Tag Archives: atonement

TABERNACLE STUDIES: The Altar of Incense

The details about the altar of incense are given to us in the words of the Bible, the Christian Scriptures, as found in the Book of Exodus chapter 30, verses 1 to 10:

30:1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. 30:2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. 30:3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 30:4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. 30:5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 30:6 And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 30:7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 30:8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 30:9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 30:10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord.

The position of the altar of incense It is very clear from the above passage that the altar of incense was placed before the vail, and in line with the ark, for verse 6 says it was:

(a) “before the vail”, so was in the Holy Place.

(b) “by the ark”, so the altar and the ark were in line, with the vail between.

(d) “where I will meet with thee”, so the reason the mercy seat was specifically mentioned was because God promised to meet with Moses from between the cherubim on the ark, Exodus 25:22. This means that the brazen altar, the laver, the altar of incense and the ark were all in the direct line of approach to God.

We have noticed that the brazen altar was “before the door”, not “before the gate”, looking back; now we learn that the incense altar was “before the vail”, not “before the door” looking back. So by the very position of these vessels there is encouragement to draw near to God. Of course, this drawing near was limited. Moses, indeed, could commune with God before the ark, but for the rest of Israel there was a restriction. The high priest could only enter in to the Holiest of All on one day in the year; the sons of the high priest could only venture into the Holy Place; the ordinary Israelite could only enter through the gate into the court, and stand by the altar. How different is it for the Christian, for he has a “better hope”, by which he can “draw nigh to God”, Hebrews 7:19. So when we hear the exhortation to “draw near”, Hebrews 10:19, let us respond to it.

As the Levitical priest entered the Holy Place through the door, he passed pillars which stood on sockets of brass. It was as if they were a last warning to him as he entered. These brass sockets ask him, as he is about the tread the courts of the Lord, and as he is about to handle Divine things, “Have you washed your hands and feet at the brazen laver?”. They also ask, “Have you fire from the brazen altar, if you intend to burn incense?”

The only other brass in the tabernacle itself was the taches of brass joining the goats’ hair curtains together. As we have seen, the eleventh of these curtains hung over the front of the tabernacle. So the taches of the eleventh curtain were positioned at the top of the pillars of the door. So not only does the priest look down, and is cautioned about feet-washing, but he also looks up, and is assured of atonement made, for that is the significance of the goats’ hair curtains. So he has taken responsibility for his own cleansing from ceremonial defilement, and God has taken care of the defilement of his sins. He can draw near with assurance.

The court area was a rectangle measuring 100 x 50 cubits, making two squares one in front of the other. Based on the analogy of the layout of the temple in Jerusalem, the brazen altar would be in the centre of the first 50-cubit square, and the ark would be in the centre of the second 50-cubit square. But the ground area of the tabernacle itself was 30 x 10 cubits, being an area of 20 x 10 for the Holy Place plus an area of 10 x 10 for the Holy of Holies. This means that the incense altar was probably in the centre of the inside of tabernacle building. These three vessels, therefore, are central, and represent the work of Christ in the past, on earth, (brazen altar); the work of Christ in the present, in heaven, (incense altar), and the Person of Christ who is the centre of God’s purpose at all times, (the ark).

The purpose of the altar of incense The purpose of the altar was to enable incense to be burnt, so that the tabernacle could be fragrant with its perfume. Incense is a symbol of prayer, as we see from David’s words, “Let my prayer be set forth unto thee as incense”, Psalm 141:2. We may couple this with the words of Luke in his gospel, “The whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense”, Luke 1:10. Note that David can only say “as incense”, for he cannot actually stand at altar to offer literal incense. Nor can the multitude of Luke chapter 1 stand there, but have to be represented by another, for only a Levitical priest can offer at this altar. So we learn that the altar of incense is the means whereby the symbol of prayer can be offered to God. Christ is typified by this vessel, and the incense represents His current intercessory ministry in heaven. We shall look later at some references to this in the New Testament.

The pattern of the altar of incense The altar was made of shittim wood. We have seen already that this represents Christ’s sinless perfection. The particular relevance in this connection being that there is nothing in Christ to disturb or interrupt His prayer. He does not need to confess His sins before praying, nor do any wrong thoughts enter His mind as He intercedes. Scripture speaks of “the iniquity of the holy things”, Exodus 28:38, for even as they ministered to God the priests might entertain wrong thoughts. There is no such possibility with Christ. The psalmist said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”, Psalm 66:18. We may compare with this the words of the Lord Jesus, “I knew that Thou hearest Me always”, John 11:42. He was, and is, always heard because He is always free of iniquity.

The other material of the altar was pure gold, representing the Deity of Christ in all its fullness. The gold is expressly said to be pure gold, for He has been through the heat of His temptations down here, and no dross was found. He Himself could say, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me”, John 14:30. How Satan would have loved to find some fault or flaw in Christ; some defect, however small, which would give him the opportunity to undermine and overthrow Him. But there was none. Christ’s life-sufferings and temptations fit Him to minister to our needs now. We read, “For in that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted”, Hebrews 2:18. It is as a Son with His Father that He intercedes, John 17:1,9,20, so both His Deity and His manhood render Him fit to intercede for us.

The horns of the altar The incense altar had four horns, and these were “of the same”, verse 2. We saw that the horns of the brazen altar, symbolising power, remind us that the gospel, (based as it is on the sacrificial work of Christ), is “the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth”, Romans 1:16. The four horns of the golden altar also represent Christ’s power, but this time to save by His intercession. “He is able to succour them that are tempted”, Hebrews 2:18. “Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them”, Hebrews 7:25. The word ‘able’ has the idea of ‘has power’. Since the horns are of the same wood as the rest of the altar, we are assured that the effectiveness of Christ’s intercession is firmly footed in the fact that he is the sinless Son of God.

The rings and the staves of the altar Like the rings and staves of the other vessels that had them, these remind us of the way in which, during His pilgrimage down here, (the staff is a symbol of the pilgrim, Exodus 12:11; 1 Peter 1:13), the Lord Jesus was acting in total accord with the eternal purpose of God. The staves were made of wood and gold, but the rings were only of gold, and so relate to matters before the incarnation. The world around presented many challenges to the Lord Jesus. How will He deal with these challenges? The answer is that He will do so with entire reliance upon His Father, whose will He had come to obey. The world would seek to make Him swerve from the pathway of total devotion, but He would utterly refuse to be moved. We think of the way Satan sought to use the world to deflect Him. The pangs of hunger; the desire to be preserved; the desire for recognition; these are common in the world, and the devil tried to use them to cause Christ to sin. But He utterly refused the allurements offered to Him. By what power does He do so? By the power of prayer, for when He had come up out of Jordan He had done so praying, and then had immediately been led into the wilderness to be tempted, Luke 3:21; Mark 1:12. He defeated the enemy by fervent and dependent prayer. No wonder He said to His own, “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”, Matthew 26:41. To enter into temptation means to go along with it. It was because He was marked by prayer that the will of the Lord Jesus was determined to please His Father in all things.

In Luke 5:16 we find the second reference to Christ praying. In verse 15 we learn that there went a fame abroad of Him: and great multitudes came together to hear Him and be healed. His response? He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed. The tense of the verb withdrew is the one that tells us that this was His habit, not something occasional. So whilst Luke tells us of seven specific incidents of the Lord praying, he does not mean us to think He only prayed seven times. Surrounded by the crowds of admirers, Christ humbly withdrew, lest they should gain the impression that He was in any way interested in popularity. After all, He would be crucified by popular vote.

The scene changes in chapter 6:12, for the scribes and Pharisees were filled with madness over His healing of the man with the withered hand. His response was to retire to the mountain to pray, and continued in this prayer all night. This was a double response, for He knew that the animosity they expressed would eventually result in His crucifixion. No doubt His praying took account of that, and would express His continued determination to do His Father’s will, even though that would involve the cross. But there was another matter in hand. He was going to appoint the twelve apostles the next day, and this would need to be done in obedience and submission to His Father, too. He would deliberately choose Judas, who would betray Him, and only one completely dedicated to His Father’s will would do such a thing. Perhaps there is also the thought that He is preparing for the continuation of the testimony through the apostles after He has returned to heaven, and thus His prayers would be an expression of confidence in the will of His Father in that respect.

The fourth record Luke gives of His praying is in Luke 9:18, where the Lord is alone, praying, yet His disciples were with Him. Does this mean that when He was praying He was totally oblivious of that which was going on around Him? He is about to ask them to give their personal testimony as to who He is, and no doubt He is praying that they may testify aright.

The fifth occasion is on the mount of transfiguration, and only Luke tells us that as He was transfigured before them, He was praying. The scene gives a preview of the coming kingdom, and tells us that when Christ reigns upon the earth, He shall do so mediatorially, in dependence upon His Father still. This will be in direct contrast to the rulers of men, who rely on their own resources in self-will.

It is no surprise to find that having companied with the Saviour for so many months, the disciples should come to Him as He prayed, and request that He teach them to pray, Luke 11:1. No matter how well they prayed, however, they would never surpass Christ in His utter devotion and dependence upon His God.

The seventh scene is one of great pathos, for in Gethsemane the Saviour is upon the ground, prostrate before His God and Father. Gethsemane means the place of olive presses, and the truly spiritual man, the “green olive tree in the house of God”, Psalm 52:8, is being pressed and crushed. Yet, nonetheless, He desires only that the will of God be done, even though He knows what that will is.

So in all these contrasting circumstances, baptism in the Jordan or transfiguration on the mount; popularity or unpopularity, He indicates His utter dependence upon His Father by His praying. We are assured by this thatHe has been through every trial, and has taken that knowledge to heaven with Him, so that He may intercede meaningfully for His own.

We gain further insight into His intercessory work by a consideration of five Scriptures.

(i) Intercession to prevent failure

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And He said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me”, Luke 22:31-34.

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon- the Lord Jesus addresses Peter by his old name, and does so twice over, to arrest his attention. Simon was the name given to him at his birth. The Lord had renamed him Cephas, meaning a stone, John 1:42. This is the equivalent of the name Peter. So by calling him by his birth-name, the Lord is highlighting his vulnerability, for he still has the old self within, with all its weakness. In this he is like all believers. Behold, Satan hath desired to have you- note the difference between “you”, (plural), in this verse, meaning all the disciples, and “thee” (singular), in the next verse, meaning Peter. Modern translations, because they reject the use of the word “thou”, miss this distinction, and so are not so precise. We should value the distinction that is preserved in these two words, and not be led astray by modern thinking. By declaring “Satan hath desired to have you”, the Lord shows that He knew what Satan was demanding in heaven, as he accused before God. See Job 1:6;2:1; Revelation 12:10. He was seeking the downfall of all the disciples. He had almost fully succeeded with Judas, but now he is claiming the other eleven. Peter is always at the beginning of the lists of the disciples, and in fact in Matthew 10:2 is called “the first”. This does not make him “prince of the apostles” as some speak, but it does emphasise that he took a prominent place amongst them. It is easy to see from the gospel records that he was energetic, alert, ready to speak for the others, and of great zeal. These fit him to lead, and as such, make him a target for the enemy. Peter himself later warned believers that they should “Be sober, vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”, 1 Peter 5:8.

That he may sift you as wheat- just as Satan sought to undermine the faith of Job by bringing great trials upon him, so now, Satan wants to sift Peter and the other disciples as wheat. Even in this there is an admission of failure on the part of Satan. He knows that the disciples are wheat, not chaff. Chaff is without substance, and is used as a figure of the wicked, who are blown away in judgement, Psalm 1:4. The disciples are otherwise as to the matter of faith, but they are still in danger. When the corn is ripe it is cut down, and the sheaves are brought to the threshing-floor, a flat area where they are laid out for treading. Oxen will be driven round, pulling a large log, in which are embedded flints or pieces of metal, and this serves, together with the action of the animal’s hooves, to separate the grain from the chaff. When this has been done, the winnowing takes place. The threshing-floor would be on a hill-top where the evening breezes blow, and the husbandman would throw the grain and chaff mixture into the air with his winnowing fan, and the chaff, caught by the wind, would blow away, and the grain would fall to the ground on the threshing-floor. It would be gathered up, and taken to the garner, or barn. The problem was that pieces of stone might get mixed in with the corn when it was gathered up from the floor, and when the time to mill the grain came, this would spoil the millstones. So it was then sifted, so that the pieces of flint would remain on the sieve to be discarded, and the grain could be put straight into sacks to be taken to the barn for storage. Satan knows that Peter is not chaff, unlike Judas. But he also knows that he has a nature that makes him liable to fail. Satan is demanding the opportunity to expose the “pieces of stone” in the disciples’ character, and to highlight them rather than their faith. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not- the events of the next few hours will shatter Peter, the “stone”. But the prayer of the Lord Jesus beforehand, (for He would be in the tomb when Peter was at his lowest spiritually), so that his faith, although sorely tried, would be sustained. Peter is singled out as leader, for the resurrection accounts will show that not until Peter is convinced that Christ is risen will the other disciples believe. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren- even though he would deny the Lord three times, his faith in Him would remain intact, albeit feeble. The resurrection of Christ would convert him from being shattered to being strong, and he will be in a good position to strengthen his fellow-believers, so that their faith may be strong too.

So we are assured that the present ministry of Christ is concerned about the strengthening of our faith in the midst of trials. How good it is to know that He prays for us before the trial, and without us asking Him to.

(ii) Intercession to promote unity

“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee…neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me'”, John 17:1, 20-23.

Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee- note it is the Son speaking with His Father, reminding us of the gold of the incense altar. He will refer in verse 4 to the earth, reminding us of how the shittim wood speaks of His life down here. Neither pray I for these alone- up to this point He has concentrated on the apostles. But for them also which shall believe on Me through their word- the word is given to them, and they so make it their own, and are so empowered by it, that it becomes their word. “They that gladly received his (Peter’s) word, were baptized”, Acts 2:41.

That they all may be one- unity is vital if the world is going to believe. This unity is now defined for us. Because it is modelled on the oneness of the Persons of the Godhead, this unity is not organisational nor ecumenical. As Thou, Father, art in Me- the Father is perfectly expressed in the Son, for He could say, “he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father”, 14:9. To know the Son is to know the Father, 14:7. This shows the oneness of the Father and the Son. And I in Thee- He is in Him in the sense that there is no point at which they diverge, whether it be in nature, character, will, or action. That they also may be one in us- this does not mean, of course, that believers are one with Divine persons, but they are one with one another because of their relationship with Divine persons, who are themselves one in essence and aim. Eternal life is the life of God, and the believer has that eternal life in common with all other believers, and that forms a bond of unity. We are to abide in the Father and the Son, 1 John 2:24. That the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me- this is not guaranteed, but the potential is there. It is “may”, not “shall”. But on the other hand, the Lord does not exclude any as being beyond belief. When the people of the world see Divine life worked out in the lives of God’s people, then they will see the same thing in principle as when Christ was here. “And many believed on Him”. Someone has said, “The world does not believe because it does not believe we believe the things we say we believe”.

And the glory which thou gavest Me- He is conscious that His request for glory in verse 5 will be answered, and He prays now on the basis that it is. He sought the glory of recognition of His person, that He was equal with the Father even though a man upon the earth. I have given them- believers are to be associated with Divine persons, but only mediately through Him. Still it is His glory that they receive. That they may be one, even as we are one- the way this will happen is told us in the next verse. Divine persons have the same will as One Another; believers when conformed to the image of God’s Son will never deviate from the will of God.

I in them- when the Spirit indwells at Pentecost and after. See 14:20, 23. And Thou in Me- the Spirit indwells us, the Son is in us by that Spirit, and the Father is in the Son, working out His purpose through Him. So all three persons of Godhead are active in us, and this is the ground of unity. That they may be made perfect in one- if Divine Persons form the unity, then it must be perfect. And that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me- the disciples had said, “we believe that Thou camest forth from God”, 16:30. As they went forth and preached that, and its implications, then some would believe. And hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me- the Father’s love is towards them of the same sort as His love for His Son. This does not mean that it is to the same degree, for that would devalue the Father’s love for the Son. (The word meaning “precisely as” is not used here). As the world sees the believers living in the good of the love of their Father, they will realise that their faith is real. “By this shall all men know ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another”, John 13:35. Disciples are learners, so as those who are learning of Him, we are to live out what we learn.

So this is the character of the prayer of the Lord Jesus before He went to the cross, but it is prayed in view of His ascension, for He projects His mind to when He will be back with the Father. In verse 11 he says, “Now I am no longer in the world”; in verse 12, “while I was with them in the world”; verse 13, “Now come I to Thee”; in verse 24, “be with Me where I am”. So we may deduce that the sort of things He prayed for then, He is praying for still, so that the goal is reached of fully knowing the Father and the Son, a thing which possession of eternal life, and the Holy Spirit, enables us to do.

(iii) Intercession to provide confidence

“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us”. Romans 8:34.

Who is he that condemneth?- There is a fourfold protection for the believer from the attempts of the enemy to condemn. It is Christ that died- and by His death dealt with our sins once and for all. He has dealt judicially with what caused us to be condemned. Yea rather, that is risen again- and His rising is proof of the effectiveness of His death, as 4:25 has said, for He rose again because of the effectiveness of His death in the matter of justification. He brings His people into the sphere where there is no condemnation. Who is even at the right hand of God- the place of control and authority for the Firstborn Son, charged with the care and protection of His own. See Genesis 48:8-20. He has the position of supremacy over all the forces of evil. Who also maketh intercession for us- He supports His people as those who are His chosen ones, and who are destined to be conformed to His own image. He will not let the enemy interfere with their security. Note the words “yea rather…who is even…who also…” all expressing a sense of wonder at the strength of the support Christ gives to those who are attacked by the enemy. He died and rose again on earth, where the sins were committed. He is at the right hand of God and intercedes in heaven, the very place where the Devil accuses the brethren day and night.

(iv) Intercession to preserve constancy

“But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” Hebrews 7:24-26.

But this man- a solitary, unique man, in contrast to the many Levitical priests. We are going to be told reasons why God does not regret installing Christ as high priest by an oath. Because He continueth ever- for death no longer has dominion over Him, and His life is endless literally, as Melchisedec’s was typically. Compare also “abideth a priest continually”, verse 3. He has an indissoluble life, as is shown by the fact that He laid down His life by His own power, John 10:18, 19:30, and compare Ecclesiastes 8:8, and has emerged from physical death into glorious resurrection, to die no more, Romans 6:9. Hath an unchangeable priesthood- He will never hand over to a successor, nor will His priesthood revert to being Levitical. He who knows us through and through will never be replaced with a novice. It is not that the order does not change, for that is already proved in verses 11-14, but that the priest does not change. Note the contrast between creation which shall be changed, and Christ who is the Same, 1:11,12.

Wherefore- because of the features detailed in verses 11-24. He is able to save them to the uttermost- He is not only surety for the blessings, verse 22, but Saviour for the blemishes. The word uttermost literally means outermost. Those in extreme circumstances are not too far gone for Him to save them from their trouble. Peter might have thought that by denying his Lord he had gone beyond the limit of recovery. Yet the Lord had assured him beforehand that He had prayed for him, Luke 22:31,32, and that he would be converted, or turned round, from his denial, and be enabled to strengthen his brethren so that they do not deny as he had. That come unto God by Him- as we approach to God, verse 19, we do so as those who have failed in some way. But Christ is fully able to “bear the iniquity of the holy things”, Exodus 28:38; i.e. the iniquity which otherwise would make holy things unholy. As Aaron had a golden plate with “Holiness to the Lord” inscribed on it, so Christ has the holiness of His Father in mind all the time, as John 17:11 shows. We approach God with assurance, not only because of the blood of Jesus, but also because we have a great priest over the house of God, 10:19-22. We also come unto God and His throne to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, 4:16. Perhaps if Lot had come to Melchisedec, as Abraham did, things would have been different for him. Seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them- He is always living with a view to interceding for His own. The Lord specified that there was to be perpetual incense before Him, so that there constantly arose a sweet perfume in His presence, Exodus 30:8. Aaron was chosen to assist Moses because he could speak well, Exodus 4:14. But he spoke wrongly at Sinai, Exodus 32:5; held his peace about Nadab and Abihu, and made excuses for his failure, Leviticus 10:3, 19; and in Numbers 12:2 spoke against Moses. The Christian’s High Priest has no such shortcomings.. He is the author of eternal salvation, 5:9, for the safety which we shall know in eternity, is ours now.

For such an high priest became us- as described in previous verses. Our high priest is becoming to us, eminently suited to our need. He has no fault or sin to hinder Him in His ministry for us. Who is holy- this is not the usual word for holy, which is hagios; this is hosios, which is a combination of mercy, kindness and holiness. (See its use in Acts 13:34, 35, where it is translated “sure mercies”, and “Holy One”). This sort of holiness has been defined as “Devotion to God which produces the exercise of true lovingkindness to man, and which acts against evil”- Grimme. In the Old Testament, the equivalent word, (chasid), is rendered as kindness, mercy, pity, favour, goodness, loving-kindness. It is often united with righteousness, faithfulness, truth, and compassion. This combination was seen in the life and ministry of Christ; it was not the priest and Levite of Aaron’s line who had compassion on the man fallen among thieves, Luke 10:33. He has taken His pure character to heaven, for it is “who is”, not “who was”. He is “Jesus Christ the Same, yesterday, and today, and for ever”, Hebrews 13:8, so what He was on earth, (yesterday), He is now, (today), and shall always be, (for ever). Aaron needed to be clothed with garments of glory and beauty to make him officially what he was not personally. The Lord Jesus needs no such special clothing, for He is glorious and beautiful morally. Harmless- guileless, without an evil thought. A marked contrast to the priests as they clamoured for Christ’s death. Or Nadab and Abihu, who approached God with strange fire. Or Eli, powerless to restrain his evil sons Hophni and Phinehas as they acted immorally, and allowed the ark to be taken by the enemy. See also Jacob’s prophecy concerning Levi, Genesis 49:5-7, where he said that “instruments of cruelty are in their habitations”. Christ’s thoughts towards us as He intercedes are only good. He will never be like Elijah, who interceded against the people of God, Romans 11:2. Undefiled- free from contamination. Not simply ceremonially clean, but actually. See Leviticus 22:1-3, where the priests were warned that defilement would mean banishment from the Lord’s presence. The Lord Jesus did not need to be washed, as Aaron did when he was consecrated, Exodus 29:4. Separate from sinners- the verb is passive, separated by another. Aaron was sanctified by a ceremony, but Christ is sanctified by His ascension to God’s right hand. Christ is morally and officially separate from Aaron’s sinful line. It is said of Aaron that he was “separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name for ever”, 1 Chronicles 23:13. He failed, however, and these ministries are carried out in a better and fuller way by Christ, who has been separated from the failed line of Aaron by being saluted by God as High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, 5:10. The name “Levi” means joined, but Christ is separated. And made higher than the heavens- He has passed through the heavens, and is seated at the right hand of God, the place of power and influence. He is minister of the heavenly sanctuary, 8:1,2. Aaron had to wait at the door of the tabernacle for seven days before he could begin to officiate. And then he could only enter into an earthly tabernacle, whereas Christ has entered into the “true tabernacle”, heaven itself, 8:2; 9:24. And it is there that He ministers to His own in constant intercession.

(v) Intercession to protect from accusation

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world”, 1 John 1:1,2.

These things write I unto you- the things of chapter one, on the theme of “life”, as found in, and manifested by, Christ, who is life personified, John 14:6. That ye sin not- this is the ideal standard that we are set, because our example is Christ in His sinless perfection. John has seen the glory of that perfection, for he had been with Christ “from the beginning”, and never did he see Christ sin. The law was given to frighten Israel into not sinning. As Exodus 20:20 says, “God is come down to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not”. With us it is different, for God has come down to us in His Son, that His grace might be known, and we see that grace in the face of Jesus Christ, as well as His glory, 2 Corinthians 4:6. Nonetheless, God still proves His people, but not to condemn and cause them fear, but that they might be encouraged to live like His Son. The more we know of Him, the more detestable sin will seem to us. And if any man sin- so John writes for two reasons, the first, in chapter one, that we sin not, and second, in this verse, (hence the “and”), if we do sin, that we might know what God’s provision for us is. Note it is not “when any man sin”, as if John is expecting it to happen, but “if any man sin”, as if, (as should be the case), it will be an exceptional event. We have an advocate with the Father- just as John included himself in the tests of chapter one, so he includes himself here in the possibility of sinning. There is only one who never sinned; all others, even apostles, have the capacity and will to do so, hence the need for Divine provision. That provision is two-fold, and the first is here, the advocacy of the Lord Jesus. An advocate is one who speaks up for another, having the ability and authority to do so. The word used is translated Comforter in the upper room ministry, where the idea is of one called alongside to help. Here the idea is of a legal advocate, for when believers sin Satan lives up to two of his names, (Satan meaning “adversary”, and Devil meaning “accuser”), and accuses them in the presence of God; see Job 1:6-11, 2:1-5; Revelation 12:10. Note that we have this advocate, we do not have to engage Him each time we sin; He is constantly involved in a ministry of intercession for His own, as Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 assure us. The fact that the advocate is with the Father indicates that the relationship of children with the Father is in view. If we had an advocate with God it would mean that we were looked on as sinners. But the reality is that our advocate speaks for us on the basis that we are children of God, despite the fact that we have sinned. Jesus Christ the righteous- the emphasis is not so much on the fact that He is the Son of the Father, although that is true, but rather that He, Jesus, the sinless man, and Christ, the approved man, is righteous in all His dealings. He does not try to disguise the fact that we have sinned, nor make excuse for sin. He does not need to do these things even if He were capable of them, (which He is not), for He has the perfect answer when the Devil accuses us before God. This perfect answer is found in the propitiation of which the apostle speaks in the next verse. The altar of incense was sprinkled with atoning blood on the Day of Atonement, Exodus 30:10, thus linking that which speaks of Christ’s intercession with that which speaks of His death. The two are connected, and the intercession is not only on the basis of the experiences of Christ in His life, but His work of propitiation in His death. The believer is constantly and righteously upheld and protected in the presence of God. The one whose love was tested to the limit at Calvary, is the one who, in love, preserves His people still.

LEVITICUS 16 The Day of Atonement

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SURVEY OF THE CHAPTER

Leviticus 16 gives the account of what was done on the Day of Atonement, the sixth of the seven feasts of Jehovah, as listed in Leviticus 23. As we shall see when thinking of verse 24, not everything that happened that day is mentioned in this chapter. Various sacrifices were offered on the altar of burnt offering beforehand. The emphasis in this chapter is the ceremonies that obtained cleansing from sin. So notable and crucial was this day that the Jews called it “The Day”, for everything depended on the outcome of the rituals that day.

Not only was it a notable day, but it was a national day, as we see from the singular form of the word “people” in verse 15. God dwelt among the nation, and they must be nationally fitted for His presence. The only way the benefits of the day were not received by an individual in Israel was by him opting out of those benefits by refusing to afflict his soul, and by carrying on working. In other words, refusing to repent and act in obedient faith. With men now it is different, for the propitiatory work of Christ is for the whole world, even the whole world that lieth in the wicked one, 1 John 2:2, 5:19. Now, men have to opt in, for the work of Christ was not national, but universal. There is provision for all.

The great object of the Day of Atonement was to make propitiation; which is why the mercy-seat was the focal point of the ceremony. When the writer to the Hebrews refers to that mercy-seat, he uses the word which means place of propitiation. For the mercy-seat was not a seat to sit on, but the word seat is used in the same sense as when we speak of London as “the seat of government”; or Windsor Castle as “the seat of the House of Windsor”. The idea is of a settled place. So on the ark of the testimony there was a settled place for mercy to be shown, which mercy was obtained by the blood of propitiation being sprinkled on it once every year.

At this point we need to define the word propitiation. It may be understood like this: “Propitiation is that aspect of the work of Christ at Calvary by which He gave to God the full and final satisfaction with regard to every claim God had against sin, enabling mercy to be shown to the repentant sinner on a just basis”.

WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR PROPITIATION?

1. Because sins offend God.

As God is the Absolute Standard of righteousness and holiness, all deviations from this standard are highly offensive to Him. Such is the intensity of His holiness that the simple mention of it is enough to make the posts of the doors of the temple in heaven move, Isaiah 6:3,4. His reaction to sin and iniquity is to turn from it, for He is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and who cannot look upon iniquity, Habakkuk 1:13. The very presence of sin in the universe is a grief to God.

2. Because as Moral Governor of the universe, He must be seen to deal with sins.

God has enemies, both devilish and human, and He must be clear of any charge which they may level against Him that suggests He has ignored sins, or at least, ignored some sins. Eternity must not be allowed to run its course without this matter being settled. God deals with some sins instantly, but the majority seem to have gone unpunished. Sentence against an evil work has not been executed speedily, Ecclesiastes 8:11, since God is longsuffering, and waits to be gracious. This situation might give rise to the charge of indifference to sins, and so God must act to defend His honour.

3. Because God must have a just basis for continuing to have dealings with sinful men.

One of the main purposes of the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement in Israel was that God might continue to dwell amongst them despite their uncleanness, Leviticus 16:16. So also when Christ was down here. It was only because God was not imputing trespasses so as to instantly judge them, but rather was working to reconcile unto Himself, that He was prepared to have dealings with men in the person of His Son. See 2 Corinthians 5:19.

4. Because if men are to be shown mercy, have their sins forgiven, and be reconciled to God, there must be a solid basis upon which these things can happen.

God declares Himself to be a Saviour God- He cannot be fully satisfied solely by judging men . The fact that “God is light” demands that this be done, but “God is love” too, and delights to manifest Himself in grace.

5. Because the cycle of sin must be broken.

In other words, if there is not to be an eternal succession of creations, falls, remedies for fall, and new creations, then there must be that established which is once for all, giving the complete answer to the question of sin. Unless this complete answer is given, the new heavens and new earth will not be safe from disturbance.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF PROPITIATION?

1. The demands of God are fully met.

To satisfy God as the Moral Governor of the universe, an adequate and final answer must be found to the question of sin. The demands of His holiness and righteousness are such that every sin must be responded to. Only Christ is adequate for this situation. He it is who has “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”, Hebrews 9:26. To put away in that verse means to abolish. As far as God is concerned, and in this context, sin is not. No charge can henceforth be made against God that He has ignored the presence of sin. On the contrary, He has taken account of each and every sin through His Son’s work at Calvary. John wrote, “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”, 1 John 2:2. Of course “the sins of” is in italics in that verse. But the words must be supplied because they are implied in the “ours” of the previous statement. If John had written “not for usonly”, then the translation could have continued “but also for the whole world”. Since, however, he uses the possessive pronoun “ours”, which shows he is writing about the sins people possess, then “the sins of” must be inserted. Now the apostle will write later that “we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness”, 1 John 5:19. He sees mankind divided into two clearly defined sections, believers, and the whole world.

John not only clearly distinguishes between believers and the world, but just as clearly states that Christ is the propitiatory offering for both classes. That Christ became the propitiation for the whole world does not mean that the whole world will be saved, since propitiation is only made good to a person when he believes. It does mean, however, that no charge may be levelled against God for not making provision for men. Gospel-blessing may be genuinely offered to all men, for there is abundant provision for all.

2. God’s dealings are vindicated.

In Old Testament times God blessed men by reckoning them righteous when they believed in Him. Romans 3:24,25 indicates that the propitiatory work of Christ vindicates God for so acting. In can be seen now that God was blessing anticipatively, crediting believers with the results of Christ’s work before they had been achieved. He also remitted, or passed over, their sins in forbearance, holding back from judging those sins in virtue of what His Son would do at Calvary.

3. God’s glory is fully displayed.

There is no attribute of God which has not been fully expressed at Calvary. This is why the apostle Paul speaks of rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement, Romans 5:11. Atonement in this verse means reconciliation, one of the effects of propitiation. By His sacrificial work at Calvary Christ has brought the character of God out into full and glorious display. Those who are brought by faith into the good of that work are enabled to behold that display, and rejoice in it. Would we know Divine holiness, or righteousness, or love, or wrath, or any other aspect of the Person of God? Then we must look to the cross for the sight of it. We shall not be disappointed.

4. God’s mercy is available.

The repentant sinner who called upon God to be merciful to him, is the first person in the New Testament to use the word propitious- “God be merciful to me on the basis of propitiation”. He went down to his house justified, Luke 18:13,14. Under the terms of the New Covenant, God promises that “I will be merciful (propitious) to their unrighteousness, Hebrews 8:12. The mercy-seat was the same width and breadth as the ark, telling us that the ark (the person of Christ) and the mercy-seat, (the work of Christ), were perfectly matched. But we are not told the thickness of the gold of the mercy-seat, for there is an infinite supply of mercy for those who believe, enough to keep them secure for all eternity.

5. God’s forgiveness is assured.

In Hebrews 10:5-8 we have the Spirit of Christ in the psalmist telling of His work of sacrifice. Then we have the Spirit’s testimony telling us of the results of that work, Hebrews 10:15-17. God promises emphatically that He will not remember the sins and iniquities of His people any more, since He brought those sins into remembrance at Calvary, and Christ dealt with them effectively there. “No more” means in no way, nor at any time. Note that God pledges to positively not remember, not negatively to forget. We may forget, and then remember again, whereas God promises never to remember for ever.

6. God’s people are preserved.

The Lord Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene after He was risen, and instructed her to tell the brethren that He was about to “ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God”, John 20:17. Thus He would still be the link between His people and God, maintaining them in His dual role of Advocate with the Father, and High Priest in things pertaining to God.

The basis of His advocacy is two-fold. His person, for He is Jesus Christ the righteous, and His work, for He is the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 2:1,2. The apostle John was concerned about believers sinning. The sins of believers are just as obnoxious to God, and just as deserving of wrath, as those of unbelievers. But we are “saved from wrath through Him”, Romans 5:9, as He pleads the merits of His work. He is, says John, the propitiatory offering for our sins. Not was, but is. In other words, the one who acts for us in heaven as our advocate, is the very same one who hung upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.

He is also our High priest. The language of Hebrews 2:17,18 is as follows, “Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted”. These verses form a bridge between chapter two, with its emphasis on the reasons why the Lord Jesus took manhood, and the way in which Israel were tempted in the wilderness. Note in particular the word “for” which begins verse 18. Too little attention has been paid to this word, and hence the connection between verses 17 and 18 is often lost. The reason why we have a high priest who is merciful and faithful is that He has been here in manhood and suffered being tempted. When His people pass through temptation, then He undertakes to deal with their cause. Because He has been here, and has been tempted in all points like as we are, He is able to help us when we cry to Him for help. The word for succour is used by the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15:25 when she cried out, “Lord, help me”. He is able to point us to the ways in which He overcame in the wilderness temptation, and thus we are strengthened to resist temptation.

But what if we fall, and sin? In that case He comes to our aid in another way. We see it typified negatively in Leviticus 10:16-20. The priests were commanded to eat the sin-offerings, if the blood thereof had not been brought into the sanctuary. But at the end of the consecration of the priesthood, Moses was angry on God’s behalf, for the priests had failed in this. Moses said, “God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord”, Leviticus 10:17. One of the functions of priesthood, then, was to personally identify with the sin-offering by eating it, and by so doing bear the iniquity of the congregation, taking responsibility for their failure, but doing so safeguarded by the fact that a sin-offering had been accepted by God. As they did this the scripture explicitly says they made atonement for the people, Leviticus 10:17. We see then what the writer to the Hebrews means when he talks of Christ making reconciliation or propitiation for the sins of the people. He is indicating that Christ personally identifies Himself with His sin-offering work at Calvary, and thus takes responsibility for the failures of His people under temptation. This is acceptable to God, and His people are preserved, despite their failure.

7. God’s purpose for the earth is furthered.

When Adam the head of the first creation fell, all creation had to be subjected to vanity, or else a fallen man would have been head over an unfallen creation. Now that He has obtained rights over the earth by His death, the Lord Jesus is able to bring in new conditions for God. He can now righteously deliver the present creation from the bondage of corruption into which the fall of man brought it, Romans 8:19-23. Colossians 1:20 assures us that on the basis of the blood of His cross, all things, whether in earth or in heaven, can be reconciled to God, for that alienation between God and His creation which took place at the Fall, can be remedied. Notice it is things, not people, that are spoken of in that verse as being reconciled.

8. God’s intention to create a new heavens and new earth can be realised.

Unless the sin which has marred the first creation is dealt with, God cannot righteously introduce an eternal earth and heavens, for it would not have been evident that He was able to deal with the fall of the first creation. Having dealt with it through Christ, He is able to bring in new things that will never be spoiled. Daniel was told that Messiah the Prince would bring in “everlasting righteousness”, Daniel 9:24, and this He will do, on the basis of His death. It only remains for God to announce “Behold, I make all things new”, Revelation 21:5, and a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”, shall be established, 2 Peter 3:13. At last there will be a settled and congenial place for righteous to dwell in, after all the turmoil brought in by Adam’s sin. At last those profound words spoken by John the Baptist will be fully brought to pass, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29.

STRUCTURE OF THE CHAPTER

Verses 1-2	The reason why entry to the Holiest of All was limited.
Verses 3-10	A summary of the events of the day.
Verses 11-14	The sprinkling of the blood of a sin offering for Aaron and his house.
Verses 15-17	The sprinkling of the blood of the sin offering for Israel.
Verses 18-19	The sprinkling of the blood on the altar of incense.
Verses 20-22	The sending away of the scapegoat with its burden of sins.
Verses 23-25	The burnt offerings and the fat of the sin offering.
Verse 26	The return of the fit man.
Verses 27-28	The burning of the sin offerings.
Verses 29-34	Instructions to the Israelites.

Before we think of the detail of the chapter, we ought to notice certain cautionary lessons to bear in mind about it.

1. The Lord Jesus was not a priest on earth. Hebrews 7:28 makes that very clear, for the word of the oath that constituted Christ as High Priest is expressly said to be “since the law”. This latter phrase means, not that the oath was since the law was given, but since the law-age came to an end. And since the law-age came to an end at Calvary, then the oath must be after this. In fact, Hebrews 5:6 and 10 uses Psalm 110, an ascension psalm, to show that that is when God saluted Christ as High Priest. So we shall be making a mistake if we try to see in Aaron’s activities on the Day of Atonement a prefiguring of Christ’s priestly activities.

2. The foregoing will prevent us making another mistake, namely seeing a chronological sequence in the fulfilment of the day of atonement ceremonies. We are shown in Hebrews 13:11,12 that just as a man took the carcases of the beasts used as sacrifices outside the camp and burnt them, so Christ went outside the camp, too. But He went outside the camp to go to the cross, whereas the carcases were burnt on the day of atonement at the end of the day, after the other parts of the ceremony had taken place.

3. We should bear in mind that what happened at the altar, at the mercy-seat, at the altar of incense, outside the camp, and out in the distant wilderness, all tell us things about what happened at Calvary.

4. We should also bear in mind that Aaron, the mercy-seat, the five offerings of the ceremony, the fit man, and the other man who burnt the carcases, all have something to contribute to an understanding of what the Lord Jesus did at the cross.

5. The Old Testament teaches mainly by way of contrast, so we need to be aware of that as we go through the passage.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS CHAPTER 16, VERSES 1 TO 10

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;

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 veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

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.

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.

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.

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.

16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

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.

Verses 1-2 The reason why entry to the Holiest of All was limited.

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;

And the Lord spake unto Moses- we immediately notice that the Mediator of the Law is in control of events, for it is the preservation of the covenant people that is in view in the chapter.

After the death of the two sons of Aaron- the consecration of the priesthood is detailed in 60 verses of Scripture, in Leviticus 8 and 9, yet by verse 2 of chapter 10 two of them are dead. We are reminded of the words of Hebrews 7:28, “the law maketh men high priests that have infirmity”.

When they offered before the Lord, and died- so this is not because they have died by natural causes. Fire has come out from the Lord and devoured them, 10:2, for they transgressed the first day they were in office, and offered strange fire before the Lord, “which He commanded them not”. How important it is to approach God with reverence and godly fear: for “our God is a consuming fire”, Hebrews 12:28,29. Not the fear of sinners afraid of God’s wrath, but saints, fearing to enter His presence in a light or faulty way.

Not only did Nadab and Abihu sin on that fateful day, but the other two sons of Aaron also failed in that they burnt the goat of the sin-offering, instead of eating it, Leviticus 10:16,17. The purpose of them eating it was “God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord”. So atonement was made when the priests ate the sin offering. This having broken down, the people are vulnerable, for the priests have shown that they cannot be relied on to bear the iniquity of the congregation. So it is that the day of atonement became an annual necessity.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother-this reminds us of the incident when Aaron and Moses embraced at Horeb, Exodus 4:27, illustrating the fact that the mediator of the law, Moses, and Aaron the High Priest, were united together in the service of God. No one person could combine the two offices except Christ. Note that Aaron is said to officiate as Moses’ brother, and as a priest, not as high priest, for not until the end of the day’s work will he put on his garments for glory and beauty, his high-priestly garb. He will be robed in simple and plain garments, for he is a sinner too.

That he come not at all times- ideally, the priesthood would have been allowed unlimited access to the presence of God. The sin of Nadab and Abihu showed that was not suitable. How different it is for the Christian priest, who has unlimited access to God.

Into the holy place within the veil- this was called the Holiest of All, or the Most Holy Place. The holy place without or outside the veil was simply called the Holy Place, see Exodus 26:33. There are no degrees of holiness in the heavenly sanctuary, for there is no dividing veil there. This holy place was where fire had come out to devour Nadab and Abihu, hence the need for care when seeking to enter. There is a plan of the tabernacle at the end of these notes.

Before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark- the veil is said to be before the mercy-seat, not just as to its position, but to draw attention to the fact that it is a protecting curtain, shielding the priests as they moved in the Holy Place. Aaron is going beyond that shield, so must come according to Divine commandment and prescription. The word for mercy-seat is kapporeth, which has the idea of covering. It is first used in Genesis 6:14, where Noah pitched (kaphar) the ark within and without with pitch, thus ensuring that the waters of the flood did not penetrate into the ark.

The word used of the mercy-seat in Hebrews 9:5 is hilasmos, the place of propitiation. So we are not to think that atonement in the Old Testament was a temporary thing, just covering over the sins for the time being until Christ’s work dealt with them effectively.

The mercy-seat was upon the ark, and fitted the ark exactly. There was no indication of the depth of the solid-gold mercy-seat however. After all, who can measure the mercy of God? The ark is a vessel that has much to tell us about Christ as to His person as the Son of God; the mercy-seat has much to tell us about His work. The writer to the Hebrews implied that it was possible to speak “particularly” or in detail about the ark, although it was not appropriate to do it at the time of writing, Hebrews 9:5.

That he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat- Aaron’s two eldest sons had died because they entered into God’s presence in a manner that He had not prescribed, the incense they brought being strange incense, and it did not shield them. Only the graces of Christ as illustrated by the sweet incense in the tabernacle can give us peace in presence of God. There were two clouds in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle on the Day of Atonement; the cloud of glory, otherwise known as the Shekinah, and the cloud of incense shielding Aaron from the sight of that glory. No man can see God and live, but Christians behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6. The glory they see there is the moral glory of one who is the Only Begotten with the Father, John 1:14.

Verses 3-10 A summary of the events of the day.

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.

Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place- by this expression is meant the Holy Place where the mercy-seat was. The word “thus” means “with this”. Aaron did not actually bring the animal itself in, but the blood of the animal, that was brought in, is the soul of animal, for the life of the flesh is in the blood, Leviticus 17:11. The Lord Jesus, however, entered into the presence of God with His work fully completed. He did not enter with His blood, but by His blood, as Hebrews 9:12 makes clear.

With a young bullock for a sin offering- the bullock is to be in the full vigour of its life. Sin must be actively and forcefully dealt with, and the sin offering blood was the prescribed way. How glad we are to know that Christ vigorously dealt with sin at Calvary in all the energy of His Deity and pure manhood combined. This bullock is for Aaron and his remaining sons, emphasising that he was not sinless, even though high priest in Israel. As Hebrews 7:27 makes very clear, the Lord Jesus did not need a sin offering for Himself, being altogether free from sin.

And a ram for a burnt offering- both a sin offering and a burnt offering are needed on the day of atonement, for there needs to be something for the heart of God as well as the mind of God. The mind of God was set against sin, and the heart of God longed for that which would speak to Him of His Son. Both the fat of the bullock and the carcase of the ram burn on the altar at the same time at the end of day of atonement.

He shall put on the holy linen coat- garments speak of character, and here we see Aaron needing to put on garments to fit him for the presence of God. His character is such that he is not fit as he is. He has to be made ceremonially fit for a task that he is not personally fit for. Christ needs no special garments, for He is ever acceptable in the presence of His Father. He could say to His Father, “I know that Thou hearest Me always”, John 11:42. He was confident of this, for He knew the mind of His Father perfectly. The coat is expressly said to be holy, and being made of linen, (which speaks of practical righteousness, Revelation 19:8), presents to us a picture of the character of one who combined righteousness and holiness perfectly in His person.

And he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh- Adam and his wife realised they were naked after they had sinned, and so were ashamed, Genesis 3:7. They had not been ashamed before, Genesis 2:25. Sin always brings shame, especially when God makes His presence known. Adam, of course, had to learn that the fig-leaf aprons of his own devising did not prevent him being afraid when God called to him. Only the garments made as a result of sacrifice could fit him for God’s presence, Genesis 3:21. Christ, however, is always fit for His Father’s presence, for He is the Only Begotten in the bosom of the Father, John 1:18. What He means to God because of His spotless character fits Him to act for men.

And shall be girded with a linen girdle- the girdle speaks of willingness to serve. The long and flowing Eastern robes must be tied in if activity is not to be impaired. So in the upper room the Lord Jesus girded Himself with a towel, and thus signified His readiness to serve His own. So here, for Aaron is not only to be active on his own account, but also on account of his family and his nation. He has solemn tasks ahead of him, and he must prepare himself to serve. Notice that he does not wear his normal girdle, which was embroidered with coloured threads in the same way as the ephod, Exodus 28;8. He is coming, not in garments of glory and beauty, but in simple and plain garments as befits one who is dealing with sin. This girdle tells of Christ’s ministry at Calvary, whereas the embroidered girdle tells of His ministry in heaven consequent upon His work at Calvary, for He is the minister of the sanctuary, Hebrews 8:2. When He took the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men, He took servant-hood for ever, for it is part of God’s original intention for man that he should serve God. The service of Christ takes various forms, but His ministry at Calvary when He performed the highest service of all, even the giving of His life as a ransom for many, Mark 10:45, is signified by the linen girdle of Aaron.

And with the linen mitre shall he be attired- head-coverings in Scripture speak of subjection and submission to another. As the representative of Israel, it was appropriate for Aaron to have his head covered as a sign of the nation’s submission to God. Now that Christ has come, an extra tier of submission has been introduced, as 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 explains. Now the man is to be uncovered, because Christ has come to bring in a situation where the man is enabled to be the image of God, (as Adam ought to have been, but failed), and the sister takes the honourable place of signifying the submission of believers to God by covering her head, and thus is the glory of the man, who, in the administrative dealings of God, is to represent and glorify God on behalf of himself and the sisters, as Christ did when He was here. The sisters have their part to play in this by covering their heads in submission to the man, and thus emphasising their assent to Divine order.

But in pre-Christ times it was different, hence the head-covering of Aaron. We are reminded, nonetheless, that the Lord Jesus, as He came into servant-hood, accepted the headship of God, as 1 Corinthians 11:3 plainly declares in the words, “the head of Christ is God”. So it is that in the upper room He said to His own, “That the world may know I love the Father, and as I have received commandment even so I do, arise, let us go hence”, John 14:31. Just a few hours before the cross, then, He signified His submission to His Father by obeying His commandment. The commandment in question being to lay down His life of Himself, as we read in John 10:8.

These are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on- as far as Aaron was concerned, the garments were holier than he was, so he has to be ceremonially washed to signify the removal of public sin before he was fit to put them on, let alone to enter the presence of God. He had sinned in the matter of his sons and their failure, and he must ceremonially and publicly renounce those sins before he can officiate for the nation again as their priest. (Compare what Saul did when he washed away his sins by being baptised, Acts 22:16. He had sinned publicly by persecuting believers, and now he must just as publicly renounce those sins in the waters of baptism).

The garments are not holy in any literal sense, but by the holiness of association with holy ceremonies. The Sabbath day is an ordinary day in physical terms, but for Israel it has holy associations, and therefore is a holy day. The mount where the Lord Jesus was transfigured was an ordinary mountain the day before, and the day after, but when the transfiguration was taking place it became a holy mount, as Peter, (who was present) describes it, 2 Peter 1:18.

It does not seem to be the case that the Lord Jesus was ever said to be washed in the gospel records. Certainly the woman of Luke 7 is said to wash His feet, but the idea is of raining copious tears upon Him. Simon had not given Him the courtesy of the usual Eastern welcome, where the host would wash the feet of his guests. What he had omitted, the woman supplied, but in a far more meaningful way. The counterpart of this in the Old Testament is the fact that when the carrying of the vessels of the tabernacle through the wilderness is detailed in Numbers 5, there is no specific mention of the laver. Thus we are presented with the idea of one who travelled through this defiled scene without in any wise contracting defilement. He is, indeed, the “undefiled in the way”, who is “blessed”, Psalm 119:1.

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.

In verse 3 we are told what animals Aaron brought for himself and his house, and now, after the mention of his garments, we are told what he took from the children of Israel by way of offerings. He has to be marked out as their representative by distinctive clothing, before he can take, as one with authority, the offerings from them. As a person, Aaron had forfeited the right to assert his authority, for he had sinned in connection with the day of consecration by not seeing that the ceremony was performed correctly, see chapter 10. Now he is washed and clothed, and he can begin to act for others again.

And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel-note that all the parties concerned had to provide their own offerings, for they were under law, which, being a covenant conditional upon their obedience, put the onus upon them. Under grace, however, God freely gives to us, and He has provided the offering in the person of His Son. This is one reason why He is called the Lamb of God, for He is God’s choice and provision.

Two kids of the goats for a sin offering- the two animals make one offering, but one dies, and its blood is sprinkled before God, and the other lives on, but bears the sins of the people away into a place from which it cannot return. The one knows what it is to die, the other knows what it is to bear sin. In this way we are presented with a double type, for both animals represent Christ. The goat that dies is Him as one who died on Calvary’s tree; the other is Him as one who “bare our sins in His own body on the tree”. One provides the blood for the eye of God, the other provides the body bearing sin for the eye of men, as they see it disappear into the wilderness. The one makes propitiation by its death, the other endures isolation whilst it is alive. The Lord Jesus poured out His soul unto death, Isaiah 53:12, and also endured the wrath of God in the three hours of darkness on the cross.

And one ram for a burnt offering- both Aaron and the people are required to supply a burnt offering. This safeguards the person of Christ, for we must not think that when He is dealing with sin, and forsaken because of it, He is any less delightful to His Father. The burnt offering emphasises acceptance with God, and He was always the darling of His Father’s bosom. So the sin offerings are for the demands of God against sin, whereas the burnt offerings are for the delight of God as they remind Him of what lengths His Son will go to so that sin can be dealt with finally. We see these two aspects in the words of John the Baptist, himself the son of a Levitical priest. “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, John 1:29, is the sin offering side, and Behold the Lamb of God, verse 36, with no mention of sin, the burnt offering side. The Lamb of God bearing sin alone, and the Lamb of God as the one who is not alone, for His own follow Him.

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.

This verse is a summary of what takes place as detailed in verses 11-14. At least two things come out in the verse, however. First, that Aaron is a sinner, like the rest of the people. Hebrews 7:27 brings out the contrast with Christ, for “He needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s”. Second, that the offerings for Aaron and his house were distinct from the offerings for the nation. This highlights the fact that the nation had forfeited its rights to be a kingdom of priests, as was intended under the covenant of the law, Exodus 19:6. There is no such distinction with Christians, for all are priests to God, as 1 Peter 2:9 makes very clear.

16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Verses 7-10 are a summary of what is described more fully in verses 15-19, but certain truths are presented to us here which are not found again. First, the two goats stand together at the door of the tabernacle, thus reminding us that what each will do will have relevance to the presence of God. One goat will provide blood which will be taken into God’s presence. The other goat will take sins away from God’s presence, for the tabernacle remained among them in the midst of their uncleanness only because sins were dealt with in God’s prescribed way, verse 16. Second,Aaron presents both goats, or as it may be rendered, “made them stand”. They are not willing victims, for they have to be made to stand, but they do provide us with a contrast, for the Lord Jesus was not forced to undertake the work of atonement, but willingly volunteered. This is set out in Hebrews 10:7, where He is heard to say, “Lo I come…to do Thy will O God”. We see it also when we read that He “offered Himself without spot to God”, Hebrews 9:14, which means He made Himself available as the sacrifice.

16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

The casting of lots was a way of determining the will of God in Old Testament times, and also up to the Day of Pentecost. “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord”, Proverbs 16:33. Now the will of God is found by the believer reading the Word of God and seeking to understand it by the indwelling Spirit. The decision derived from the casting of lots, however, was simply so that men might know what was in the mind of God. Behind and beyond that was the determination of God. So it is that the apostle Peter charges the nation of Israel with the taking, crucifying, and slaying, of Jesus of Nazareth. But to ensure they realised that they were not in control of that event, he makes it clear that He was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. The hands that took Him were wicked hands, yet they did God’s will unwittingly. So Calvary was not a mistake, or a model, (as if Christ were just showing people how to die well), or even only martyrdom, but the means whereby the determining will of God was to be put into effect. So it is that He was the lamb “foreordained before the foundation of the world”, 1 Peter 1:20. Peter also speaks of the sufferings of the Christ, and the glory that should follow”, 1 Peter 1:11. By sufferings of Christ he means, not simply sufferings that we now know belong to Christ, but rather, sufferings that pertained to Him, as part of what being the Messiah entailed. We are glad to know that glories pertain to Him also. He Himself told His own of this on the Emmaus Road when He said “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?”, Luke 24:26. The “ought” indicating that He owed it to God to suffer, just as He owed it to God to be glorified, so that God can be further glorified in Him, John 17:1.

16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell-in the case of these two animals, the one that is marked out as the Lord’s is to die, and the other goat is the scapegoat by default. In the case of Christ, however, He is marked out for both of the things these goats do; He is to die, and to bear sin, and He does not do the latter by default, but by God’s foreordination. The mention of the Lord’s lot falling on one animal does serve to distinguish what the two goats effect, for one’s blood propitiates God, the other carries the nation’s guilt away, so in a sense the people have a special interest in the scapegoat, but always remembering that it would not be an effective sin offering on its own.

And offer him for a sin offering- this may be rendered “make him sin”, and has obvious links with 2 Corinthians 5:21, where we read that God “hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. Whatever God’s reaction to sin is, will be His reaction to this goat. So with Christ, and hence His suffering in the hours of darkness as He is forsaken of His God.

This also highlights the fact that to offer is not the same as to burn on the altar. The wise men presented gifts to the infant Jesus, and the word for present is the equivalent to the word “offer” here. They simply brought their gifts near, and made sure it was known that they were giving them up in favour of Him. So with the believers in Rome, who were exhorted to offer their bodies a living sacrifice, Romans 12:1. The idea is of worshipful surrender. In the case of the people of Israel, a goat as their offered substitute was brought near on their behalf, for they, by their sin, had forfeited their right to approach God for themselves.

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.

This is a summary of what is described in verses 20-22.

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- it might be asked that since atonement is by blood, as Leviticus 17:11 definitely says, how is a live goat able to make atonement? Some try to solve this matter by saying it should be “make atonement for him”. Two problems then arise, one when the matter is viewed typically, and one when it is viewed literally. The first problem is that to say “make atonement for him” seems to make Christ in need of atonement, which is clearly not true. The second problem is that animals do not sin, so do not need atonement, at least in that sense. The fact is that the two goats constitute one sin offering, as verse 5 expressly says, and so we learn that atonement is as much by Christ’s forsakenness as it is by His blood. The two aspects of what happened on the cross must not be separated. They should be distinguished and individually appreciated, indeed, but not severed, for our sins have caused us to be separate from God, and only Christ being abandoned by God can deal with that. Our persons deserve death, and only the death of one who subsequently rose again can we be brought into the good of His atoning work on the cross.

And to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness- the goat is not let go in the sense of left to roam free. It is led out into a place from which it cannot return, as verses 21 and 22 will tell us. The goat is condemned to banishment, as a fit illustration of what happens to sinners when they continue in their sin. It also illustrates what happened at Calvary, as we shall see.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS CHAPTER 16, VERSES 11 TO 17

16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:

16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

Verses 11-14 The sprinkling of the blood of a sin offering for Aaron and his house.

And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house- we now come to the detail of what is summarised for us in verse 6. Notice that Aaron is said to make atonement, and then kills the bullock, so we learn that the expression “make atonement” is a summary of what follows, so is mentioned before the killing of the animal. We are presented with the contrast to this in Hebrews 7:27, which tells us that Christ “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”. So every day of atonement, Aaron needed to deal with his own sins by means of a sacrifice external to himself, and then do the same for the people’s sins. Christ, by contrast, does not need to have a sin offering, for He is “holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners”, as the previous verse says. Nor does He need a sacrifice external to Himself when He is dealing with the sins of others, but presents Himself as the all-sufficient sacrifice. The point of the passage is to show that the Lord Jesus has the moral authority to save to the uttermost. If He has a “day by day” need, as Aaron had, to deal with personal sins, then He is clearly not fitted to serve as High Priest for ever, for there must, in that case, be a principle of corruption within Him. But it is gloriously otherwise, and He may continue without interruption His ministry on our behalf. The day of atonement highlighted the fact that “the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity”, Hebrews 7:28, whereas the word of God’s oath has made the Lord Jesus high priest, and He is consecrated for evermore, with no interruption or failure for ever. He entered into His priestly ministry on the basis of the fact, first of all, that He is sinless, and secondly, that He has personally dealt with the sins of men. Aaron could not claim either of those things.

And shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself- the prescribed ritual for the priest when he offered for himself, was that he should lay his hand upon the head of his sin offering, and then kill it before the Lord, Leviticus 4:4. This meant that he was now identified with his offering, and God reckoned the man’s sin to have been transferred to his offering. Whatever should have happened to the man because of his sin, is about to happen to his substitute-offering. Did he deserve to be judged for his sins? Then the animal will burn in the fire. Did he deserve to die because his sins demonstrated he had a sinful nature, (for the wages of sin is death)? Then the animal will die for him. Does God demand the evidence that the sinner has found a suitable substitute? Then the animal’s blood is sprinkled before Him to give that evidence. And this is what happens on the day of atonement.

It was the offerer who was to kill his sin offering. We shall look in vain for a knife in the list of equipment that was used in connection with the brazen altar. The conclusion we must draw, therefore, is that the sinner himself must bring a knife, and must personally kill his offering with it. Thus there is forcibly brought to his notice the wickedness of his sins, as he sees his substitute die instead of him. It is true that Israel are charged with killing the Prince of Life, Acts 3:15, but this did not make their act sacrificial. They had no interest in having Christ as their sin offering. The fact is that He laid down His life of Himself, and no man took it from Him, John 10:18. His was the initiative all the time, for He was acting, not according to the will of men, but in obedience to His Father’s commandment.

16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord- this is the first entrance of Aaron into the Holiest of All on this important day. He will come in twice more, thus cautioning us against thinking that this entrance corresponds to the entrance of Christ into the heavenly sanctuary. Nadab and Abihu had come with incense, but when they put it upon the fire they brought, then strange fire resulted. So the burning of the incense revealed the strangeness of the fire. They clearly had not obtained the fire from the altar, which fire had come down from God the previous day, Leviticus 9:24. Since the fire was not from God, it is no surprise to find that the incense finds it out as being strange, even that which is not suitable for God’s presence. There are many who claim to draw near to God as Christians, but even if they appear to think and speak well of Christ, (the incense), if they have not been to the altar first, (that is, are not in the good of Christ’s sacrifice), they run the risk of committing the same sin as the two sons of Aaron.

It is noticeable that fire that came out from the presence of God to consume the sacrifices on the altar, Leviticus 9:24, and fire came out from God to consume Nadab and Abihu, 10:2. The one spoke of God’s approval of what the priests had done around the altar, the other spoke of His disapproval, for they had misused the fire.

It must have been with trembling hands that Aaron went to the altar and took the fire to put in his censer. How could he do this without thinking of what had happened to his sons? How the words of verse 2 must have sobered him, “that he die not”. If he fails, he will die, and with him, the nation will be destroyed. And somewhere out in that camp is “Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah”, 1 Chronicles 2:10, and he is in the line of the Messiah, Matthew 1:4.

By burning coals we are to understand charcoal, the incinerated remains of the wood that has been used to consume the sacrifices that have already been offered that day, Numbers 29:7-11. These are authentic coals, closely associated with the accepted sacrifices. The fire is held in a censer, which Hebrews 9:4 tells us is a golden one. Think how precious the coals are if they are to be carried in a censer of gold. Gold speaks of glory, and there is a glory about the fire that has been associated with the burnt offerings put upon the altar, for they provide the link between the sacrifices of a sweet savour on the altar, (telling of the acceptableness of Christ to His Father even in death), and the incense, (speaking of the acceptableness of Christ in His life).

And his hands full of sweet incense beaten small- no doubt the censer swung upon the arm of Aaron as he approached the Holy of Holies, for his hands were full of incense. The incense was very precious to God, and He forbad anyone to make anything like it, Exodus 30:37,38, for there is no-one who can come near to Christ in His graces and virtues. The incense was a symbol of prayer, as we may learn from Luke 1:9,10. Prayer is the expression of dependence, and Christ was the supremely dependant man, in stark contrast to Nadab and Abihu who manifested a spirit of independence and rebellion.

The incense is beaten small, telling of the life-sufferings of Christ which, instead of causing bitterness as is often the case with other men, only brought out the sweetness further, for the smaller the particles of incense were, the more surface area there would be for exposure to the fire of the coals.

And bring it within the veil- the Lord Jesus approached Calvary in the consciousness that He was totally acceptable to His Father. Aaron has no such confidence however, for he could not look upon the glory of God and live; he must be shielded from the glory by a cloud of incense. His hands are full of what speaks to God of His Son in His life, and his censer is full of that which speaks to God of His Son in His death, and that being the case, he can stand in the presence of God in the worth of another.

16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord- the incense is not in contact with the coals until Aaron has reached the Holy of Holies. All the fragrance is therefore reserved for God, who alone can appreciate fully that of which it speaks.

That the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony- Aaron is shielded by the incense cloud, for there is another cloud in the Holy of Holies, and that is the glory-cloud, for God dwelt between the cherubim on the mercy-seat, 2 Samuel 6:2. Aaron is not fit to see the glory, but he makes a cloud of incense which speaks to God of His Son, who is ever suited to the presence of God.

That he die not- as his sons did. This is why those waiting at the gate of the court were so relieved to see Aaron come out from the sanctuary, for it meant he had not died, and his work was accepted. We see an illustration of this in Luke 1:21, where the people were waiting for Zecharias to emerge from having burnt incense.

And he shall take of the blood of the bullock- clearly Aaron has emerged out of the sanctuary and moved to the altar, and taken some of the blood of the bullock that he slew previously, no doubt carrying it in a bason, and now enters the Holiest of All again, where the cloud of incense still lingers to shield him from the glory. (The golden censer is linked with the Holiest of All in Hebrews 9:3,4, so possibly the censer was left there to produce incense even when Aaron was outside at the altar). The life or soul of the bullock is in its blood, and so the sin offering, represented by its blood, is now presented in the very presence of God. Hebrews 9:7 calls this the offering of blood, even though the word offering is normally used in relation to an animal in its entirety.

And sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward-note the emphasis on the quality of the blood, for it is only as much as can be held on a single finger. We remember the language of Peter, “the precious blood of Christ”, 1 Peter 1:19. Who can evaluate the preciousness of the soul of Christ to His Father? But it is because of that value that those who believe are forgiven. And it is because of that value that His death suffices to make propitiation.

There are those who believe that this means Aaron stood facing eastward as he sprinkled the blood. If this were the case, however, would the phrase not read “sprinkle it eastward”, rather than “the mercy-seat eastward”? The latter phrase makes the word eastward refer to the mercy-seat rather than the sprinkling. Man was driven out from the east of Eden, and now if, in repentance, he retraces his steps and turns to God, he finds that the blood is there for his forgiveness.

The blood is sprinkled on the top of the mercy-seat, but on the eastward part of it, (the part most accessible to Aaron), so is directly under the eye of God who dwelt between the cherubim on the mercy-seat. This shows that a suitable sin-offering has been killed, and its life has been forfeited in favour of Aaron and his house.

And before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times- now Aaron sprinkles the blood before the mercy-seat, which expression literally means “at the front of the mercy-seat”. The mercy-seat was a thick piece of gold, thick enough to support the over-arching golden cherubim, but how deep we are not told, for who can put a limit on God’s mercy? So it was on the edge of this slab of gold that Aaron sprinkled the blood seven times. So now the blood is facing God, and is facing man; both can see, and rejoice in propitiation made. To dispel any fears, the blood for the eye of man is sprinkled seven times. The Hebrew word for seven means “to be full, to be satisfied, to be complete”. Thus Aaron is assured that as far as he and his house are concerned, there has been given a full, satisfactory and complete answer to the demands of God against their sins. He may impart that joyful news to his household on his return to them at the end of the day. Indeed, they know this as soon as he emerges out of the sanctuary to continue with the next stage of the proceedings.

Verses 15-17 The sprinkling of the blood of the sin offering for Israel.

Having returned to the altar, (thus indicating that the Lord Jesus did not fulfil the ceremonies of the day in a chronological order, or else He must have gone to Calvary more than once), he kills the goat for the people and sprinkles its blood as he did the blood of the bullock. The ceremony is identical, for the priest and the people are all sinners, but the priest needs the larger offering, since his responsibility is greater. Aaron is able to kill the goat as the representative of the people, now that his own sins have been atoned for. This is why the bullock and the goat are not killed, and their blood sprinkled, at the same time, for Aaron must be cleansed first before he can act for the people.

And he shall make an atonement for the holy place- atonement is a result of propitiation, and can apply to things as well as sins, for they can be defiled by contact with sinners. In a day to come, God has promised to be “merciful to His land, and to His people”, Deuteronomy 32:43, the word merciful being based on the word for propitiation. And in Colossians 1:20 we learn that Christ is going to “reconcile all things to Himself”. So the work of Calvary secures the restoration of the land of Israel, and indeed the whole of creation, from the defilement of man’s sin. In particular, its sin of crucifying God’s Son. Here, the holy place means the Holiest of All, (see verse 17), and so that place is now brought into right relationship with God, no doubt needing this because Moses was permitted to enter there as Mediator of the Covenant of the Law.

Because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins- God dwelt amongst an unclean people, and He must secure His honour in the light of that. See on verse 21 for transgressions and sins.

And so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation-strictly speaking, the tabernacle of the congregation was the covering of goat’s hair that was over the inner curtain of fine twined linen, the latter being the tent, or dwelling place of God, see Exodus 26:1 (tabernacle = mishcan, dwellingplace), and verse 7 (covering upon the tabernacle = the tent upon the mishcan). The second covering represents the tabernacle as the place the people have an interest in. Reference to Exodus 40:21 and 22-26 will show that the ark was put in the tabernacle, whereas the three items of furniture in the Holy Place are said to be in the tent of the congregation, even though the inner curtain and the next curtain both spanned both places. It was a question of what each related to. The tabernacle proper related to God, the tent of the congregation related to the people. So this particular phase relates to what happens next, when the altar is atoned for, whereas the first part of this verse has to do with what has already taken place in connection with the mercy-seat.

That remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness- God continued to dwell in the midst of the camp of Israel despite their many defiling sins. The heathen looking on at that situation might suggest that the God of Israel ignored sins, or at best, compromised with them. They would ridicule a God who gave a law condemning sin, but who also allowed that sin. To remove any such charge, God preserves His honour by demanding that atonement be made.

A parallel situation prevailed when Christ was on earth, for “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”, John 1:14. If He is God, how can He do this without compromise? The answer is found lower down in the passage, where John the Baptist is heard to exclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, verse 29. Because Calvary was in prospect, neither the honour of God or His Son was compromised.

Only Aaron was authorised to act in the matter of making atonement on this national day. We are reminded of the words of Hebrews 1:2,3, “His Son…when He had by Himself purged our sins”. Only He could go to Calvary and so purge sins that the Majesty of God was satisfied therewith. The expression “by Himself” not only means that He acted alone, but also that the glory is His alone. Although we know that the Father is glorified also. There would be a contradiction there, were it not for the fact that the Father and the Son are one, John 10:30. The Son asked to be glorified, so that He could glorify the Father, John 17:1.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS CHAPTER 16, VERSES 18 TO 34

16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.

16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:

16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.

16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.

16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.

16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.

16:28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.

16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

16:32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:

16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Verses 18-19 The sprinkling of the blood on the altar of incense.

And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord- there might seem to be a difficulty here. Is this a reference to the altar in the court outside, or to the altar of incense in the Holy Place? The words of Leviticus 4:18 seem conclusive, however. It is written there: “And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation”. So there is a clear distinction made in that verse between the two altars, and it is the altar of incense that is called the altar before the Lord. This is confirmed to us by Exodus 30:10, referring to the altar of incense, where we read that “Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord”. The reference to atonements in the plural would possibly refer to the atonement for the priests and the atonement for the people, and also atonement for sanctuary, holy place and altar, made separately by the blood of different animals.

And make an atonement for it- the special attention given to the altar of incense would reflect the fact that Nadab and Abihu had used it in the rebellion against God. It must be purified from association with that rebellion.

And shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about- in Scripture, horns speak of power, and we are reminded that as a result of His work at Calvary, the Lord Jesus is “able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him”, Hebrews 7:25. The word “able” being the Greek word “dunamis”, from which we get the English word dynamite. The power of the intercession of the Lord Jesus is such that He can save to the uttermost. The blood on the mercy-seat would tell us that “having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end”, where the word for end is the same as the word for uttermost. He loves and saves to the same extent and with the same energy. Peter was at an extremity when he cried “Lord, save me”, and the Lord “stretched out His hand and caught him”, Matthew 14:30.

It seems that the blood of the bullock and the goat are mingled together on the finger of Aaron, for he takes “of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat”, but sprinkles “it” upon the altar. So the prayers of the nation and of the priests are safeguarded by the application of blood together. There is not a separate sprinkling of each as there was on the mercy-seat.

16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times- again the quality of the blood is emphasised, and also the completeness of the work, with the mention of the word seven again.

And cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel- we are not told that Nadab and Abihu actually used the altar of incense, but they certainly associated it with their sin by the use of incense. Not only is their sin remedied, but also the uncleanness of the children of Israel is taken into account.

We may gain an insight into the current intercession of the Lord Jesus for His own, by noting what He said to the Father in John 17, for He prayed that prayer anticipating His return to heaven. On the one hand He said “these things speak I in the world”, verse 13, but on the other hand He said, “And now I am no longer in the world”, verse 11. He also said, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself”, verse 19. This, of course, does not mean that He needed to be change from being unsanctified to being sanctified. Rather, He is using the word in the basic sense of setting Himself apart. So just as the altar of incense is hallowed on the day of atonement, so that it can be used through the following year in the service of God, the Lord Jesus has separated Himself by returning to heaven, and commencing an intercessory work which shall never cease.

Verses 20-22 The sending away of the scapegoat with its burden of sins.

16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place-in verse 16 we read of “atonement for the holy place”, and here of “reconciling the holy place”, so to reconcile and to make atonement are being used as identical terms. Yet they do not exhaust the meaning of what happened, for the blood is the blood of propitiation, which involves the satisfying of the demands of God, as well as sheltering from the wrath due to sin, whether that sin be on the people, or on the tabernacle and its vessels because of that. The holy place, (meaning the Holy of Holies), is reconciled when blood is sprinkled on the mercy-seat.

And the tabernacle of the congregation- as we have seen, this refers especially to the first part of the tabernacle structure, even though it stretched out over both compartments.

And the altar- the sprinkling of blood on the altar of incense seems to be that which reconciles the tabernacle of the congregation.

He shall bring the live goat- this goat and its fellow had already been presented, that is, made to stand before the door of the tabernacle, verse 7, but now Aaron is said to bring the goat. Where does he bring it to? Does he bring it to the gate of the court, so that the people can clearly see what is happening to their goat?

And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat- this is an act of identification and association by Aaron, as the Divinely-chosen representative of the people. When Aaron had offered the other goat for a sin-offering, he would have laid his hands on that goat as well, in accordance with Leviticus 4:4,15,24,29, and 33. By this had been signified that the offerer was relying on the offering to the extent that the sin he was responsible for was transmitted to the animal-offering. Here, however, Aaron is confessing sins as he lays his hands on the goat, so that they are now resting on the animal and not on the nation. It is not so much the imputation of sin to the animal, as with the goat that died, but the transfer of the burden of sin to the animal so that it can be carried away.

Notice that both hands are laid on the head of the goat, for Aaron is resting entirely on what this goat will do, he is not laying one hand on the goat, and relying on something else as well.

And confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel- not only will the nation see the goat depart, they can hear their sins confessed. They are being given visible and vocal assurances that God is dealing with their sins, and the same sins they hear confessed, are the sins they see disappearing into the distance. Iniquities are literally inequities, the unbalanced way we live our lives, contrary to God’s character.

And all their transgressions in all their sins- notice that it is not transgressions and sins, exactly, but transgressions in all their sins. To transgress is to go across God’s commandments, deliberately setting our will in a contrary course, even though we know what His will is.

Sins are acts which miss the mark, the failure to be “on target”, the target being the will of God. So there are two aspects to those things which Aaron confessed over the head of the goat; iniquities, which are wrong dealings with men, and transgressions and sins, wrongs against God. Sins prohibited by both tables of the law are being dealt with to God’s satisfaction.

Putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away- the word for “send away” here is the same as in Genesis 3:23, where we read that God “drove out” the man. As Isaiah said, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you”, Isaiah 59:2. We recall that Isaiah also said, “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all”, Isaiah 53:6. So it is that the scapegoat becomes like those who are banished from God’s presence through sin, yet it also becomes like the One who accepted from God the responsibility of dealing with sin, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

By the hand of a fit man into the wilderness- we are now introduced to the fit man, who combines with the scapegoat to provide a double illustration of the person of the Lord Jesus. Consider the following features of the Lord Jesus that show Him to be fit to do the work of bearing sin:

1. He was fit because He is totally sinless.The well-known trilogy of verses from the New Testament makes this abundantly clear. Peter, the man of intention, wrote, “He did no sin”, but he went on to write, “Who His own self bare our sins”, 1 Peter 2:22,24. Paul the man of intelligence wrote, He “knew no sin”, but also wrote, God “hath made Him to be sin for us”, 2 Corinthians 5:21. John the man of intuition wrote, “In Him is no sin”, but before that wrote, “He was manifested to take away our sins”, 1 John 3:5. So the apostles are careful to tell us when He was dealing with sin, the Lord Jesus was completely fitted to do so by His own sinlessness.

This is why there needs to be a double illustration, for the fit man cannot bear the load of sins, but the goat can. The fit man is not sinless, but the goat, being a non-moral creature, is. The goat is not inclined to go away from its familiar surroundings, the fit man can do this, and take the goat with him. The goat does not come back, but the fit man can, and does.

2. He was fit because He is fully intelligent.The fitness of the fit man lay in his knowledge of the wilderness, and his ability to take the goat from whence he was confident it would not return. He had experience of the wilderness without the scapegoat, and therefore was able to use that experience as he went with the scapegoat. The Lord Jesus had experience of the wilderness. He had been led into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil, Matthew 4:1, and was there exposed to the onslaughts of the Evil One, so that it became more than a physical wilderness, as He faced the prince of darkness alone. As He came out from His wilderness experience, John the Baptist saw Him coming to him, and this moved him to exclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29. So the close connection is made between His wilderness triumph, and His fitness to take away sin. Of course He was not bearing sin when tempted of the Devil, for the apostle Peter is very specific that He bare sins “in His own body on the tree”, 1 Peter 2:24, yet nonetheless the wilderness experience was very real, and a foretaste of the pressure that was to come.

He was also fit because He knew fully what were His Father’s demands upon Him. As the Son of His Father, He was perfectly acquainted with His Father’s mind, and as such was fit to undertake the work His Father had in mind for Him.

3. He was fit because He was ready and willing.The phrase “fit man” has been rendered “a man standing ready”. And this corresponds to the words of John the Baptist when he told the people that “there standeth one among you that ye know not”, John 1:26. Significantly, this was said near the Jordan, where the Lord Jesus had signified His commitment to go to Calvary by being baptised. He had come into the world with the words, “Lo, I come to do Thy will O God”, and now He was patiently waiting His Father’s time. And this links with another thought about the word “fit”, and that is that it has connection with the word “time”. The fit man was God’s timely man, ready to act the moment the word of command came. He indicated to His own that that commandment had indeed come, when He said, “As the Father gave Me commandment even so I do”, John 14:31. His hour had come.

4. He was fit because in the event He was successful. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus was not only God’s answer to man’s rejection of Him, but also the infallible sign that the work He did at Calvary was entirely successful. The apostle in effect asks two questions at the end of Romans chapter 4. Why was He delivered? Answer: for our offences. Why was He raised again? Answer: for our justification, by which is meant “because of” our justification by His death. Just as the fit man returned without the goat, his mission successful, so the Lord Jesus has emerged in resurrection, with the question of sins fully dealt with. If some sins were still upon Him, and had not been carried away, then God could not have raised Him.

16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited- the land of separation and desolation is the destination of this scapegoat, bearing as it does the tremendous load of Israel’s sins. Having heard the sins confessed, they now see them carried away, and no doubt many in Israel mused upon the fact, so graphically presented to them, that sins do indeed separate, and they do mean that, if unforgiven, those sins will consign the sinner to the place of forsaken-ness. God made provision, however, so that the goat might experience the isolation, whilst they could enjoy the continued presence of God amidst the camp of Israel. We see the fulfilment of this at Calvary, where the lamb of God bore away the sin of the world. This is not to say that the whole world is therefore free of its sin. Rather, it means that all the sin has been answered for, and those who believe enter into the good of it. As we can see from Leviticus 23:29, any in Israel who failed to afflict their souls, (meaning repentance), and cease from work, (meaning resting in faith), were to be cut off from the nation. Now the reverse is the case, for no-one is blessed through Calvary unless they believe the gospel. If in Israel’s case they could opt out of the blessing, in the case of men now they need to opt in.

And he shall let go the goat in the wilderness- so Aaron sent the goat away from the gate of the tabernacle which faced east, and the fit man let it go. The one removed the sins from the camp of Israel, the other ensured that the sins were sent to a place of no return. This reminds of the psalmist, who rejoiced that “as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us”, Psalm 103:12. We are glad it is as far as the east is from the west, for that is an infinite distance. If it had been as far as the north is from the south, then that would be a limited distance.

The goat as he wandered in the desolate place was largely unaware of his situation. He may have been fearful, but he would soon become used to his plight. Not so with the Lord Jesus at Calvary. So intense was the suffering He endured because He was forsaken of God, and became the object of His wrath against the sins He was taking responsibility for, (for to “bare sins”, means to “take responsibility for sins”), those hours of darkness and abandonment were limited to just three. But into those hours was compressed an infinite amount of suffering, because an infinite God was satisfying Himself infinitely. No wonder there is wrung from the lips of the Lord Jesus that most heart-rending of cries, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” The goat bore its load of sins until it died, whereas the Lord Jesus carried the load of sins until He emerged from the darkness, for He was in full fellowship with His Father when He gave up His spirit in death. He endured the darkness and the abandonment that His people might know the light and glory of heaven for eternity.

Verses 23-25 The burnt offerings and the fat of the sin offering.

16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:

And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation- this is the fourth time that Aaron has entered into the tabernacle, twice to make his way to the Holiest of All, once to go to the altar of incense, and now to change his garments.

And shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there- so in the Holy Place there is a constant reminder of the distinctive work of the day of atonement, as signified by the special garments that Aaron wore on that occasion. Is it not true that the distinctive and once-for-all work of the Lord Jesus will be remembered in heaven for all eternity? And the holy and righteous character He displayed when down here, and which fitted Him for the work, will never be forgotten.

And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place- as with the plain linen garments, so with the garments of glory and beauty, they were more holy than Aaron was, hence the need for him to bathe before he put them on. Even Aaron’s work of dealing with sin involved contact with animals that were part of a sin-cursed creation, and therefore brought him defilement.

And put on his garments- each of the items of the garments of glory and beauty has something to tell us of the moral glory and beauty of Christ. He was ever glorious and beautiful in character, of course, but now His temporary adoption of the character of a sin-bearer is over, those glories can shine forth without interruption.

And come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people- we see how that the events of the day of atonement are not fulfilled by Christ in chronological order, for as the end of the ceremonies draws near, we are again presented with an illustration of Calvary. We shall see the same thing in connection with the burning of the carcases. We must never forget that the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary had the character of a burnt offering, as well as a sin offering. What was a duty for Aaron was a delight for Christ. He was surrendered utterly to His Father’s will, and was in full communion with His Father both before and after the three hours of darkness, for before the darkness he said, “Father forgive them”, Luke 23:34, and after the darkness, but when still upon the cross He said, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit”, verse 46. Just because Peter says He bare our sins in His own body on the tree, we need not conclude that He was bearing sins all the time He was hanging there. After all, He was hanging on the tree when He was dead, was He bearing sins then? Surely not.

And make an atonement for himself, and for the people- the burnt offering makes atonement because man has not been what he should have been, as well as has not done what he should have done. Not only the sins of himself and the people are dealt with, but also their shortcomings, all those ways in which they had not been perfect before the Lord.

16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.

And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar- the word for burn here is to burn as incense, to make a soothing fragrance. After all the trauma of the work of propitiation, there arises now to God from the same animal that dealt with sin, an aroma sweet. The burning-as-incense of the burnt offering now mingles with the burning of the fat of the sin offering. Now the fat was taken off the sin offering in the same way as it was taken off the peace offering, as Leviticus 4:8-10 tells us. This fat from the inwards of the animal, (speaking of the exercises of the heart of Christ even as He dealt with sins), assists the flame of the burnt offering already on the altar. We are told this in Leviticus 3:11, where the fat is the food of the offering, or in other words, that which feeds the flame that burns the sacrifice. We should remember that in Numbers 29:8-11 we are told that one young bullock, one ram, seven lambs, and the normal continual burnt offering of the morning lamb, was offered on the altar as a matter of routine on the day of atonement, apart from the sacrifices offered by Aaron. Thus the altar was loaded with offerings to God, and the fat of the sin offering assists in the burning of this great amount of flesh.

Verse 26 The return of the fit man.

16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.

And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water- even superficial contact with the sin-bearing scapegoat involved defilement, so both clothes (speaking of character), and flesh (speaking of constitution), must be bathed. In contrast the Lord Jesus remained at all times pure and holy, for even when bearing sin He was personally sinless. He only suffered wrath because He was our representative.

And afterward come into the camp- the fit man must wash outside the camp, so that he does not bring any defilement from the wilderness into the camp that is newly-cleansed by the blood of atonement. Of course there is a medical reason for this, but the spiritual lesson is the main one.

So not only does Aaron return from where he went, signifying that what he had done had been accepted, so also did the fit man. Both represent Christ in resurrection, for the darkness of those three hours is over for ever, and He can emerge into the light of the resurrection morning because His work on the cross is sufficient to justify.

Verses 27-28 The burning of the sin offerings.

And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place- only sacrifices the blood of which was taken right in to God were burnt. All the others were to be eaten by the priests, to make atonement constantly for the people, Leviticus 10:16-18, (with which compare Hebrews 2:17). This is one area in which the priesthood failed on the final day of their consecration. This is why the writer to the Hebrews is careful to say, “The bodies of those beasts, whose blood was brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burnt without the camp”, Hebrews 13:11.

Shall one carry forth without the camp- we are not told who this person was, but he had the onerous task of carrying the carcases of the bullock and the goat some distance through the camp of Israel, until he reached the outside. He must have made many journeys if he did this alone, for the burden was more than could be carried at one time. As we picture him in our minds, those minds also go to the words of Hebrews 13:12,13, where we read, “Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate”. Both men are in public view as they do their Divinely-given task, but how different the experience of each! One simply carries the bodies of beasts, and makes a fire so as to consume them, the other goes forth outside the camp to feel the heat of the fire Himself, as God’s fiery vengeance against sin is concentrated against Him. The animals were dead when they were burnt, but He was very much alive, with every sense alert. He had refused the stupefying drink offered to Him on the cross, so He felt all the pain unrelieved. Coupled with the fact that His senses were not dulled at all by sin, as with us.

And they shall burn in the fire- we now meet with others, for the “one” is now accompanied by “they”. No doubt in practical terms this meant that the fire was kept burning by these others, whilst the single man went back and forth to bring out the carcases. In spiritual terms it has a challenge for us, for did not the writer to the Hebrews continue by saying, “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach”, Hebrews 13:13.

This ought to be easy for us to do, seeing how He has suffered for us; love to Him should make us want to be where He is- outside the camp. He went outside the city walls of Jerusalem, for that was what corresponded to being outside the camp. In Galatians 4:25 the apostle Paul sees in the Jerusalem of his day, (“Jerusalem which now is”, as opposed to the Jerusalem that shall be when Christ reigns there), the place where the law given at Sinai was prolonged and practised. It was outside of such a place that the Lord Jesus positioned Himself. The duty of each believer is to distance himself from every manifestation of Judaism that is found in the world. We have not to go on a pilgrimage so as to physically pass through the gate of Jerusalem, for the writer, having spoken of the camp, then the gate, reverts back to the camp when he applies the lesson to his readers. It ought to be easy for us to do this, since the word is “go forth unto Him”, indicating that He is outside, waiting to welcome us to the place of separation from all that denies the fullness and finality of the work of Calvary. The fact that the carcases were burnt showed that their blood had been accepted in the very sanctuary itself. We too can be confident that what the Saviour did was accepted by God

Their skins, and their flesh, and their dung– there is now a fire burning outside the camp, and a fire burning on the altar within the court of the tabernacle, and the smoke can be thought of as mingling together as it arose to God, telling of accepted sacrifices, and sins cleansed. The skins are equivalent to a man’s clothing, which in turn is indicative of character. The burning of the skins displays the anger of God against our sinful character. The burning of the flesh, would indicate God’s displeasure against our sinful constitution, whereas the burning of the dung speaks of God’s anger against the distastefullness of our sinful ways. Thus the wrath of God was exhausted against every part of us in the person of our substitute.

16:28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.

And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes- the narrative now reverts back to the single person, as if he is representative of the others who seem to assist him. He must wash his clothes even though he has only carried animal bodies. They may carry disease, however, so precautions must be taken, for the flocks and herds of Israel must be safeguarded, or else there would be no more offerings to God. There was no stain on the character of Christ, however, after His work of suffering for sin. The psalmist could call the one placed in the tomb God’s Holy One, Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27. And the clean, new, and fine linen cloth in which He was wrapped, with the spices, emphasised the same lesson.

And bathe his flesh in water- the man himself must be purified after his task, for he must have no stain upon him afterwards. So the man is made ceremonially like Christ morally, for He is no longer the sin-bearer; that role is for ever passed for Him. He died unto sin once, but now lives to God, Romans 6:10.

And afterward he shall come into the camp- so the three men involved in the day of atonement ceremony all came back from where they went. Aaron came out from the tabernacle; the fit man came back from the wilderness; the unnamed man came back from outside the camp. Each has something to tell us about the finished work of Christ. Aaron tells us that the blood has availed in the presence of God; the fit man tells us that Christ has borne our sins away; the unnamed man tells us that the fire has done its work, and the sin-offering is consumed. Each man left something behind as he came out. Aaron left his garments, the fit man left the goat; the unnamed man left a pile of ashes, all tokens of work well done and accepted. So Christ will be eternally remembered for the character He displayed at Calvary, the sin-bearing He went through with, and the fire He endured and exhausted.

Verses 29-34 Instructions to the Israelites.

And this shall be a statute for ever unto you- in the Old Testament, the expression “for ever” or “to everlasting”, often simply means “from now on with no end in sight”. For instance, the hills are called “everlasting hills” in Genesis 49:26, although like everything else they shall melt with fervent heat and be dissolved, 2 Peter 3:10. They are everlasting, all other things being equal. And we read of sacrifices being offered “year by year continually”, Hebrews 10:1, continually signifying that there seemed to be no end in view. As far as the work of Christ is concerned, however, it really is for ever. Consider the expressions in the epistle to the Hebrews such as: “For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified”, Hebrews 10:14. “And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more“, verse 17. So it is also that the writer can speak of “eternal redemption”, 9:12; “eternal inheritance”, 9:15; everlastingcovenant”, 13:20. And all this because Christ puts the stamp of His eternal person on all that He does.

That in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month- because Leviticus chapter 16 is not concerned with the progress of the religious year, as chapter 23 is, then the actual date of the day can be reserved to the end. By this means the two chapters are linked together. Of course the Passover lamb was selected on the 10^thday of the month, so the redeeming lamb and the sin-bearing goat are connected, in that both were chosen on the same day, albeit of different months.

Ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all- the day of atonement was a national day, but the individual Israelite was only in the good of what happened when he complied with the conditions laid down by God. Those conditions are two in number, and amount to repentance and faith, the same conditions on which anyone now comes into the good of the work of Christ. Affliction of soul means the contrition which comes when sins are thought of as God thinks of them. Ceasing from work is the same as faith, for we read, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness”, Romans 4:5.

Whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you- even in Old Testament times, when God was dealing almost exclusively with the nation of Israel, there is indication that He desires all men to be blessed. It is very evidently the case now, for God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”, Timothy 2:4-6. The ransom paid for all is the sure sign of God’s desire that all men should be saved. The only thing that prevents this is their refusal to afflict their souls and cease from work, or in other words, repent and believe the gospel.

16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you-they are to afflict their souls and cease from work on the same day as the priest makes atonement, so that there is the direct connection between the two.

To cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord- the emphasis in the chapter is on the effect sins have on God’s honour. Can He continue to dwell amongst a people who are so obviously sinful? Only by the cleansing that the blood of atonement affords can He remain among them “in the midst of their uncleanness”, verse 16. We are reminded of the exclamation of the apostle John, as his heart was lifted up in praise to the Lord, “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”, Revelation 1:5,6. And also his other words, “if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin”, 1 John 1:7. And yet again, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”, 1 John 1:9.

16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you- on whatever day of the week the tenth day fell, it was to be reckoned a sabbath. There seems to be a difference between not doing any servile work, (as was required on the days of unleavened bread, Leviticus 23:7; the wave-loaves day, verse 21; the blowing of trumpets, verse 24; and the feast of tabernacles and ingathering), and not doing any work at all, servile or otherwise, on the day of atonement, Leviticus 23:28. Perhaps this is why the expression here is “sabbath of rest”, (the word sabbath meaning to repose, or rest), as if to say “a real and total rest from any sort of work”. As they rested, the Israelites would know that another was working hard on their behalf in the tabernacle. So believers today can rest in the work of another, even the Lord Jesus, who did His unique and mighty work at Calvary.

And ye shall afflict your souls- to test whether their ceasing from work was merely to comply passively, the requirement to afflict the soul is mentioned again. There must be the positive and active engagement in what was happening that day for the blessing available to be received.

By a statute for ever- as far as Israel knew, there was no point in the foreseeable future when things would be different, and the day of atonement would become unnecessary. This was the situation in the Old Testament, but now things are so very different.

Not only was there seemingly no end to the ritual, but an endless line of priests is envisaged, each consecrated simply because their father had been high priest and had now died, and all needing to put on the holy garments to make them ceremonially what they were not morally. As the writer to the Hebrews puts it, “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood”, Hebrews 7:23,24. The reason He continues ever being that He has endless life as the Son of God, as is said earlier in that chapter, in verse 16.

This is a summary of the events of the day of atonement, emphasising that Aaron’s successors would need to do exactly the same as he did, for none of them was able to do a work which rendered the day obsolete. If in verse 33 the emphasis is on the person of the priest, here the emphasis is on his work.

16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The words “statute” and “commanded” remind us that the chapter is for people under the law, whereas now there has been a change, and the Christian has a High Priest who acts in grace, on the basis of a finished work, as opposed to Levitical priests, who acted under law, on the basis of a work that was never completed. It is noticeable that when Psalm 40 is quoted in connection with the Lord Jesus in Hebrews 10:5-7, the words “Yea, Thy law is within My heart” are omitted. This would emphasise for us that the Lord Jesus went to Calvary not because He was forced to do so by any legal requirement, but because He was willing. Having come to do God’s will, and having successfully finalised that will, He is now sat down of the throne of the One who sent Him forth in the first place.

“He did as the Lord commanded” finds its glorious and fulfilling counterpart in the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, “As the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do”, John 14:31.

HEBREWS 9

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HEBREWS 9

Survey of the chapter
Having noted in passing, in 7:23, that the Lord Jesus is surety of a new covenant, and in 8:6 stated that He is mediator of a better covenant, and then made a quotation from Jeremiah 31 giving the details of that covenant, the writer now proceeds to show that just as the first covenant of the law had a sanctuary, (the tabernacle in the wilderness), so the new covenant has a sanctuary too. But that sanctuary is in heaven, and the earthly sanctuary was a copy and representation of it. Several words are used in chapters 8 and 9 to describe the relationship between the earthly sanctuary and the heavenly, and they are as follows:

The example of heavenly things

Hebrews 8:5 “The example…of heavenly things”.

Hebrews 9:23 “The patterns of things in the heavens”.

Example and pattern translate the same word. The priests served in an earthly sanctuary, but they did so in relation to the sanctuary in heaven. The earthly tabernacle was a sample of what was in heaven, but the heavenly things were the reality, “the heavenly things themselves”, Hebrews 9:23.

The evidence of heavenly things

Hebrews 8:5 “The shadow of heavenly things”.
The heavenly things were the substance, something that can cast a shadow, whereas the tabernacle was the shadow. They provided evidence that there was a heavenly reality, for there cannot be a shadow without an object that casts the shadow.

The expression of heavenly things

Hebrews 8:5 “The pattern showed to thee in the mount”.

The heavenly sanctuary was the pattern, (tupos), see 9:24 below. “Tupos” is a metal-worker’s word, coming from the word to strike, and means the original, archetypal pattern, which when impressed onto softer metal leaves its corresponding mark, the anti-type.

Hebrews 9:24 “The holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true”.

The word figure, (anti-tupos) is the reverse of the word used in Hebrews 8:5. Contrary to what is often said, the heavenly sanctuary is the type, whereas the tabernacle on earth is the antitype.

The explanation of heavenly things

Hebrews 9:8 “The Holy Spirit this signifying”.

The tabernacle arrangement was a sign the Holy Spirit used in Old Testament times to point the way to spiritual truths.

Hebrews 9:9 “Which was figure for the time then present”.

Just as the Lord Jesus in His parables used objects to represent truths, and just as He performed miracles that were called signs, so it is with the figure, (parabole) and sign of the tabernacle. The Holy Spirit used the tabernacle and its arrangement to convey spiritual truth in Old Testament times. It is interesting to note that the materials for the making of the tabernacle are called a heave offering in Exodus 25:2, for they represented a recognition of the God of heaven, the words heave and heaven being connected.

Structure of the chapter

(a)	Verses 1-5	Description of the tabernacle layout and vessels
(b)	Verses 6-10	The significance of the two parts of the tabernacle
(c)	Verses 11-12	The blood of Christ gives Him title to enter heaven as a representative.
(d)	Verses 13-14	The blood of Christ purges the conscience of the worshippers
(e)	Verse 15	The blood of Christ deals with the transgressions under the first covenant
(f)	Verses 16-18	The death of Christ enables the covenant to come into force
(g)	Verses 19-22	The blood of Christ unites the people with the sanctuary
(h)	Verses 23-24	The blood of Christ purifies the heavenly sanctuary
(i)	Verses 25-26	The sacrifice of Christ puts away sin
(j)	Verses 27-28	The body of Christ bears the sin of many

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS CHAPTER 9, VERSES 1 TO 10:

9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

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:

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:

9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

(a) Verses 1-5
Description of the tabernacle layout and vessels

9:1
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Then verily the first covenant- the one which God made with Israel at Sinai.
Had also ordinances of Divine service- as well as covenant blessings, a mediator, and a high priest. It is important for the writer to be able to show that Christianity is not behind in this.
And a worldly sanctuary- not worldly in the wicked sense, but ordered and beautiful. The Greek word “cosmos” used here is the opposite of “chaos. The arrangement of the tabernacle is of importance in the argument. It is also important that it is of this world, compared to the true tabernacle which is in heaven, where the Lord Jesus officiates, 8:1,2.
For a more detailed look at the tabernacle, see the notes under “TABERNACLE”.

9:2
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary.

For there was a tabernacle made- constructed by men at God’s direction. It was of earthly materials that were found in the earth, or grew in the earth, or in one case, found in the sea, and therefore not eternal. “Made” means it was prepared and equipped, as the next verses describe. The heavenly sanctuary is not of this building, or creation, verse 11.
The first- now the writer distinguishes between the first compartment and the second; the first was beyond the first veil, otherwise known as the door of the tabernacle, the second was beyond the second veil, which is the one we usually refer to as the veil.
We must remember that the tabernacle proper was the innermost covering, and the boards and the bars were to keep this tabernacle up. See in proof of this in Numbers 4:25, where the Gershonites carry the tabernacle, meaning the curtains, and then verse 31, where the Merarites carry the boards of the tabernacle, i.e. the boards which are for the tabernacle in the sense that they hold it up. See also Exodus 35:11, where the tabernacle is spoken of as separate from the boards.
Wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread- the significance of these will come out in verse 24. The point to notice here is that the ordinary priests did not function in the light of the glory of God which shone in the Holiest of All, but rather in the light of the lampstand. Nor could they have full fellowship with God at the table, for that was not in the immediate presence of God either. Notice that showbread is mentioned as a separate item to the table. When David was hungry on one occasion, he went into the Tabernacle and asked for the showbread, 1 Samuel 21:6. The priest could not give him any of the twelve loaves that were arranged on the table, but there was bread from the table which had been replaced that day, and was stored in a vessel ready for the priests to eat during the next week. It is this that may be referred to in Hebrews 9:2 as separate from the table. The emphasis in that case is that the provision for the priests was in the holy place, for they could not advance into the holiest of all.
The lesson from the life of David is clear, reinforced as it is by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 12, that even under law the principle of grace was followed, and a man of the tribe of Judah could eat Levi’s bread. For as the Lord said, “In this place is one greater than the temple”, Matthew 12:6. In other words, if under the law there was room for grace, (for the priests worked to change the showbread but were nonetheless not guilty of Sabbath-breaking), how much more shall grace operate now that Christ has come. This lesson will not be lost on observant Hebrews.
Which is called the sanctuary- or, “which is called a holy place”, in contrast to that which is holiest of all.

9:3
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all- so there were degrees of holiness in the earthly tabernacle, which there are not in the heavenly sanctuary. Because it was holy, the tabernacle was closed to ordinary Israelites, who had forfeited their right to national priesthood because of the golden calf incident, Exodus 19:6; 32:26; Malachi 2:4-7. Because it was most holy, the second tabernacle was closed to the priest’s family because of the offering of strange fire, Leviticus 10:1,2; 16:1,2.

9:4
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Which had the golden censer- because he has the day of atonement in mind, the writer associates the censer with the second tabernacle, into which it was taken by the high priest on that day. Again the writer has shown that there were things out of reach of the majority of the priesthood.
And the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold- this was the most important vessel, being the object of attention on the day of atonement, and upon which the blood of atonement was sprinkled. Overlaid round about, that is, entirely, with gold. The blood must meet every demand of the gold which represented God’s glory.
Wherein was the golden pot that had manna- this was the token of God’s faithfulness. The hidden manna is reserved for the overcomer, Revelation 2:17.
And Aaron’s rod that budded- the token of God’s anger against the rebels, who spoke against Israel’s apostle, and their high priest, Numbers 16 and 17. This was the symbol of the authority of Aaron to officiate in the presence of God. Yet despite that authority being signified in such a miraculous way, (for Aaron’s rod, even though cut down, had budded, blossomed, and brought forth almonds all at once), he could not officiate in the place where his rod was, except once a year.
And the tables of the covenant- the token of God’s righteousness expressed in His law, and upon which the people had relationship with Him if they obeyed.

9:5
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat- these were the representation of the guardians of the righteousness of God, associating with the glory-cloud, or Shekinah, which dwelt between them. They overshadowed the ark, protecting the interests of God. Those approaching God would be confronted by these symbolic things, and more than this, the truths they symbolised.
Of which we cannot now speak particularly- showing that it is possible to speak of these things in detail, for every particular of them has a lesson, but the point at issue here is how things were arranged in the tabernacle, for that had deep significance.

(b) Verses 6-10
The significance of the two parts of the tabernacle

9:6
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

Now- the beginning of the reasoning based on these arrangements.
When these things were thus ordained- the same word as “made” in verse 2, meaning constructed after a certain pattern and design, by which God intended to teach lessons, see verse 8.
The priests went always into the first tabernacle- always signifies often, in contrast to the high priest only once.
Accomplishing the service of God- the writer never disparages the tabernacle system, allowing that the service of God was carried on there, but also shows the superiority of the heavenly one, where Christ ministers.

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:

But into the second- the “but” begins the section showing the shortcomings of the system as compared to heavenly things.
Went the high priest alone, once every year- the contrast is between priests and high priest, and between always and once. And what is more, he did this every year, which supplies another contrast later in the chapter. God was very clear that “there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place”, Leviticus 16:17. We know from the account in Leviticus 16 that Aaron in fact entered in three times on that day, but the whole ceremony is looked at together, and the contrast is between what happened on a daily basis, and what happened on a once-a-year basis.
Not without blood- his way was barred if he came without blood. If he persisted, then fire from God would devour him as it did his two sons who came with strange fire. See Leviticus 16:1, 2; 10:1,2. where the two events, the entry of Aaron’s sons after their consecration, and Aaron himself on the Day of Atonemnt, are contrasted. The sanctity of God’s presence must be maintained. As God said after Nadab and Abihu had sinned, “I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me”, Leviticus 10:3.
Which he offered for himself- note the idea of blood being offered, reminding us that “to offer” simply means to bring near, and does not necessarily mean to place upon the altar. The blood was offered where there was no altar. The blood, the evidence of a sin offering made, was sprinkled on and before the mercyseat.
And for the errors of the people- errors are sins of ignorance. The high priest and the people both committed sins of ignorance.

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:

The Holy Ghost this signifying- the Spirit of God had empowered Bezaleel to make the tabernacle according to the divine pattern, so that a clear signal could be sent as to important truth. The phrase would arrest the Hebrews, as they discover the real meaning behind the tabernacle system, perhaps for the first time.
That the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest- there was no clear line of sight for the priests, for the veil not only blocked their view, but blocked their approach, so the way they desired to tread was not in evidence. Note the “yet”, reminding us that the things of the tabernacle pointed forward to coming good things, verse 11, when believers would be able to enter right in to the presence of God in the heavenly sanctuary.
While as the first tabernacle was yet standing- that is, as long as the first compartment, (the Holy Place), had a standing separate from the second, (the Holiest of All), these things prevailed.

9:9
Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

Which was a figure for the time then present- there is a contrast between the time then present in the Old Testament era, and what the writer calls in the next verse the time of reformation. The Holy Spirit depicted the situation in parable form, the separate compartments of the tabernacle bearing eloquent testimony to the inadequacies of the system all the time the tabernacle was in use.
In which were offered both gifts and sacrifices– during that time, gifts in the form of tithes to support the priesthood, and sacrifices in the form of animals to deal ceremonially with sins were offered. Gifts and sacrifices were not offered in the first tabernacle, but outside, in the court. So “in which” refers not to the inside of the tabernacle, but to “the time then present”. The emphasis now is on the the time, not the place.
That could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience- the ritual may have been carried out perfectly, as indeed it must, but the conscience of the offerers was not perfected; that is, fully fitted to come before God, since they still had conscience of sins. See 10:14 for the spiritual counterpart. Notice the three negatives in this section: “not without blood” in verse 7; “not yet made manifest” in verse 8; “not make him that did the service perfect” in verse 9.

9:10
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances- see verse 8 for the idea of the tabernacle standing. The standing or basis of the tabernacle system was represented in parable form by its division into two compartments, and its dependance on the bringing of material offerings, such as sacrifices, or wine for drink offerings. The priests, too, were bathed initially at their consecration, and constantly washed at the laver, but only in a ceremonial way, for their hearts were not affected. These were but ordinances, or righteous requirements, which came to them as men in the flesh, (hence the commandments are described as carnal); they were not required to profess faith before they became priests.
Imposed on them until the time of reformation- these ceremonies were commanded by God, and impoaed by God, for the system was a legal one, in contrast to the voluntary coming in grace of the Lord Jesus. He came to set things right, not simply to reform and rearrange. It is significant that when Psalm 40 is quoted in Hebrews 10:5-7, the words, “Yea, thy law is within my heart”, Psalm 40:8, are omitted. It is not that God’s law was not in His heart, but that grace was the over-riding factor in His movements.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS CHAPTER 9, VERSES 10 TO 22:

9:11 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;

9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

9:14 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?

9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

9:18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

9:11
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;

But Christ being come- note the use of a title that speaks of Him as the Anointed one, the one approved of by the Holy Spirit. Whereas Aaron was anointed with oil, Christ was made Lord and Christ in a fresh way when He ascended into the heavens, Acts 2:36. The “being come” or “having come alongside of”, may be the counterpart of Aaron being brought by Moses to the door of the tabernacle, Exodus 29:4. So Christ, on ascension, has presented Himself as ready to function as high priest in the heavenly sanctuary.
The Holy Spirit who was speaking in parable form in the tabernacle system, now delights to be associated with Christ, the man who was to bring in the reality. As Jesus the Son of God He suits our need as those who are in the place of temptation, and need one to lead us through the wilderness, the subject of chapters 3-7. As Christ He suits our need as one who is appointed and anointed by God to lead His people into the sanctuary, the subject of chapters 8-10.
A high priest of good things to come- those good things foreshadowed in the tabernacle have now arrived in Christ. He is responsible for dispensing them, as God’s firstborn. “high priest of good things” means “dispenser, as high priest, of good things”.
By a greater and more perfect tabernacle- the writer never disparages the tabernacle in the wilderness, but shows that it speaks of a greater sanctuary, where perfection reigns. The heavenly sanctuary, which the Lord pitched and not man, 8:2, is greater in the sense that it is heavenly, and not of this creation. It is more perfect in the sense that it is Christ’s own blood that has sanctified it, verse 23. He comes by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, so the “come” refers to His arrival in heaven, at which time His high priesthood started. The heavenly sanctuary is the means by which He is able to officiate.
Not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building- human hands did not construct this sanctuary; they could not, for it is not part of this creation (building) at all. There are three things that mark this creation, and they are indicated in Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning” implies time, “heaven and earth” implies matter, and the fact that the two are separate implies space. None of these things is relevant in the sphere where Christ officiates. Time is irrelevant, for the presence of God is in eternity. Space and matter are irrelevant, too, for in that scene it is truth that is the reality. The heavenly sanctuary is the true tabernacle, the one where truth is all-dominant, and where truth finds its full and eternal expression. In heaven spiritual realities are more real than material and earthly things are to us now.

9:12
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Neither by the blood of goats and calves- this refers to the blood of the sacrifices on the day of the covenant, as detailed in Exodus 24:5. The goats were burnt offerings, and the calves were peace offerings, for the people are reckoned, because of their vow to keep the law, to be in acceptance (burnt offering) and harmony (peace offering) with God.
But by his own blood- just as Aaron was able to enter the tabernacle because it had been sanctified by the blood of the covenant, Hebrews 9:21, so Christ is enabled to enter heaven by means of His blood shed on earth. Aaron entered by the blood of others, but Christ by His own. We enter by the blood of another, too, the blood of Jesus, 10:19. As God’s Son, He is ever suited to be in the Father’s presence, but as our representative, He needs the sanction of blood. The idea that Christ entered heaven with His own blood has no foundation in scripture.
He entered in once into the holy place- once means once for all, in a strengthened form, in contrast to Aaron’s annual entry. Holy place is literally “holies”, the thrice-holy sanctuary in heaven, not the holy place on earth.
Having obtained eternal redemption for us- so He has brought in, not an annual provision, but an eternal one. The word used for redemption here was used by Zacharias when he spoke of serving (religiously) “without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life”, Luke 1:74,75. Redemption for righteousness is the theme of Romans, where we are set free from sin to serve God in righteousness. Redemption for holiness is the theme of Hebrews, for we are set free from dead works to serve God in holiness. By His blood Christ has purchased the covenant rights that enable His people to serve God in the sanctuary. Inasmuch as they shall do this for ever, it is eternal redemption. On the day of the covenant, God promised Israel that they could be a kingdom of priests if they obeyed the law, Exodus 19:5,6. This they did not, and forfeited their rights to serve God as a nation of priests.
Because the new covenant is founded on grace, not law, and is therefore not conditional upon our obedience, there will be no interruption of cancellation of the covenant, nor of the benefits it bestows.

(d) Verses 13-14
The blood of Christ purges the conscience of the worshippers

9:13
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

For if the blood of bulls and of goats- these are the animals that were used on successive days of atonement, (for only one bullock was offered on that day, so the use of the word bulls in the plural must relate to days of atonemnt as they came and went). Christ has entered heaven on the basis of His acceptance and harmony with God, (the counterpart of the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the Day of the Covenant), but He has also entered in virtue of the blood of His sin offering, (the counterpart of the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement). Note that the blood of two animals, for priest and people, is now replaced by the blood of one person. He needs not to offer for Himself.
And the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean- there was need for cleansing in between days of atonement, showing that the dealing with sin was not complete and final. The blood of bulls and goats was for national sin, whereas the ashes of the heifer, which derived power from the sin offering, were sprinkled on the sinner to deal with his personal sin.
Sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh- these sacrifices had a certain effect, fitting Aaron and the people to continue with God in the midst. The effect was only ceremonial and external, however. This is not to say that individual believers in Israel did not know real forgiveness. The emphasis in these verses is on the ceremonies of the law, and to show that Christ has brought in something far better by His sacrifice.

9:14
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?

How much more shall the blood of Christ- if God-ordered animal sacrifices had an effect, how much more will the blood of Christ, the Approved Man, be effective. Those animals were not intelligent as to the will of God, but Christ was, for He purged sins in line with the majesty of God.
Who through the eternal Spirit- this phrase suggests a series of contrasts:

1. Between sacrifices which were only God’s will until the time of reformation, and a sacrifice which has eternal effectiveness. The Spirit who uttered a parable through the tabernacle set-up, verses 8 and 9, now empowers a work which is perfect and final.

2. Between carnal (fleshly) ordinances, and the Spirit of God ensuring that eternal counsels are put into effect.

3. Between the Spirit, and that which is physical, like the body of a beast.

Offered himself without spot to God- to offer is not the same as to burn on the altar; the wise men offered their gifts, and Aaron offered blood in the Holiest of All, verse 7, but in neither case does this involve burning on an altar. The idea is of bringing near, and the idea of burning on the altar is relevant is many cases, but not in all.
In contrast to brute beasts, which may have needed to be dragged to the altar, Christ came willingly. The words of the psalm sung at the end of the feast of passover, “Bind the sacrifices with cords, even cords to the horns of the altar” would no doubt be on the lips of the Lord Jesus as He left the upper room, but He did not need to be bound, for He declared “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence”, John 14:31. He then went into Gethsemane, and said “Not my will, but thine, be done”, Luke 22:42. This gives a character to His sacrifice that animal sacrifices did not have, for He came in grace, willingly, whereas they were brought according to law, unwillingly. They were unintelligent, but He came by the eternal Spirit, for He was privy to the counsels of eternity, and acted accordingly.
Without spot means without blemish or defect. The sinlessness of Christ is of paramount importance, since the sacrificial rule was “it must be perfect to be accepted”, Leviticus 22:21. Aaron must wash his flesh with water before he put on his garments, for they were holier than he was, and made him ritually, what he was not really.
Purge your conscience from dead works- we might have expected “purge your conscience from sins”, but the phrase goes further, for the blood of Christ rids the conscience of the burden of needing to repeat works of sacrifice, since His one offering suffices. As a consequence, they become dead works. See also 8:13, where the old covenant is said to be decaying, waxing old, and ready to vanish away. Now it is dead, made so by the work of Christ. The believer need not have a conscience about not being involved with Judaism, but may draw near to God with the full assurance that faith in Christ brings, 10:22.
To serve the living God- the prospect opens out before all the Hebrew believers, of whatever tribe, of serving God in a religious way. But since He is the Living God, He must be worshipped in a manner which is in harmony with His character. Dead works cannot be used to serve a living God. The expression “Living God” is used twice in connection with dead apostates, 3:12, 10:31; here in connection with dead works, and once in connection with coming to the city of the living God, rather than earthly Jerusalem, which was full of those under the sentence of death through the law at Sinai.

(e) Verse 15
The blood of Christ deals with the transgressions under the first covenant

9:15
And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

And for this cause- that is the cause of enabling His people to serve God. They must be in covenant relationship with God to do so. Is this why the Lord mentioned the new covenant when He instituted the Supper? See Matthew 27:28. And also why Paul speaks of it in connection with the glory of God in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4? If we are to worship we must see the glory, just as Moses, having been shown the glory, bowed down his head toward the earth and worshipped, Exodus 34:8.
And more than this, the covenant blood must link us with the heavenly sanctuary, just as half the blood of the covenant was reserved to sprinkle on the tabernacle after it had been constructed. Our highest service must be when we worship God in His presence, and it is the blood of the new covenant which brings us into this privileged position.
He is the mediator of the new testament- the Authorised Version rightly discerns that the secondary meaning of “will” is in view here, suggesting that Gentiles are free to enter into the good of this covenant, for whereas covenant is an Old Testament idea, testament is a Gentile one.
That by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament- the death of Christ was retrospective, reaching right back to the start of the first covenant, which could not deal with sins effectively and finally. Since the sacrifices of the first covenant were burnt offerings and peace offerings, (for the people are taken up on their profession), that left sins not dealt with. How impressed the wavering Hebrews should have been, for the work of Christ finalises what the law left unfinished. “Redemption of the transgressions” means “redemption that the presence of transgressions makes necessary.
They which are called- God called Moses and seventy of the elders of Israel into the mount on the day of the covenant, and they saw God and ate and drank. Now this experience in all its reality is open to all the people of God. Leviticus, the priest’s handbook, began with “And the Lord called”, and this became the title of the book, but now the Christian worshippers are invited into the heavenly sanctuary.
Might receive the promise of eternal inheritance- the Levites had no inheritance in the form of land in Israel, but their portion was God Himself, and the sacrifices, Numbers 18:20, Deuteronomy 18:1. So with us, God in all His glory is our portion, and the appreciation of the sacrifice of Christ. This promise is not conditional, as Israel’s was, but is guaranteed to us, for Christ is the surety of it, 7:22.

(f) Verses 16-17
The death of Christ allows the covenant to come into force

9:16
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator- the whole purpose of a will is to bring into blessing after the will-maker has died. The writer needs principles supplied by the idea of covenant, (an ongoing and stable relationship), and principles supplied by the idea of testament, or will, (the benefits of which come in after the death of the one responsible for making the will.

9:17
For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

For a testament is of force after men are dead- not only do the blessings come after the death, they are sure to come (for they are of force) after the death, for that is the arrangement.
Otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth- while the testator is still living it is otherwise, i.e. of no strength, in contrast to being of strength or force when the testator has died.

(g) Verses 18-22
The blood of Christ unites the people and the sanctuary

9:18
Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

Whereupon– building upon the basis he has laid in the previous few verses about the testament established in the death of Christ, the writer shows that under the testament a death took place to enable worshippers to be free to serve God, and that testament also had a covenant victim which sanctified the sanctuary.
Neither the first testament was dedicated without blood- death, (implied by the word “blood”), came in with this covenant too. So Hebrew prejudice about a Messiah who died is being removed, for the principle was established under the law that if there was to be a covenant, (such as the new covenant for instance), a sacrifice had to be made.

9:19
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people- this is a reference to the covenant day at Sinai, recorded in Exodus 24. Chapters 21-23 of Exodus contain details of these precepts. So there was a full disclosure of their obligations before all of them. They knew what they were committing themselves to.
According to the law- reminding us of the character of the covenant, that it was conditional. The law was given in Exodus 20.
He took the blood of calves and goats- those mentioned in verse 12, but in reverse order. We are not told that the oxen were only peace offerings, and the goats only burnt offerings. Both these types of offering were normally brought by those in relationship with God, so the people are being taken up on their profession. They said, “All the words which the Lord said we will do”, Exodus 24:3, and on that condition the covenant was ratified in blood.
Note that the mediator of the old covenant is not the same as the covenant victim, whereas Christ is the mediator of the new covenant of which He also is the covenant victim.
With water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop- we are not told of the latter two items in Exodus 24. The hyssop would make a sprinkler, tied together by scarlet wool. The fact that the writer knows these things would indicate that God was revealing things to him, and thus he had authority. Compare the cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop of the cleansing of the leper ceremony, Leviticus 14:6, and the same materials burnt in the fire in the red heifer ceremony, Numbers 19:6.
And sprinkled both the book and all the people- note the connection between the book of the covenant and the people of the covenant, with the blood of the covenant uniting them together, and committing them to it as a conditional arrangement. In Exodus 17:14 Moses was commanded to write in a book, or as the margin puts it, “in the book”. Clearly Moses was writing the Pentateuch as events unfolded. He is said to have finished in Deuteronomy 31:24-27.

9:20
Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you- note the similarity between these words and those of Matthew 26:28, in connection with the new covenant. But there it is “my blood”, and “for the remission of sins”. The disciples would know that the first covenant was not ratified with sin-offering blood. The Lord anticipates the truth here revealed. The covenant-relationship between Christians and their God is in relation to worship in His presence. Relationship with Christ as head of the body, the church, has to do with earthly testimony, and the responsibility of the body to manifest Christ during His absence from the earth.

9:21
Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

Moreover he sprinkled likewise with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry- now the link is established between the tabernacle and the people. Both the sanctuary, and the vessels used in the sanctuary, were sanctified so as to be fit for the service of God.
Half the blood had been used for the sprinkling of the people, and now the ceremony is completed. Again, we are not told this in Exodus 24. The counterpart of this is seen in verse 23.

9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood- the sprinkling of the tabernacle and the vessels was an example of the normal mode of purifying objects, an exception (implied by “almost all things”), was the purging by water of the pots used for the sin offering, Leviticus 6:28. The tabernacle and vessels had been made by failing men, even though they were empowered by the Spirit of God, so they must be purged of association with sinners.
And without shedding of blood is no remission- having spoken of the tabernacle and vessels, the writer turns to the idea of people, who need the remission of sins. Remission is dismissal, which is what happened to the scapegoat; but his work was not valid without the other goat; two goats made but one offering, Leviticus 16:5. So now the question of sins has been dealt with for those who will approach God, and the sanctuary is prepared, and the people and the book are joined on the basis of blood.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS CHAPTER 9, VERSES 23 TO 28:

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.

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:

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;

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.

9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

(h) Verses 23-24
The blood of Christ purifies the heavenly sanctuary

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.

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these- so the tabernacle was a pattern, copy, or similitude of the heavenly sanctuary. The reality was in heaven, but the copy was on earth. It is always best to have the original, rather than a copy, so it is best to worship as a Christian, rather than in Judaism. The “these” refers to the sacrifices of calves and goats of verse 19.
But the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these- both things were necessary, for the earthly sanctuary needed to be purified because human hands had made it, and failing priests were to officiate in it. And just as the tabernacle needed to be safeguarded beforehand from the failures of the officiating priests, (and especially the sin of Nadab and Abihu), so the heavenly sanctuary needs to be protected from our faults and failures as we worship God.
Those who made and erected the tabernacle, even if all believers, had sin about them. So the blood of the covenant victim had to purify the building, verse 21. The same was the case with the priests who officiated in the earthly sanctuary, for their ministry defiled the tabernacle. This meant that the blood of the day of atonement was needed to purify and reconcile the tabernacle and the altars, which is indicated in verse 22.
So with the heavenly sanctuary, surprisingly enough. It has been defiled by the rebellion of Lucifer, who is described in Ezekiel 28:12-28 in terms which suggest he had a priestly role before his fall. Note in particular verse 18, “defiled thy sanctuaries”. The only means for restoring the heavenly sanctuary to purity is the blood of Christ. We are sure God was not compromised by the sin of Lucifer, for just as He dwelt in the midst of Israel despite their unclean-ness, safeguarded by the day of atonement ceremony, so He dwelt in heaven, safeguarded by the future work of Calvary.
Note the plural in verse 23, where the varied aspects of the sacrifice of Christ are in view, for the sacrifices on the day of the covenant were burnt offerings and peace offerings, whereas those on the day of atonement were burnt offerings and sin offerings, and His sacrifice was both atoning and covenant-making, and so fulfilled them all.

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:

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands- the “places” in question being the first and second tabernacle; both holy, but one most holy.
Which are the figures of the true- the word used for figure is antitupos; so the type is in heaven, the anti-type on earth. Tupos and antitupos are metal worker’s words. The “tupos” is the piece of hard metal with some symbol embossed on it, the “anti-tupos” is the corresponding or anti-pattern produced when the type is impressed upon the softer metal. As with the type of old-fashioned typewriters, some of the type is a contrast, some a comparison. The heavenly sanctuary is the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man, 8:2. The tabernacle on earth was the antitype, corresponsdiong to what was in heaven.
But into heaven itself- not the replica, but the reality. This would imply that “heaven itself”, (as opposed to heaven copied) is the heavenly sanctuary.
Now to appear in the presence of God for us- so He is there already, and officiates as high priest to ensure our entry is to the glory of God. The word appear means to shine, so He is the counterpart of the lampstand, as He shines in all His resurrection glory. (The lampstand was a golden almond tree, and the almond tree is the first tree in Israel to show signs of life after its winter death). How fearful we would be of approaching God if He were not there for us, especially as we know what happened to others who sought to enter the earthly sanctuary in a wrong way.
He is “in the presence of God”, just as the bread on the table of shewbread was called the “bread of presence”, for the twelve loaves represented the twelve tribes before God. So the bread of God has now ascended up where He was before, John 6:62, and represents all His people in God’s very presence. The shewbread was not in the immediate presence of God, but Christ is.
He is there “for us”, for He is the counterpart of the altar of incense as well, ever living to make intercession for us, hebrews 7:25.
He appears now– telling us it is ongoing. He appears– it is glorious. He appears in the presence of God for us– it is representative.

(i) Verses 25-26
The sacrifice of Christ puts away sin

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;

Nor yet- there is a further contrast to Aaron entering an earthly sanctuary.
That he should offer Himself often- Leviticus 16:3 directs Aaron to come into the presence of God with a bullock, (for “thus” can be translated “with this”), and this he did when he came with what represented the bullock, its blood. Christ, however, does not need to present Himself for sacrifice on a yearly basis, as Aaron brought his offerings year by year on the day of atonement. Christ’s entry into the presence of God at His ascension was a once-for-all event.
As the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others- this is the contrast; every year or once for all; holy place or heaven itself; blood of others or by His own blood. The fact that Aaron entered every year showed that he needed to offer sacrifice every year.

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.

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world- logic demands that if His work only affects sins for one year, as must be the case if He has to repeat the work like Aaron did, then since His blood deals with sins from the beginning of the world, then He must have suffered every year since the fall of man. This of course, is not the case.
Note the far-reaching consequences of the work of Christ, satisfying the righteous demands of God not just for a year, or even for a lifetime, but entirely.
Note also that for Him bloodshedding involved suffering, whereas in the case of the animals brought for sacrifice, their blood was shed first, so they were dead before they were put on the fire. Christ suffered the fire of Divine wrath, and then poured out His soul unto death.
But now- the truth about to be stated is a present reality. What Christ did in the past is still very relevant.
Once in the end of the world hath he appeared- once for all at the climax of all the ages, which meet at the cross. Time is no barrier to Him who is the “I am”. All ages looked on to the cross, and all ages, even those in eternity, (Ephesians 3:21), shall look back to it. One age shall give birth to another to give to our God fresh opportunity to reveal the supreme wonders of His dealings through Christ. Appeared means manifested, as one who was there before, but hidden, a tribute to His Deity. The counterpart is the presence of Aaron at the altar to kill the sin offering.
To put away sin by the sacrifice of himself- to put away is to set-aside, abolish, or make of no account. Instead of dealing with sins on a temporary basis, Christ has dealt with sin in the aggregate, sins all considered together. John the Baptist, (the son of a Levitical priest), saw this, and declared He would take away the sin of the world, in accordance with Daniel 9:24, which reads, “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity”.
“Sacrifice of himself” is a contrast to the sacrifices brought by Aaron, which were separate to himself. The work of Christ displays God as holy, and a Saviour-God; clears Him of charge of complacency about the entry and continuation of sin; vindicates God for passing over the sins done before, in Old Testament times, Romans 3:25; enables God to bring in new heavens and earth righteously; gives ground for God’s dealings in grace, 2 Corinthians 5. See the special note on propitiation in the notes on Romans 3:25.

(j) Verses 27-28
The body of Christ bears the sins of many

9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die- having spoken of the scope of Christ’s work time-wise, (foundation of the world), now he thinks of His work in relation to all men personally, whether Hebrews or not. Men die because they have a sinful nature, not, in normal circumstances, because they have committed particular sins. The death of man is by Divine appointment, and is once for all, with no return. The fear of death gripped the souls of men in the Old Testament, Hebrews 2:15. Even Aaron would have died if he had not come into the presence of God in the appointed way, Leviticus 16:2. And what if a man died, having sinned since his last sin offering? Only the sacrifice of Christ reaches into the future as well as the past, as the next chapter will show.
And after this the judgement- the sins they have committed will be met by God’s response in judgement. Men forget the dreadful “after this”, for they hope that death is the end. The writer refers to judgement as a foregone conclusion, not needing to prove it will happen.

9:28
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many- as men are appointed to die, so was He; as their death is once for all, so was His. But note the character of His death. Men die and go into eternity carrying the burden of their sins upon them, whereas Christ bore the judgement for sins before He died. “Many” does not necessarily imply “not all”, but emphasises that He, a solitary person, had the ability to bear the sins of a multitude, just as a single scapegoat bore the burden of the sins of all in Israel. See Romans 5:19, where “the many” who are made sinners, are in fact, all men.
This is the counterpart of the two goats for a sin offering; one to put away sin by its death, the other to bear sins. It is not correct to say that there are some whose sins are not borne, for this makes a mockery of the free offer of the gospel. But sinners must not have words with personal possessive pronouns put into their mouths, such as “he bare our sins”. The suffering which sinners endure as punishment for their sins in eternity does not atone for sins. We must distinguish between punishment and penalty. Punishment is not transferable, but penalty is, if the Judge allows it.
And unto them that look for him- the people of Israel looked for two people to return on the day of atonement, the high priest out from the sanctuary, his work accepted, and the fit man out of the wilderness, the goat abandoned. Christ shall appear out from heaven according to His promise to take believers to the Father’s house. But He has come back from the wilderness, too, as the goat did not. For there was not only a scapegoat, but also a fit man to lead it into the wilderness. Christ is the fit man, and has emerged out of the hours of forsakenness having removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. His sin offering enables our sins to be erased from the Divine memory, never to be recalled. Those who look for Him are those who have a personal interest in Him, for He was their sin-bearer at Calvary.
Shall he appear the second time- now the word used for appear means “to be seen”. As believers we have not seen our Saviour, “whom having not seen, ye love”, 1 Peter 1:8. But “we shall see him as he is, 1 John 3:2.
Without sin- that is, literally, cut off from sins, meaning without reference to dealing with sin again. He appeared the first time to put away sin, and so successful has the work been that He does not need to take it up ever again.
Unto salvation- it only remains for His people to be taken up out of this world, thus saving them from its influences entirely. Resurrection bodies will be theirs, and full deliverance from the effects of the fall will be known at last.

Propitiation

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We should never underestimate the importance of that aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus at Calvary which is known as propitiation. This is because the honour of God, the blessing of men, the introduction of Christ’s millenial kingdom, and the new heaven and the new earth, all depend upon it. When thinking of this vital matter, we need to be clear as to what propitiation actually is. It may be defined as follows: “Propitiation is the covering of sins to God’s satisfaction”.
There are seven references to this subject in the New Testament, and they are as follows- Luke 18:13, (“merciful”); Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17, (translated “reconciliation”); Hebrews 8:12, (“merciful” means propitious); Hebrews 9:5, (“mercy-seat” means place of propitiation); 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10

As we consider this subject in the light of the Scriptures, we could ask ourselves three main questions-

1. Why was propitiation necessary?
2. How was propitiation achieved?
3. What are the results of propitiation?

1. WHY WAS PROPITIATION NECESSARY?
Because sins offend God. As God is the Absolute Standard of righteousness and holiness, all deviations from this standard are highly offensive to Him. Such is the intensity of His holiness that the simple mention of it is enough to make the posts of the doors of the temple in heaven move, Isaiah 6:4. His reaction to sin and iniquity is to turn from it, for He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and who cannot look upon sin, Habakkuk 1:13. The very presence of sin in the universe is a grief to God.

Because as Moral Governor of the universe, He must be seen to deal with sins. God has enemies, both devilish and human, and He must be clear of any charge which they may level against Him that suggests He has ignored sins, or at least, ignored some sins. Eternity must not be allowed to run its course without this matter being settled. God deals with some sins instantly, but the majority seem to have gone unpunished. Sentence against an evil work has not been executed speedily, Ecclesiastes 8:11, since God is longsuffering, and waits to be gracious. This situation might give rise to the charge of indifference to sins, and so God must act to defend His honour.

Because God must have a just basis for continuing to have dealings with sinful men. One of the main purposes of the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement in Israel was that God might continue to dwell amongst them despite their uncleanness, Leviticus 16:16. So also when Christ was down here. It was only because God was not imputing trespasses so as to instantly judge them, but rather was working to reconcile unto Himself, that He was prepared to have dealings with men in the person of His Son. See 2 Corinthians 5:19.

Because if men are to be shown mercy, have their sins forgiven, and be reconciled to God, there must be a solid basis upon which these things can happen. God declares Himself to be a Saviour God- He cannot be fully satisfied solely by judging men . The fact that “God is light” demands that this be done, but “God is love” too, and delights to manifest Himself in grace.

Because the cycle of sin must be broken. In other words, if there is not to be an eternal succession of creations, falls, remedies for fall, and new creations, then there must be that established which is once for all, giving the complete answer to the question of sin. Unless this complete answer is given, the new heaven and earth will not be safe from disturbance.

We may now ask our second question:
HOW WAS PROPITIATION ACHIEVED?
The ceremonies of the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus chapter 16 will help us here. We need to be very careful in our interpretation of them, however. We should remember two things. First, that the Old Testament teaches by way of comparison as well as by contrast. Second, that Christ’s ministry is in connection with a sanctuary which is “not of this building”, Hebrews 9:11. That means it is not part of the creation of Genesis chapter one. So even whilst acting on earth, He was operating in relation to a sphere that is not subject to the limitations of time, space, or matter.

For instance, the writer to the Hebrews indicates that the going forth of the Lord Jesus outside the camp, was the counterpart of the carrying of the carcase of the sin offering from the altar, where it had been slain, to a place of burning outside the camp. But this particular ritual took place almost at the end of the Day of Atonement proceedings, whereas the Lord Jesus went outside the camp before He died. We may say then that in one sense time is irrelevant as far as the work of Christ was concerned.
Again, what took place at the altar in the court of the tabernacle; before the ark in the Holiest of All; outside the camp at the place of burning, and in the wilderness where the scapegoat was taken and let go, all typified some aspect of the work of Christ. Place is irrelevant, too.
And so is matter irrelevant. Christ needed no visible ark to enable Him to convince His Father that His blood had been shed. When the repentant man of Luke 18 appealed to God to be merciful to him, (or, to be gracious towards him on the ground of propitiation made), he went down to his house justified, despite the fact that there was no ark in the temple.
With these cautionary remarks in mind, we look now at Leviticus 16, and note those major parts of the ceremonies of that day which contribute towards making propitiation, the great end for which they were carried out.

A SUITABLE SIN OFFERING WAS BROUGHT NEAR
We must remember that the word “offer” that is used in Leviticus 16:6 means to bring near. A sacrifice must be offered before it can be laid on the altar. The blood that purges the conscience of God’s people is the blood of One who “offered Himself without spot to God”, Hebrews 9:10. That is, He presented Himself for sacrifice in all the spotlessness of His person, confident that He met the approval of His God. We are reminded of the words of the psalmist when he said, “Search me O God, and try my heart”, Psalm 139:23. The Lord Jesus is the only one who could utter such words in the confidence that nothing contrary to God would be found in Him. In this He is so different to Aaron, or as the writer to the Hebrews puts it, He is “separate from sinners”, for Aaron could not present himself to God, he must present a substitute, Hebrews 7:27. Nor could that substitute bring itself, having no consciousness of God’s demands. Christ has no such limitations, however, for He offered Himself, as Aaron could not do, and as an animal would not do.

AN OFFERING WAS MADE FOR SIN
In Leviticus 16:9 a different word for offer is used, one which simply means to make. So the animal, having had the sins of Aaron and his household figuratively transferred to it, is by that act made to represent those sins. Whatever happens to the animal subsequently happens to the sin. The apostle Paul takes up this thought in 2 Corinthians 5:21 when he declares that “God hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. It is exceedingly solemn to think that whatever God’s reaction to our sin was, became His reaction to Christ as the sinner’s substitute. So we may learn in the fullest sense what God’s reaction to sin is by looking to the cross where He forsook His Son and poured out His wrath upon Him. Such is the intensity of God’s hatred of sin, and such is his determination to deal with it, that “He spared not His own Son”, not shielding Him at all from the fury of His anger; not lessening the penalty, nor relieving the pain. Who can tell the agony of Christ’s soul when He was dealt with by God as if He were sin! Of course, He remained personally what He always had been, pure and holy, just as the sin-offering is said to be most holy, Leviticus 6:17, but He was made sin as our representative.

THE OFFERING WAS SLAIN AND ITS BLOOD SHED “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”, Leviticus 17:11. Such are the words of God to His people, teaching us that the shedding of blood is vitally important, for “Without shedding of blood is no remission”, Hebrews 9:22. Accordingly, that sins might be dealt with, Christ “poured out His soul unto death”, Isaiah 53:12. He willingly laid down His life in accordance with His Father’s commandment, John 10:18.

THE CARCASE WAS BURNT
Having been presented to God as a living animal at the altar, and having been slain and its blood retained, the animal’s corpse must be taken to the outside place, that it may be subjected to the fires of Divine holiness until nothing is left. How significant the contrast to Christ. For He was subjected to the Divine Fires whilst still alive, on the cross. How He must have suffered! Can we begin to take it in? Will not all eternity be needed to set forth what He was prepared to endure in love for our souls? But endure He did, and exhausted the fire of God’s wrath against our sins.

THE BLOOD WAS SPRINKLED
We come now to the central action on the Day of Atonement, the sprinkling of the blood both of the bullock for Aaron and his house, and the goat for the nation of Israel, on the mercy-seat, or “the place for the covering of sin”. If God covers sins, then they are put completely out of His sight. We ought not to think of this covering as a temporary thing, or else we shall have difficulty understanding why God declared that Israel was cleansed from all their sins that day, Leviticus 16:30. It is true that the Scripture says that “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins”, Hebrews 10:, but what that blood symbolises, even the blood of Christ, can. And that not only after Calvary, but before as well.

Now when the writer to the Hebrews referred to this mercy-seat, he used the Greek word which means propitiatory, the place where God is propitiated in regard to sins, and where those sins are atoned for. This makes clear that he did not see a distinction between covering and propitiating. There was a two-fold significance to this, however, as indicated by the two-fold sprinkling of each kind of blood, that of the bullock and of the goat. The blood sprinkled on the mercy-seat was to satisfy the demands of God, so that instead of anger because of sins, He could be merciful in dealing with them. This was because the blood was a reminder to God that a suitable sin-offering had been slain, and burnt in the fire. The blood sprinkled before the mercy-seat was to meet the needs of the Israelites, for it established a footing for them in the presence of God based upon the shedding of blood.
So with the work of Christ. He has fully met every demand that God could make about sins. As one of the Persons of the Godhead, He has Divine insight into God’s requirements, and He has fully met those requirements. We are assured of this because He has set Himself down with confidence at the right hand of the Majesty on high- He purged sins in harmony with the Majesty of God. But He has also established a sure footing in the presence of God for those who believe, so that the apostle Paul; can speak of the grace wherein we stand, Romans 5:1. So dominant is the idea of grace with regard to that position, that the apostle uses the word grace to describe it. Only those who have “received the atonement”, Romans 5:11, are in that secure place before God.

THE SINS WERE CONFESSED AND CARRIED AWAY
The sin-offering for the people consisted of two goats, one for the Lord’s interests, and one for theirs. One, as we have seen, was slain so that blood could be sprinkled on the mercy-seat. The other was called the scape-goat, or goat that was dismissed and went away. There was no double sin-offering for Aaron and his house, for he had seen the blood on the mercy-seat, and since he had not died, he knew it had been accepted, and his sins were gone. The rest of Israel did not have that experience, however, and so to reassure them, they were able to see Aaron lay his hands on their goat, confess over it their sins, and then watch the goat, which carried its dreadful load of their sins, disappear into the wilderness, guided by a man whose fitness lay in his ability to take the animal to a place from which it could not return. The writer to the Hebrews takes up these things in Hebrews 9:25-28, where he speaks of Christ appearing to “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”- this is the counterpart of the blood on the mercy-seat. Then he speaks of Christ “bearing the sins of many”, and now he is thinking of the scapegoat. When the Lord Jesus was forsaken of His God upon the Cross, He was in a moral position equal to that of the scapegoat, which was accepted as an offering, but rejected because of the load it bore.

Just as there are two goats for the people, so there are two men acting on their behalf. There was Aaron, who went into the sanctuary with the blood of the slain goat, and there was the fit man, going into the wilderness with the live goat. The return of Aaron from the presence of God signified that sins were dealt with satisfactorily Godward, for he had not died. The return of the fit man, without the goat, signified that the burden of sin was removed from the people. An alternative rendering of the expression “fit man” is “a man standing ready”. So before John the Baptist announced the Lord Jesus to be the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, he described Him as “one standing among you”- He was standing ready to do the work of Calvary at the time of His Father’s appointment.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF PROPITIATION?

THE DEMANDS OF GOD WERE FULLY MET
To satisfy God as the Moral Governor of the universe, an adequate and final answer must be found to the question of sin. The demands of His holiness and righteousness are such that every sin must be responded to. Only Christ is adequate for this situation. He it is who has “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”, Hebrews 9:26. To put away in that verse means to abolish. As far as God is concerned, and in this context, sin is not. No charge can henceforth be made against God that He has ignored the presence of sin. On the contrary, He has taken account of each and every sin through his Son’s work at Calvary. John wrote, “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”, 1 John 2:2. Of course “the sins of” is in italics in that verse. But the words must be supplied because they are implied in the “ours” of the previous statement. If John had written “not for us only”, then he could have continued “but also for the whole world”. Since, however, he uses the possessive pronoun “ours”, then “the sins of” must be inserted. Now the apostle will write later that “we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness”, 1 John 5:19. He sees mankind divided into two clearly defined sections, believers, and the whole world. The same whole world whose sins God took account of at Calvary.

GOD’S DEALINGS WERE VINDICATED
In Old Testament times God blessed men by reckoning them righteous when they believed in Him. Romans 3:24,25 indicates that the propitiatory work of Christ vindicates God for so acting. In can be seen now that God was blessing anticipatively, crediting believers with the results of Christ’s work before they had been achieved. He also remitted, or passed over, their sins in forbearance, holding back from judging those sins in virtue of what His Son would do at Calvary.

GOD’S GLORY IS FULLY DISPLAYED
There is no attribute of God which has not been fully expressed at Calvary. This is why the apostle Paul speaks of rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement, Romans 5:11. Atonement in this verse means reconciliation, one of the effects of propitiation. By His sacrificial work at Calvary Christ has brought the character of God out into full and glorious display. Those who are brought by faith into the good of that work are enabled to behold that display, and rejoice in it. Would we know Divine holiness, or righteousness, or love, or wrath, or any other aspect of the Person of God? Then we must look to the cross for the sight of it. We shall not be disappointed.

GOD’S MERCY IS AVAILABLE
The repentant sinner who called upon God to be merciful to him, is the first person in the New Testament to use the word propitious- “God be merciful to me on the basis of propitiation”. He went down to his house justified, Luke 18:13,14. Under the terms of the New Covenant, God promises that “I will be merciful (propitious) to their unrighteousness, Hebrews 8:12. The mercy-seat was the same width and breadth as the ark, telling us that the ark (the person of Christ) and the mercy-seat, (the work of Christ), were perfectly matched. But we are not told the thickness or depth of the gold of the mercy-seat, for there is an infinite supply of mercy for those who believe, enough to keep them secure for all eternity.

GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS ASSURED
In Hebrews 10:5-8 we have the Spirit of Christ in the psalmist telling of His work of sacrifice. Then we have the Spirit’s testimony telling us of the results of that work, Hebrews 10:15-17. God promises emphatically that He will not remember the sins and iniquities of His people any more, since He brought those sins into remembrance at Calvary, and Christ dealt with them effectively there. “No more” means in no way, nor at any time. Note that God pledges to positively not remember, not negatively to forget. We may forget, and then remember again, whereas God promises never to remember for ever.

GOD’S PEOPLE ARE PRESERVED
The Lord Jesus spoke in the Upper Room of His brethren, then indicated that He was about to “ascend to My Father, and your Father, to My God, and your God”, John 20:17. Thus He would still be the link between his people and God, maintaining them in His dual role of Advocate with the Father, and High Priest in things pertaining to God.

He is also our High priest. The language of Hebrews 2:17,18- “Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted”. These verses form a bridge between chapter two, with its emphasis on the reasons why the Lord Jesus took manhood, and the way in which Israel were tempted in the wilderness. Note in particular the word “for” which begins verse 18-too little attention has been paid to this word, and hence the connection between verses 17 and 18 is often lost. The reason why we have a high priest who is merciful and faithful is that He has been here in manhood and suffered being tempted. When His people pass through temptation, then He undertakes to deal with their cause. Because He has been here, and has been tempted in all points like as we are, He is able to help us when we cry to Him for help. The word for succour is used by the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15:25 when she cried out, “Lord, help me”. He is able to point us to the ways in which He overcame in the wilderness temptation, and thus we are strengthened to resist temptation.

GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE EARTH IS FURTHERED
When Adam the head of the first creation fell, all creation had to be subjected to vanity, or else a fallen man would have been head over an unfallen creation. Now that He has obtained rights over the earth by His death, the Lord Jesus is able to bring in new conditions for God. He can now righteously deliver the present creation from the bondage of corruption that the fall of man brought it into, Romans 8:19-23. Colossians 1:20 assures us that on the basis of the blood of His cross, all things, whether in earth or in heaven, can be reconciled to God, for that alienation between God and His creation which took place at the Fall, can be remedied.

GOD’S INTENTION TO CREATE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH CAN BE REALISED Unless the sin which has marred the first creation is dealt with, God cannot righteously introduce an eternal earth and heavens, for it would not have been evident that He was able to deal with the fall of the first creation. Having dealt with it through Christ, He is able to bring in new things that will never be spoiled. Daniel was told that Messiah the Prince would bring in “everlasting righteousness”, Daniel 9:24, and this He will do, on the basis of His death. It only remains for God to announce “Behold, I make all things new”, Revelation 21:5, and a “New heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”, will be established, 2 Peter 3:13. At last there will be a settled and congenial place for righteous to dwell in, after all the turmoil brought in by Adam’s sin. At last those profound words spoken by John the Baptist will be fully brought to pass- “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29.

ROMANS 5

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Section 7 Romans 5:1-11
The glory of God is central to the gospel

Subject of Section 7
This section deals with the past, present, and future of the believer in the light of the glory of God. The apostle explains three things. First, how one who formerly came short of the glory of God, 3:23, can look forward to, and rejoice in, that glory. Second, how a believer can rejoice even though he is passing through tribulations. And third, how a believer can rejoice in who and what God is. The answers are found in the past, present and future work of the Lord Jesus on the believer’s behalf.

It is important to notice the various renderings of the word translated “rejoice”. In verse 2, “rejoice in hope of the glory of God”; in verse 3, “glory in tribulations also”; in verse 11, “joy in God”. See also “boasting” in 3:27, and “glory” in 4:2. So “rejoice”, “glory”, “joy” and “boast” all mean the same thing in these verses.

Structure of Section 7

7(a)	5:1,2	Rejoicing in hope of the glory of God
7(b)	5:3-10	Rejoicing in tribulations
7(c)	5:11	Rejoicing in God

7(a) 5:1,2
Rejoicing in hope of the glory of God

5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Therefore- the passage develops the consequences of the justification by faith that has been explained in the previous main section, 3:21-26, before the parenthesis of 3:27-4:25.
Being justified- a past event with continuing effect.
By faith- that is, on the principle of faith. Faith has no virtue in itself, so it is not the means of justification, but it is the condition laid d own by God, the basis on which He is prepared to reckon men righteous. Man entered into sin by disbelieving God; he may enter into salvation by believing God. Man entered into sin by rebelling against God; he may enter into salvation by repenting toward God.
We have peace with God- as far as the believer is concerned, the anger of God because of sins has been removed. This is judicial peace, arrived at in strict accordance with justice, and not as a result of the slackening of God’s demands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ- nothing we have done personally has contributed to this position, it is entirely due to what Christ has done at Calvary. Peace with God is not conditional at all, whereas the peace of God is, as Philippians 4:6,7 makes clear.

5:2
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

By whom also we have access- as well as ensuring that there is settled peace between ourselves and God, the Lord Jesus is also the One who introduces His people to the Father’s presence, for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me”, John 14:6. Through Him both Jew and Gentile believers have access by one Spirit unto the Father, Ephesians 2:18. It is one thing to be reckoned righteous by the Divine Judge, it is a further thing to have access into His immediate presence. But this we have.

By faith- which lays hold of unseen things, Hebrews 11:1, and accepts without reserve the testimony of God’s word. It is because the believer has come by faith to know the truth and possess the life, that he has a place before God.
Into this grace wherein we stand- the word that describes the attitude of God in His unmerited favour towards His people is now transferred to the favour itself. Compare 2 Corinthians 8:6,19, where the word used for the attitude which gave a gift is then used for the gift itself, so the gift had the stamp of grace upon it. So here, the believer’s position by grace has the stamp of Divine grace upon it.
By the grace of God believers have a settled place (they “stand”) in the presence of Him who, were they still in their sins, would be their unsparing judge, and from whose face they would be banished. Their standing is by grace, not merit. The access into the standing is by faith initially, and the enjoyment of it is by faith continually.
And rejoice in hope of the glory of God- sinners have no interest in the glory of God, being occupied with themselves. Believers on the other hand eagerly anticipate the day when God will reveal Himself in all His beauty and majesty. Their hope is conditioned by God’s glory. Far from dreading the actual sight of the glory of God in Christ, the believer rejoices at that prospect, a sure sign that his sins have been dealt with.
Hope in the Scriptures is not a doubtful thing, but a certain prospect. This is confirmed by the fact that in 1 Timothy 1:1 the Lord Jesus is said to be the believer’s hope, and there is no uncertainty with Him. Believers shall not only be in the presence of God in all His beauty and glory, Psalm 27:4, but shall radiate that glory, Rev. 21:11,23,24.

7(b) 5:3-10
Rejoicing in tribulations

5:3
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And not only so- the apostle has established that peace with God ensures that we face the future sight of God with confidence; now he shows that it enables us to face calmly the trials of the present.
But we glory in tribulations also- this is not simply to glory (rejoice) whilst passing through tribulations, but to actually view the tribulations themselves as a reason for rejoicing. The unbeliever views tribulations as a reason for complaining.
Knowing that- glorying in trials is not on account of indifference to pain, but intelligence as to God’s purpose.
Tribulation worketh patience- the heavy log which in ancient times the oxen dragged around the threshing-floor to press the grain out from the ear, was called in Latin a tribula. Tribulation is relentless pressure. The believer is able to rejoice in this pressure, because it is a means to an end. Patience is not simply a passive acceptance of the seemingly inevitable, but a positive resolve to endure to God’s glory.

5:4
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And patience experience- this word denotes “proof”. In other words, the trials, when passed through with endurance, afford proof of the genuineness of the believer’s profession. The reality of his faith is being proved experimentally. Compare the seed growing on stony ground in the parable of the sower, Matthew 13:5,6,20,21, with that which grew in the good ground, Matthew 13:8,23. The heat of the sun (explained as “tribulation or persecution…because of the word”, verse 21), withered the rocky ground plant, whereas the ears of a healthy wheat plant were ripened by the same sun. Only the true believer can flourish under tribulation; the false professor will wither and die.
And experience, hope- far from causing the believer to be downcast, tribulations should produce a confident reliance on the faithfulness of God, for after the suffering will come the glory.

5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

And hope maketh not ashamed- to have confident expectations whilst in the midst of trying circumstances is not an embarrassment to a believer, for his hope is certain to be realised. The reason why he knows this is next told us, for the love of God assures us.
Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts- literally, the love is “deluged”, so that just as every part of the earth was flooded in Noah’s day, so every part of the believer’s heart is affected by the love of God. There is, in principle, no nook or cranny where bitterness can be harboured. Note the word “is” not “was”, for it is not only the moment of conversion that is in view. The love of God is currently flooding the heart of the believer within, all the time that tribulation is his portion from without.
By the Holy Spirit which is given unto us- note that there is no doubt that the believer has the Spirit of God within. Note also that He is given, not earned, as the apostle affirms in Galatians 3:2. The Holy Spirit does many things in our hearts, as chapter 8 will show, but here He assures us of Divine love, which has been demonstrated so clearly at Calvary. He also assures of future blessedness, thus saving the believer from despair.

5:6
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

For- this word introduces a commentary on the nature of the Divine love which is within the believer’s heart.
When we were yet without strength- we were completely powerless to earn Divine love, like the impotent man of John 5. The “yet” suggests that we had tried to merit God’s love in the past without success.
In due time- the “time appointed” and “the fulness of the time” of Galatians 4:2,4, when the Son of God came to display the Father’s love. He did not come too soon, so we might say we had not been given enough time to earn salvation. He did not come too late, so that we would despair.
Christ died for the ungodly- Israel were looking for the Christ to reign in righteousness; in fact He came to die in righteousness and love, for “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. See also Song of Solomon 8:6,7. The ungodly are those who have no respect for God, and who represent the strongest possible test for the love of Christ; will He be prepared to die even for these?

5:7
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die- because the life of a righteous man condemns the sinner’s life, there is little prospect of the sinner sacrificing his life for a righteous man’s sake.
Yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die- there is a slim possibility that a man might go so far as to dare to die, (meaning, “bring himself to die”) for one who has done him some good, “the good man in his experience”.

5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

But- in contrast to those who are reluctant, or who only dare to die when they have been shown good.
God commendeth his love toward us- God’s love is not a peradventure or a dare, (which are worthless if not carried out), but has been fully demonstrated to be worthy by being put into effect. This is His own particular and special love, which is unique to Himself, for it demands nothing before it is shown, and is lavished upon the unlovely.
In that while we were yet sinners- we were not the sort of people for whom men possibly dare to die, being neither righteous nor good.
Christ died for us- an actual, historic, accomplished event, giving expression to God’s intense love.

Special note on verses 8-10
In verses 8 and 9, the apostle summarises the teaching of the epistle from the beginning, where he emphasises sinful actions, whereas in verse 10 he anticipates the teaching of 5:11-8:39, where he emphasises the sinful state. This may be set out as follows:

Verses 8 and 9	Verse 10
Actions	State
Sinners: guilty of sinful acts	Enemies: by nature and condition
Christ: the man free of sinful actions	Son: His nature in relation to God
Died: an act accomplished	Death: a state entered
“Much more”	“Much more”
Justified: action by God	Reconciled: state before God
Saved, as He intercedes, 8:34	Saved by His risen state

Note the features of Divine love in the believer’s heart:

Unique	His own love
Unhindered	Shed abroad
Unrivalled	Not “scarcely…peradventure”
Undeserved	Sinners: No righteousness before God
	Ungodly: No respect for God
	Enemies: No relationship with God
Unreserved	Christ really died

5:9
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Much more then- Divine love not only meets us in our tribulations in the present, with the indwelling Holy Spirit constantly reminding us of it, but it safeguards us in the far more awesome Day of Judgment to come.
Being now justified by his blood- the death of Christ was not simply a demonstration of love, but met the claims of Divine justice to the full, hence instead of death the apostle speaks of blood, for “it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul, Leviticus 17:11. Divine justice demands that life must be forfeited if sins are committed, but God is prepared to accept the life of a suitable substitute. That substitute is Christ.
We shall be saved from wrath through him- the eternal wrath of God which sinners shall know, believers shall not know, not because they have lived perfect lives since they first believed, but because they have One who makes intercession for them if any charge is brought against them either now or in the future, Romans 8:33,34. The wrath of God abides on the disobedient unbeliever, but those who believe on the Son of God have everlasting life, and are safe for ever, John 3:36.

Having enlarged, in verse 9, on the statement of verse 8, “Christ died for us”, with special reference to the justifying power of His blood, the apostle now emphasises His reconciling work, again based on His death. For sin not only makes men guilty before God, but also banishes them from His presence.

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.

For if, when we were enemies- as sinners we needed to be justified, but we were also enemies, so we needed to be reconciled, brought into a harmonious relationship with God. We were enemies because the carnal mind, (that is, the mind of the unsaved person), “is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”, Romans 8:7.
We were reconciled to God by the death of his Son- death speaks of banishment, whereas the idea of Son speaks of nearness, but here the two are brought together; He who is nearest and dearest to God, dies for those who are furthest and most hostile.
Much more- if God brought us near by the death of His Son, what will He not do now that He has been raised from the dead, showing that the work of Calvary is sufficient? See Romans 8:31,32.
Being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life- if Christ was prepared to die for His enemies, what will He not do for His friends? If He reconciled us to Himself when we were at war with Him, He will not banish us now that we are at peace with Him. Believers are preserved free of condemnation because Christ is in resurrection, the sure sign that His death at Calvary satisfied God, Romans 4:25.

7(c) 5:11
Rejoicing in God

5:11
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

And not only so- we not only rejoice in hope of seeing and radiating the glory of God, and rejoice in tribulations, but we joy in God too.
But we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement- atonement is the result of propitiation, and has to do with the fact that Christ’s blood has satisfied every demand against our sin, and on this basis sinners may be righteously brought near to God. By His death on the cross the Lord Jesus satisfied every demand that all aspects of the glory of God made upon us, and in so doing enhanced every one of those glories, see John 12:28; 13:31,32.
Now that he is brought into harmony with God by Jesus Christ, the believer is able to rejoice in the glory of God that was magnified at the cross. Every Divine attribute was brought into full display at Calvary. By gaining an appreciation of the work of Christ done there, the believer progresses in the knowledge of God in all His glory. Far from being terrified now by that glory, he triumphs and rejoices in it.
The work of propitiation has been shown by the apostle both in chapter 3:25, and now here, to be at the heart of the gospel. It is vitally important to try to grasp the immensity of what Christ did at Calvary, and to beware of thinking of His death only in terms of our own justification and forgiveness, blessed as those things are.
It is necessary for the Moral Governor of the universe to clear Himself in relation to every sin that has ever been committed. If He does not do so, He will be in danger of the charge of compliance with that sin. Outrageous as that charge would be, the Devil is evil enough to make it. To protect Divine Honour in this matter, Christ “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”, Hebrews 9:26. When God made Him sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21, He bore the penalty for sin in His own person. This must not be confused with punishment for sin, however, which the unrepentant sinner will endure for all eternity. In strict justice it is not possible for one person to be punished for the wrongdoings of another, but it is possible for another to endure the penalty of another’s sins. It is perfectly possible for Christ to endure the penalty for sin, and yet the sinner bear the punishment for that same sin in the lake of fire.
We must beware of confusing the work of Christ with the effect of the work. The work was propitiation, which has its own effect God-ward of course, but the effect man-ward for those who believe is reconciliation. There is no limit to the work of propitiation, for it is measurable only in terms of the infinite person who accomplished it. Reconciliation is limited, however, being restricted to those who in the language of Romans 5:11, “have received the atonement”.
If there were those in Israel on the Day of Atonement who refused to afflict their souls and abstain from work, (the equivalent to repentance and faith), they were cut off from their people, Leviticus 23:26-32. The work that had been done for the nation that day was not credited to them. So if there are those who refuse to repent and believe, they are cut off from the reconciliation that Christ obtained at the cross.

We now begin to look at that section of the epistle which deals not so much with what we have done, but what we are. In other words, the criminal, not the crimes he has committed. Now that his sins have been forgiven, what is the believer’s relationship with God? What of the sin-principle that caused him to sin before he was saved? By what power is the Christian life lived? And is the security of the believer assured? These questions, and others besides, are answered in the next sections of the epistle.

Section 8 Romans 5:12-21
Christ and Adam compared and contrasted

Subject of Section 8
The apostle here begins a fresh section of the epistle in which he deals with what we are by nature, by tracing that nature to Adam. By nature is meant those essential features which combine to make a thing what it is. Through the sin and disobedience of the first man, Adam, who is the ancestral head of men as sinners, terrible consequences were passed on to all, which could only be remedied by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, who becomes the head of those who believe. The teaching of the previous section has prepared the way for what is presented to us now.
The apostle assumes we accept the testimony of the early chapters of the Book of Genesis, with its record of the formation of the first man, Adam, his disobedience and fall, and the fact that he passed on to all mankind a sinful nature.
The whole of the purpose of God for mankind centres on the fact that His Son became man, and as such is qualified to be the last Adam. He came to restore that which He took not away, Psalm 69:4. Part of that restoring work is to remedy the loss and damage that Adam had brought upon men by his sin.

Special note on sin
The word sin is used as a verb and as a noun in scripture. As a verb it means in the majority of cases “to miss the mark”, as when an archer fails to hit the target. God has set the standard for man’s behaviour, and man fails to attain that standard; that failure is sin.
As a noun it either refers to an individual act of missing the mark, or, (in the sense it is mainly used from this point on until the end of chapter eight), “the tendency and ability to act lawlessly”.
Different aspects of the word sin in the scriptures are as follows:
1. Sin in the aggregate, the totality of all the sins that have ever been and ever will be committed. Examples: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29. “But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”, Hebrews 9:26.
2. Sin as an individual act. Example: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17.
3. Sin in the abstract. Example: “and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”, Hebrews 9:28.
4. Sin as the ability to act lawlessly. Examples: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, Romans 6:23. “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Romans 7:17. It is in this latter sense that the apostle uses the word in the following verses.

When God made man at the beginning, He made him in His own image, after His likeness, Genesis 1:26. As a person in God’s image, man was to represent God to the rest of creation. As a person after God’s likeness, man was to replicate Him, displaying godly features.
As a being made in this way man had rationality, the ability to reason; spirituality, the ability to respond to God; personality, the ability not only to express himself as an individual, but also, and primarily, so as to display God.
Sadly, through the fall of man, these abilities have been perverted and corrupted. Instead of reasoning in line with God’s word, man follows the dictates of his own perverted mind, which is enmity with God, and is not and cannot be subject to the law of God, Romans 8:7. Instead of responding to God, man listened to the voice of the Tempter, who denied that God had man’s best interests at heart. Instead of his personality displaying the virtues of God, man displays himself, selfishly putting himself to the fore. He thereby betrays a lack of spirituality.
So it was that when Adam begat Seth, he did so “in his own likeness, after his image”, Genesis 5:3. Note the reversal of the order. In the case of Adam it was “image…likeness”, for the main point is the representation, with the likeness making that representation meaningful and real. In the case of Seth, the likeness is mentioned before the image, for the emphasis is now on the replication of the sinful characteristics of Adam, and the image would refer to Seth consequently representing Adam as a sinner.
So in some way that perhaps cannot be understood, the distorted abilities of Adam were passed on to his children. In this way each of us has the capacity to act contrary to God, and so we are by nature sinners, for it is part of our constitution from birth. It is mainly in this sense that the apostle uses the word sin in the following verses.

Structure of Section 8
The passage is very complex, but may be clearer if we note its structure in the following form, where the numbers represent the verses of the section:

12 [(13-14) 15-17] 18-21.

Put into words, the main subject is in verses 12 and 18-21, (with numbers in bold), and verses 13-17 form a parenthesis, [with square brackets]. Inside this parenthesis there is another, consisting of verses 13 and 14, (with numbers in italics).
Thinking generally about the passage, verse 12 introduces us to sin and death. Verses 13 and 14 show that death is as a result of the sinful nature within, and not normally because of sins committed. Verses 15-17 deal with death, and verses 18-21 with sin.

8(a)	5:12	The entrance of sin and its consequences
8(b)	5:13,14	The existence of sin before the law age
8(c)	5:15	The effect of sin and God’s attitude
8(d)	5:16,17	The ending of death’s reign
8(e)	5:18	The extending of a gift to all
8(f)	5:19	The experience of justification by many
8(g)	5:20	The enhancement of sin by the law
8(h)	5:21	The ending of sins’s reign

8(a) 5:12
The entrance of sin and its consequences

Overview of verse 12
An initial doctrinal statement
The apostle immediately traces the origin of the sin principle right back to Adam, and then shows that “him that was to come”, verse 14, is God’s answer. Only the Last Adam, the Lord Jesus, is able to deal with that which the first man Adam brought in. When he fell, Adam became a sinner by nature and practice, and when he begat a son it was in his image and likeness he did so, to represent him as a sinner, Genesis 5:3. Thus sin entered into the world. Like a poison being put into the spring that gives rise to a river, so the river of humanity has been poisoned at source. Hence the apostle’s use of the words “all men”, and “world”. Not that sin originated with Adam, for Lucifer was the first to sin, Ezekiel 28:15, but he used Adam as the door through which sin might enter into the human race. The consequence of the sin of Adam was that its penalty, death, passed on all.

5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Wherefore- indicating a logical connection, (“therefore”, on the other hand, means logical consequence). Romans 5:12-21 is not a logical consequence of the preceding chapters, but it does answer the questions that those chapters might raise. It is important to notice that the counterpart of the “wherefore as” of this verse is the “therefore as” of verse 18, hence the parenthesis of verses 13-17 is required by the wording of the passage.
It is important for the apostle to show that death is a defeated foe as far as the believer is concerned. After all, if the believer, with sins forgiven and with hopes of heaven, (as explained in the preceding verses), is overtaken by death, to what purpose are those blessings? He must demonstrate that the sin which has brought death into the world has been dealt with effectively. This would explain the use of the word “wherefore”, for it signals the taking up of a connection with previous words, without going so far as being a conclusion from previous words as would be signified by the use of the word “therefore”.
As by one man- that is, Adam, the first man, who is the ancestral head of the human race as sinners, for God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth”, Acts 17:26. The idea that man is divided into different races is foreign to scripture.
Sin- the ability and tendency to revolt against God, expressed in disobedience.
Entered into the world- sin existed in Satan before he introduced it into the world of men by means of Adam’s transgression. Adam was the door by which we perish, whereas Christ is the door by which we may be saved, John 10:9. Sin found an entrance into Adam’s heart, and through him to the rest of the world. The man is singled out by the apostle, even though the woman sinned first, for Adam was appointed head of creation, and was responsible for what happened, and also because it was by Adam begetting children that the sin-principle entered into the world of men.
And death by sin- physical death is a direct consequence of Adam’s fall. Because we are sinners we have forfeited the right to continue on the earth, but in the mercy of God we are allowed time to repent.
And so death passed upon all men- this happened because death is the penalty for having a sin-tendency within, (“the wages of sin is death” 6:23), and that sinful tendency is shared by all in the world because of their link with Adam the sinner.
For that all have sinned- “for that” means, “on the basis of the fact that”. The consequence of the sin of Adam was that its penalty, death, passed on all. If any question whether this is the case, then the apostle has the answer. All have sinned, and this proves that all have a sin principle within inciting them to sin. But since that sin principle inevitably results in death, then both sin and death have indeed passed upon all men.
That this is personal sinning is seen in the fact that it is an identical statement to the one in 3:23, where the reference is undoubtedly individual. The “have” is in italics in both cases.
The idea that Adam’s descendants sinned when he sinned, he being their representative and head, is ethically unsatisfactory. If the apostle had written, “for that all have become sinners”, then we could see that as being in line with what he says in verse 19. But it is acts of sin that are in view in the phrase “all have sinned”.
Scripture is clear that “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20, with the emphasis being on the “it”. In other words the person who sins is the person who shall die, and not anyone else. As the verse goes on to say, “the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father”. Could we not extend that principle, and say that the sons of Adam shall not bear the iniquity of their first father, Adam?
When the apostle tells us in verse 19 that it was by Adam’s disobedience that many were made or constituted sinners, he goes on to make the comparison that by the obedience of Christ many shall be made righteous. But that making of many men righteous was not immediate upon the obedience of Christ, but came when they were brought into relationship with Him at conversion. So we may say that the making of many sinners was not immediate either, but came about when they were introduced to relationship with Adam at their conception. It was then that they were begotten in Adam’s image and likeness just as Seth was, Genesis 5:3, with all that entailed in terms of being sinners.

Special note on the entry of sin into the world
We read in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Note the repetition of the idea of man being in God’s image, as if God knew we would find it surprising that such a thing should happen. Note also that in verse 26 God had said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, whereas in verse 27 there is the threefold use of the word “created”. Now the latter word has to do with bringing something into existence, (as in Genesis 1:1), whereas the former has to do with the making of something out of pre-existing materials. So God took the dust of the earth and made man, but He did it in such a way that man could be His image and be able to display His likeness. But it can also be said three times over in verse 27 that man was created, for he was a unique combination of spirit and soul and body, and as such was unlike any other of God’s creatures. This justifies the word created, even though man’s body was made of pre-existent material.
As one who had a spirit, Adam could commune with God, who is a Spirit, John 4:24. As one who had a soul, Adam had personality, and the ability to express himself, for he had a rational mind. Adam was all this in a body, in which he appreciated things with his five senses, and where his various powers were centred.
If Adam had not sinned he would have passed on these characteristics to his descendants without alteration. As it is he did sin by disobeying God’s clear and simple command to not eat of the tree unmistakeably positioned in the midst of the garden. As a result, his whole being was altered. His personality became that of a sinner in revolt against God, instead of one dedicated to manifesting and representing God. His spirit is now cut off from God, and he is in spiritual death. His body is now in the bondage of corruption, unable to function as it should to God’s glory. No wonder the apostle called man’s body “the body of sin”, Romans 6:6!
In Genesis 5:1-3 we read, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth”. So having reaffirmed that God was the creator of both male and female, and that man was made in the likeness of God, the record now begins the generations of Adam.
Those generations came about when Adam begat children, but he did so in his own likeness, after his image. As a result Seth, the son named here, is after his father’s image, which means that he represents Adam the sinner, and he does this because he has his likeness as a sinner.
This does not mean that the image of God is completely gone, (for man is still charged with representing God in the earth, as is seen in his responsibility to execute murderers, Genesis 9:6), but it is very much reduced. The same goes for the likeness, which is still present in men, as James 3:9 says, but man only displays the likeness of God in principle, in that he is a rational creature with personality. He fails miserably in the matter of being like God morally and practically. This is why the apostle Paul declares that man comes short of the glory of God. There is a mis-match between what man is now, and what he was at the beginning, able to glorify Him.
Now when Adam and Eve produced children, they did so as those whose bodies were in the bondage of the corruption to which they were subjected when they sinned, Romans 8:20. As the psalmist said, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5. This means they passed on that corruption to the children, for as the Lord Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh”, John 3:6. So it is that sin entered into the world in a further sense, for it initially entered into the world as represented by Adam, but then he passed it on to his children, by giving them a corrupt body, liable to sin.

Summary
The sin and death which are in the world are the result of the sin of Adam the first man.

8(b) 5:13,14
The existence of sin before the law-age

Overview of verses 13 and 14
Proof that death is the result of the sin-principle within
It is important for the apostle to confirm that death is the result of sin within, and not, in general, as a result of particular sins committed. He does this by referring to the period of time before the law was given at Sinai through Moses. Before the law-age the principle of sin dwelt in the hearts of the descendants of Adam the sinner. But when they sinned, the sin they had committed was not put to their account as demanding an immediate penalty. They did not physically die the moment they sinned.

5:13
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

(For until the law sin was in the world- the principle of revolt against the rule of God that sin represents was in the world of men up until the formal giving of the law to Israel at Sinai.
But sin is not imputed when there is no law- the word translated imputed is only found here and Philemon 18, (“put that on mine account”). It is not the same as is used in previous passages such as 4:3,4, where it means that God takes account of a person in a certain way. Here, it means to put a sin to someone’s account, with the threat that it may at any moment result in death. So it means more than simply thinking of someone in a certain way, but goes further and involves putting something down in an account book as needing to be paid for. So whilst God did not overlook the fact that during the period from Adam to Moses men committed sins, He did not reckon it against them as needing to be paid for by instant death.
This does not mean that sins committed during the pre-law period are ignored by God, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14. What it does mean is that the sins were not threatened with immediate death, unlike the sin of Adam and the sins of men under the law of Moses.
Nevertheless, men still died in the period between Adam and the giving of the law at Sinai, which proves that they did so because of the sin-principle within them, and not because they had transgressed a known law.
The consequence of this is very far-reaching, for it shows that even if an unbeliever managed to never sin, (a hypothetical situation, of course), he would still be liable to death because of what he is by nature. So the gospel is not just about having one’s sins forgiven, but is also about becoming a new creation, so that there is no obligation to sin. The consequence of the sin of Adam was that its penalty, death, passed on all.

5:14
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses- despite the foregoing, men still died in the period between Adam’s sin and Moses’ law-giving. This proves that death is not usually the consequence of sinning, but the consequence of having a sinful nature. Only in extreme circumstances are men struck down in death by God; it is not the general rule.
Even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression- that is, those who had not gone against God’s will as expressed in a known law. Adam, like Israel, was formally given God’s law, which in his case was “thou shalt not eat of it” with a known death penalty for transgression, namely “thou shalt surely die”, Genesis 2:17. The law to Adam was very specific, being limited to not eating of a particular tree in a particular garden. When Adam sinned and was expelled from that garden, the relevance of that law ceased. Hence “from Adam” relates to Adam in the garden, and not Adam for the rest of his life. Men in between Adam and the giving of the law at Sinai did sin like Adam sinned after he was expelled from the garden, but they did not sin against a formally given law as Adam did before he was expelled. Therefore the fact that death reigned over them, (was on the throne in their lives), was due to their nature from Adam, not their sinning like Adam in the garden.
Who is the figure of him that was to come- the apostle rounds off his argument on this point by bringing together the two men who are to be compared and contrasted in the following verses, Christ and Adam. Certain features about Adam in his official position as federal head of the human race provide both a comparison and a contrast with Christ, the head of the new creation.

Summary
That death has passed upon all men because of the act of another is proved by the fact that men died even though they had not transgressed a law they knew about. In His mercy, God promised the seed of the woman immediately sin had manifested itself on earth.

8(c) 5:15
The effect of sin and God’s attitude

Key phrases: The offence of one…the gift in grace which is of one man.

Overview of verse 15
Contrast and comparison: offence or gift
Note that in verses 13-17 we read of “many”, indicating the greatness of the problem to be addressed, and also the far-reaching consequences of the actions of the two men who are in view in the passage. In verses 12 and 18, (which are linked together, the verses in between being a parenthesis, as we have seen), we read of “all”, for there the universality of the problem Adam introduced, and the universality of the provision God has made in response is brought out. The apostle will revert to “many” in verse 19, because there the emphasis is on those who are affected, either men in Adam, or those in the good of the obedience of Christ.
By describing Christ as “him that was to come”, (for immediately following Adam’s sin, God announced the coming deliverer), the apostle has prepared the way to revert back to his consideration of Adam’s fall, after the parenthesis of verses 13 and 14. He does this by presenting both a contrast, “not as”, and a comparison, “so also”.
The comparison is seen in the fact that both Adam and Christ, each being head over those linked to them, affect deeply their respective companies. The contrast is between Adam’s offence, and the grace of God. Further, that offence resulted in the “gift” of death to the many who have died one by one throughout history, whereas the grace of God results in many being given a different sort of gift. What that gift is we are not yet told. What we are told is that what God does through Christ has a “much more” character about it, which is seen in that the gift has abounded. The seemingly insurmountable problem of Adam’s sin has been overcome by God in Christ. He has not solved the problem by introducing a stronger judgment than that meted out to Adam, but by acting in grace. The condemnation of sinners is a righteous necessity with God, but He is under no obligation to bless them, but chooses to do so because of His grace.

5:15
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift- as already noted, these words serve the dual purpose of introducing both a comparison and a contrast, as would be suggested by the word figure (the Greek word gives us the English word “type”) in verse 14. The keys on a old-fashioned typewriter were mostly the opposite way round to the letter written, but some, (o, v, w, x), were the same.
So with Adam and Christ. Both are heads of a race of people, both performed an act which affected those people, and both pass on their characteristics to the people. But the contrast is marked, for Adam brought in sin, death, and God’s judgment through his offence, whereas Christ brings in righteousness, life, and justification as a free gift. An offence is a false step; Adam’s act of disobedience has had devastating and universal consequences because of the attitude of heart which lay behind the act. The apostle assumes we accept the record of Genesis 3.
For if through the offence of one many be dead- the death of the multitudes of men that have died physically down the centuries is directly attributable to the trespass of a single man at the beginning.
Much more- despite the seemingly insurmountable problem, God has overcome it, not by revoking the command which brought the death, but by introducing something far higher and grander.
The grace of God- God’s answer is not further condemnation, John 3:17; Luke 9:56, but the display of grace, unmerited favour to a fallen race. The condemnation of sinners is a righteous necessity, but God has no obligation to bless, yet chooses to do so.
And the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ- the act of giving was the result of God’s gracious character, which is expressed by and mediated through one man alone, Jesus Christ. This contrasts with the personal responsibility of Adam for his offence (the offence of one) and its consequences.
Hath abounded unto many- the cup of blessing is brimful and overflows in grace to the same number, “the many”, affected by Adam’s offence.

Summary
The offence of one man, Adam, has resulted in the death of the many in the world, but the super-abounding grace of God in Christ is expressed to many also.

8(d) 5:16,17
The ending of death’s reign

Key phrases: Death reigned through (the agency of) one…reign in life through (the agency of) one.

Overview of verse 16
Contrast and comparison: condemnation or justification
This verse continues the idea of contrast, (“not as”), and comparison, (“so is”), but whereas verse 15 concentrated on the one offence of Adam, his act of taking a false step, and the fact that God’s act of giving in grace is through one man, Jesus Christ, here the emphasis is on the many offences which result from Adam’s fall, and the way each man relates to those offences. This is the comparison, for each of the two men has been the means of affecting those involved in each case either adversely (judgment), or for good, (the gift).
There is also a contrast, for Adam brought in judgment and condemnation, but Christ brings in justification. God’s verdict, (judgment), went against Adam when he sinned, and he was pronounced guilty, with the implication that there was a sentencing process to follow. We read of that process in Genesis 3:17-19. Christ, however, brings in justification, and this despite the many offences committed during the history of men, and the many offences individual sinners commit during their lifetime.
The condemnation brought in by Adam resulted in men being subject to death, whereas the justification Christ brings in for those who believe not only clears their record, (this is the side of justification emphasised in Romans 3), but also delivers them from obligation to sin in the present, and liability to death in the future. So it is that the apostle can write in 6:7 that “he that is dead is freed from sin”. That is, those who by faith are associated with Christ crucified, are no longer under any obligation to sin. They are not under obligation to die physically either, for Christ risen has secured their position in resurrection.

5:16
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

And not as it was by one that sinned- the emphasis is now on the one person, rather than the one act of offending.
So is the gift- that spoken of in verse 15, and defined in verse 17 as the gift of righteousness. “And not” emphasises that the gift is of a different character to the offence whose effects have been passed on to us. Adam’s gift was deadly! Christ’s is life-giving. “So is” emphasises that there is a comparison between what the two men did.
For the judgment was by one- that is, originating from one. Opinions differ whether one means one man, Adam, or one offence. The comparison with many offences would suggest the latter. The point is that there is a great obstacle to be overcome, since one sin has had such ruinous effects, yet there has been a multitude of people since who have committed a multitude of sins, which makes the situation much worse.
Unto condemnation- the word means “a verdict pronounced with punishment following”, a stronger word than is usually used, indicating the gravity of the situation. God’s verdict (His judgment) went against man, and condemnation in the form of physical death was the result.
But the free gift- the apostle now reverts back to his original word for gift used in verse 15, grace-gift, indicating how the obstacle of so many sins, (whose presence proves that man is under condemnation), is dealt with. Only grace can do this, for the law is powerless, 8:3.
Is of many offences- again “of” means “out of”, indicating the source. Just as the one sin of Adam was the reason why condemnation came, so in His wisdom God has seen the many offences of Adam’s descendants as an opportunity for acting in grace, to His own glory. So the free gift is as a result of Adam’s sin, and its need to be remedied. This truth was wrongly applied by Paul’s opponents in 6:1.
Unto justification- “unto” means “with a view to”, for not all come into the good of what God is prepared to do. Not only does God justify in the sense of reckoning righteous, but in the context here justification means the lifting of the condemnation of death, giving the authority to reign in life. In this way the end of verse 16 prepares the way for the truth of verse 17.

Overview of verse 17
Death reigning or believers reigning in life
In verse 16 the emphasis is on offences, but in this verse, on death. Going right back to the beginning again, the apostle repeats the substance of what he wrote in verse 12, that the offence of one man resulted in death. Now he enlarges on this and declares that death has not only passed upon all men, but has set up its throne in their hearts, and like a wicked tyrant rules their lives. The abundant grace of God, however, ensures that those who receive the gift of righteousness are not only delivered from the tyranny of death, and receive life, but reign in life. It is they who are in control. This is only possible, however, by the agency and strength of Jesus Christ, for even as believers they have no power of their own.

5:17
For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one- the offence of Adam brought death upon men as a tyrant ruling their lives. There is no other cause for death’s reign, so “by one” is repeated to reinforce the point.
Much more- again there is the counteracting of Adam’s fall, but also further and abundant blessing. See verse 20, where we read, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”.
They which receive abundance of grace- the grace of God mentioned in verse 15, is available. Note the apostle limits it to “they which receive”, not the “many” in general; in other words, believers, not men generally.
And of the gift of righteousness- the gift consisting of imputed righteousness. This is given abundantly also.
Shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Instead of merely overthrowing death the despot, God enables the believer to reign, but only by the agency and strength of Jesus Christ. Note the “shall”, the full realisation of reigning in life being reserved for the future, although to be anticipated now, as detailed in chapter 6. This brings the parenthesis begun in verse 13 to an end.

Summary
By the agency of one man, Adam, death reigned over his race, but by the agency of another man, Jesus Christ, God’s grace ensures that those who receive His gift of righteousness reign in life, both now and in the future. And just as the one offence of one man was the starting-point of the condemnation, so the many offences of many men has been viewed by God as the starting-point of a process which results in the condemnation being removed.

8(e) 5:18
The extending of a gift to all

Key phrases: Judgment came upon all…the free gift came upon all.

Overview of verse 18
The penalty upon all, and the opportunity for all
The apostle is now able to take his argument forward from verse 12, having built up a body of background information in verses 13-17 which will enable his readers to follow his line of thought. He first of all reiterates the truth of verse 12, and reminds us that the offence of Adam has resulted in the condemnation of death upon all men. He then contrasts the offence of Adam with the righteousness of another man, Jesus Christ.
Righteousness means in this place the act of righteousness carried out by Christ in death, when He set out to reverse the consequences of Adam’s sin, and also bring in rich benefits besides. Just as the penalty through Adam’s unrighteous act of sinning brought results towards all men, so the blessing through Christ’s righteous act of dying for sin brings results to all men as well. The word “upon” has the meaning of “towards”, for the penalty came towards all, and so does the gift.
Not only is the one who believes justified in the sense of “reckoned righteous”, but the legal obligation to death is removed, so justification is “justification of life”. The ground of resurrection is taken up, so that the believer is clear of the consequences of Adam’s fall.

5:18
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Therefore as- the counterpart to the “wherefore as” of verse 12. The intervening verses have cleared the way for the truths of verses 18 and 19, and the apostle is now free to take the argument forward.
As by the offence of one- the spotlight is again on two federal heads of men.
Judgment came upon all men to condemnation- the word judgment has been supplied by the Authorised Version from verse 16 to give the sense. The sentence of the Judge went against Adam and his race.
Even so- there is a straight comparison now, instead of the “as…much more” of the previous verses.
Through the righteousness of one- the one supreme act of righteousness which Christ accomplished on the cross. This does not mean His personal righteousness, for the meaning is fixed by the word used. The act of Adam in making a false step in relation to the will of God, is directly contrasted with the act of Christ when He fulfilled the will of God at the cross. Adam stepped aside from the will of God, whereas Christ moved forward in line with it.
The free gift came upon all men- the expression “free gift” is also supplied from verse 16. Just as the condemnation came towards all, so does the gift.
Unto justification of life- with a view to a cancellation of the condemnation, negatively, and the introduction into resurrection life in Christ, positively. Life in Christ is the theme of chapters 6 and 8, and these verses prepare the way for the teaching of those chapters.

Summary
There is a correspondence between the consequence of Adam’s act, and that of Christ. The one was an offence which brought condemnation, the other was an act of righteousness which brings justification.

8(g) 5:19
The experience of justification by many

Overview of verse 19
The state of many as sinners, and the state of many as righteous
Not only is the condition of man dealt with by Christ, but the nature as well. By Adam’s disobedience to the plain command of God, man was made or constituted a sinner. It is not, of course, that God made men to sin, but that by their descent from Adam they have become sinners by nature. On the other hand, Christ obeyed His Father, even to the extent of death, and those who believe in Him are reckoned righteous by God, for that is how He sees them now. Note again that the apostle has gone back to “many”, after the “all” of verse 18. He is now speaking of results, and he cannot say “all made righteous”.

Key phrases: One man’s disobedience….obedience of one.

5:19
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

For as- a more precise comparison even than the “as…even so” of verse 18, representing a refinement of the reasoning, which finds its climax in this verse with its doctrine of the nature of men in Adam and men in Christ. How does verse 19 advance the argument, since it is so similar to verse 18? The answer is two-fold. First, the apostle now speaks of men by their constitution, made sinners and made righteous. Second, he implies how the state of being righteous is attained, for the disobedience of Adam may be contrasted not only with the obedience of Christ, but by inference with the obedience of faith.
By one man’s disobedience- the word is made up of two words, “aside”, and “hear”, giving the idea of refusal to hear. Adam had heard the command of God, but chose to “turn a deaf ear”.
Many were made sinners- the idea behind the word “made” is that man was constituted or designated a sinner, the word being most often used of appointment to a position. The position appointed to men in Adam is that of being a sinner. It is not, of course, that God forced man to sin.
So by the obedience of one- Christ’s obedience to God even to the extent and extremity of the cross is in view, Philippians 2:8. Adam simply had to refrain from eating of the tree of knowledge, Christ had a heavy and sorrowful task before Him, but did not waver in His obedience, for He died upon a tree, Acts 5:30.
Shall many be made righteous- here the righteousness is based on the obedience of Christ, to preserve the contrast with Adam. Previously the apostle has shown that it is by the obedience represented by our faith that righteousness is imputed to us. At the present time, those who believe are reckoned righteous, and they are not made righteous in the sense that they have no trace of unrighteousness. Perhaps the future tense “shall be made” looks on to the day when all trace of sin shall be removed from the believer when he receives the resurrection body.

Summary
Adam’s disobedience resulted in man being constituted a sinner, whereas the obedience of Christ has brought a state of righteousness to those who are linked to Him by the obedience of faith.

8(h) 5:20
The enhancement of sin by the law

Having prepared the ground for a consideration of the believer’s life in Christ as detailed in chapters 6 and 8, the apostle now prepares for chapter 7, with its consideration of the believer in relation to the law of Moses.

Overview of verse 20
The law cannot deal with the sin-principle
The apostle now deals with a possible objection from Jewish readers. Can the law not remedy this situation? The answer is that it cannot, for when the law came in, it resulted in the situation becoming worse, not better, for it showed up sins as never before, and offered no remedy for the nature that produced those sins. It dealt with the symptoms but not the disease.
The only answer to man’s nature as a sinner is the grace of God in the gospel, which alone has the power to overcome the obstacles represented by sin, death, and the law, and set up its rule in the hearts of men on a righteous basis. That righteous basis being the death of Christ at Calvary, not the supposed good works of men.

5:20
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Moreover the law entered- the law of Moses came onto the scene as a side-issue, by the side door, so to speak.
That the offence might abound- by the formal giving of the law the initial offence of Adam, verse 15, was shown up as being multiplied in the sins of his race, verse 16. It is not that the law caused an increase of sins, but it showed up the fact that Adam’s initial offence had multiplied into the abundance of sins his race had committed.
But where sin abounded- as the law showed up its evil. By the application of the law to men’s lives it became abundantly clear that offences against God were widespread.
Grace did much more abound- even in a situation where sins are widespread, the free favour of God is great enough to deal with all the offences, and to bring in an abundance of positive things as well. Compare the “much more” of the reasoning of verses 15 and 17.

Summary
The giving of the law at Sinai served to highlight the presence of sin in the world of men, but it offered no solution. The grace of God in Christ is the only answer.

8(i) 5:21
The ending of sin’s reign

Overview of verse 21
Final doctrinal summary
So it is that the sad truth of verse 12, expressed here as “sin hath reigned unto death”, can be exchanged for “even so might grace reign”. Grace so dominates the scene that it sets up its throne in the believer’s heart. And all this happens on a righteous basis, even the death of Christ, and leaves the way clear for the possession and enjoyment of eternal life in all its fullness. The apostle is careful at the close of the passage to attribute all this to Jesus Christ, who has shown Himself to be worthy of the title Lord. He has overcome every dominating principle, and shows Himself to be superior by His death and resurrection.

5:21
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

That- here the word means “in order that”, for the super-abounding of grace has a purpose.
As sin hath reigned unto death- the power behind the throne during the reign of sin is said to be death. Death made sin’s reign a tyranny.
Even so might grace reign- grace so abounds that it dominates the scene, sweeps sin off its throne, and robs death of its power over the believer.
Through righteousness- sin reigned in death, whereas grace reigns through righteousness. There is not, then, an exact parallel in the two ideas. God does not simply restore man to innocence, but to a position consistent with righteousness. So grace reigns on a righteous basis, in contrast to the reign of sin which was on the basis of the unrighteous act of Adam.
Unto eternal life- grace super-abounds so that not only is death defeated, but eternal life, the life of God, is imparted, not merely the life of Adam regained.
By Jesus Christ our Lord- He is the direct means by which grace reigns and eternal life is imparted. This full title is fitting now that He has triumphed through the work of the cross, and overthrown the reign of sin. How believers enter into that triumph is the theme of the next three chapters.

Summary
As he brings his argument to a conclusion, the apostle collects together such words as “grace”, “reign”, “eternal life”, and “our Lord” to show how God has brought in such rich blessing in the face of the sin of Adam and its consequences.

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