H. Nunnerley
Paper No. 3
The historical records of Christ’s death are in the gospels, the doctrinal teaching in the Epistles, the typical teachings in the various sacrifices in the Old Testament.
The first four chapters of Leviticus describe the offerings connected with the brazen altar, and that altar was foursquare.
Shall we view each side of this brazen altar, and reverently contemplate the mysteries of the sacrifice of Jesus as unfolded in the burnt-offering, the meat-offering, the peace-offering and the sin offering? They typify the all-various perfections of the holy Sufferer.
The Burnt Offering
First in order is the burnt-offering. This side of the altar shows us Christ presenting Himself of His own voluntary will, in all the perfection of His Person, without spot to God. The sacrifice — as a whole — was placed on the altar, then the fire consumed it; all of it went up as incense, a sweet savor to God (Lev. 1. 9); indeed the very word used for the burning here is the word used for burning the sweet incense, and means “to ascend,” “a burning upward,” whereas the word for burning the carcass of the sin offering outside the camp is to “descend,” “a burning downward.”
It is night in this world. Christ, its true light, has been rejected, and the world remains in darkness.
During His absence it is the privilege of each ‘believer to enter into the preciousness of Christ to God, to contemplate Him as giving Himself “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor,” to share the Father’s delight in the sweet fragrance of that blessed One who said “therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.” No wonder that this fire was never to go out, but that each morrow fresh wood was placed on the altar, telling of the ceaseless, changeless delight of heaven in Jesus.
Moreover we have our portion there. It was a sacrifice to God but it was for us. “It shall be accepted for him — the offerer — to make atonement for him” (Lev. 1:44And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. (Leviticus 1:4)). Our acceptance is in the offering which above all others delineates the infinite perfections of Jesus in His whole-hearted surrender of Himself for the accomplishment of the will of God in an atoning death — inward perfections, discernible by the eye of God alone, which give it its intrinsic value.
The skin of the sin offering was burnt without the camp, whereas the skin of the burnt offering became the priests’ portion (Lev. 7:88And the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered. (Leviticus 7:8)). The first mention of skins in Scripture is in connection with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:2121Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)), and the thought presented is that of clothing, that in which they were to walk here before God.
In the sin offering the sacrifice is viewed as identified with the sin of the offerer, and hence it could not be burnt for a sweet savor; but in the burnt offering the offerer is viewed as identified with the excellencies and perfections of the offering, which went up as a sweet savor to God: the believer thus stands “accepted” with God in all the sweet fragrance and acceptability of the sacrifice of Christ.
In the consciousness of this, we, as each day rolls round, should adoringly contemplate this side of the brazen altar, consider the spotless, unblemished sacrifice there offered, all the inward parts washed with water (thus fitting them to typify the sinlessness, purity and holiness of Christ), the entire sacrifice emitting an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God.
It was Christ’s whole sacrifice of Himself to God, it was the perfection of His obedience fully manifested. The “fire” which fell upon Him served to bring out in sweetest fragrance His excellencies, the personal worth of the willing Sufferer offering Himself through the Eternal Spirit without spot to God.
The burnt offering was to be unblemished: how true this was of Christ, spotless without, unblemished within; in perfect obedience and love to the Father His death rises up as a memorial ever before God of a work in which He has been fully glorified, and in which we are fully accepted. All the delight God finds in the perfectness, purity and devotedness of the Victim is the delight in which the believer is set, his abiding standing before God.
The Meat Offering
The second chapter details the meat offering. This connects itself with that aspect of the sacrifice of Christ most nearly allied to the burnt offering. In this offering no blood was shed; in it not the death of Christ was prominent, but His spotless life — albeit a life which was tested and tried even unto death.
The meat offering was of fine flour, oil and frankincense. The fine flour speaks of His perfect and even humanity, the “corn of wheat” that should fall into the ground and die (John 12:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)). He was “that holy thing... the Son of God” (Luke 1.35); the oil speaks of the Holy Spirit pervading all that life; and the frankincense of its sweet fragrance Godward. The memorial of it was burnt by fire upon the altar, and ascended as a sweet savor to God: on the remainder the priests were to feed.
This offering presents the perfection of Christ as a Man in His life here, a Man who has been tried and tested (for of this the “fire” speaks) in every way — by the malice and enmity of men, the treachery and faithlessness of His disciples, the ceaseless opposition of Satan, and finally by the awful fire of divine judgment, yet each test but brought out His personal perfections.
Heaven opened to express its delight in this lowly, gracious Man. Misunderstood, despised, hated, having nowhere to lay His head, He passed on seeking not His own glory, reviled yet reviling not again, meek and lowly of heart, living on account of the Father, dwelling in His bosom, and ever doing those things which pleased Him.
This is the Man whose ear was opened “morning by morning,” who lived not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. “A body hast Thou prepared Me,” “Lo, I come to do Thy will,” was the language of lip and life. The manner of His death was the climax of a lowly dependent life: the burnt offering displayed a Victim excellent and perfect in death, the meat offering the perfume of a life lived to God, and ever subject to His will, even to death itself.
Who can conceive the ineffable delight of the Father’s heart in the Son of His love thus living and dying to do His will, and having no other object or purpose.
The mind of this lowly One is to be ours, we are to walk in His steps, the steps of a will-less, self-abnegated, self enunciated Man, for Christ pleased not Himself, whether in life or death. He has left us an example that we should follow in His steps.
But please note carefully His offering of Himself in this aspect is not that of a sin-bearer, it does not make atonement, it simply sets before our adoring gaze the Man Christ Jesus in His pathway through this world, and how perfect He was everywhere! No “honey” — mere nature’s sweetness, no “leaven” — nature’s evil, entered into that spotless life; but “salt” was there, for neither did corruption mark Him in life, nor feed upon Him in death; He saw no corruption, but lived and died anointed and led by the Holy Spirit, the one Man who never swerved from start to finish, thus demonstrating His personal fitness as a spotless victim.