Christ in all the scriptures Leviticus 9

 Christ in all the scriptures

The God who answers by fire  Leviticus 9

The key to this chapter is verse 24, which announces God's approval to the delight of the people.  The entire contents are a summary of all that has gone before, the offerings, the priesthood, and now the initiation of the priestly worship of Israel.  This is a new beginning, the first public gathering for worship, the first sacrifices offered, the first order of ceremony established, culminating in the answer of God from heaven.  Following seven days of continuous preparation, in which the priests learned the meticulous order of ceremony, the day of glory arrived.  It was the eighth day of ceremonial procedure.  Eight in scripture indicates a new beginning (seven days completes a week, and the eighth day starts a new week).  Never before had there been anything like this.  The people who had served the godless Pharaohs in bitter bondage were now the happy servants of the God of heaven.  Thus the only priesthood that God instituted on earth came into being.  He ratified their service in unmistakeable fashion...Moses and Aaron blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared in the whole congregation, and the fire of God kindled the sacrifice on the altar-Leviticus 9v22-24.  THIS WAS DIVINE APPROVAL INDEED!

The significance of this should not be lost upon us.  God kindled a fire that would never be extinguished (refer Leviticus 6v9v12v13).  In this, the first dedicated offering, God answered by fire, a fire that was never to be put out.  This was the Divine stamp on Israel's priesthood.  He is the God who answers by fire, no one could mistake the symbolic evidence.  No one did, for this sent the people into raptures (9v24).  On a number of occasions, in history, God answered by fire from heaven, in times of great moment:

Leviticus 9v24                  Aaron

Judges 6v21-24                 Gideon.

Judges 13v19-23               Manoah

1st Kings 18v24-39          Elijah.

1st Chronicles 21v26-28  David

2nd Chronicles 7v1          Solomon  

The wording at the confrontation by Elijah of the false prophets of Baal in 1st Kings 18 is significant, "The God that answereth by fire, let Him be God (other versions He is the God!), all others are false.  The result was emphatic, "Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.  And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, The Lord He is the God, the Lord He is the God."  One prophet against 450 false prophets prevailed as vindicated by God.  Likewise, the people of Israel were left in no doubt that God ratified the design and construction of Moses, and the Aaronic priesthood by fire from heaven, and the glory of His presence.  What was it that caused the Lord above to so endorse and glorify the worship of His people?  The priesthood had honoured the institution of God; the offerings (all of them) were sacrificed in order; Aaron and his sons were sanctified; the people were sanctified and blessed.  Everything was done in accordance with the will of the Lord.

Fast forward to the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, at the initiation of the Church.  God ratified the work of Christ in His death and resurrection by sending the Holy Spirit in cloven tongues of fire, so visible it was seen by those from all nations of the earth.  Thus was the new age ushered in, and within 30 years the known world was evangelised.  The statements in the Acts of the apostles reveal the wonderful reality of God speaking to the world in no uncertain terms...at Thessalonika, where the city was in uproar, "these that have turned the world upside down have come hither"; Paul to King Agrippa-Acts 26v26"this thing was not done in a corner".  The fire of God spread across the entire world, and, indeed through the centuries of time, for the fire has never gone out, and never will.  Nigh on 2000 years and the Spirit still works, still saves.  The Church will go through many barren times, face many problems, but "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  THE FIRE WILL NEVER GO OUT!  At this the people shouted with joy, and this should be our joy today, for in our weakness God's strength is made perfect.  The fire that the Holy Spirit kindled within us on the day of our conversion will remain until the end.  If, perchance, it is waning a little the way to fan it is to return to the time of first awakening individually.  If our corporate testimony is waning, it is to return to day of Pentecost, when the Church lived in the first light of the apostles' doctrine, and all things were done for His glory.  In days of departure and weak testimony, the need is to heed the call of Paul to "stir up the gift of God that is in thee..." 2nd Timothy 1v6.  The word used is "anazopureo", which literally means to rekindle, to fan the flame, which is fading away, to bring to life what is dying down.  The flame has not quite gone out, but because of the hardship of the way, Timothy has been cooling down a little, has become less forthright, less courageous, less lucid than before.  This is a reminder we should be on fire for the Lord, "who maketh His ministers a flame of fire"; this is applied to angels but we are now fellow servants with them.  Our Lord, at the end of His life, entered the temple to rid it of the moneychangers, and the disciples remembered that it was written of Him, "The zeal of thine house hath consumed me"-from Psalm 69v9.   He declared the lukewarmness of the Laodiceans nauseated Him.  We are told not to quench the Spirit; we must become passionate about the things of the Lord.  It was General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army who said, "The tendency of fire is to go out; it needs constant rekindling".  No one doubts the fire for the Lord in his heart!  

We remember the honest exclamation of the couple who walked with the Lord on the road to Emmaus..."Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?-Luke 24v32.  Listen to the Apostle Peter's thoughts of the perspective of the blessed people of God with hearts on fire for God...

1st Peter 1v3 Abundant mercy; 1v4 An Inheritance Incorruptible, Undefiled, and that Fadeth Not Away; 1v9 Joy unspeakable; 1v22 and 4v8 Fervent Love; 2v9 Marvellous Light; 4v10 Manifold Grace; 5v4 A Crown of Glory; 5v10 Eternal Glory; 2nd Peter 1v1 Precious Faith; 1v4 Exceeding Great and Precious Promises; 1v11 An Abundant Entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom; 1v17 the Excellent Glory; 3v13 New Heavens and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteousness.  Nothing half hearted or lukewarm about any of this, Peter's Christianity.  The spiritual fire was burning in the life of Peter, will it burn in ours?

On this note, may I wish all readers a merry Christmas with your families, as we remember the joy brought to the world by the coming of our Lord.  I will resume studies early in the New Year; meanwhile may you all experience the presence of the Lord in all your celebrations.  Thank you all for your continued support.

George

Christ in all the scriptures Leviticus 8

 Christ in all the scriptures

The fitness and function of the priesthood  Leviticus 8

Priestly service is that which is done (however menial) in the sight of the Lord, and for the benefit of men.  It is the highest form of service to be undertaken by mortal man, and requires fitness for the task.  God, Himself has provided that fitness, and we have entered a blessed occupation that will never end.  Firstly, we should consider what priestly function means in New Testament terms, so that we understand what is expected of us who are the recipients of this high calling.

We can do this by tracing the priestly terms used: they are "serve or service"; "sacrifice"; "ministry"; "acceptable"; "pleasing"; "offering".

Service   Gr. latreuo it means to serve, as in temple service, as priests of old did, directly in the sight of the Lord.  This word is used in Romans 1v9 in context of gospel preaching, "whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son".  Also, Luke 2v37and 2nd Timothy 1v3-unceasing prayers; Philippians 3v3 and Hebrews 9v14-worship; Hebrews 12v28-reverenceand godly fear; ceaseless and eternal devotion-Revelation 7v15 and 22v3.

Sacrifice  Gr. thysia it means whole of life devotion to the Lord expressed many different ways, and without limitations.  Romans 12v1-wholehearted presentation of our bodies to the cause of God; Philippians 2v17-unfettered devotion to the edification of the saints in pastoral care; Philippians 4v18-material support to the servants of the Lord; Hebrews 13v15-the fruit of our lips in praise, whether in words or in song; Hebrews 13v16-doing good works and communicating with God's people, whether of material or spiritual graces; 1st Peter 2v5-preparations of spiritual worship to the Lord.

Acceptable/well pleasing  Gr.  dektos, apodektos, euarestos this is the sweet savour aspect of service, that which brings pleasure to God.  1st Timothy 2v3- prayer for rulers and all men for peace in the world and for their salvation; 1st Timothy 5v14-care of elderly parents; Philippians 4v18 material support for the work of the gospel; Romans 12v2-non-conformity to the world, renewal of our minds; Romans 14v18-gentle tolerance of the weakness of brethren; Ephesians 5v10-ordering our lives as children of light, as decided before the Lord; Colossians 3v20-children obeying parents in all things; Hebrews 13v21-allowing the Lord to have His way in your life, to do His will.

Ministry, minister      Gr. diakonia, diakoneo  this is humble service, literally it means "table waiters", those who serve others in the work of God.  Acts 6v1v4-literally serving tables; Acts 13v2-worship to the Lord while seeking guidance; Romans 12v7-service of administrative nature in the church; Romans 15v31-Paul's discharge of his responsibility in the gospel; 1st Corinthians 3v5-Paul and Apollos and every believer's discharge of speaking the gospel to others; 1st Corinthians 12v5-translated "administrations", the responsibility of all, this includes the gift of teaching, helps, and governments (1st Cor. 12v28); Ephesians 4v12 the work of mature saints for the edifying of the church; 2nd Timothy 1v18-providing spiritual refreshment as Onesiphorus did often to Paul; 1st Peter 4v10 "As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the grace of God".  

Essentially, priestly service is that which is done in the sight of the Lord, and in accordance with His will.  All of us can find occupation for life, from unseen good works in private to the very public necessary spiritual exercises.  The rest of the chapter outlines the context in which we serve.

Cleansing of the priesthood  Leviticus 8v6.  Service is Godward, and, since God is holy those who serve must also be holy.  This can only come from God who has cleansed us and fitted us for holy service in Christ.  This is the once for all cleansing that took place at conversion.  Relevant scriptures are: Ephesians 5v26; Titus 3v5; John 13v8-10.  Every believer has been cleansed and fitted for temple service.  Our part is to make use of the various measures indicated to keep ourselves clean in practise.

Clothing of the priesthood  Leviticus 8v7-13.  Under our great high priest, who is enrobed with garments of glory and beauty, and who is enthroned in highest authority, the priests were dressed in white linen garments, interpreted in Revelation 19v8 as "the righteousness of the saints".  The glorious character of Christ as our high priest is reflected in the righteous character of the serving priests.  Psalm 132v9 "Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your godly ones sing for joy".  Isaiah 61v10 "I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels"; Zechariah 3v4 "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and will clothe you with festal robes".  We have been endowed with a heavenly beauty instead of the ugly nature of earth.  We must become what we already are by the grace of God.

The consecration of the priesthood  Leviticus 8v14-36   The bull for a sin offering; two rams, one for a burnt offering, and another for the consecration of the priesthood.  The priest hood was established on the blood of animals; New Testament priesthood (which is us according to Hebrews 3v1, 7v12, and 9v14) is established on the blood of Christ.  The ram of consecration was killed and the blood sprinkled and marked upon the right ear, the right hand, and the right toe of all the priests, to consecrate them to the service of God.  Thus the whole person was consecrated from head to foot (this is in contrast to their condition in unbelief and disobedience described by Isaiah in chapter 1v5-6 where they were from head to foot contaminated with sin)  Now they are sanctified and fitted for service.  Consecrated just means the practise of "filling the hands", where they were wholly committed to the service of God.  They were now priests of the living God.  Believers, today, in the same way are committed to holy and heavenly service, and it is necessary we understand this, as it brings a whole new perspective.  When we consider that our individual bodies (1st Cor. 6v19), and our local churches (not the building) (1st Cor. 3v17), as well as the Church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 2v21) are all called the temple, the inner sanctuary of God, we begin to understand the sacred nature of our lives on earth.  We began by indicating many ways in which we can be occupied for God, each according to their several ability, God-given; there is no reason to be idle or marginalised in the things of God, and we should be filling our hands for Him.  At this initiation they were to remain 7 days, for this was to become a permanent occupation.  We serve under the example and guidance of One who was wholly committed to God in His work, and who served for the benefit of others.  We serve in the light of His consecration, in the words of the hymn..."The vow was on thee, Thou didst come, To yield thyself to death; AND CONSECRATION MARKED THY PATH AND SPOKE IN EVERY BREATH!" He was committed to us, are we also committed to Him?

 

Christ in all the scriptures Leviticus 8

 Christ in all the scriptures

 Institution of the priesthood  Leviticus 8

Leviticus 8 repeats the details of Exodus 29: there it was the principles of the priesthood, necessary to conduct the worship of God, now it is the practice laid down for proper approach.  The fact that this was repeated underlines its importance.  We have established that modern priesthood is of a different order to the Aaronic priesthood, and therefore renders the first obsolete.  Nevertheless there are abiding principles that we can apply today from this important chapter.  The essential difference is that what was done by hands back then, is done in hearts: we worship in spirit and in truth.  No more visible altar, or killing of animals, or sprinkling of blood, or anointing with oil, or distinctive garb, or ornate temples.  Worship is spiritual today, and God resides in redeemed hearts.  Tragically, much of the ceremony of present day religious ceremony finds them living in the past.  God has moved on and so must we.  We can glean from the chapter some of the spiritual realities that are symbolised here.

The call to priesthood   Leviticus 8v1-5

The cleansing of the priesthood  Leviticus 8v6

The clothing of the priesthood  Leviticus 8v7-13

The consecration of the priesthood  Leviticus 8v14-36

The call to priesthood       8v1-5        "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; and gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

A priest is one who preserves and promotes the worship of God.  As such it is a status and privilege of highest honour and those who are so called are the elite of humanity.  This privilege was granted to Israel in Exodus 19v5-6, "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation". This honour was conditional upon their obedience, and the treachery and idolatry in chapter 32 removed it from the nation.  It was given to the tribe of Levi who, in the face of this evil had remained loyal.  The priesthood was therefore passed to the Levites, and this order continued until the coming of Christ-as late as Malachi 2v9, the Lord remonstrated with Israel for "corrupting the covenant of Levi", thus perpetuating the exclusive right of priesthood to the Levites.  Thus priesthood was not based on achievement or merit, but simply by birth into the lineage of Aaron!  In the chapter, many times over we read of "Aaron and his sons", or similar: (refer 8v2, v6, v13, v14, v18, v22, v24, v27, v30, v31, v36).      

Fast forward to New Testament times, 1st Peter 2v5 N/T believers are said to be "...a spiritual house, an holy priesthood..."; 2v9 "...a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation...";  Revelation 1v6, 5v10, 20v6 we are called a kingdom of priests.  We are so by NEW BIRTH IN CHRIST JESUS.  Peter describes us as priests in the context of new birth-1st Peter 1v23 and 2v2!  Every believer in Christ, by reason of new birth, is conferred with holy and royal priesthood to represent God in this world.  Our conversion to Christ is a call to serve the living God, as is evident from the gist of scripture.  This elevates every believer to highest service, a fact which needs to be proclaimed from every Christian platform.  Martin Luther made the priesthood of all believers as one of his main objections to Catholicism during the Reformation of the 17th century.  There remains a hierarchy, but this is intended to maximise the working of the whole (refer Ephesians 4v7-13).

Jesus is our great High Priest (Hebrews 2v17; 4v14-16; 6v20; 7v26; 8v1; 9v11; 10v21).  The sanctuary is in heaven, (Hebrews 3v1; 4v14; 6v20; 8v1; 9v24; 10v12-13; 10v19).  We function for God in a heavenly context.  The chapter begins with what is necessary for such a function-8v2: Garments, which speak of character; Anointing Oil which symbolises the Holy Spirit; Animals for sacrifice; Baskets full of bread for fellowship.  Service for God will require all of these.  For us today it means: Excellence of character, Holy Ghost energy, Discernment of the sacrifice of Christ for acceptance and commitment, and Baskets full for sharing holy things.  These are the ingredients for Divine service, in which all believers are occupied today.  

TO BE CONTINUED...

Christ in all the scriptures ORDINATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD

 Christ in all the scriptures

    Ordination of the priesthood  Leviticus 8

Chapter 8 presents the natural progression of things in scripture, in relation to Christ.  Chapters 1-7 depict Christ's death for our reconciliation in the different aspects of the one offering of Christ: chapters 8-10 depict His life as our great High Priest for our preservation and instruction in life.  The Christ who died for us, now lives to intercede for us.  This is important to realise, and is one of the most neglected truths of the bible today.  It is the subject matter of almost every epistle of the New Testament, yet it is not fully expounded or understood.  We begin by asserting the teaching of scripture, that there is a Priesthood of which Christ is the great high priest, and in which every believer in Christ is a priest!  The modern concept of priesthood is altogether unbiblical.  A separate caste of special people who wear distinctive garb, and perform religious ceremonies to which all adherents must conform.  They operate in places of worship, overseen by an often invisible hierarchy, in public buildings designated as sanctuaries.  Even evangelicals of all denominations, as well as "non-denoms" have it wrong by the erroneous belief that when they gather together the Lord descends to be with them.  This arrogance is accentuated by the delusion of some, that theirs is the only place of worship, to the exclusion of all others.  Thus, some sectarianists seek to "domesticate" Christ to themselves, resulting in multiple divisions and endless confusion in the minds of believers, not to mention the disastrous effect on the unbelieving world.  Scriptures are emphatic:

1)  "God dwelleth not in temples made with hands..."  1st Kings 8v27 "But will God indeed dwell on earth? behold the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (also 2nd Chron. 2v6); Acts 7v48-49 "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands, as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?"; Acts 17v24-25 "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things".

Conclusion: THERE IS NO BUILDING ON EARTH WHICH IS A PLACE OF WORSHIP, OR SANCTUARY, WHERE GOD DWELLS.

Some will counter that God built a dwelling place on earth in the Tabernacle.  This notion is false for what He built was "the patterns of things in the heavens"-(Hebrews 9v23); the entire system was only a "shadow of heavenly things"-Hebrews 8v5.  Jesus said in John 4v21-24, in connection with present day worship "Woman believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the Father...the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him...".  Worship today is spiritual and has nothing to do with buildings or ceremonies.  The Apostle Peter said the same, that we are "a spiritual house, an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ"-1st Peter 2v5.

2)  There is a new order of priesthood in place today.   "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedek"-Psalm 110v4, repeated also in Hebrews 5v6v10 and 6v20 and 7v11 and 7v17.   This new order is superior to the Aaronic priesthood, which is now superseded (Hebrews 7v12).  "But Christ being come an 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"-Hebrews 9v11.  In this new order, Christ is our great high priest, as is made clear as follows:

He deals with the sins of His people "He is a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people"-Heb. 2v17.   

He is "the Apostle and High Priest of our confession"-Heb. 3v1.  As Apostle He represents God to us; as High Priest He represents us to God. 

His sphere of operation is the sanctuary in heaven...."We have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God"-Heb. 4v15; "We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man"-Heb. 8v1-2; "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"-Heb. 9v24.

He deals with our infirmities, our weaknesses, our frailties.  He has lived here in this world, and experienced the hardships of life in a world opposed to God.  He knows, not only the facts of life on earth, but the feelings of our infirmities.  He knows about bodily weakness and pain.  He knows all about the inhumanity of man to man.  He knows about the loneliness of standing for God in this world.  He knows about the frustrations and disappointments in so-called friends.  He knows about the wiles and flaming darts of the devil.  Everything that we will suffer here, He has suffered, and He is fully qualified to succour us in our trials.  Relevant scriptures are: Heb. 2v10, 2v17-18, 4v15, 7v24-25.

This is the reality of worship in the present time.  We can worship Him from wherever we are, both individually and collectively.  It must be obvious to us that when we gather to worship, the Lord does not descend to our man-made buildings, rather we ascend in spirit to the sanctuary in heaven where our great high priest presides over our sacred exercises to the glory of the Father.

The Aaronic priesthood is now set aside, but it was the only priesthood instituted by God, and many of the features are retained, ether by comparison or contrast, as we shall discover when we study Leviticus chapter 8-10.  There is no separate priestly caste today, as we shall see in the next study.

Christ in all the scriptures The Law of the sacrifice of peace offerings

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Law of the sacrifice of peace offerings   Leviticus 7v11-34

We remind ourselves that Jesus is the fulfilment of the peace offering: He is the Prince of Peace-Isaiah 9v6; at His birth the angels of heaven announced, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward man"-Luke 2v14; in His death He "made peace through the blood of His cross"-Colossians 1v20; at His resurrection the first word He declared to the faithful was "Peace be unto you"-John 20v19 and 20 v26; of 21epistles in the New testament, 18 begin with the salutation, "Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ" (or similar)-Romans 1v7, 1st Cor. 1v3, 2nd Cor. 1v2, Galatians 1v3, Ephesians 1v2, Philippians 1v2, Colossians 1v2; 1st Thess. 1v2, 2nd Thess. 1v2, 1st Timothy 1v2, 2nd Timothy 1v2, Titus 1v4, Philemon 1v3, 1st Peter 1v2, 2nd Peter 1v2, 2nd John 1v3, Jude1v2, Revelation 1v4.  In Christ God extends peace to all believers, that tranquillity of assurance that the enmity is over, that peace and harmony will be their portion eternally.  In the words of  Isaiah 32v17, "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever".  What great news to a world in interminable conflict!

The law of the peace offering views grateful people approaching the Lord in the good of  peace with God.  More is said about this offering than any other.  We begin by observing that the law of the peace offering is the culmination of all the offerings as stated in chapter 7v37. This is important, for in coming to God in fellowship (which is the purpose of the offering), we come recognising that our peace with God, our communion, our harmony with Him, is based on the fulfilment of all the other offerings.  In the burnt offering, the whole of life devotion of Christ to God; in the grain offering, His whole of life perfection; in the sin and trespass offerings, His effective work to remove sin and its guilt: all of these have resulted in our state of tranquillity before the Lord.  Without all of these aspects of the one offering of Christ, there could be no peace with God.

Offering for thanksgiving 7v11-15  We note this is called the "sacrifice of peace offering", and the "sacrifice of thanksgiving", reminding us of the cost of our redemption.  Paul wrote, "He made peace through the blood of His cross"-Col. 1v20.  A redeemed people should be a thankful people, unlike the godless world in which we live.  A trait of our unconverted days was that we were unthankful"-Romans 1v21.  Jesus observed that out of ten lepers who were cleansed, only one returned to give Him thanks, so that even when saved we can be unthankful.  The hallmark of faith is of a grateful people who express their gratitude in word and in deed.  Paul said, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift".  Scriptures are full of expressions of thanksgiving for the grace of God in Christ: Psalm 92v1;103v1; 104v1; 105v1; 106v1; 107v1v8v15v21v31; 111v1; 118v1 to mention but a few.  We draw near with our peace offering with unleavened cakes mingled with oil (the INCARNATION, when humanity and deity were combined-Luke 1v35); unleavened wafers anointed with oil (the ANOINTING for public service-Luke 3v22; 4v18; Acts 10v38); cakes mingled with oil of fine flour, fried (the CRUCIFIXION-the intense heat of the cauldron as He suffered the brutal death of the cross-Colossians 1v20, to which we have already referred.  As we draw nigh to God, in the good of reconciliation, we bring with us the wonder of the incarnation, the beauty of perfect service, and the enduring of deep suffering.  Thus we share communion with God and all His people (1st Cor. 1v9). 

The peace offering may also be offered with leavened bread (v13), although it is thought this was not offered on the altar, but only as the portion of the priests with the heave shoulder of the animal (7v14-15) and with the wave breast part of the offering (23v16-18).  The well known expositor Campbell-Morgan explains, "The Peace offering is supremely the symbol of communion based on reconciliation.  It is the offering which symbolises two sides to a great transaction; one of those is that of God, and the other is that of man.  God and man are at peace.  The Godward side can only be symbolised by that which is unleavened, free from all evil, separated from everything that tends to corruption.  On the other hand, there remains in man much of imperfection. This is symbolised by the leavened cakes (Morgan)  

The portion of the flesh of the peace offering enjoyed by the priests was the heave shoulder and the wave breast of the animal. this symbolises the nature of priestly service being that of strength and affection.  The restrictions on eating the portions of 1/2 days at the most was to ensure that the offerings were fresh.  The Lord wants our offerings to Him to be fresh-refer Numbers 18v12; Nehemiah 10v37, only the best for God.  All of this of course is the opposite of mindless ritual; our appreciation of God should be with all the strength we can muster, and with affection and the freshness of true thanksgiving.

Christ in all the scriptures The law of the trespass offering

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Law of the Trespass offering   Leviticus 7v1-10

The ritual details for the trespass offering are exactly the same as for the sin offering.  Leviticus 7v7 says this "As the sin offering, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them...".  This fact, however raises an interesting matter; God distinguishes between sin and trespass, and we should investigate this distinction.  The New Testament confirms this in Ephesians 2v1, referring to our pre-conversion state, Paul writes, "And you hath He quickened (made alive) who were dead in trespasses and sins".  Again in Colossians 2v13 he says, "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses".  In both Old and New testaments the distinction is made.  The Divine answer to both is the same-the blood of sacrifice, pointing to Christ's death on the cross.  

In fact there are three words used repeatedly to describe the fallen condition of man before God...SINS, TRESPASSES, INIQUITIES.      Consider the following scriptures:

Exodus 34v7 "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..." Psalm 32v1-5 "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity...I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid.  I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.  Selah."                                                                            Psalm 51v1-3 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according unto thy lovingkindness: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me".    

A cursory reading of these and other scriptures reveal that these terms are interchangeable describing the fallen condition of mankind.  Nevertheless, each has a specific meaning, and we should understand the distinctions.

Sins  Heb. chattath (296 times) Gr. hamartia (174 times)   It means to "miss the mark" as in archery.  Paul said it was to "come short" of the glory of God-Romans 3v23.  Obviously this is a high standard, the highest there is; yet man was made in the image of God (Genesis 1v26) and after the likeness of Divine beings.  We were created to display the glory of our Maker, and, because of sin we have come short.  We were made to be godly (god-like), but we are ungodly, failing to live up to the high standard of our creation.                    

Trespasses (transgressions)  Heb. pesha (93 times) Gr. paraptomah (23 times)  Trespasses or transgressions are actions which unlawfully cross boundaries that have been set; put another way, one is missing the mark, the other is overstepping the mark.  Sins are actions which come short; trespasses are actions which go beyond what is allowed.  Both can be intentional or unintentional.  The Divine law was only given at Sinai, where Leviticus was written, and so now the Divine standard has been set by which we can measure human behaviour.  The Decalogue given to Moses contained positive and negative instructions-"thou shalt...thou shalt not".  James stated in his epistle that even one violation of the law of God rendered us guilty of the whole (James 2v10).  Moses reminds us in Leviticus that ignorance of the law does not diminish our guilt.   

Iniquities  Heb. avon (230) times  Gr. anomia (15 times)  Iniquity is the force within us from our parents (ultimately from Adam and Eve) which naturally leads to acts of sin and transgression.  The word anomia literally means without law, lawlessness, the powerful trend within each of us of opposing God-1st John 3v4-5 "Whosoever committeth sin (practices sin) transgresses also the law: for sin is lawlessness (most versions).  And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin".  Lawlessness (iniquity) is the opposite of righteousness, the standard required by God.  It is written in Psalm 45v7, and quoted again in Hebrews 1v9, "thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness".  Iniquity is crookedness, perversion, that inward rebellion that will always militate against the will of God. 

This is God's definition of the human condition revealed in scripture.  Not only are we ungodly and unrighteous in thought and in deed, we are powerless to save ourselves.  We are utterly dependent on God to provide the answer, and provide it He has in full in Christ:

Isaiah 53v5-12 declares that He has comprehensively dealt with the sin question in all its aspects, sins, transgressions, and iniquities: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with     His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken.  And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.  Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him: He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see a seed, He shall prolong days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.  He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.  Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors".

The section ends with the material benefits additionally given to to operating priests.  From the burnt offering the priest received the skin of the animal-Leviticus 7v8; from the grain offering he receives the residue to eat with his family and all the sons of Aron-7v9-10.  This is an illustration of the truth of Romans 8v32, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not WITH HIM ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?"  He has done the greater thing in dealing with our sin; He will also do the lesser thing by proving for our needs in this life.  Does any one of us doubt it?  The God who gave His Son will give us anything we ask if He judges it is in our interest to give it.  Jesus said so, "Ask in my name and I will give you all things"-John 14v13-14.     

Christ in all the scriptures The law of the sin offering

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Law of the sin offering   Leviticus 6v24-30

The section begins "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying...".  Each time this appears, it is a fresh revelation from the Lord giving additional details.  This confirms that the slow, detailed release of truth is God's method of teaching.  Leviticus is a manual of worship, a way to approach the Living God.  The revelations prescribe the different sacrifices, when to bring them, and the ritual associated with them.  Leviticus is unique, in that it contains mostly the words of God (70% approx.), and contains 37 separate Divine calls.  It is in fact a gracious invitation from God to His people to worship Him in the only way which is acceptable to Him, thus granting to them highest privilege of reconciliation and communion with Himself.  We must not interpret Levitical offerings as bringing us into relationship with God; this was done in Egypt by the Passover Lamb.  Leviticus has to do with the fellowship of God's people who are already in relationship to Him.  Fellowship with God can be broken through sin; however relationship with Him is unbroken.  These twin aspects of spiritual life are expounded in 1st John.  In chapters 1/2 we have the subject of fellowship, communion with God and with each other.  Note the recurrence of "if...if...if" in these chapters.  Fellowship with God can be broken and God has provided for its restoration.  This corresponds to the sin offering in Leviticus.  In chapters 3/5 the subject is relationship-union with God which cannot be broken, as opposed to communion which is broken because of sin. 

Leviticus chapter 4 mentioned all groups who may sin...any man, the priests, the whole congregation, a ruler, and the common people.  This is a sharp reminder that the propensity to sin does not leave us at conversion.  Though saved and sanctified for highest service, we are not immune from the old nature within, and thus we need provision in Christ.  We have this, as John said "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  And He is the propitiation for our sins...".   God is pure light, and He demands all sin, including that from a redeemed people, be banished from His sight.  Focus is now on the priest, who was in a position of high office in the congregation.  They correspond to spiritual leaders in the present day.  We have already seen that high privilege brings great responsibility.  The sin of a priest was greater in the sight of God than that of the common people, and all had to be dealt with in the course of worship service.  Spiritual leadership is a function of highest honour, and with it comes great demands and great detail to be observed:

1) The sin offering must be killed in the same place as the burnt offering (v25-refer chapter 1v11, the north side of the altar before the Lord).  This links the sin offering to the burnt offering, a reminder that the total devotion of Christ to God involved removing all sin from before Him.  The two are linked in Isaiah 53v10, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him: He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand".  What kind of devotion did it take for His holy sinless soul, which shrunk from sin, to become sin for us, and receive within the wrath of God upon Him?

2) The sin offering is regarded by God as most holy (v25, v29).  God cherishes this above all else, the sacrifice that removed sin, and enabled God to display His character to all. 1st John 2v2, "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world"; Romans 3v25, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past...".  What happened in three hours of darkness at Calvary has opened the floodgates of blessing to all mankind.  It was there He "bore our sins in His own body on the tree..."-1st Peter 2v24

3)  The sacred character of the sin offering demands that all associated with it must be holy  Only the officiating priests could eat of it, and only in the holy place (v26-29).  The priest who offered it must be holy (v27); the garment stained with the blood of sacrifice had to be cleansed in the holy place; the earthen vessel that contained the flesh of the sin offering had to be broken, and the brazen holding pot thoroughly scoured and rinsed (v28).  Any sin offering, from which the blood was taken to cleanse the tabernacle and reconcile the people must not be eaten but taken outside the camp to be utterly consumed by fire.  God dealt with sin in the darkness. away from public view.  Sins are not to become public gossip, but removed privately away from the public gaze.  The tendency of pointing the finger, and publicising sin must be avoided, for God wants no remembrance of it any more.  Jesus confirmed this attitude in John 8 "Let him that is without sin cast the first stone...Woman where are those thine accusers, hath no man condemned thee?...Neither to I condemn thee, go and sin no more".  This is not condoning of sin, neither is it a condemnation, for all that would fall on Christ.  Sin must be dealt with as discreetly as possible.  There are times when sin must be judged on earth, but only before God, and only with humility, because we all have this propensity.  

 

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!?