The offerings in this chapter 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 were delivered under one revelation, which is marked by the words, "The Lord spake unto Moses," (chap. 1:1), which are 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 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 positive 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 chapter v. to verse 13, sins are mentioned analogous in nature, but different in circumstance, and a trespass-offering commanded for them. In trerse 14 of chapter v. begins another revelation from God concerning the trespass-offering for anything done against the Lord; and chapter 6. mentions trespass against a neighbor.
In the chapter before us (the fourth) we have instances of defilements of conscience concerning things which ought not to be done, being against the commandments of the Lord. The natural conscience shrinks from murder and open sins; but there are other things which, though of a different character, nevertheless, if committed, bring on us defilement before the Lord. There are things of positive requirement about which a soul may be ignorant, but neglect of which brings defilement; and, 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 trespass against the Lord, and wrongs clone to our neighbor, though not all of the same importance, yet all require a sin-offering; all recall Christ to us, as taking upon Him our sins. He is our sin and trespass-offering.
The first two cases are, " If the priest that is anointed do 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 veil of the sanctuary. And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is 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 high priest, his worship in the sanctuary at the altar of incense would be interrupted by their collective defilement. And again, the priest being the representative of the whole congregation before the Lord, their exclusion was involved in his. Their sin is charged upon the bullock that is slain, which (the fat being burnt upon the altar) is burnt without the camp, and this is the ground of their renewed communion with God. Here is shown to us, not the perfectness of JESUS as presented to God but, JESUS bearing the defilement of our sin; yet we see the fat is still burnt on the altar (vs. 8, 10), and that has in it the character of the burnt-offering, showing that, though made sin for us, yet His offering to God therein was intrinsically perfect; but the whole bullock is burnt without the camp, pointing out to us JESUS as cast out and bruised, on account of His having taken upon Him 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 the service could still be carried on, because the communion of the congregation was not thereby interrupted. In this instance, the blood was then 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. But He did it once for all.
Of this sacrifice 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 the work of JESUS for us, and find the blessedness of it.
In many things we all offend, not only having sin in our nature, but doing things which conscience tells us ought not to be done; and in this state we could have no access to God for communion. These offenses render the offender unfit for communion, and while in this state he could not approach God. 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," (John 1:2424And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. (John 1:24)). It is not said sins of the world, for if that were true, God would 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 " last Adam," the sacrifice is the ground of 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 mean time, many despise and reject the blessing, for whom judgment is reserved; but to the believer present peace comes, though his be not a portion in the result 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 " (ver. 11), as well as " made his soul an offering for sin " (ver. 10); and here we not only see JESUS presented as an offering to God, by virtue of which any sinner may be addressed, but the believer also finds that his sins were laid upon Him. And the church, in anticipating the great result, finds that it is a saved body, and is brought into the know ledge of that which the apostle declares (Col. 1:2121And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Colossians 1:21)), " And you that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled," &c. Thus we get full settled peace, for we know that JESUS has borne not merely some of our sins, but we get at this great general truth, that all our sins were laid upon Him and are blotted out, and we know that all our sins are gone from the presence of God, for He has said, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more " (Heb. 10:1717And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)). JESUS has endured the penalty. " He bath saved us, and called us with an holy calling;" and faith is able to look at JESUS as the Bearer of all sin for us, and the sin having been charged upon Him, the church is raised out of all the evil it had been in, being by one offering perfected forever.
We can look at the work of JESUS in no other light than as thus complete; and we must, therefore, see all our sins laid upon Him, and consequently all put away, and God righteous and just in forgiving, because JESUS had already borne them. There can be no enfeebling of 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 we are brought, by our sense of the need of this blood-shedding, to see the value of it, then we not only come to the mercy seat, but find all our sins have been put away, and 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 plain 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, not at any particular time, but in order that He may present us to God. There is no question of past or future transgression, but He bore our sins. Hold fast this. There is, indeed, the frequent consciousness of faults. While faith says our sins are put away, still in looking at ourselves we see evil; and now we find how graciously the Lord provides for this defilement. The priest that offered the sin-offering was to eat it (6:26). As the worshipper and the priest ate the peace-offering together, representing JESUS as being identified with the joy of communion; so the priest takes part of the sin-offering, showing that JESUS is identified with the sin which hinders communion. Only priests ate it in the holy place specially, the priest who offered it was to eat his portion: JESUS is this Priest; that 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 though we know 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, " who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." But in His resurrection we see they were actually and effectually put away; so that we are "justified from all things,' "perfected forever." (Acts 13:3939And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39); Heb. 10:1414For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14).) He rose again, God having accepted His work, and thus bearing testimony to it. There are things which our consciences tell us ought not to be done; but of the sins of ignorance it is said, " Though he wilt 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 evil and defilement be what they may, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, and grace restores communion.
In Num. 19, we have a special case of a sin-offering. There is this difference between Leviticus and Numbers. In Leviticus, we have the sacrifices in their great distinguishing characters; in Numbers, we have the particular application in the trials of a walk of faith, meeting the case of individuals falling into evil, or contracting defilement. In Num. 19, there was 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 unclean by touching death 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 "water of separation" sprinkled.
There are but three instances of blood being sprinkled on individuals, which are these: Aaron and his sons on the day of their 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 " (Heb. 10:22For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. (Hebrews 10:2)); 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, contracts 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 in communion, it is the Spirit of God bringing to recollection what JESUS has done, as the ashes of the red heifer, so as to lead to confession and restore communion.
The perception that JESUS has taken the defilement maintains the standard of holiness in spite of our sin. Nothing but JESUS charging the sin upon Himself could 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, or seek it on some other and lower ground; but seeing JESUS a burnt-offering and a sin-offering, we see Him made sin, and ourselves made the righteousness of God in Him. We also 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, seeing that He has given JESUS.
" My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the whole world."
(Concluded from page 140.)