Aaron's Entrance on His Office
“BEING MADE PERFECT, HE BECAME THE AUTHOE OF ETERNAL SALVATION UNTO ALL THEM THAT OBEY HIM.” Heb. T. 9.
Ver. 1. “And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel.”
The priests were now “made perfect,’’’’ that is, consecrated to their office. There is to be a specimen given here of the high priest actually engaged in his office. The elders of Israel are special witnesses, that they may tell the people with what confidence they may now approach the altar; for Aaron is fully consecrated —” made perfects And his four sons, also, stand by as witnesses.
Thus witnesses of Christ’s completeness have assured us of his being a true and every way complete priest. They proclaim, “Being made perfect, he has become the author of eternal salvation unto all men that obey him.” (Heb. V. 9.) The Father bears witness that he did consecrate him completely; and, on earth, saved souls bear witness that they have seen and felt the power of his priesthood, for they took their sins to him, and received atonement from him.
Yer. 2. “And he said unto Aaron, take thee a young calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.”
Aaron, now actually in ofHce, is to begin his official acts before all the people, by again offering, as in chap, viii. 14, 18, a sacrifice of sin-offering and burnt-offering,* He is ever to keep the people in mind that there must another priest arise, greater far than Aaron; for Aaron needs atonement himself. On all great public occasions, the high priest began by presenting these two offerings for himself. The consecralion-offerings of chap. viii. 22, 26, he had, of course, no more to do with. Now, in so doing, he was “the voice of one crying” at the altar, Prepare ye the way of the Lord! I am not the Christ. There cometh one after me, mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose! One who shall not need daily, as I need, “to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s.” (Heb. vii. 27.)
Vers. 8, 4. “And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin-offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt-offering; also a bullock and u ram for peace-offeringa, to sacrifice before the Lord; and a meat-offering mingled with oil: for to-day the Lord will appear unto you.”
The people bring all kind of offerings, except the trespass-offering;^ which, at the entrance of the priest on his duties, and while the congregation, therefore, were only beginning to. be shown their duty in holy things,
* The young ra//” here, and the “young bullock” of Exod. xxix. 1, secmii the same. The Hebrew in this chapter is “ipa “y bas, and in Exodus, *^i?^ 19 ‘’^- ‘^^B Jews say it put Aaron in mind of the matter of the golden calf.
might not be needed. A trespass in holy things (see chap. V. 15) could scarcely have yet occurred. But all other kinds are brought. Foremost is the sin-offering, whereon they lay their individual special guilt. Then, a twofold burnt-offering, — a calf and a lamb, — to show their trust in the grand primary sacrifice. Next, the peace-offering, m its fullest form — a ram and a bullock (“liaS, ox) — to show the complete peace bestowed and reconciliation to God. Lastly, the meat-offering, mingled with oil — their own persons consecrated to God and his service.
The people were called to do this, on the ground that “the Lord would appear to them that dayP As if Moses had said, “Thus shall you meet the Lord: His way to the sinner is through the shedding of blood; and the sinner’s way to him is through the same.” A glorious truth for the chief of sinners! “He has been to you a God that hideth himself; but approach with the blood that has been shed for you; this day approach; and this day shall the Lord appear unto you!”
Vers. 5, 6. “And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation: and all the congregation drew near, and stood before the Lord. And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you.”
The congregation gathered themselves together in front of the tabernacle, with the offerings. Moses then said to them, “This, which the Lord commanded, do” (see the original), and in so doing, expect that he will appear. As at ver. 4, we are taught that the Lord appears as our God, reconciled and gracious, when we are approaching him through the work of his Son.
Yer. 1. “And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; aa the Lord commanded.”
The people being ready, Aaron is now to offer for them. But, that they might know him to bo only a type and shadow, and not “the Christ,” the true anointed Priest, he first of all presents a sacrifice for himself. It being thus understood by all that he acts in the name of another yet to come, he goes forward to the work.
Vera 8, 9, 10, 11. “Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin-offering, which was for himself And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar. But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver of the sin-offering, he burnt upon the altar; as the Lord commanded Moses. And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp.”
As soon as Aaron had slain his sin-ofFering, his sons caught its blood in the bowls of the altar; and as each of the four stood — perhaps one at each corner of the altar — Aaron bent down and dipt his finger in their bowl of blood, and sprinkled the horns of the altar. Thus, the four horns were sfeen by the people wet with blood, a loud voice of atonement thereby ascending to heaven, crying, “Pardon to the guilty! for this is his penalty.” Then Aaron emptied out of the bowls, and out of the body of the animal, the blood that remained, till a torrent of red crimson blood flowed round the altar’s base. In vers. 10, 11, the view is the same as chap. viii. 16.*
* The Hebrew in this place is different in the form of expression. The caul is said to be “lasn ‘,Ta, “from the liver;” and rxann “(O, “from the sin-offering.” This may be, q. d., the eaul which he takes /rom the liver, from out of the tin-offering. So ver. 19.
Vers. 12, 13, 14. “And he slew the burnt-oflfering; and Aaron’s sons presented unto hina the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. And they presented the burnt-offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar. And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt-oflfering on the altar.”
This is the other part of Aaron’s offering for himself, ere he presented the people’s. His own peculiar sins being washed away by the sin-offering, and its blood being put on the altar’s horns to cry in his behalf, and bring down better things than the blood of Abel, he presents this burnt-offering to show that he had equal interest in all that signified atonement, this being the grand primary type of redemption.
The expression in vers. 12 and 13, for presented,’’^ suggests to us the reason why Aaron’s sons were there to do this. The word (iKSaj, hiphil) is one which is generally used when a person has a thing in his own possession, and then offers it to another for his. It is used of one who gives up another into an enemy’s hand. Hence on this occasion we are led to consider Aaron’s sons as stationed there by God to exhibit to their father the blood and the other parts of the sacrifice. They are his instruments for holding out to Aaron the offer of an atonement; and thus more fully than before is the high priest exhibited to all the people as one who himself needs atonement. Their eyes are thereby fixed on him only as the shadow of One greater far, who is yet to come; and he himself is kept from being at all lifted up by the honor done to him. This same act was repeated (ver. 18) in the midst of the people’s offering; no doubt for the very end just noticed.
Vers. 15, 16, 17. “And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin-offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. And he brought the burnt-offering, and offered it according to the manner. And he brought the meat-offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt-sacrifice of the morning.”
Aaron now took up the people’s offering. Here the most striking expression occurs of any that we have yet met with in regard to atonement. “He offered it for sin” might be rendered, “He sinned it” or “He made it sin” (inxan). So, in chap. vi. 26. The sense of “offering for sin,” is evidently taken from the fact, that every such sacrifice had the sin laid on it, or imputed to it. This may have suggested the expression used in 2 Cor. V. 21, “He made him sin for us” (^^ftxQTiay inoirjaefy it is not “made him to be a sin-bffering-” but much more ;* the sin-offering” itself was “made sin;” and not on this occasion only, but on all occasions, as we may infer from the clause “os at the first” (ver. 8). The true idea appears in Gen. xxxi. 39, nsxisnx: “I bare the loss of it,” — I was made sin for it. The idea seems to be, “he put the sin of the people on this victim till it became one mass of sin.” The priest’s using it as the atonement for those who presented it, made the victim become, in a manner, the receiver of their sin, and of the penalty it deserved. And so our Great Sin-offering, Jesus, when
* Chrysostom gives one of his best criticism&,here, when he says, that i( means more even than that he made the Righteous One a sinner in order
’ iiKaioovvn,’ Kat ‘Otoo iiitaiorvyn’ “(Comment, on 2 Cor. v.) He does not say,” He made him a sinner” but “he made him sin” — not, “Him who did not tin” but “him that did not know sin.” All this in order that we might become, not “righteous” but “righteousness and “the righteoxuness of God.”
slain for us, was treated as if he were the reservoir of the sin and curse that flowed, in so many streams, over man. In this sense, “The Father made him to be sin for us!”
The burnt-offering was presented in the usual way “according to the manner.” The meat-offering also And these two, offered on that occasion, were in addition to the morning sacrifice and meat-offering. For we are not required to set aside regularly appointed duty, when engaged in more extraordinary and solemn exercises.
Vers. 18, 19. “He slew also the bullock and the ram, for a sacrifice o* peace-oflferings, which was for the people: and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprmkled upon the altar round about, and the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver.”
As before. In ver. 19, it is literally, “the fat pieces from the bullocland from the ram.”” That which covereth,’’^ is filled up by a reference to chap. iii. 9.*
Vers. 20, 21. “And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar: and the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave-oflfering before the Lord; as Moses commanded.”
The fat pieces of each are laid on the breasts of each; thus intimating that the inmost desires, and all nearest the heart, is a ready offering to the Lord. Then the fat was removed, and consumed in the flames; as if to express how the fire of Divine wrath descended upon Jesus, on his inmost soul, when that soul had offered all its strength and affections to God. The fat was laid on the breast, thereby to intimate the fullest and most cordial willingness.
* Jarchi supplies “2”ip!l/* the inwards, as our version does.
These breasts, more fully expressive of complete devotion to the Lord, now that the fat had lain on them, are waved before the Lord; and the right shoulder,* also, of each animal, as already appointed. All are thus heaved up toward the dwelling-place of Jehovah, that the giving up of the whole people to him forever may thereby be openly expressed. This is the concluding act Aaron has presented the people in virtue of his office; and lo! the Lord has accepted them! There is a restoration to the fellowship of an offended God; for here is the example. This first day’s acts confirm Israel’s faith in the truth, “There is forgiveness with thee,” and at the same time in that other awful truth,” Without shedding of blood there is no remission.’’^
Vers. 22, 23, 24. “And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregMron, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.”
Probably these offerings were presented at the time of the morning sacrifice. Then (ver. 23) Moses and Aaron retired into the tabernacle. At the time of the evening sacrifice they came forth again, and stood at the altar. At this hour, Aaron stood still and looked upon all the people as they crowded the space in front of th’3 brazen altar. As he thus stood, the eyes of all tl.c multitude turned toward him. Whereupon, amid the awful solern-
* The singular is used; but this is in reference to chap. viL 34. It means the appointed right shoulder, which always was the right shoulder of each peace offering.”
nity and deep silence, he lifted up his hands — the very hands that had been wet with blood — and blessed the people. It was as if he was pouring over them all the grace and peace that flow from the blood of Jesus! And this done, “he came down from offering the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and peace-offerings.” It was thus that Jesus blessed his people, — his faithful witnesses who stood around their altar on the Mount of Olives — lifting up the very hands that so lately had been nailed to the cross. And having done so, he left the place of sacrifice and went into the holiest of all, there to receive more communications from his Father, and then to come forth again to give more blessing.
Aaron, leaving the altar, went into the holy place. There Moses stood with him, and, as representative of Jehovah, hands over to his care all the vessels of the sanctuary, and commits the ordering of all to him. Even as Jesus, on his ascension — on his leaving the place where h§ had made the sacrifice — received from the Father (Rev. i. 1; Ps. Lxviii. 18; Eph. iv. 8) authority as Mediator, or as the Captain of salvation now made perfect (Heb. ii. 10), to administer the affairs of the sanctuary. It was in reference to this that he said, as he was entering in, “All power is committed unto me in heaven and on earth.” (Matt, xxviii. 18.) He is there now, managing their interests for them above, preparing many mansions. “The Father hath committed all things into his hands.” %»-4^
His coming out again will be like Aaron’s, in order to bless the people anew. The people remained in the courts, expecting the re-appearance of Aaron and Moses. And so the Lord’s people remain with their eye and heart on the altar, looking for the second coming of their Priest, in the Father’s glory as well as his own. “The glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people” of Israel that day; and so’me of the bright fire of that glory shot down on the altar and consumed the pieces of the sacrifices, thus giving the last attestation required of complete acceptance. In all this we see the very figure and outlines of the Redeemer’s second coming “to those that look for * him.” His glory will thus appear, when it is now the evening of the world’s day, and that glory, investing the person of the Son of man — the Lamb of God — will give the last and most indubitable proof that he is well pleasing to the Father. He shall appear the second time “without sin, unto salvation.” The sin consumed, forever done away, nothing is left for the people but the completing of their joy and their holiness. What a shout of ecstacy shall burst from them ail then! Yet how deeply awed and reverent they shall be! Forgiveness* produces holy awe, even now, wherever felt. The people “shout and fall prostrate before him. “To him shall every knee bow, and every tongue confess, that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 0, our High Priest, now within the tabernacle not made with hands, perfect that which concerneth us! Put the bread on the golden table, that we may never want our better than angels’ food. Pour in daily the olive-oil, that the lamps of thy golden candlesticks may never be dim in this dark, gloomy world. Present thy. incense with every prayer
Heb. xii. 28, 29, receives a beautiful illustration here. “Grace,” forgiving love, teaches to serve God with “reverence and godly fear;” for while it brings us to his nearest presence, it shows him to us as a God who consumes iniquity.” Our Ood is a consuming fire!’ The light that guides OS into his presence is the very blaze of the sacrifice on which our sins are laid.
of ours, with every groan, with every sigh of the prisoner! And soon, soon come forth again! yea, even before we have slept with our fathers, if it seem good in thy sight; come forth to bless us, and to receive the shout of multitudes adoring and confessing that thou art Lord alone!
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