The Day of Atonement (Continued)
The High Priest’s work on the Day of Atonement included intercession for the people he represented when he was in the presence of God. This theme is also developed in Hebrews in respect of the work of Christ. The present intercessory ministry in heaven (the antitype to the most Holy Place) was drawn from a reflection on Psalm 110, in which “the Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’” (v.1). The Messiah has been exalted to God’s right hand, as a priest of an eternal order. But this is after He has experienced an earthly life. Because of His incarnation, temptation and suffering He is able to help those who are weak and in need. “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God” (Heb 2:17).
The salient points of the intercessory ministry of this High Priest are as follows:
(1) Christ incarnate shared our humanity, therefore He knows our frame and He remembers that we are dust.
(2) Christ crucified was the perfect sacrifice for sin. This demonstrates God’s love for humankind. Believers can be sure then that God will freely provide for their need.
(3) Christ resurrected means He lives forever.
(4) Christ exalted means He is in the presence of God on our behalf. None can accuse them, since Christ is at God’s right hand and appeals to Him on their behalf. Therefore, they can be sure that no trial can separate them from God’s love in Christ.
Before the throne of God above I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest, whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me.
When Satan tempts me to despair, Telling of evil yet within,
Upward I look, and see Him there, Who made an end of all my sin. (Char.L.Bancroft)
The Offerings
Of all the passages included in the T’nach that present a prophetic picture of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on Calvary, there is none that gives more detail or is more complete than that which is presented in the sacrificial offerings described in the first seven chapters of Leviticus. There are five major offerings described there, and all are needed to present the work of the Savior of the World. These five are supplemented by other offerings, especially that of the Red Heifer in the book of Numbers.
As an introduction to the subject we must again refer to the escape of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Because they had been oppressed for such a long time, they were ill-prepared for nationhood. They needed leadership, plus a moral and ethical code by which to live, and government that would produce discipline and order. The nation was to be ordered as a theocracy so the code by which they were to be molded would need to come from the God Himself. The regulations imposed from above would not be an end in themselves – they would be preparatory for a further outworking of the purposes of their divine Author. Israel was to be God’s ‘special treasure’, a ‘holy nation’ and a ‘kingdom of priests’, separated unto the Lord. They were to discern between holy and unholy, between clean and unclean. The offer of the Lord to take Israel as His special treasure was conditional. He said, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod. 19:3-6). To this offer they unanimously replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exod. 19:8).
Alas, as God had anticipated, they would be unable to give complete obedience to the requirements of the Law, and would need some vehicle which would allow them to demonstrate contrition and repentance, thus enabling them to return to communion with Him. To this end, He gave them a group of sacrifices that would serve as substitutes to bear the penalty of their disobedience and in some circumstances would represent an offering of thanksgiving for the protection, benefits and blessings He provided.
As previously remarked God took the tribe of Levi and inducted them into His service. Aaron, brother of Moses, was called to the office of High Priest and from his family thereafter would be drawn the priestly caste of the nation. The rest of the offspring of Levi, comprising the family groups of Gershon, Kohath and Merrari, were to be employed in the service of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple. The tribe of Levi then, would be the key to the service of the Sanctuary, the priesthood acting as intermediaries and intercessors, offering the sacrifices on behalf of the people. The third book of the Torah, ‘Leviticus’ (pertaining to Levi), contains the primary regulations governing the priesthood and sacrifices.
This book is one of the least read of all the books of the Bible containing as it does a great deal of detail regarding rituals that are no longer in use. The reason that they are no longer practiced is not simply because there is no more Temple, but rather because the Lord Jesus has died and fulfilled all that these offerings pre-figured. Therefore, if we examine what these sacrifices typify we will be more able to appreciate the magnitude of the work of the Saviour on Calvary.
The book of Leviticus differs in character to the first two books of the Pentateuch. The book of Genesis was a book of beginnings and in respect of the types has a dispensational flavor. The general character of the book of Exodus was that of redemption—a people redeemed from slavery. The general character of the book of Leviticus is that of communion and worship. It describes the rituals required of a people that have access to God. The types in Leviticus therefore display the work of the Lord Jesus in its bearing on worship and communion. In Leviticus we do not get the sprinkled blood to redeem from Egypt but rather it is used to meet the needs of a saved people in their approach to God through priest and offering.
More regarding the offerings next time:
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