Christ in all the scriptures The law of the grain offering

 Christ in all the scriptures

The law of the grain offering (the Minchah)   Leviticus 6v14-23

The Minchah, or the gift offering, as it is sometimes called, was a simple "thank you" to the Lord for all His wonderful provisions.  It was the one offering that everyone could bring, for its contents were staple household items.  It was considered to be the poor man's offering, for, while not everyone could afford to bring a bullock, or a goat, or a sheep, everyone could bring the minchah, for it was daily in use in every household.   This gracious provision of God brought the worship of God down to the very poorest people in the congregation.  Every household could bring fine flour, and oil, and frankincense, and salt, prepared at home, in a variety of ways, as a token of appreciation to God, who provided the ingredients and also the domestic knowhow to feed a family.  This offering was a humble acknowledgement of God's goodness to them, and became a homage of highest honour to the One who sustained them.

This is a reminder of the One who came in poverty to raise us to high status, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might become rich"-2nd Corinthians 8v9.   God does not despise the poverty of the poor, but elevates them to highest service, and this is one example.  God provides for, and protects, and pities the poor.  Indeed, He reserves a special place for those who in life are in poverty for whatever reason.  Most of His people on this earth are poor..."Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him"-James 2v5.  God designed a system of worship that could be engaged by all, no matter their material status.  Jesus, Himself, was poor in this world:  

He was born, not in a palace, but in a stable where cattle were kept (Luke 2v7).  He was raised in a poor family who could only afford the smallest of offerings (Luke 2v24).  He worked as a humble carpenter, helping to sustain the family after the premature death of His earthly guardian (no mention of Joseph after Luke 2v48-51).  He taught using a borrowed boat (Luke 5v3); He never owned a home (Matthew 8v20, John 7v53-8v1); He asked for a penny to illustrate His teaching (Luke 20v24); He entered Jerusalem on a borrowed colt of an ass (Matthew 21v2-3); He borrowed the upper room for the Lord's supper, which became the home of the disciples for more than 50 days (Luke 22v10-12 with Acts 1v13); He possessed only the garments He wore, which were parted among the soldiers (John 19v23-24-in modern language "they took the shirt from His back"); He was buried in a borrowed tomb (John 19v38-42).  All His life He was a poor man, His was the poor man's offering!  Through Him, eternal riches will be the inheritance of His followers, riches beyond any computation.  Through Him God calls the poor of this world; if not poor materially, certainly the poor in spirit, to bring their humble offering to the God who stoops to have fellowship with them.  We are all blessed to commune with the Majesty of heaven.

There is a unique description of this offering in chapter 6v17 "It is most holy, as is the sin offering, and the trespass offering".  Literally this means "holy, holy"-superlatively holy!  There is no provision in the Hebrew language for superlatives, and repetition of the word is used as an alternative.  The ultimate superlative is "Holy, Holy, Holy" to address the Lord in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4v8.  This is noteworthy, since the minchah is the only bloodless offering and yet it is stated to be superlatively holy.  God places great emphasis on this humble offering, for the poor of this world hold a very special place in His estimation, and in His heart.  He is not so much concerned with the material value of an offering, but with the spiritual approach of a thankful heart.

There are a number of important principles we can derive from the regulations pertaining to the grain offering:

The principle of Christ being at the heart of our worship

What they offered in worship is what we can all offer, the things that speak of Christ.  The fine flour-Christ in His perfect humanity; the oil-Christ in His fulness of the Holy Spirit; the frankincense-Christ in His sweet aroma of delight to the Father; the salt-Christ in His ability to restrain evil, and His commitment to the covenant of God.  These are all things that bring pleasure to God and they are the things we can all bring.  All we need to do is bring our handful, no matter what capacity that is. 

The principle of reverent approach  Throughout the narrative of Leviticus we can note the call to "bring" an offering-1v2, 1v10, 1v14, 2v2, 2v4, 2v8, 2v11, and many more.  The word bring is, in Hebrew, qarab, to draw near, to approach reverently.  We do not draw nigh with brashness, we are approaching the Most High.  Drawing near to God in the New Testament is always with reverence in acknowledgement of who He is.  Hebrews 10v19-22 invites us to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, knowing that Christ has made us fit to enter the sacred courts.  James 4v8 also invites us near, but reminds us to cleanse ourselves in hand and heart as we do.

The principle of godly order   The offeror placed his offering with the priest, who presented it before the Lord for acceptance before placing it on the altar of burnt offering, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.  In those days the priests were a separate group from the common people, and it was only the tribe of Levi who administered the place of worship to the Lord.  There was a priestly caste system in operation back then and the people were expected to observe this.  In our day all believers are priests, and are able to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, both individually and collectively.  There is, however a hierarchy, as indicated in 1st Corinthians 12v28, and all members are expected to observe protocol in 1st Corinthians 14v40, "Let all things be done decently and in order".  Practices may vary, but public decorum is implied.

The principle of support  The work and worship of God must be supported, materially, and the offerors were aware that the greater part of their offering went to support the priesthood, as emphasised in verse 16.  Whatever we give to the Lord, He expects it to be shared by the public servants whether of giving to evangelists, teachers, elders, or widows, or to the fabric of the buildings where public worship is held.  Scripture indicates all these support measures.   The principle is stated in 1st Corinthians 9v13-14 "Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel".  This is a clear reference to the priestly service in Leviticus.  It is important that the work is sustained, for the edifying of the church and for the glory of God.

The principle of variety  For the "minchah" offering, some brought the raw ingredients; some baked bread in the oven; some made wafers (pancakes) on the griddle; others boiled the mix in the cauldron (they say with oil);  from the firstfruits of the harvest some brought green ears of corn roasted.  It was the same offering but in a variety of sways.  Likewise in the church age, we all have gifts differing, according as it has pleased God to give us all (Romans 12v6-8; 1st Corinthians 12v4-18).  It is the variety of our several abilities that, when enacted in humble service, enriches and edifies all the members.  Always, the offering was placed on the burnt offering upon the altar.  Our gift offering ascends to God as it is given on the basis of the whole of life devotion of Jesus, whose death fits us for service.

The priests, who partook of the offerings of the congregation, were themselves to make an offering at the time of their anointing, and it is thought for every day thereafter during their tenure.  The leaders of God's people should be model examples to the congregation.  It was never to be the case of "Do as I say", rather "Do as I do".   There was one exception, they were not to eat of their own offering; it was to be wholly burnt on the altar for the Lord (Lev. 6v19-23).  This was their commitment in holy service.  Leaders should not enrich themselves at the expense of God's people. 

Christ in all the scriptures The Law of the offerings

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Law of the burnt offering  Leviticus 6v8-13

"The fire shall ever be burning on the altar; it shall never go out" 

We remind ourselves that all the offerings are symbolic of the one offering of Christ once for all-Hebrews 10v10v12v14

The burnt offering was the primary offering, upon which all the other offerings were placed; without this the others would be meaningless.  It is that aspect of the sacrifice which satisfied all the demands of God, leading to the reconciliation of man.  In the burnt offering Christ gave Himself totally to God (all on the altar-Leviticus 1v9-refer Exodus 29v18).  The other offerings simply enhanced the flame that continually ascended to God.  From this flows all the blessings to us.  The law of the burnt offering was the instruction to the operating priest to carry out the procedure precisely.  God is not only concerned with what is done, but how it is done.  The death of Christ was primarily for God, and thus we are the beneficiaries.  The law of the offering was precise: the priest must be properly clad, and remain with the offering the whole time.  The fire must be kept burning continually, three times this is repeated in the verses (6v9, 6v12, 6v13).  Emphatically, the fire must never go out.  According to Leviticus 9v24, the fire was initially kindled by a bolt from heaven, and it was never to be extinguished even throughout all their journeys.  The fire that God kindled on the death of His Son will never be extinguished!  God's fire from heaven upon a sacrifice symbolised His unreserved acceptance and delight (refer 1st Kings 18, particularly v38-39, the story of the exoneration of Elijah on Mount Carmel in opposition to the 450 prophets of Baal).  The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the sacrifice on Elijah's altar, signifying the Lord's approval and acceptance.  The same fire fell on the first burnt offering in Leviticus 9v24, "And there came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces".   The whole congregation knew that this was God's approval of the sacrifice, and that they were now in tune with the Almighty.  This fire which fell on the first offering must never be extinguished, for all other fire would be classed as "strange fire", and not of God (refer Leviticus 10 v1-2).  The ashes that resulted from the flame of the altar had to be taken outside the camp to a clean place by a priest with changed clothes.  The fire speaks of the death of Christ, the ashes of His burial, which was done in "a new sepulchre wherein was never man yet laid"-John 19v41.  The symbolism of His death and burial is perfect, and God declared His approval in His resurrection three days later. 

God has enthroned Christ to the highest place of judicial authority, thus proclaiming His sacrifice accepted for the sanctification of man.  As a result of this, the flame will never go out, the abiding value of the sacrifice will rise continually to God as a sweet savour.  The scriptures are emphatic that God's acceptance of a perfect work will have eternal benefits.

As a result of the unreserved offering of Christ the flame will rise continually.  In the words of the hymn, "Thy praise shall never, never fail, throughout eternity!"; or, "To Him shall endless prayer be made, and endless blessings crown Hus head-inspired by Psalm 72v15, "...daily shall He be praised!"

Psalm 41v13 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting.  Amen, and Amen"

Psalm 72v19 "And blessed be His glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with His glory; Amen and Amen".

Psalm 89v52 "Blessed be the Lord for ever more.  Amen and Amen".

Psalm 106v48 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord"

Psalm 150v6 "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord".

THE NEW TESTAMENT ALSO CONTRIBUTES....

Matthew 6v13 "...for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever, Amen".

Romans 1v25 "...the Creator who is blessed for ever, Amen".

Romans 9v5-6 "Who are the Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all God blessed for ever".

Romans 11v36 "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.  Amen.

Romans 16v27 " To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever.  Amen".

2nd Corinthians 11v31 "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which is blessed for evermore..."

 Ephesians 3v21 "Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.  Amen".

Philippians 4v20 "Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever.  Amen".

1st Timothy 1v17 "Now unto the King, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory forever and ever.  Amen".

2nd Timothy 4v18 "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me until His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen".

Hebrews 13v21  "Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen".

1st Peter 4v11 "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen".

1st Peter 5v11 "To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen".

2nd Peter 3v18 "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and for ever.  Amen".

Jude 1v25 "To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.  Amen".

Revelation 1v5-6 "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen".

Revelation 5v13 "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever".

Revelation 7v11-12 "And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto God for ever and ever.  Amen".

The Greek Phrase, eis tous aionos ton aionon (for ever and ever-unto the ages of the ages) describing the endless ages of eternity, depict the endless blessing of Christ's cross work in three hours during indescribable darkness, when Christ offered Himself without spot to God.

The fire shall never go out!!

The sacrifice is over; there is no more offering for sin, but the blessings are for ever.

Christ in all the scriptures Leviticus 6

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Law of the Offerings  Leviticus 6-7  part 1

The chapter concludes the ritual of the trespass offering and proceeds to lay down the laws for each of the offerings.  As we approach a new section in the book, it is good to observe the way in which God presents His truth.  He comes from a different perspective than ourselves, always working from the inward to the outward.  Our perception of the offerings would begin with the trespass offering, where our transgressions are forgiven.  God begins with the burnt offering (the heart of the matter), moving to our forgiveness.  He does the same with the Tabernacle, where He begins with the Ark of the covenant and moves outward.  This is the opposite to our thinking, who want to change the environment to better living conditions.  God changes the hearts of people before He will change the externals.  Paul, when speaking of  the process of sanctification, put it like this, "I pray God that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"-1st Thess. 5v23-again the inward to the outward.  This is seen also in the kingdom teaching of scripture.  Ultimately the kingdom of God on earth will visibly change even the material universe, but for now it is invisible.  Now "the kingdom of God is within you", but ultimately it will hold visible sway in all the earth.  This is always how He works.  Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their outward religion, without any inward reality.  God changes the person to His own likeness before He deals with his environment.  It is interesting to trace this principle throughout scripture.  Well has it been said that "God has much more to do in me, than He will ever do through me".  This is verified from various scriptures, and it is wise to pay attention to the inner man, not the man people think us to be, but the man God knows us to be-character before reputation!  When God has His place in our lives, everything else is well.  We want to change our homes, God wants to change our hearts!  We are to place the Divine perspective at the forefront of all we do.

The sin of fraudulent deception-v1-7  "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein."

Deliberate, wilful stealing of your neighbours' possessions, either given for safekeeping, or in partnership with others, or by means of extortion, or by deception, or of chance finding of another's possession.  There are many ways to steal, and it is forbidden by the straight command "Thou shalt not steal"-Exodus 20v15.  Paul said to the believers at Ephesus, "Them that stole steal no more"-Eph. 4v28.  For some it is a way of life, for most of us it is an ever present temptation.  It is remarkable that there is no law against deception in the western world, yet it is a business practice that robs people of their hard earned possessions.  This flouts the fundamental principle of Divine law to love your neighbour as yourself!  Note, first of all, that this sin against your neighbour is a trespass against the Lord; it is a violation of the Divine mandate.  Paul's perspective is to become GIVERS not TAKERS-"...working with your own hands the thing which is good, that he may HAVE TO GIVE...".  This applies to defrauding the state of benefits, a practice rife in our modern world, as well as defrauding individuals.  What was taken by fraud is to be restored fully, and compensation of one fifth added.  This is reparation to the people who have lost possessions.  Then there is repentance before the Lord who has been trespassed against, and the only offering for that is the ram without blemish, speaking of the sacrifice of Christ.

The law of the offerings  chapter 6v8-7v38   Next there is a new section describing the laws of the offerings.  These are summed up in chapter 7v37, "This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat (grain) offering, of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings". 

The burnt offering is Christ in total dedication to God (all on the altar); the grain offering is the perfection of His life from cradle to grave and beyond; the peace offering is the reconciliation of man with God in a shared communion; the sin and trespass offerings are the provision for cleansing from all defilements of sin.  This is the Divine order- when God is glorified, man can be blessed, and this will always be the order of things.  Chapter 1v1-6v7 contain the ritual details for the worshipper; chapter 6v8-7v38 are the instructions for the officiating priests.  The Hebrew word is torah which means precept or statute.  The same word is used to describe the first 5 books of the bible, or again the law in its entirety.  Brittanica.com defines torah thus; "Torah is the substance of God's revelation to Israel.  It is God's teaching and guidance for mankind, and encompasses the entire Hebrew bible, the corpus of all religious knowledge".   The details of the offerings are meticulous, they have to be, as they symbolise the one offering of Christ for the reconciliation of mankind.  It was important for the priests to observe the divine principles of operation.  Therefore there are certain  rules of service which the operating priests must observe.  It is in these we learn more of the wonders of the sacrifice of Christ for us.  These laws of the offerings are the fundamental principles applying to each and emphasise important aspects of Christ.  

Christ in all the scriptures The Trespass offering

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Trespass offering   Leviticus 5

We can best profit from this by noting the differences from the sin offering of chapter 4.  We begin to realise how offensive our sins are to God in many ways.  The sin offering deals, mainly with our sins of ignorance (errors-Psalm 19v12), refer Leviticus 4v2; 4v13; 4v22; 4v27.  The trespass offering removes presumptuous sins (Psalm 19v13), that is intentional sins, whether in full or partial knowledge of them.  Both need to be cleansed in approach to God.  Chapter 5v4 and 5v17 makes clear that ignorance does not absolve from guilt.  Wilful, intentional sins are an offence to God.  In the sin offering, when sin is committed in ignorance, they are "against the commandments of the Lord" (this is four times repeated in chapter 4, and requires the blood of cleansing).  In the trespass offering, there is additional offence, not just against His commandments but directly against the Lord (5v19), a wilful, rebellious action.  Various condemnations are uttered-v1 "he shall bear his iniquity"; v2 "he shall be unclean, and guilty"; v3 "he shall be defiled"; v4 "he shall be guilty".  Against this there are four assurances "it shall be forgiven him"-5v10, v13, v16, v18.  We must understand that wilful sin is a serious offence and a personal insult to God.  However, He is a gracious God, and He is compassionate and forgiving, by providing sanctification in Christ.  At this point we should underline that this is not referring to initial cleansing-such as "the washing of regeneration" as in Titus 3v5 and Ephesians 5v26, but to the ongoing need for cleansing in an already redeemed person's life, as detailed in 1st John 1/2.  We are cleansed, once for all through faith in Christ, but there is ongoing defilement that needs to be removed (John 13v8-10; 1st John 1v8-2v2).  

For all sins, both sins of ignorance, and wilful, presumptuous sins, Christ had to die and through the chapter it is emphasised that nothing less than the death of Christ was necessary to reconcile us to God.  We could intensify this by saying that nothing less than the death of Christ was necessary to remove my sins, yes, the same sins that still afflict me!  Note the language of the chapter: v6, "he shall bring his trespass offering for his sin, which he has sinned a female of the flock, a lamb or kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin..."; v15, "he shall bring for his trespass offering unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering" (similar wording in v18).  The reality is, in our modern world, we have become so conditioned to sin, we tend to treat it lightly, but there is no levity with God in the matter of sin, as the chapter clearly demonstrates.  We approach God with our own estimation of the problem, yet this must be  according to the shekel of the sanctuary.  The measure of the seriousness of sin is according to God's own estimate.  How does He estimate sin? by the standard of His holiness.  "He sent His own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh (Romans 8v3)

We might well ask, how do we estimate our sin?  Do we treat it lightly, with such as "to err is human", or, "nobody's perfect".  Do we even know what sin is in the sight of God?  The Bible is full of definitions of sin, both old and new testaments.  In this chapter some specific sins are mentioned that require forgiveness, which we can tabulate later; there are many sins defined in scripture, and the new testament lists many in different places.  Matthew 15v18-20; Mark 7v20-23; Romans 1v29-31; 1st Corinthians 6v9-10; Galatians 5v19-21; Ephesians 4v25-31; Ephesians 5v3-5; Colossians 3v5; Titus 3v3, and others.  God declares in His word what sin is, and how He feels about it.  He has also made provision for it in Christ.  These sacred verses proclaim the unalterable holiness of God in His revulsion against sin in all its forms.  They also proclaim the unparalleled grace of God in dealing with sin at infinite cost to Himself.  Only He can define it, only He could deal with it.  A few sins are mentioned in the chapter that require atonement, but we are surprised that none of the major sins are highlighted such as murder, adultery, stealing, lying etc.  Instead the Spirit cites what may be seen as "lesser sins", mostly what none of us would ever think of as sins.  This tells us that all sins, even minor ones, are such that only the sacrifice of Christ can take away.

There are five offences cited in the chapter that required a trespass offering, each beginning with the phrase, "if a soul..."-v1, v2, v4, v15, v17.  It is difficult to know how we can apply these to a modern situation, since they are in the context of Jewish religious and civil ritual.  However, we can apply the principle involved in each case.

v1 Silence in the knowledge of sin committed by others is constituted a trespass against the Lord.  Whether that knowledge is first hand or by hearsay, the point is, if he utters it not-fails to witness to the truth, he becomes guilty of the sin.  Sometimes, what passes for discretion, in the context of loyalty to others, is a sin against the Lord.  We can sin by not testifying what we know.  The Lord said in condemnation to the church at Thyatira, "Thou sufferest that wicked woman Jezebel...to seduce my servants revelation 2v20.  The word for sufferest is eao which is to leave alone, turn a blind eye to, to suffer without protest.  Failure to speak up when evil is committed is a sin.  We know that "love covers a multitude of sins" so we should not publicising people's wrongs, but there are times when it is in the public interest to speak up.

v2-3  This has to do with ceremonial uncleanness, whether of touching a dead body, or contact with a person who is unclean.  It is difficult to apply this, but we are aware that we rub shoulders today with people whom God classes as "dead", and who certainly are unclean in His sight.  Inevitably we are defiled by association, and in communion with God, we should regularly examine ourselves and apply the necessary cleansing-1st John 1v9.

v4  Swearing a false oath.  Sinning with our words, the bible says our tongues are "an unruly evil"-James 3v8).  Swearing in scripture relates to the making of vows.  This was common practice in the Middle East.  It became too easy to utter vows on many things, without ever carrying them out.  This was a sin, because an oath was pronounced before God, and reference to Him demanded action.  However it became much easier to utter a vow for good or evil as a threat, without action.  This is what Jesus called "idle words"-Matthew 12v36.  In the western world we tend not to make oaths, but do utter strong opinions, whether for image or reality, without ever following up on our declarations.  These are just idle, and therefore, worthless words.  We will be held to account for every word spoken-(Matthew 12v37).  If we say something whether in oath or in bravado, we should do it.  Empty threats, and idle words are a sin against the Lord.

v15 Trespassing in the holy things of the Lord.  This is failure to commit to the Lord such things as giving of firstfruits, or tithing, or the mandatory annual half shekel of the sanctuary.  Coffman's commentaries suggests, "The careless neglect of paying tithes, or the inadvertent offering of an unsuitable animal for sacrifice, and other types of sins would fall under this category.  The penalty was next to the largest imposed by the sacrifices, a ram of the flock being a property of considerable value".  The work of the Lord requires commitment, and neglect will require extra, as in the "fifth added thereto"-v16.   What does this mean for us today, trespassing in the holy things"?  It could mean failing to pray as we ought (Luke 18v1), or praying amiss (James 4v3) or with the wrong attitude (1st Timothy 2v8); neglecting the study of scripture which we are encouraged to do (Proverbs 2v1-8); failing to carry out duties of office, such as a pastor failing to visit, and tending to the flock (Ezekiel 34); or  teachers failing to teach the word as they are commanded to do (1st Timothy 4v6-16, 2nd Timothy 2v15, 2nd Timothy 4v1-3); it could mean spiritual leaders failing to feed the flock, as their accepted position demands (Acts 20v28, 1st Peter 5v1-4).  It could mean failure to witness to others in the gospel, as we are all commissioned to do (Matthew 28v20, Mark 16v20, Acts 1v8, 2nd Corinthians 4v3-6). These are all examples of the "holy things of the Lord", and there is forgiveness in Christ for these also.  Forgiveness, however should not give way to familiarity and therefore continual trespass.

v17  The chapter finishes to include trespass against "any of the commandments of the Lord".  The commandments were set in the decalogue of Exodus 20 to be observed and propagated by Israel.  These were 1) No other gods  2) No likeness of anything in heaven or earth  3) No worship of idols  4) No taking the name of the Lord in vain  5) observe the Sabbath day  6) Honour father and mother  7) Do not kill  8) Do not commit adultery  9) Do not steal  10) Do not bear false witness.

Trespass against any of these constituted a major sin against the Lord.  The Lord Himself summed these up in two commands, each containing two groups of five-refer Matthew 22v36-40, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets".  In our rush, today, to rightly proclaim that God has now finished with the law, we miss the obvious point of the law.  That is, it reflected the character of God, and His attitude to human sin; we miss out on the beauty of the law, as Paul said "wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good"-Romans 7v12.  The law, said Paul, was our "schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith"-Galatians 3v24.  The preaching of the gospel requires we use the very useful schoolmaster to bring people to Christ.  Unless people know of their need they will never seek forgiveness.  The law of God cannot save, but it can highlight the need to be saved.  We cannot understand the gospel, or preach it unless we know and proclaim the demands of the law.  Such demands no one could keep, but they needed to be met, and they are in Christ! The commandments of the Lord proclaim the character of God, and this was fully met in Christ.  When we come to God through Him, all our trespasses and sins and failures are fulfilled in Him, and we stand perfect before Him the High and Holy Sovereign God of the universe.

"HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS; HE WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES; THE CHASTISEMENT OF OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM; AND BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED"       Isaiah 53v5

 

Christ in all the scriptures The sin offering part 2

 Christ in all the scriptures

The sin offering part 2  Leviticus 4

"Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures..." 1st Cor. 15v1

The principles are the same, but the sin offering applies more to the confession of sins of redeemed people, rather than to their initial conversion.  The reality is that believers still can commit sin, and that the sins committed by them is no less abhorrent to God, and must be put away.  We will not be sinless until glorified.  The sacrifice if Christ has dealt with this also, as it says in 1st John 1v7, "...the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth (continues to cleanse) us from all sin".  This is in the context of confession of sins as we approach God, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".  Confession means "to speak the same thing" as God about our sin, that is to agree with His thoughts about our sin, and to seek forgiveness and cleansing.  This is the sin offering, the aspect of the work of Christ that removes sin from us, whether past, present or future.  There is a wonderful study in the writings of Dr, Lewis Sperry Chafer, co-founder of Dallas Theological Seminary which says there are 33 individual sins exposed by scripture, and these have been answered by 33 blessings of grace theologically imputed to all believers at the point of conversion, and which are available experimentally in the ongoing challenge of the Christian life.

We note in the four cameos in chapter four, concerning the priest, the congregation, the rulers and the common people, that the answer to sin in every case is to bring the sin offering before the Lord-refer 4v3 "...let him bring for his sin...a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering"; 4v14 "the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin..."; 4v22-23 "When a ruler has sinned...he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish"; 4v27-28 "And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance...or if the sin which he has sinned come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.  There are slight differences in the offerings depending on the status of the sinner, but they all speak of the one sacrifice of Christ.  As John put it, Jesus Christ the righteous...He is the propitiation for our sins...1st John 2v1-2.  In service to God, sin in our lives must be put away.  

Note the ritual: Bring!...lay hands upon!...kill!  Confession...identification...substitution.  We do not approach God on our own, we come in the name of Christ our sacrifice; we lay our hands upon the offering, all or trust, all our dependence is firmly on Him, nothing of ourselves involved.  The sacrifice must die, itself a proclamation that our sins deserve eternal death, but Jesus took our place.  All this we first learned at the point of our conversion, and it applies all the way through life.  Not only did He die to save us, but He lives to intercede for us.  Why intercede? because our sins, even in our converted state, are an offence to God.   This is the greatest truth on earth, that my sins are gone, and, when in the pressures of life they raise their ugly head, He intercedes and pleads His righteousness before God.  None of us will ever know the extent of the protection we have in Christ, who pleads our cause at the throne of God. 

There is no provision made for eating the sin offering, in contrast to the peace offering where everyone shared a part.  There is nothing savoury or nourishing about the offering for sin.  Instead, the whole animal with all its entrails was removed from the camp and burned to ashes remotely.  Interestingly, the word for "burnt" is different for that describing the burnt offering on the altar.  In the latter the word is Olah meaning slow burning, that which causes smoke to ascend.  The word for the sin offering is Saraph (from which the burning seraphim around the throne) and means to burn utterly, to reduce to ashes.  The fat and the choice inwards were removed and burnt on the altar of sacrifice; the rest of the entire animal was quickly reduced to ashes outside the camp.  This represents God's attitude to sin, He wants it reduced to nothing out of His sight.  There is no pleasure for God in the sin offering, there is no profit for us to either rake it over ourselves, or feed on the faults of others.  God has removed it forever, in the language of Psalm 103v12,"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us".  Since no starting point in the east is given, the distance is permanent and incalculable.  Also from Isaiah 43v25 we read, "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins".  In the total burning of the sin offering God declares His purpose to eradicate it forever.  No doubt the abandonment of Christ on Golgotha's tree (Psalm 22v1; Mark 15v34; Matthew 27v46) refers to the sin offering, when, as Isaiah (53v6) wrote, "The Lord hath laid on Him (caused to converge upon Him) the iniquity of us all".  

In the peace offering the main thought is that of communion; in the sin offering it is cleansing (the offering was burned without the camp in a clean place (4v12)  What is prominent in the sin offering of chapter 4 is the blood, what was done with it, where it was sprinkled, and this proclaims the necessity of the blood of Christ to cleanse us from sins.  Leviticus 4v5-7, the priest brought the blood to the tabernacle of the congregation; dipped his finger in the blood and sprinkled it seven times before the Lord, before the veil of the sanctuary; put some of it on the horns of the golden altar, then poured out the remainder at the base of the brazen altar.  In 4v16-18, for the whole congregation, the same procedure was carried out.  In 4v25-27, for the sins of a ruler, the priest put the blood on the horns of the brazen altar, and poured the rest on the base of the altar.  In 4v30, the priest repeated the same ritual for the blood as for the ruler.  Hebrews 9v18-23, referring to the dedication of the tabernacle, "Moses sprinkled both the book and the people..."; "also the tabernacle and all the vessels"; "...almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood is no remission".   What we have in Leviticus 4 is the ongoing ritual of blood cleansing for the sins of the people.  It is considered gory to a modern sceptic to emphasize blood cleansing, but without it there is no approach to God.  The sceptic must remain outside of the process, both the person and his teaching.  The church, the true church, was purchased by, and lives by, the blood of Christ (Acts 20v28).  

"The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin"  1st John 1v7

"Propitiation through faith in His blood"  Romans 3v25

"...now justified by His blood..."  Romans 5v9

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?"  1st Corinthians 10v16

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins..."  Ephesians 1v7

"...made nigh by the blood of Christ."  Ephesians 2v13

"And having made peace through the blood of His cross..."  Colossians 1v20

"How much more shall the blood of Christ who, through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"  Hebrews 9v14

"Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus..."  Hebrews 10v19

"Wherefore Jesus, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate"  Hebrews 13v25

"Redeemed...from your vain (empty) manner of life...with the precious blood of Christ...1st Peter 1v18-19

"Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood..."  Revelation 1v5

"...Thou wast slain, and hath redeemed us to God by thy blood..."  Revelation 5v9

"...washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb..."  Revelation 7v14

"And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb"  Rev. 12v11

Who would be a sceptic in light of all this!?

Christ in all the scriptures The sin offering Leviticus 4

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Sin offering   Leviticus 4

"...when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin..."Isaiah 53v10

We come now to the fourth aspect of the one offering of Christ.  We cite Hebrews 10v-4 for clarification that no animal sacrifice could take away sin, and so make worshippers perfect (fit to serve the living God).  The sin offering pointed to Christ, and the forbearance of God was active until He came (Romans 3v25-26), and it was in prospect of His coming God was able commune with them.  We understand from this that God will have nothing to do with sin, and therefore nothing to do with sinners in their sin, and they must be removed, if He would dwell among them.  In the worship of God, the question of sin must be removed completely, and this was done in Christ.  It is doubtful if we fully understand what sin is to God, and so we are bound by His definition of it and take on board the biblical meaning.

The Hebrew word chata actually means to miss, to fall short, to go wrong, and this in relation to God.  The Greek word is hamartia which is similar, and is derived from archery, where the object of hitting the bullseye has failed.  This is confirmed in Romans 3v23 "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God".  Thus we have fallen short of the most important aspect of our lives, we were created in the image of God to reflect His character, and we have come short!  We are on this earth to glorify God and we have failed.  This takes many forms but this is what sin is.  It is not only what we have done in defiance of God, but what we have omitted to do, that we should have done!  (Sins of omission as well as sins of commission.)  The Divine law refers to both aspects, "Thou shalt...", "Thou shalt not...".   We are not the people we should be, we have not given God His proper place.  We should be better than what we are, and we will be in Christ (Ephesians 4v24; Colossians 3v10).  Christ died  to save us from ruin, and make us the people we ought to be.  But first we must understand the nature of sin which is obnoxious to God.

Leviticus 4 deals with sins of ignorance, which afflict all sections of the congregation of Israel, and therefore all groups of people.  That is, so imbedded in our nature is this genetic flaw that we are not even aware that we are sinners (failures) in the sight of God.

Leviticus 4v1-2 "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them."

There are four groups mentioned in this respect: the priests (v3-12); the whole congregation (v13-21; the rulers (v22-26); any one of the common people (v27-35).  Immediately, we can see that sin afflicts all sections of society, and can spread rapidly, like a disease from one to another.  No one escapes the reality that we are all sinners.  We may not know it, but we all are failures in the matter of sin.  The problem is our familiarity with it, our light-hearted appreciation of something that is abhorrent to God.  Sin challenges the perfections of God and reduces Him to a common level.  Thankfully the sacrifice of Christ has dealt with every aspect, affecting all people, and He is the answer to frailties and imperfections, and this is the teaching of the sin offering.  His death has removed the stain of sins from the hearts of God's redeemed people.  God Himself defines our sin, and He, Himself, delivers us from it.  It is now possible for the highest of God's creation to truly worship Him.

We should note the attitude of God to sin, all sin is "against the commandments of the Lord"-refer chapter 4v2; 4v13; 4v22; 4v27.  Commandments were introduced to define sin, so that we could understand and respect the Creator.  All sin, whether known or not, violates these definitions, and places us in conflict with God.  Deep within us is the strong tendency to stray from God, and so alienate us from Him, and Christ came to reconcile us.  Sin may harm those attached to us, like spouses, children, family, or even the wider community.  However, ultimately all sin is against God.  In Psalm 51, (a record of the fall-out from King David's adultery with Bathsheba), in his confession he said "Against thee, and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight"-v4.  The only answer to human sin is Christ, "...the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin"-1st John 1v7.  The fact that the Spirit of God highlights  the sins of officiating priests and rulers, in the chapter, tells us that no one is immune from this evil, indeed those in positions of privilege and leadership are treated the same as the common people, there is no respecter of persons with God.  In fact Jesus indicated that high privilege actually magnifies the sin of the individual (John 19v11), and James, in his epistle (3v1) indicates that individuals who break the commandments while in a status of honour would receive "greater condemnation".  High calling in life brings upon us greater responsibility.  

It is not only what we do in defiance of the known will of God, that constitutes sin, it is also the ignorance of (or indifference to) the word of the Lord.  There is a telling phrase in chapter 5v17 "...though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity".  Ignorance of the law of God is no excuse, and this surely calls for urgent education of the things of God.  

We shall find that every aspect of sin was covered in the sin offering, and in the next study we shall consider the ritual distinctions which demonstrate the character of sin, and God's abhorrence of it.  For now we focus on the offering of Christ for sins, which declares the depth of His suffering.

Hebrews 1v3 "...when He had by Himself purged our sins (made purification for sins-sin had defiled not only the whole of humanity, but the whole of the created universe).  He did this by Himself, alone bearing the awful burden of sin.

2nd Corinthians 5v21 "For He hath made Him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

1st Peter 2v24 "Who His own self bare our sins in His body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed".

2nd Peter 3v18 "For Christ also hath once (for all) suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God".

Romans 8v3 "God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us...".

John 1v29 "Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world".

These and many other texts reveal the reality of sin, and what Christ had to do to remove it. The hymnwriter, once again captures the thought to do with sins, "All my sins were laid upon Him, Jesus bore them to the tree; God who knew them, laid them on Him, and believing we are free!"

We shall discover next that the sacrifice of Christ dealt not only past sins, but present sins and therefore all future sins.  It is just that we need to be aware that in approaching God, confessing sins must become part of our lives until we become sinless, as we shall!

Christ in all the scriptures The Peace offering

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Peace offering (part 2)  Leviticus 3 and 7v11-34

The third of five aspects of the one offering of Christ.  This makes it central to the work of Calvary.  The reason Christ came was to reconcile man to God, and this He did by His death on the cross.   It is what Paul called the "ministry of reconciliation", which is detailed in 2nd Corinthians 5v18-21.  Throughout the details of the ritual of the peace offering we have the thought of fellowship, harmony, reconciliation-God and man in blest relationship.  In the peace offering there was something for God, something for the priests, for the priestly family, and for the offeror and his family.  In the burnt offering, all the flesh was for God; in the grain offering, all the frankincense was for God; in the peace offering all the fat and the best of the animal was for God; in the sin offerings all the blood was for God.  There is ever an aspect of Christ in His offering that God alone can appreciate. The peace offering was the only sacrifice eaten in its entirety (except for the fat and the blood), and the only one of which all parties were partakers.-the offering priest, the whole priestly family, and the offeror.  God, Himself, feasted on the fat and the best of the animal.

It is important we understand the distinctives of each offering if we are to enjoy the features of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.

First, the animal sacrificed in the Peace Offering could be from the herd or from the flock (but not a bird), whether male or female.  Since the whole of the animal was to be eaten, a turtledove or young pigeon would not be appropriate.  The male speaks of active strength, while the female suggests passive submission.  Both were true of Christ in His sacrifice.

Second, the offering was shared by God, by the priests, and by the offeror. All of the Burnt Offering was the Lord’s (except for the skin). Most of the Grain Offering was for the priests. But the Peace Offering was shared by all, each receiving their appointed portions. The beneficiaries of the sacrifice of Christ are many.  Indeed it was Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, who listed over 30 benefits accomplished by the death of Christ in which all share.

Third, three of the occasions on which the Peace Offering was appropriate were for thanksgiving, for fulfilling a vow, and for a freewill offering (Leviticus 7).  All are appropriate reasons for seeking communion with God.

Fourth, the Peace Offering was unique in that there was a meal associated with this offering.

Fifth, the thanksgiving Peace Offering included unleavened bread (Lev. 7:13)

All in all, the Peace offering was a meal shared by all, including God, and represents communion, which is an important subject in the New Testament-1st Cor. 1v9;10v16-17; 2nd Cor 13v14; 1st John 1v3.  Those who sit down to a meal with each other share the minds and hearts as well as enjoying the creature benefits.  In the law of the peace offering in chapter 7v11-34, we find it comes last of the offerings, so we could say it is the centre and circumference of the cross work of Christ.  It has ever been the desire of God to commune with His people, as at Sinai in Exodus 24; as in the tabernacle with the table of shewbread; as in Psalm 23, the prepared table in the midst of enemies; as in the institution of the Lord's Supper; as in the marriage supper of the Lamb.  This is characterised as "the Lord's Table", which all in Christ can enjoy, where Christ is the object and the subject of our communion. The gospel of Luke abounds in features of the peace offering-reconciliation, communion, fellowship, harmony; all blessings that emanate from the work of Christ.  

Luke's Gospel was written to Gentiles, yet it begins and ends with temple scenes involving Jewish ritual.  Very much to the fore is the harmonisation of Jew and Gentile, former long time enemies.  In the introduction to Luke's gospel by Zondervan, there is an interesting observation, "Luke adjusted his account of Jesus' ministry to persons without a Jewish background showing the universal appeal of the gospel, and that the gospel was equally for the Gentiles as for the Jews".   This fact is summarised in chapter 24v47, "...and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem".  Luke gives a prominent place to women, against a culture where women were marginalised.  He records 13 named women, more than any other of the gospels; in this way he underlines the importance of women in the work of God, thus bridging any gulf between men and women.  In His Gospel he focuses on the poor and the downtrodden, and presents Christ as meeting every social need, and visiting every geographical location.  In that classic chapter(15) of "lost things", we learn that a lost sheep is restored to the fold; the lost silver is restored to the woman; and the lost son is restored to the father, all features of the reconciliation aspect of the peace offering.  These and many more examples of the peace introduced in conflict, the restoration made for loss, the harmony enjoyed by all, are illustrative of the peace offering.  Note the prominence of the word throughout the gospel:
1v79 "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow0f death, to guide our feet into the way of peace". 

2v14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men".

7v50 and 8v48 To women He healed, "Go in peace"-better "Go into peace", stating a permanent condition, a new life of peace.

10v5/6 "And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say Peace be to this house...".

19v38 "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest".  

19v42 "If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes".

24v36 "And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you".