We began studying about the Day of Atonement in the previous lesson, the day once a year that the high priest would go into the holiest part of the tabernacle, behind the veil. There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. (Leviticus 16:17)
Once the priest sacrificed the offerings and ...take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat,... (Leviticus 16:18), and sprinkled the blood on all the sacred articles within the Tabernacle and the Holy Place as the Lord God commanded, then he would take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, put on his garments, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people.
The only animal that would not be burned was one of the goats, the scapegoat. “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:20-22)
We studied previously that Christ Jesus is our "scapegoat", who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (I Peter 2:24) But unlike the sacrifices back then, Christ Jesus was not later destroyed; But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,... For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12-14) As King David declared regarding Christ Jesus in the Psalm, For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10)
But as for the animals sacrificed on behalf of the priest and the whole congregation of Israel, they had to be destroyed by fire. "The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal. Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. (Leviticus 16:25-28)
“This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. (Leviticus 16:29-31)
"And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the Lord commanded Moses. (Leviticus 16:32-34)
And that was the regulations for the Day of Atonement. In order to receive forgiveness of sins, God required that sacrifices be made. In order for sacrifices to be made, an animal had to be killed so that the blood of the animal could be sprinkled throughout the Tabernacle and Holy Place to make atonement for all the people. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. (Hebrews 9:16-22)
Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 9:16-28) AMEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment