding Himself; but He is first shown to us as the willing offering, bringing Himself to the door of the tabernacle, and voluntarily offering Himself to God for us.
This was the sacrifice of atonement, not by anything imposed on Him, though according to the will of God, but of His own free will, as the spotless One, with no yoke of sin on His neck. As the righteous One, He walked up, so to speak, to the door of the tabernacle; and 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, what was in Him alone, was His righteousness. There was power; but this others have had also, though received indeed from Him. 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 would 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 to be the Servant, the perfect pattern of obedience in all things. Satan first tempted Him to exercise His power in making the stones bread, then to question the providential care of God, and last, openly to take the world, which was His rightful dominion. Having failed in his object altogether, Satan departed from Him for a season, but met Him again to hinder His obedience unto death. The prince of this world came to Jesus as the head of religion and power in 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, and 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. He voluntarily submitted to be the sacrifice; and the act was perfect in giving Himself. Still if for us, it must be in the place of sin and atonement for sin; and what is so wonderful in the sacrifice of Christ is, that absolute, perfect obedience and self-devotedness to God and His glory were in the place of sin, when He was made sin for us. There was nothing available for us till He was put to death. 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 participating in what had been done.
Let the fire of the Lord consume Jesus (so to speak), all is, and more especially therein, 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, 21), taking of every, clean beast and of every clean fowl, and offering burnt offerings to Jehovah. And Jehovah smelled a sweet savor. 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 sinner 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 sin, glorifying God when He is made sin.
“ Be ye imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to 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 by divine love in Christ, even as He was given of the love of God to do it. 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.
Thus for our full acceptance with God, Christ is the burnt offering. There the sinner meets God in judgment; but there he meets also Christ offering Himself and then made sin, and made sin in the very act in which His obedience was absolute and perfect, and so an absolute sweet savor in the very place of sin. God was perfectly glorified in Christ's obedience in that place, which was, through death and atonement for sin, a perfect sweet savor to God. Bearing our sins comes in afterward.
Here therefore we find the ground of our free approach to God in the sweet savor of His burnt sacrifice. The court of the congregation represents the place into which Christ was lifted up from the earth; and here it is that His act meets the sinner as the means of approach. It is in neither the holy nor most holy place, but in view of the earth, though lifted up from it, that a perfect sacrifice has been offered to God, in which Satan could find nothing, but God everything—in which we could have no part or fellowship, save as a consequence in grace. It was a work between Christ and God, of which the saint alone reads its value; it was done before our eyes here, though He was lifted up from the earth (Jesus Christ being evidently set forth crucified, giving a testimony to the world, which leaves the world without excuse): our part in it was the sin that put Him to death. 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 those that believe?
You may be busy and careful about many things, yet there is but one thing that God looks at: Christ, and Christ a sacrifice for sin. 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 was a blank in the world? The natural heart hates the claim of His love and holiness; but the cross is the purchase-work of God to redeem the heart from the love of the world. Atonement, and perfect glorifying of God, and infinite acceptance in the sweet savor of Christ's offering of Himself, are found in the burnt offering.