Read Lev. 8-10
"All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me." Luke 24:44.
The 8th, 9th, and 10th chapters of Leviticus should be read together as forming one connected subject. Aaron enters upon his office of high priest as the type of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest (Heb. 5:1-7).
We then have a history of what was done during the eight following days, which are divided into two periods; the first seven days forming one period, and the eighth day another.
The first seven days were occupied with Aaron and the sons of Aaron; but the eighth day is taken up with Aaron, the sons of Aaron, and all the congregation.
For the first seven days the glory of the Lord did not appear; but on the eighth day the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
For the first seven days the sons of Aaron were at the door of the tabernacle; but on the eighth day, they were brought into the tabernacle.
We can learn, in the Lord's mercy, what the Holy Spirit signified by these things which were the shadows of good things to come. The sons of Aaron, few in number compared with all the congregation, represent the little flock of the Church of God.
The blessing of the sons of Aaron was very peculiar. The whole congregation were left at a distance until the eighth day, but the sons of Aaron were brought to the door of the tabernacle for the entire seven days, to be there day and night. So now the world is at a distance from God, and lying in the wicked one; but believers in Christ are brought nigh through His blood, being reconciled to God through the death of His Son. God deals not with them as with the world, but is gathering them out of it.
The sons of Aaron were not dressed like all the congregation, but were dressed like Aaron. Even so we are called not to be like the world, but to imitate Christ. "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Rom. 13:14.
But on the eighth day we read of other things. The eighth day is the first day of the week. It was on the first day of the week that the Lord arose, as the first fruits of them that sleep. They that are Christ's will be raised at His coming (1 Cor. 15:20, 23).
On the eighth day sacrifices were offered for all the congregation, as well as for Aaron and the sons of Aaron. In this we see how the whole creation will be delivered when the Lord comes to usher in the millennial period at the close of the tribulation (Rom. 8:21). The blessing of the one offering of Christ, once for all, will be universally known and enjoyed in that day, when the creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:21); and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9).
On the eighth day the promise was made, "Today the LORD will appear unto you"; and again, "The glory of the LORD shall appear unto you." But before the glory appeared, two things were done: 1) the sacrifices were all offered; 2)
Moses and Aaron then went into the tabernacle. The Lord Jesus Christ has done these two things, as we read in Heb. 9:11, 12: "But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption." The atonement has been made, and Christ has entered into the holy place.
Moses and Aaron next came out of the tabernacle; and when they came out, the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. We wait to see this fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ; for the Scripture says, "Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." Heb. 10:37. And again the promise is given, "He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." Acts 3:20, 21.
The Apostle Paul explains this type, and connects these three acts of Christ: 1) the offering; 2) the going into the holy place; 3) the coming out. He marks the first two as fulfilled, and the third as unfulfilled. "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:24-28.
He is entered into the holy place. He was once offered. He shall appear the second time. This connection is full of comfort, for why was Christ once offered? To bear the sins of many. And what is Christ doing in the holy place? He is appearing there in the presence if God for us. All whose hearts know this are believers; and, as mentioned above, after the Lord's coming for the Church and at the conclusion of the tribulation period, He will come again to be admired in all them that believe (2 Thess. 1:10).
It is the effort of Satan to make a believer afraid that the Lord Jesus Christ should come back very speedily, but a believer has nothing to fear when He comes; the one offering has settled everything. His coming will be a time of great joy. It is also the effort of Satan to hinder a believer from loving the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, because that will be the day of the believer's glory before the world. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." Col. 3:4.
If we do not believe that Jesus has delivered us from the wrath to come, then of course we ought to be afraid of the wrath to come and, therefore, to be afraid that the Lord should come; but if we believe that Jesus Christ has died for sinners, we may believe that He died for us. And if we believe that any of our sins are pardoned, we may believe that they are all pardoned. The gospel is indeed glad tidings of great joy. It is very simple, but Satan tries to corrupt our minds from the simplicity that is in Christ. May the Lord give His children full confidence in His great love.
This is of great importance, because of the numbers who appear among the children of God, who really have no faith at all. Of the ten virgins who all took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom, five were foolish and without oil; of the two men in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left; and of the four sons of Aaron, two were cut off and two were brought into blessing.
But why were two of the sons of Aaron cut off? Because they took not the fire for their censers from off the altar on which the fat that was burned sent up a sweet savor unto the Lord; and they burned their incense with a strange fire which the Lord commanded them not. They knew not the value of the burnt offering, the efficacy of which was to enter the holiest (a type of the offering of the Lord Jesus Christ); and therefore the fire from the Lord devoured them.
The Lord showed His value for the burnt offering when the fire came down from the Lord and consumed it on the altar; but He showed His indignation at any other way of approaching Him, as when the fire came out from the Lord and devoured Nadab and Abihu, for offering strange fire which the Lord commanded them not to offer.
The same thing was shown in the offering of Cain and Abel. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord; Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain and to His offering He had not respect (Gen. 4:4, 5). The Lord valued the offerer according to His value of the offering. How great then must His value be for a poor worthless sinner, whose offering is the Lord Jesus Christ! for Scripture says, "Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor." Eph. 5:2.