The Offerings of Israel
Book of Leviticus Chapter 16
Some fifteen hundred years before the Messiah came, Moses led the nation of Israel, called the Israelites, out of Egypt and a new nation was born.
Jehovah led them to Mount Sinai and then God gave to Moses the first five books of the same Bible we have today.
The Israelites were given the Civil Law, the Moral Law (The Ten Commandments), and the Ceremonial Law, in all 613 commandments.
We should remember that the Lord Jesus taught us that all those 613 laws could be reduced to two laws if we were to be sincere in our love for one another and our love for Him.
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
We should remember these words of Jesus and let them guide us throughout all our lifetime!
We should consider that all these laws expressed the "righteous and the holy Character of Jehovah God"!
Even though these laws contained the standard for righteousness, without which no one could stand before our Holy God, no one could keep all those laws and God knew this and in reality, it was never expected.
These laws were our schoolmaster to teach about the Messiah and God's Grace.
In the end these laws served their purpose, and this purpose was to teach us that we all need Jesus Christ to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father.
These laws were intended to reveal our sin and bring this entire world to the knowledge of guiltiness before a Righteous and Holy God.
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Even though the Law spoke primarily to this new nation of Israel, it also bore this message to the entire world and especially the Church.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
We must never be confused. The Law never offered salvation to anyone!
The Ten Commandments of Moses and those other 603 laws only offered condemnation and damnation!
We might ask ourselves, why then as New Testament Christians, would we study this old book of the Old Testament.
The pure fact is, we can find the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Old Testament and we find that in the Book of Leviticus, that all those worship services revolved around the Lord Jesus Christ and how He sacrificed Himself for us.
The greatest lesson of the Old Testament is that it teaches us the character, the love, and the Grace, of our Holy God!
We know that the Book of Leviticus is so named after the tribe of Levi who were the priests for the nation of Israel, just as every child of God is to be a priest and member of the Church after our salvation.
The sacrificial system in this great book points to our Savior and would fulfill every picture through His death on the cross on Mount Calvary.
When the Tabernacle was prepared, according to the Word of God, God began explaining how the worship by these Jews would lead them to the Messiah.
The first seven chapters of Leviticus will teach us about these things.
1) The burnt offerings gave prayers and praise to God the Father.
2) The meat-offering was a pleasing aroma to God the Father as are our prayers.
3) The peace offering demonstrated fellowship through sharing a meal.
Salvation is all about our renewed fellowship with our Heavenly Father and with each other. Every child of God will one sit at the table with Jesus Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
4) The sin offering was all about the atonement for our sins. The Lord Jesus atoned for all our sin on Mount Calvary!
5) The trespass-offering was about providing compensation for our trespasses against our Holy God.
We have nothing of value to offer God for our sin. He sent His Son to do this for us!
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
6) All animals were required to be without blemish as was our Savior.
2Co_5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Why? God never enjoyed the slaughter of animals!
Heb 10:6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
God does not take any pleasure in the slaughter of animals!
We must understand that our Holy God required a blood sacrifice, but it was never about those animals.
It was always about the Messiah!
This place called earth was created for humanity. In fact this entire universe was created for humans to show us the glory of Jehovah God.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 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 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
You see, there must be a forgiveness of our sin though we are not worthy of forgiveness!
There must then be a reconciliation to God, for our trespasses which we do not deserve!
Finally, we begin to see a picture of God's Grace.
So let us begin:
*****Lev 16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
Lev 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not "at all times" into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
We must understand that no one can approach our Holy God but according to His rules!
Someday into the future, God will show His wrath to this world, but He has provided a way to avoid seeing His wrath.
All people and even some angels will face the "Judgment" of God!
This is why we need to be reconciled to our Holy God before our death comes, and none of us have any idea when that day will be!
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
You see, it is only Jesus Christ who fulfilled God's holy requirement!
Sin has separated us from God, and it began with Adam and Eve!
Yes, we all have a sin nature! Even that newborn babe!
We learned from the Book of Romans that our Holy God forbids us to continue in sin and He provided the only means of reconciliation and this by His Son, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Many are still looking for a messiah, but there could be no one else who could fulfill God's own requirements as was the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, it was the Lord Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of all Scripture!
John said Jesus was the Word of God in the flesh!
We see, in a very harsh manner, Aaron had seen that there is a wrong way to approach God and we should all be aware.
Aaron's two sons tried to approach God through self-righteousness, but we have no righteousness of our own and God killed them instantly.
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
There is only one way to become righteous in the eyes of God and it is by the "Grace" of God!
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 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, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
There was only one time each year that the High Priest (Aaron) could enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was located, but these two sons of Aaron felt they could enter the Holy of Holies at any time, and it cost them their lives.
We must be able to see that Aaron the High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.
The Lord Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the day of Atonement, and it is by His death that our sins are forgiven.
This is such an important day that God would never allow it to be abused by those who did not take it seriously!
There is a right way to approach God and there is a wrong way, but we have no righteousness of our own! No one did until the Messiah came!
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
*****Lev 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Lev 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
In the Old Testament there was a specific preparation to be observed by the High Priest.
Today, the Holy Spirit prepares every Pastor and every child of God, in the study of the Word of God and Prayer after our salvation.
We also know that the High Priest of the Old Testament were to be a symbol, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We know that when it came time the Lord Jesus Christ did not back away from His role as High Priest to the Church.
In this passage we see these sacrifices pertain only to the High Priests of the nation of Israel.
1) He had to be prepared to offer the right sacrifices! Any deviation could cost him his life!
A young bull for the Sin Offering.
A ram for a Burnt Offering.
We know the Lord Jesus had no sin and did not have to make a sacrifice for Himself.
It was the Day of Atonement that our Lord Jesus was sacrificed upon that cruel cross!
2) He had to wash himself and he had to wear the right clothing. Note washing never sanctified anyone. It was only a picture of the regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
He had to remove the beautiful clothing of the High Priest and put on a special clothing, and it is the High Priest where we first see britches in the Bible and there was a specific reason for this.
This white linen clothing represents the righteousness of our Savior!
All the Jews wore robes!
The Hight Priest was never to have the appearance of sin and when the High Priest climbed the stairs to the Altar of Sacrifice then we see a robe could reveal a little too much and nakedness was considered a very great sin since the time of Adam and Eve's sin and their sin was covered by the sacrifice of a lamb.
Today, God tells each of us to never have even the appearance of doing evil.
This clothing of the High Priest was made of linen and symbolized righteousness.
To stand by God each priest had to project sinless righteousness!
Linen was made from the flax plant, but it can also be made from hemp.
Maybe, this is the true reason God gave us the hemp plant and not for the drug effect.
3) He had to prepare the right sacrifices for the people!
He had to get two male goats for the Sin Offering and a ram for the Burnt Offering.
One goat to be sacrificed.
The other goat would be taken deep into the wilderness to be set free.
This is a picture of our sin being removed from us forever.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
4) Aaron had to be prepared to offer sacrifices for himself and his household.
He had to offer a bull for his own Sin Offering.
Note: Christ our High Priest had no sin and did not have to make an offering for Himself.
Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Heb 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
5) Aaron had to always be prepared to offer the right sacrifice for the people. The casting of the lot insured that man did not choose so the results would have to be the choice of Jehovah.
Pro 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
The lot was always resorted to by the Jewish Priest with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a method of ascertaining the divine will, and in serious cases, of doubt.
Hence it was also the method used to determine chances or preferences, or to decide a debate.
The decision by lot was often resorted to among the Jews, but always with the strictest reference to the interposition of God.
The High Priests had to always be ready to present that chosen scapegoat to the Lord!
The High Priest was to be a symbol or a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Two goats were used in the Sin Offering because no single picture can fully demonstrate what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us!
**The goat that was sacrificed symbolized the sacrifice of Christ, the ransom price He paid to set us free from sin.
**The goat that was set free was sent alive bearing the sins of the people, symbolized the removal and the taking away of sin, no more visible to our Holy God.
We know the Lord Jesus took all our sin to Hell the place designed for sin and the father of all sin the Devil.
This is a picture of what our Savior has done for us!
He paid our Sin Debt that we could not pay and has made us free from sin forever!
We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ was our Substitute!
Jesus Christ died for my sins, so I do not have to die for them myself!
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
This was the only way we can obtain the "Righteousness" that is required to stand before God the Father.
He bore all our sins, all the sins of everyone who has ever lived in this entire world!
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
The doctrine of "Substitution" is important in that through the Lord Jesus Christ's death, the righteous demands of our Heavenly Father have been met!
This was a legal transaction, which means, it was God's own requirement to deal with the sin problem of all humanity in this wicked world.
It is by this action of our Savior, that we have been redeemed and are now the servants of God!
1Co 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
1Co 7:24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
Since we are bought by the blood of Jesus, then we are truly His slaves!
Slaves to the world is a terrible thing, but being a slave to our Savior is a wonderful thing!
We have been removed from the curse of this world!
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
What was the blessing of Abraham?
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We are bought by the blood of the sacrifice of our Savior and now have hope!
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1Th_1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
We have become a special possession of our Savior!
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
This is why the true Christian is so noticeable to this world and why the world hates us so much!
We that believe have been reconciled to God!
The barrier that was once between us and our God, has been removed!
Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
These are all things we can learn from the Book of Leviticus and the books of the Old Testament.
It was humanity that moved away from God, and it is still happening!
It is humanity that needs to be reconciled to God to renew our fellowship with our Holy God and then God will heal our lands.
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
As Christians we are the people of God.
The one thing God expected from the Jews and now expects from the Church is for us to represent Him accurately to the world.
We cannot do this if we refuse the study of the Word of God including the study of the Old Testament!
Amen
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