THIS part of the book of Leviticus from 6:8-7 appears to be a repetition of the previous ordinances. But there is no mere repetition in Scripture, and this section, which bears the name of “the law of the offerings,” is occupied with the privileges and responsibilities of the priesthood in connection with the offerings. It was God’s purpose that His people should be a “kingdom of priests” to Him (Exod. 19:66And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:6)), so that His authority would be carried out, not by a king enforcing obedience, but by the patient service of priests whose business was “to keep the charge of Jehovah” (Lev. 8:3535Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. (Leviticus 8:35)).
So that these chapters, which are immediately followed by the account of the consecration of the priests, deal with the service of the priests, not with worship, but with the way in which the priest was to carry out the purpose of God in the offerings. I believe that careful study of these two chapters will give remarkable practical help and guidance as to the spirit in which we, who are actually now a kingdom of priests to the Father, are to deal with questions of sin and trespass, as, alas, we are too often called to do. A priest’s work was not worship, as we often say, although worship depended on the priest, but his work was service. “The charge” mentioned in Leviticus 8:3535Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. (Leviticus 8:35), implies continual watchfulness over the interests of Jehovah and His people, for the two cannot be separated. The priest not only ministered to the joy of God’s people, but had continually to be the servant of their sins and sorrows. He was not a judge, but a servant, as Hebrews 5:1-31For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. 3And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. (Hebrews 5:1‑3) shows in a beautiful way. He was the object of mercy himself; and had to learn this in a special way, in order to be a fitting minister of that mercy.
Now, these two chapters are arranged in a remarkable way, with this thought in view.
In 7:37, 38, we have a little summary of the chapters which gives the order of the offerings treated of, and shows the close connection between the worship commanded in chapters 1-5, and the law of the offerings which follows.
Briefly, the order of the chapters is three-fold:
1. The law of the burnt offering and oblation.
2. The law of the sin offering, and trespass offering.
3. The law of the consecration and peace offering.
The reason for this order is simple. The central question is that of the sin and trespass offering. This is shown incidentally in a remarkable way by the statement of 6:17―
“It is most holy, as the sin offering and as the trespass offering.”
That is, the burnt offering and oblation are being considered in relation to the sin offering and the trespass offering. This is further shown in 7:8-10, where details connected with the burnt offering and the oblation are apparently put out of their proper place, under the sin and trespass offering. But God has put them in their proper place.
So we have the priest’s connection with the burnt offering and oblation brought out first to prepare for their ministry in the case of sin and trespass. Not until then is the priest presented as the servant of the joy of God’s people, sharing with them in their happiness, where there is nothing left to hinder it.
It would be impossible to go into the details, and we can only give the leading points in the three divisions, but perhaps enough has been said to send students on the lines of this remarkable portion of God’s Word, to find out and apply the principles for themselves.
The Law of the Offerings.
1. (a.) The Burnt Offering.―Three things constitute the priest’s charge here. He is to keep the fire always burning on the altar; he is to bear the ashes; he is to put the wood and the daily burnt offering on the fire every morning. This is the source of everything. He is to keep perpetually the remembrance before God of the perfect offering of Christ. The absolute and eternal perfection of Christ’s work forms the ground, not only for worship, but for priestly service. God’s judgment of sin was seen at the cross, the full fruit and horror of sin was only to be learned there, in the ashes to which the fire of judgment had reduced the unblemished Victim. This fire the priest had to keep ever alive and fresh upon the altar with fresh wood every morning, and the burnt offering upon the wood. The only true judgment of the flesh, of self, is the application to it of the judgment at the cross. This is a continual thing, although the offering be perfected and finished forever. So we see the priest’s preparation for the day’s need, bearing the ashes, feeding the fire, and keeping ever alive before God the savor of the daily burnt offering―surely a remarkable picture and full of instruction to those who would know how to learn God’s way of priestly service.
(b.) The Oblation. ―Here we find what God has given to be the food of those who serve Him in this priestly service. We find later that the worshipper also gives something. But this is Jehovah’s gift. Those who carry out the solemn and searching services of the burnt-offering must be sustained by the food that God gives. The oblation, speaking of the perfect manhood and perfect obedience of the Lord Jesus in His earthly pathway, is to be eaten by all the males among the sons of Aaron, in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting. The handful with all the frankincense is God’s portion, the memorial portion, the rest He gives to be eaten by the priests in the scene of their service; for the court of the tent of meeting was the place where they were to keep the charge of Jehovah.
So we find that the two things needed for the work that follows are, first, a true sense of the full character of God’s authority seen in the cross, and of the work of Christ as the measure of self-judgment and the ground of all forgiveness. Then the feeding upon Christ in His path of obedience to the Father, where all was perfect, and so learning the mind and will of God for the path of priestly service.
In addition to these two things, we have what is only found here, a most beautiful picture of the way in which the whole of priestly service is to be carried out. It is the continual oblation. It begins with the anointing of the priest, and goes on forever. It is that form of the oblation which is baked in the pan, broken into pieces, oil poured on the pieces, and the whole burnt on the altar. It speaks of the absolute perfection of the blessed Lord in His service when the path brought Him to the place of being broken in pieces. Then every thought and word was found perfect, according to the Holy Ghost. Of this oblation half was to be burnt in the morning and half in the evening, and thus the whole life of the priest was, so to speak, enclosed in this offering. The antitype of this is a living sacrifice, an intelligent service, for so can it be proved what that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God is (Rom. 12.).
2. The Sin Offering and the Trespass Offering. — I take these together, because we are told one law is for both (7:7). We cannot go into details, as space will not allow, but the first great principle is― “the priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it” (6:26). We find in 10:17the reason for this. The priest had to bear the iniquity of the person concerned in the offering. In order that the full value of the atonement might take effect upon the one who needed it, this solemn and weighty service had to be performed by the priest. This was the priest’s part, and where failure in this came, though it could not affect the value or perfection of the offering, yet it did affect in the most serious way the order which God had arranged in His mercy for meeting the need of His poor, failing people. So the importance of this is very great. If in dealing with sin or trespass in the people of God I deal with it as a judge, instead of as a priest; if I do not make the sin my own, I actually hinder what God has ordered as necessary for the full restoration of the offender. I prevent the full sense of the judgment of sin, and of the mercy and grace found in the cross of Christ, from coming home to the heart of the one who has sinned.
This is the main thing. There are other interesting and important details: the place where the sin offering was to be eaten; the way in which the vessels that held it, and all that came into contact with it, were to be dealt with.
But two very striking things are brought out at the close of the law of the sin and trespass offerings. The first is, that the skin of the burnt offering belonged to the priest who offered it. The second, that while the oblation in general was the common portion of all the priests, the special forms of oblation prepared in the oven, cauldron, or pan, were the portion of the priest who offered them. What these mean, we must look at a little more fully in next month’s Bible Study, together with the remaining portion of this chapter.
The answers to all the questions set will be found in the remarks already made.
Subject for July.
Revision of Leviticus 1-7, with special attention to the place and work of the priest in connection with the offerings. The following questions may be answered
1. Where is the high priest first mentioned in Scripture? What services specially distinguished him from the other priests?
2. Trace out through the Old Testament the stages in the history of the priesthood.
3. What are the various details of the priest’s work in connection with the sin and trespass offering in Lev. 1-7?
4.What can we gather as to the priestly service of believers from the New Testament?
B.S. ED.