Great Themes of the Bible
ATONEMENT
1. THE PRIEST'S SACRIFICE
HE COVENANT of priesthood. As with all other covenants, this must be made by sacrifice.
(a) There must be a sin-offering to make atonement for them (Exod. xxix. 10-14). The law made them priests that had infirmity, and therefore they must first offer for their own sin before they could make atonement for the people (cf. Heb. vii. 27, 28). They were to put their hand on the head of their sacrifice, confessing that they deserved to die for their own sin, and desiring that the killing of the beast might expiate their guilt and be accepted as a vicarious satisfaction. It was used as other sin-offerings were; only, whereas the flesh of other sin-offerings was eaten by the priests (Lev. x. 18) in token of the priests taking away the sin of the people, this was appointed to be all burned without the camp, to signify the imperfection of the legal dispensation. For the sins of the priests themselves could not be taken away by those sacrifices, but they must expect a better High Priest and a better Sacrifice.
(6) There must be a burnt-offering, a ram wholly burned, to the honour of God, in token of the dedication of themselves wholly to God, and to His service, as living sacrifices. Kindled with the fire, and ascending in the flame of holy love (Exod. xxix. 15-18), the sin-offering must first be offered, and then the burnt-offering; for until guilt be removed no acceptable service can be performed (cf. Isa. vi. 7).
(c) There must be a peace-offering. It is called the "ram of consecration"', because there was more in this, peculiar to the occasion, than in the other two. In the burnt-offering God had the glory of the priesthood; in this they had the comfort of it and in token of a mutual covenant between God and them.
(i) The blood of this sacrifice was divided between God and them (Exod. xxix. 20, 21); part of the blood was "sprinkled upon the altar round about", and part upon them, upon their Atonement by bodies and upon their garments. Thus the benefit of the expiation made by the sacrifice was applied and assured to them, and their whole selves from head to foot sanctified to the service of God. The blood was put upon the most extreme parts of the body, to signify that it was all as it were enclosed, and taken in for God, the tip of the ear and the great toe not excepted. And the blood and oil sprinkled upon garments, we reckon, spotted and stained them; yet the holy oil and the blood of the sacrifice, sprinkled upon their garments, must be looked upon as the greatest adorning imaginable to them, for they signified the blood of Christ, and the graces of His Spirit, which constitute and complete the beauty of holiness and recommend us to God. We read of robes "'made white with the blood of the Lamb"'.
(ii) The "flesh of sacrifice", with the meat-offering annexed to it, was likewise divided between God and them, that (to speak with reverence) God and they might feast together, in token of friendship and fellowship. Part of it was first waved before the Lord and then burnt upon the altar, part of the flesh and part of the bread (for bread and flesh must go together); these were first put into the hands of Aaron, to be waved to and fro, in token of their being offered to God, who, though unseen, yet compasseth us round on every side, and then they were to be burnt upon the altar, for the altar was to devour
God's part of the sacrifice. Thus God admitted Aaron and his sons to be his servants, and wait at His table, taking the meat of His altar from their hands. Here, in parenthesis, as it were, comes the law concerning the priests' part of the peace-offerings afterwards, the breast and the shoulder, which were now divided; Moses had the breast, and the shoulder was burnt on the altar with God's part (Exod. xxix. 26, 28).
Then, the other part, both of the flesh of the ram and of the bread, Aaron and his sons were to eat at the door of the tabernacle to signify that He not only called them servants but friends (cf. John xv. 15). He supped with them, and they with Him. Their eating of the things wherewith the atonement was made signified their receiving the atonement, as the expression is (Rom. v. 11), their thankful acceptance of the benefit of it, and their joyful communion with God thereupon, which was the true intent and meaning of a feast upon a sacrifice. If any of it were left, it must be burnt, that it might not be in danger