The Day of Atonement
‘WHO HIS OWN SELF BARE OUR SIN’S IN BIS BODT ON THE TREE, THAT WX BEING DEAD TO SINS, MIGHT LITE UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 1 Pet U. 24.
Vers. 1,2, “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 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 vill. appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat.”
All the laws about uncleanness that disqualified wop shippers from coming to the sanctuary, may have been delivered after the death of Nadab and Abihu, on purpose to show, at such a solemn time, how holy is the Lord, and that he must be approached with fear and reverence. So now also, while that event is still fresh in Aaron’s remembrance, this command is given, ver. 2, The event was thus made useful to qualify Aaron more fully for his solemn duties; he learns, and all generations after him, how profound must be the reverence wherewith the Lord is approached. A minister’s afflictions are not in vain; they affect his office; they prepare him for it, as Paul wrote (2 Cor. i. 4) to the Corinthians in his day. It is, at the same time, significant, that before the Day of Atonement is spoken of, there should be a spreading out of sin, and of death, which is its desert.
Aaron must enter within the veil only at appointed times; for within the veil the cloud of glory rests at these appointed times,* and Jehovah is there, as it were, in his inaccessible light. He that comes in must be led in by God himself. “For by him we have access, through one Spirit to the Father.”
Vers. 3, 4. “Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place; with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. 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.”
Here is Aaron’s personal preparation. After the usual morning sacrifice (see Num. xxix. 11), and a sacrifice of seven lambs at the same time — to indicate the complete offering up to God that was that day to be made, and the complete dependence on atoning blood that day to be shown in all that was done — Aaron approached the holy place; for ver. 3, says, “come to the holy place.” In so doing, he led along, a bullock for his sin-offering, and a ram for his burnt-offering — both of these for himself, as an individual, and for his household.! On these he was to lay his sins. But ere he did this, he retired, and put off his golden garments, and put on the plain linen ones — pure, but unadorned — like Jesus on earth, holy, yet in a servant’s form. The priest must put aside both ephod and breastplate; he appeared simply as head of the peo-
* It is doubtful if this cloud of glory rested there all the year round, or only occasionally.
Some think “his house” (ver. 6), means “the house of Aaron,” in its widest sense, namely, all the body of priests and Levites, as in Ps. czt. 12.
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% pie. He washed himself in water ere he put them on, that holiness might still be proclaimed by him, though putting on this unattractive dress; even as our Surety, in entering Mary’s womb, was declared to be “that Holy One that shall be born of thee.”
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Yer. 6. “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.” “V*
These were brought to him by the people after he had put on his linen robes; and they were for themselves. It was these that were to be specially typical of Christ’s work; for wherein Aaron offered for himself he could not resemble Jesus, as Heb. vii. 26-28 declares.
It is to be remarked, that no details are given respect-S. %. ing any of the burnt-offerings of this day. The details S^’ are all confined to the sin-offerings. Hence, though “seven lambs’^* are mentioned, besides” the continual burnt-offering” yet nothing more about them is recorded. The ram of Aarons is mentioned as to be offered, yet no particulars are given; and the ram of the people is also specially noticed, but its offering up is not described. The reason is, all these were” burnt-offerings.’’^ Now, on this day the Lord wishes to fix the attention of all upon the sin-offerings, as it was a day of expiation for the confessed, defined, specified sins of Israel.!
Vers. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.” And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement fur himself, and
* Perhaps there was also a bulloek and a ram along with these, see Num. xxix. 8.
f This seems to me the true reason for the omission. On this point I can find nothing satisfactory in any of the commentators. Their accounts of these rites are very confused on the whole.
for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 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.”
These verses describe no more than the order and manner oi arranging the transactions of the day — Aaron’s bullock first; then the lot to be cast on the two goats, whose diflferent destinations are determined.
There is little ground for doubting that the rendering, “scape-goat,” is the best. But two other views have been vigorously maintained; one, that the word (^.I^J?) means the devil, the other, that it was the Jewish people in their state of apostasy and rejection. Among the maintainers of the former view, Faber is by far the most powerful, for he repudiates the idea of any offering to Satan, and considers the transaction as intended to signify Christ handed over to Satan for the bruising of his heel. Hengstenberg also maintains this, but applies it differently.* The latter view is held by Bush, who tries to show that it was appropriated, on an occasion that showed forth Christ’s death and atonement so fully, to introduce his rejection by Israel as one of the accompaniments of that momentous transaction.
The objections urged to the common rendering “scape-goat,’’^ however, are, after all, quite unsatisfactory. It is evidently the most natural meaning. The word t?, for “a goat,” had just been used, ver. 5, and Mx, “to depart, go away,” was likely enough, even on account of its sound, to be the term employed to express the fact of the
* See “Egypt and Books of Moses.” goat’s being dismissed. Then, as to the two strong objections alleged by some against this view, when examined, they have no force. For the first is, that if the clause, “the one lot for the Lord,’’’’ intimate that the goat is appropriated to a person, so should the next clause, “the other lot for (^.!i<J5) Azazel,^”* also signify appropriation to a person. But the answer to this is, that the proper sense is not appropriation to, or desig — natioft for persons; it is designation for use, viz.^th* first for the purpose of being killed at the Lord’s altar; the other for the purpose of sending away to the wilderness. The second objection is more serious. It is said that the words in ver. 10, “.’’^s is?’;’, never can mean,” make atonement t«?27/t him,” but must mean ‘■^ for him as the object. And it* is on this ground mainly that Bush defends his strange idea of this golEit being a type of apostate Israel. But, in reply, we assert that the words may have the meaning which our version gives them; and that iiya, would probably have been used if “/or Am,” had been meant, seeing this is the phrase used all throughout this chapter to express that idea. In Exod. •XXX. 30, the phrase (bs ids) occurs twice in the sense of ‘^’^ atone ovffr, of upon i“* “Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in a year;” and “once in the year shall he make atonement upon it” (T<bs ib?^). So hero, the priest is to make atonement over the scape-goat, by putting Israel’s guilt upon it ere he sends it away. And if one say, that surely it is .strange that this mode of expression should occur so rarely, the answer is, the act described by it occurred rarely, and no other words could better express the act intended.
Probably, the root of all these objections has been the secret feeling that there was something quite unsatisfac-
tory in explaining the passage as a type of death and resurrection. How the scape-goat could mean resurrection, has been secretly felt to be very puzzling. But this difficulty will vanish when we come to see that it does not mean resurrection. Let us proceed, therefore, to con-” sider the whole transactions of that memorable day.
Vers. 11, 12, 13, 14. “And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sinofFering 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: 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 be 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 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.”
All the victims having stood before the Lord — types of all our race standing before him, shuddering under the curse — Aaron, first of pll, offers for himself and his house. He takes the sin-offering bullock slays it on the altar, and pours out its blood. With the blood he fills one of the bowls of the altar. Then, with this in one hand, he places in the other a pan of live coals from the very same altar — out of the very same flames that had fed upon his sacrifice — and on this he sprinkles a handful of incense, whose sweet fragrance instantly fills the courts of the Lord’s house. What a glorious scene for sinners! This sinner’s offering is accepted! The sweet savor breathes over it and ascends to heaven. The very fire* that preyed upon the bullock till it was consumed into ashes,
* Notice, the fragrance is drawn out by the fire, to show that acceptance la effected by justice itself.
is that which causes this fragrance to be felt; the very righteousness that sought for an atonement ere it could forgive, delights to proclaim that the law is magnified, Jehovah glorified, the sinner justified. The holy law, having met with its requisitions, exults in declaring the sinner free!
But Aaron’s next step is yet more wondrous. He advances to the Holiest of all, passing through The Holy place, blood and sweet incense all the time held up in his. hand; yea, not only a censer full of incense, but a cup of it, besides, held in his hand. The light from the golden candlestick directs his reverent step to the veil, which he draws aside. Forthwith, the bright cloud of glory pours its full radiance upon him — too bright for his feeble eye, were it not softened by the cloud of incense that arises from the censer in his hand. Thus enveloped, he sprinkles the blood on the mercy-seat seven times. But what a moment was this! It is his own sins that he Is thus confessing; his own death, his own deserved wrath, is what is spread out before the Lord in that sprinkled blood! His tears drop on the floor as he again and again spreads out this symbol of his life forfeited and of his life saved. It seems that offering of incense was always accompanied with prayer (Rev. viii. 4); it was so here. Elijah’s prayer for rain, when seven times in succession he urged the plea that in the end prevailed, was not more awfully earnest than Aaron’s now. When* first he sprinkles the blood, oh, how deep his agony I “0 God, be merciful* to me a sinner.” Yet oh, how sweet his hope as he waves the censer over it, and feels the savor of life! /Again and again he thus presents his
* The very word tncre used seems to point the finger to the” iXaortiptov’ the tnercy-Kat. It ifi iXaaOqn /loc, Luke xviiL 18.
./ atonement, till the seventh time ends the whole transaction, and he stands alone with God, justified, accepted, loved, and bless<?d. Happier man than Adam! More holy spot than Eden! f’Happier man, because escaped from the curse forever, and entered into an everlasting fellowship with the Almighty. More holy spot, because encircled with such amazing discoveries of the infinite ‘, perfections of holiness. In every way more blessed! for here are springs from the Godhead gushing forth as they ’ never did in Paradise — new forms of love, joy, peao,, blended with righteousness, and wisdom, and truth.
It was thus with Jesus in atoning for others. He all along carried the blood and the sweet incense* with him. If he is baptized in Jordan, lo I the cloud of incense ascends, “This is my beloved Son.” If he talk of his’ decease, which he is to accomplish at Jerusalem, lo! again, “This is my beloved Son.” If he is troubled in the temple, and the consuming fire be felt in his bones, lo! the incense again, “I have glorified thee, and will glorify thee again.” ‘He enters the sepulchre, rending asunder the veil; then, lo! the cloud of incense settles on his head! All is favor now; Grod meets with man, and man rests on Grod! “It is finished.”
Christ’s resurrection may have been typified by Aaron’s
“Ince7ise,” because of its smell being pleasing, is the type of service offered acceptably; see Rev. viii. 4; Pa. cxli. 2. But here notice, that in Rev. V. 8, the “golden vials” are not censers. The censer is, in the Septuagint, “TO KvpsTov;” and “ra n-upsio” (2 Kings xxiv. 15), are distinguished from “raj (piaXas.” “Vials” are the bowels of the altar, or the like. In Hev. V. 8, the saints see Christ about to enter on his glorious reign, and forthwith take their harps to praite, and also hold up their bowlfuls of Btill unanswered prayers, because they will be fully granted now. As Ps. bcxii. 20. The saints here do not intercede for others; they have no censers; they only present their own prayers to the high priest ooroing out to the court again, after thus entering the holiest. He came forth, and once more stood at the altar. And now he prepared to offer for the people.
Vers. 15, 16, 17. “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that id for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with ^V that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it “upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat. And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israt-l, 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. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, imtil he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel”
He now kills the people’s sin-offering, confessing over it their uncleanness, transgressions and sins. He enters the most holy place, as before, to sprinkle the blood. This he does on the mercy-seat, and also on the floor before it, or on the side of it; thus filling the holiest with the cry of atoning blood. Over it he stands, confessing Israel’s sin, with strong crying and tears; he enumerates their departures from the holy law, and spreads out before God, in the light of hts countenance, their endless sins, their transgressions of every form, their uncleanness of deepest dye. But that blood sprinkled there raises its cry — the life of the Living One is taken for the guilty — and to this blood Aaron points for pardon. This is none other than a Gethsemane! The man of sorrows, bearing our sins, is here. “0 God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins are not hid from thee.” (Ps. lxix 5.)- “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” “The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.” And his precious life — the life of the true Living One — is taken for our life, and is poured out before the Lord. The cry of blood was to rise both from the floor below and the mercy-seat above; so the Saviour’s atonement pleaded for us both from earth below, while he was here, and in heaven above, when he ascended.
This act of the high priest’s was reckoned to be a cleansing of the Holy Place itself For the presence of guilty Israel defiled the courts, and the bringing in of their case in the person of their representative was reckoned as a defilement. Therefore, there was need of a cleansing; and this took place when their representative was accepted, and all he confessed was thoroughly forgiven. The forgiveness went forth in all its power through the holy place, carrying cleansing virtue with it to the worshippers, and to the ground whereon they stood. But thus we see how it is written in Heb. ix. 23, that heaven needed purification if sinners were to enter, “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be puritied with these; but lhe heavenly things themselves with iDetter sacrifices than these;” viz., as ver. 24 declares, 6y Christ himself entering into them witlr~the- sacrifice of himself.
This may show us, by the way, why God not only drove out the man from Eden, but removed Eden itself very soon. The place was polluted by having been the scene of the Fall — polluted by the most heinous of sins.
While all this was transacting, no one whatsoever was to be seen iti the court of the tabernacle round the holy place — the Most Holy. It was to be evident that the priest alone made atonement, and none else. On one man dependeth their atonement. How often would the idea of another Adam cross their minds — all leaning on One I And oh, how tremblingly alive would they be to
310 THE DAY OF ATONEil i
the danger of that one man, their representative, failing in any point of duty that day! If he fail, Israel’s guilt remains. The high priest himself feels his awful responsibility; if he sin in this matter, he quenches the light of Israel, extinguishes their hopes, sends them away in blank despair. This one person is entrusted .^ with their life and their all. And thus the Holy Spirit painted Jesus to the view of those who had clear, Abraham-like faith. He will be alone in his undertaking, “One for all.” Heaven and hell will look on intensely A interested; for “now is the judgment of this world;” now is the crisis in the hopes of perishing men. He himself feels the awful responsibility, and often, often as he goes onward, raises a cry, “Make haste to help me, 0 niy God;” “0 my strength, haste thee to help me;” “Save me from the lion’s mouth.” — All alone he stands on Calvary; nay, not one draws near to offer help; his own Father keeps aloof, and the Mediator cries,” Lover and fi’iend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
The priest entered in awful solemnity, pressed beneath such a weight; Jesus also, in like manner, entered in fear and anguish. But on this very account, to us all bitterness is past; we go boldly into the holiest of all through that blood.
Vers. 18, 19. “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 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.”
Some consider the altar of incense to be here meant, simply because it is said,” the altar that is before the
Lord.” But this expression determines nothing. Nay, it applies to the altar of sacrifice, as being under his special eye. (See chap. iv. 24; or i. 5.) The holy and most holy have been purified already; we are told now of the purifying of the courts and the altar.
Strange that the altar should need to be purified! And yet what spot had more connection with sin? “Was not every sin confessed there? Was not every sin laid down there? Was not that the spot where wrath was ‘ever falling? Here is a strange combination — sin, and the atonement for sin. It may have been typical of the fact, that the foulest sin and the fullest atonement were found at the cross. Never was sin committed equal to that of the men who put Christ to death. Hell’s darkest malignity and man’s consummate infatuation and enmity were hjought together to form this sin. And yet his dying took away sin. Thus, the eye of God sees on that spot, at one moment, the blackest of sins, and the most glorious atonement. Or, perhaps, it was meant simply to show how he that w:as to make the atonement would himself contract no pollution. The altar purified is an imperfect way of showing that Christ continued spotless. Once more; the courts where the altar stood shared in this purification. Earth must be purified, because stained by sharing in the murder of the Son of God. When Jesus comes out from the holiest of all, then it is that he shall purify these courts. It shall be a thorough cleansing; even as the blood was” seven times” put on, the altar’s horns, till in this manner the cry for pardon, or rather the cry for atonement accepted, had “seven times” sounded through all the courts of the tabernacle from the four “horns’* — the emblems of strength and power.
Vei%. 20, 21, 22. “And when he hath mada an end of reconciling* the holy place, and the tabernacle of the con;^::” ■;
altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron
hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over If.m u.i;’..”. iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their traiipgree<iioti- iof all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and bhull send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon hirh all their iniquities unto a la not inhabited: and he shall let go the goal in the wilderness.”
Aaron is now to show atonement in another form. To leave no doubt that sin has been carried away, there is to be a putting away of it which the~peopl4 can see, as there had been one unseen in the holy of holies. The live goat is brought forward, and all Israel hear the high priest’s voice confessing their sins and iniquities and transgressions. Most solemnly, and no doubt even with weeping, did Aaron confess his people’s sins over the - head of the scape-goat. He felt on his heart the loao .* which he was laying on the victim.
These confessed sins being thus laid on its head, the goat stood laden with the curse. Against it alone will the lightning be directed now — on this one point will vengeance fall. Israel is now. clear — 4he stroke must slope over their heads toward their substitute. And a “fit man,” one appointed for the purpose, leads it away down the courts, in presence of all the people, slowly and carefully, till he has gone out of sight and reaches the wilds of some rugged spot, or uninhabited waste.J The. “y?^ person’^ returns and attests that he left, it there;
* May Col i. 20, “By him to reconcile all things to liini«elf which are in heaven,” be explained by a reference to the above transactions f
t hbh, perl)aps, “accordimr to all their stna.” As if he were reading the pages of the book of remembrance, lie must read according to what has been actually recorded.
X Some “regie invia,’.’ or y? dffarot, aa the Septuagint render it. and Israel feels the joy of pardon. Wrath against these confessed sins will now alight in the desert, not upon them.” The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all’’ is their song.
Here we may remark the opinion of a learned man, that Jesus driven into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil after the scene of his baptism, where our sin was openly confessed by him as iaid on himself is the antitype of what follows in the scape-goat.
Follow the scape-goat, and see its doom. Is there not here a criminal led along? There is something that speaks of the Man of Sorrows, made sin for us. Is there not here a criminal led away to unknown woe? There is something that speaks of one “made a curse for us.” Why is he left alone, defenceless, trembling amid a wil- ^derness? There is here enough to remind us of Jesus left ta suffer without sympathy. “He looked on his right hand and there was none; refuge failed him; no man cared for his soul.” The scape-goat’s solitary cry is re-echoed by the barren rocks, and the howling of beasts of prey terrifies it on all sides; and the gloom of night settles down upon it and shrouds it in deeper terror. Perhaps, too, it was not uncommon for Jehovah himself to direct his lightning’s stroke toward this victim, and to cause it to perish amid the tempest’s roar. Wounded by beasts of prey, from whom it has scarcely escaped, it is now stretched on the ground by a stroke from that thunder-cloud (for “lightnings in the night” are frequent in that country at this season), its eyes glaring with convulsive fear, and its piteous cries echoing through the dismal wilderness. Perhaps it was generally thus that the sin-bearing scape-goat died.” Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into dark-
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ness.” And to Israel there was the same meaning in suffering unto death as the thief saw in a dying Savioi. “The victim’s sufferings are my sufferings,” would a man of Israel say, even as Ambrose has said of the thief on the cross, “Ceivit latro quod ilia in corpore Christi vulnera non essent Christi vulnera sed latronis.” (Serm. de s. 1.)” The thief knew that those wounds in the body of Christ were not the wounds of Christ, but of the thief:’
Vers. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. “And Anron shall come into the tabct nacle 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 he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on hi garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt-offering, and the burnt-offering of the jeople, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. And liie fat of the sin cffering shall he burn upon the altar. And he that let go the goat for# the scape-goat shall wash his clothes, and b:itlpc his flesh iff water, and afterward come into the cnmp. And the %ulhick 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 fle-h, and their dung. And he that butneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe hip flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.”
All that was absolutely required toward the people’s forgiveness being now done, no doubt through the assembled congregation there ran a thrill of joy and expectant hope. All felt the heavy burden raised off their persons; and they now only waited for the final issue — the appearing of Aaron in his robes of beauty. Thus far it was as when Jesus cried, “It is finished:” but one thing remains; let him return in his glorious person, no more connected with sin, shining in the beams of the Father’s love This he did on the third day when ho rose.
dron had gone into the holy place, and there laid ie his linen garments, and washed his person in pure later, preparatory to his coming forth again — a type of Jesus laying aside the likeness of sinful flesh, and ceasing from all connection with sin. Putting on his other garments, which were embroidered with gold, he appeared in glory; for the sunbeams fell bright and dazzling on his golden mitre and on his gold-adorned vestments, expressive of the acceptance and favor of Grod shining on him as representative and head of Israel. As their accepted intercessor, he completed that day’s solemn atonement by offering up his own burnt-offering and the burnt-offering for the people, showing thereby that there was free access opened up to Israel by one; and that one stood as priest over them. Then, in sight of all, he burnt “the fat;” that is, the two kidneys and the fat on them (iii. 10), and all the fat about the inwards, that the blazing flame of these portions of the sacrifice might indicate the dedication of his whole heart and inmost desires, all sent up in one flame to God. And while he was thus engaged, the man who had carried away the scape-goat showed himself at the gate of the camp, testifying that he had fulfilled his commission. So truly had the sin laid on the goat been transferred to it, that this man was polluted by being at its side! (So in Num. xix. 8.) But having bathed himself in pure water, to show that all connection between him and the sin-bearing goat had ceased, he now entered among the worshippers as a man who could testify that their sins had been laid there and were carried away.
Last of all, the relics of the offering already presented, viz., of the bullock and goat sin-offering, are removed. The sacrifices were offered, the blood sprmkled, the soapegoat sent to its desert; the burnt-offerings were blazing on the altar; the fat of the offerings was consuming away; the conductor of the scape-goat present to testify to the completeness of the transference of sin — like ministers who are “eye-witnesses of Christ’s sufferings, and partakers of the effects.” What then remained, but only to remove the relics of the sacrifices that began that day’s solemn proceedings? It is soon done. The relics are carried out of the camp and burned there, in the place of the curse (see chap. iv. 12), leaving all Israel assured that their own and Aaron’s sins are forever gone — the smoke bending its curling volumes towards the wilderness, as far from view as the scape-goat that bore thither its heavy load. And thus, all done, the sun sets in stillness over a calm, solemnized, and peaceful camp.
It had been a wondrous day from the very first dawa to the last streak of the setting sun. At the third hour of the morning (nine o’clock) every street or way of the camp had been trodden by a people going up to peculiar service — each moving along serious and awe-struck. As many as the courts could contain enter — specially aged men and fathers of Israel; the rest stand in thousands near, or sit in groups under green bushes and on little eminences that overlook the enclosing curtains. Some are in the attitude of prayer; some are pondering the book of the law; some, like Hannah, move their lips, though no word is heard; all are ever and again glancing at the altar, and the array of the courts. Even children sit in wonder, and whisper their inquiries to their parents. The morning sacrifice is offered; the priest’s bullock and ram standing by, and other victims besides. They wait in expectation of what is to follow when the smoke of the morning lamb has melted into the clouds. They see the
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lots oast on the two goats, the priest enter the sanctuary with his own offering, and return amid the tremblings of Israel, who all feel that they are concerned in his acceptance. They see one goat slain and its blood carried in. The scape-goat is then led down their trembling ranks, out of the camp; and at length Aaron re-appears to their joy. The murmur of delight now spreads along, like the pleasant ruffling of the water’s surface in the breeze of a summer’s evening. The silver trumpets sound — the evening lamb is offered; Israel feels the favor pf their God, and returns home to rest under his shadow. “0 Lord, thou wast angry with me, but thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me.”
How intensely interesting to have seen this day kept in Jerusalem! The night before, you would have seen the city become silent and still, as the sun set. No lingerers in the market; no traders; no voice of business. The watchmen that go about the city sing the penitential psalms, reminding themselves of their own and the city’s secret sins, seen through the darkness by an all-seeing God; and the Levites from the temple sing responsive ly as they walk round the courts. Though the sun has risen over the Mount of Olives, none are seen in the streets; no smoke rises from any dwelling; no hum of busy noise; for no work is done on a holy convocation day. The melody of joy and health ascends from the tabernacles of the righteous. But at the hour of morning sacrifice, the city pours out its thousands, who move solemnly toward the temple, or repair to the heights of Zion’s towers, or the grassy slopes of Olivet, that they may witness as well ‘as join in all the day’s devotion. They see the service proceed — they see the scape-goat led away — they see the priest come out of the holy place; and at this comforting
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sight every head in the vast, vast multitude is bowed in solemn thankfulness, and every heart moves the lips to a burst of joy. The trumpet for the evening sacrifice sounds; Olivet re-echoes; the people on its bosom see the city and the altar, and weep for very gladness; ail know it is the hour for the evening blessing. When the sun set an angel might have said to his fellow, “Look upon Zion, the city of solemnities! behold Jerusalem, a quiet habitation I”
* Vers. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. “And this shall be a statute forever 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 eojourneth among you. 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. It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever. 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 Unen clothes, even the holy garments: 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 priest, and for all the people of the congregation. 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.”
“We see in ver. 29, that the true heart-service of the day was enjoined as much as the external observances — as much” afflicting- their souls“* as” doing no work at ally Nor was the presence of strangers to be the least hindrance; our friends must join us in God’s service, but no politeness must lead us to leave God for them.
* See chap, xxiii. 29.
Once a year all these rites were to be observed. The seventh month was to be to them as memorable as the seventh day of every week. The Prophet’ Isaiah very sorely reproves the neglected observance of this holy day in chap. lviii. He says, ver. 3, “In the day of your fast ye find pleasure,” not afflicting your souls, “and exact all your demands of labor,” instead of doing no work at all. God saw them in their houses, and observed that they secretly carried on their worldly business, and that their soul was unhumbled. Hence, he says, “Ye shall not fast as ye do this day. Is it such a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul?’’’’ That is, Is it such a fast as yours? Is that like a day of soulaffliction? your bowing down your head as a bulrush? And ye have added external rites of your own, to hide the inward leanness, putting’ sackcloth and ashes under you’^ (ver. 5). “Nay,” saith the Lord, ‘’ loose the burdens which ye wickedly impose on the poor, and set free the bankrupt,* and thus make the day a real Sabbath. Also, let the poor have food (ver. 7), and help thy impoverished brother. Then, indeed, thou mayest expect to feel the joy of the expiation-day (vers. 8, 9), and all the year long thou shalt be kept and blessed (vers. 11, 12).” As surely as morn arose, after the atonement-day was done; and as surely as in the year of release that morn was ushered in with the joyful notes of jubilee, so certainly should they have reaped the blessing. Oh! if thou wouldst keep all his solemn Sabbaths, how blessed
* This may refer to the times when the year of jubilee, “the year of release,” began on the evening of the day of atonement. Giving food to the poor (ver. 7), marked the year of jubilee also (Exod. xxiii. 11). The prophet chooses such a time, when there was double obligation on a Jew, in order to show their hypocrisy in a more marked form.
wouldst thou be (ver. 13, 14); and thy land a land of fruitfulness to thee!
“Happy art thou, 0 Israel, a people saved of the Lord!”