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Expositor's Bible Commentary Leviticus 9:1 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; THE INAUGURATION OF THE TABERNACLE SERVICE Leviticus 9:1-24 AARON and his sons having now been solemnly consecrated to the priestly office by the ceremonies of seven days, their formal assumption of their daily duties in the tabernacle was marked by a special service suited to the august occasion, signalised at its close by the appearance of the glory of Jehovah to assembled Israel, in token of His sanction and approval of all that had been done. It would appear that the daily burnt offering and meal offering had been indeed offered before this, from the time that the tabernacle had been set up: in which service, however, Moses had thus far officiated. But now that Aaron and his sons were consecrated, it was most fitting that a service should thus be ordered which should be a complete exhibition of the order of sacrifice as it had now been given by the Lord, and serve, for Aaron and his sons in all after time, as a practical model of the manner in which the divinely-given law of sacrifice should be carried out. The order of the day began with a very impressive lesson of the inadequacy of the blood of beasts to take away sin. For seven consecutive days a bullock had been offered for Aaron and his sons, and so far as served the typical purpose, their consecration was complete. But still Aaron and his sons needed expiating blood; for before they could offer the sacrifices of the day for the people, they are ordered yet again first of all to offer a sin offering for themselves. We read ( Leviticus 9:1-2 ): "And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; and he said unto Aaron, Take thee a bull calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord." And then Aaron was commanded ( Leviticus 9:3-5 ): "Unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take yea he-goat for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord; and a meal offering mingled with oil: for today the Lord appeareth unto you. And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tent of meeting: and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord." There is little in these directions requiring explanation. Because of the exceptional importance of the occasion, therefore, as in the feasts of the Lord, a special sin offering was ordered, and a burnt offering, besides the regular daily burnt offering, meal offering, and drink offering; and, in addition, peculiar to this occasion, a peace offering for the nation; which last was evidently intended to signify that now on the basis of the sacrificial worship and the mediation of a consecrated priesthood, Israel was privileged to enter into fellowship with Jehovah, the Lord of the tabernacle. No peace offering was ordered for Aaron and his sons, as, according to the law of the peace offering, they would themselves take part in that of the people. The sin offering prescribed for the people was, not a kid, as in King James’s version, but a he-goat, which, with the exception of the case of a sin of commission as described in Leviticus 4:13-14 , appears to have been the usual victim. For the selection of such a victim, no reason appears more probable than that assigned by rabbinical tradition, namely, that it was intended to counteract the tendency of the people to the worship of shaggy he-goats, referred to in Leviticus 17:7 , "They shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats (R.V), after whom they go a whoring." Leviticus 9:7 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; as the LORD commanded. THE ORDER OF THE OFFERINGS Leviticus 9:7-21 "And Moses said onto Aaron. Draw near unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the oblation of the people, and make atonement for them; as the Lord commanded. So Aaron drew near unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. And the sons of Aaron presented 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 base of the altar: but the fat and the kidneys and the caul from the liver of the sin offering, he burnt upon the altar; as the Lord commanded Moses. And the flesh and the skin he burnt with fire without the camp. And he slew the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons delivered unto him the blood, and he sprinkled it upon the altar round about. And they delivered the burnt offering unto him, piece by piece, and the head; and he burnt them upon the altar. And he washed the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar. And he presented the people’s oblation, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. And he presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. And he presented the meal offering, and filled his hand therefrom, and burnt it upon the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning. He slew also the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron’s sons delivered unto him the blood, and he sprinkled it upon the altar round about, and the fat of the ox; and of the ram, the fat tail and that which covered the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul of the liver: and they put the fat upon the breasts and he burnt the fat upon the altar; and the breast and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering before the Lord; as Moses commanded." Leviticus 9:7-21 detail the way in which this commandment of Moses was carried out in the offerings, first, for Aaron and his sons, and then for all the people; but, as the peculiarities of these several offerings have been already explained, they need not here detain us. That which is new, and of profound spiritual and typical meaning, is the order of the sacrifices as here enjoined; an order which, as we learn from many Scriptures, represented what was intended to be the permanent and invariable law. The appointed order of the offerings was as follows: first, whenever presented, came the sin offering, as here; then, the burnt offering, with its meal offering; and last, always, the peace offering, with its characteristic sacrificial feast. The significance of this order will readily appear if we consider the distinctive meaning of each of these offerings. The sin offering had for its central thought, expiation of sin by the shedding of blood; the burnt offering, the full surrender of the person symbolised by the victim, to God; the meal offering, in like manner, the consecration of the fruit of his labours; the peace offering, sustenance of life from God’s table, and fellowship in peace and joy with God and with one another. And the great lesson for us now from this model tabernacle service is this: that this order is determined by a law of the spiritual life. So much as this, even without clear prevision of the Antitype of all these sacrifices, the thoughtful Israelite might have discerned; and even though the truth thus symbolised is placed before us no more in rite and symbol, yet it abides, and ever will abide, a truth. Man everywhere needs fellowship with God, and cannot rest without it; to attain such fellowship is the object of all religions which recognise the being of a God at all. Even among the heathen, we are truly told, there are many who are feeling after God "if haply they may find Him"; and, among ourselves in Christian lands, and even in the external fellowship of Christian churches, there are many who with aching hearts are seeking after an unrealised experience of peace and fellowship with God. And yet God is "not far from any one of us"; and the whole Scripture represent Him as longing on His part with an incomprehensible condescension and love after fellowship with us, desiring to communicate to us His fulness; and still so many seek and find not! We need not go further than this order of the offerings, and the spiritual truth it signifies regarding the order of grace, to discover the secret of these spiritual failures. The peace offering, the sacrificial feast of fellowship with God, the joyful banqueting on the food of His table, was always, as on this day, in order. Before this must ever come the burnt offering. The ritual prescribed that the peace offering should be burnt "upon the burnt offering"; the presence of the burnt offering is thus presupposed in every acceptable peace offering. But what if one had ventured to ignore this divinely-appointed order, and had offered his peace offering to be burnt alone; can we imagine that it would have been accepted? These things are a parable, and not a hard one. For the burnt offering with its meal offering symbolised full consecration of the person and the works to the Lord. Remembering this, we see that the order is not arbitrary. For, in the nature of the case, full consecration to God must precede fellowship with God; he who would know what it is to have God give Himself to him, must first be ready to give himself to God. And that God should enter into loving fellowship with anyone who is holding back from loving self-surrender is not to be expected. This is not merely an Old Testament law, still less merely a fanciful deduction from the Mosaic symbolism; everywhere in the New Testament is the thought pressed upon us, no longer indeed in symbol, but in plainest language. It is taught by precept in some of the most familiar words of the great Teacher. There is promise, for example, of constant supply of sufficient food and raiment, fellowship with God in temporal things; but only on condition that "we seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness," shall "all these things be added unto us". {Mat 6:33} There is a promise of "a hundred fold in this life, and in the world to come, eternal life"; but it is prefaced by the condition of surrender of father, mother, brethren sisters of houses and lands, for the Lord’s sake. {Mat 19:29} Not, indeed, that the actual parting with these is enjoined in every case; but, certainly, it is intended that we shall hold all at the Lord’s disposal, possessing, but "as though we possessed not";-this is the least that we can take out of these words. Full consecration of the person and the works, this then is the condition of fellowship with God; and if so many lament the lack of the latter, it is no doubt because of the lack of the former. We often act strangely in this matter; half unconsciously, searching, perhaps, every corner of our life but the right one, from looking into which by the clear light of God’s Word we instinctively shrink, conscience softly whispering that just there is something about which we have a lurking doubt, and which therefore, if we will be fully consecrated, we must at once give up, till we are sure that it is right, and right for us; and for that self-denial, that renunciation unto God, we are not ready. Is it a wonder that, if such be our experience, we lack that blessed, joyful fellowship with the Lord, of which some tell us? Is it not rather the chief wonder that we should wonder at the lack, when yet we are not ready to consecrate all, body, soul, and spirit, with all our works, unto the Lord? Let us then remember the law of the offerings upon this point. No Israelite could have the blessed feast of the peace offering, except, first the burnt offering and the meal offering, symbolising full consecration, were smoking on the altar. But this full consecration seems to many so exceeding hard, -nay, we may say more, to many it is utterly impossible. A consecration of some things, especially those for which they care little, this they can hear of; but a consecration of all, that the whole may be consumed upon the altar before and unto God, this they cannot think of. Which means-can we escape the conclusion?-that the love of God does not yet rule supreme. How sad! and how strange! But the law of the offerings will again declare the secret of the strange holding back from full consecration. For it was ordained, that wherever there was sin in the offerer, unconfessed and unforgiven, before even the burnt offering must go the sin offering, expiating sin by blood presented on the altar before God. And here we come upon another law of the spiritual life in all ages. If fellowship with God in peace and joy is conditioned by the full consecration of person and service to Him., this consecration, even as a possibility for us, is in turn conditioned by the expiation of sin through the great Sin offering. So long as conscience is not satisfied that the question of sin has been settled in grace and righteousness with God, so long it is a spiritual impossibility that the soul should come into that experience of the love of God, manifested through atonement, which alone can lead to full consecration. This truth is always of vital importance; but it is, if possible, more important than ever to insist upon it in our day, when, more and more, the doctrine of the expiation of sin through the blood of the Lamb of God is denied, and that, forsooth, under the claim of superior enlightenment. Men are well pleased to hear of a burnt offering, so long especially as it is made to signify no more than the self-devotement of the offerer; but for a sin offering, much modern theology has no place. So soon as we begin to speak of the sacrifice of our Lord for sin in the dialect of the ancient altar-which, it must never be forgotten, is that of Christ and His apostles-we are told that "it would be better for the world if the Christian doctrine of sacrifice could be presented to men apart from the old Jewish ideas and terms, which only serve to obscure the simplicity that is in Christ(!)" And so men, under the pretext of magnifying the love of God, and laying a truer basis for spiritual life, in effect deny the supreme and incomparable manifestation of that love, that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. {2Co 5:21} Very different is the teaching, not merely of the law of Moses, but of the whole New Testament; which, in all it has to say of the Christian life as proceeding from full self-surrender, ever represents this full consecration as inspired by the believing recognition and penitent acceptance of Christ, not merely as the great Example of perfect consecration, but as a sin offering, reconciling us first of all by His death, before He saves us by His life. {Rom 5:10} The expiation of sin by the sin offering, before the consecration which burnt offering and meal offering typify, this is the invariable order in both Testaments. The Apostle Paul, in his account of his own full consecration, is in full accord with the spiritual teaching of the Mosaic ritual when he gives this as the order. He describes himself, and that in terms of no undue exaggeration, as so under the constraint of the love of Christ as to seem to some beside himself; and theft he goes on to explain the secret of this consecration, in which he had placed himself and all he had upon God’s altar, as a whole burnt sacrifice, as consisting just in this, that he had first apprehended the mystery of Christ’s death, as a substitution so true and real of the sinless Victim in the place of sinful men, that it might be said that "one died for all, therefore all died"; whence he thus judged, "that they which live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto Him who for their sakes died and rose again". {2Co 5:13-15} To the same effect is the teaching of the Apostle John. For all true consecration springs from the thankful recognition of the love of God; and, according to this Apostle also, the Divine love which inspires the consecration is manifest in this, that "He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins". {1Jn 4:10} The apprehension, then, of the reality of the expiation made by the great Sin Offering, and the believing appropriation of its virtue to the cancelling of our guilt, this is the inseparable previous condition of full consecration of person and work unto the Lord. It is so, because only the apprehension of the need of expiation by the blood of the Son of God, as the necessary condition of forgiveness, can give us any adequate measure of the depth of our guilt and ruin, as God sees it; and, on the other hand, only when we remember that God spared not His only-begotten Son, but sent Him to become, through death upon the cross, a propitiation for our sins, can we begin to have such an estimate of the love of God and of Christ His Son as shall make full consecration easy, or even possible. Let us then, on no account, miss this lesson from the order of this ritual; before the peace offering, the burnt offering; before the burnt offering, the sin offering. Or, translating the symbolism, perfect fellowship with God in peace and joy and life, only after consecration; and the consecration only possible in fulness, and only accepted of God, in any case, when the great Sin offering has been first believingly appropriated, according to God’s ordination, as the propitiation for our sins, for the cancelling of our guilt. But there is yet more in this order of the offerings. For, as the New Testament in every way teaches us, the Antitype of every offering was Christ. As we have already seen, in the Sin Offering we have the type of Christ as our propitiation, or expiation; in the burnt offering, of Christ as consecrating Himself unto God in our behalf; in the meal offering, as, in like manner, consecrating all His works in our behalf; in the peace offering, as imparting Himself to us as our life, and thus bringing us into fellowship of peace and love and joy with the Father. Now this last is, in fact. the ultimate aim of salvation: rather, indeed, we may say, it is salvation. For life in its fulness means the cancelling of death; death spiritual, and bodily death also, in resurrection from the dead: it means also perfect fellowship with the living God, and this, attained, is heaven. Hence it must needs be that the peace offering which represents Christ as giving Himself to us as our life, and introducing us into this blessed state, comes last. But before this, in order, not of time, but of grace, as also of logic, must be Christ as Sin Offering, and Christ as Burnt Offering. And, first of all, Christ as Sin Offering. For God’s way of peace puts the cancelling of guilt, the satisfaction of His holy law and justice, and therewith the restoration of our right relation to Him, first, and in order to a holy life and fellowship; while man will ever put these last, and regard the latter as the means to obtaining a right standing with God. Hence, inasmuch as Christ, coming to save us, finds us under a curse, the first thing in order is, and must be, the removal of that curse of the holy wrath of God, against everyone that "continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them." And so, first in order in the typical ritual is the sin offering which represents Christ as made "a curse for us," that He might thus redeem us from the curse of the law. {Gal 3:13} But this is not a complete account of the work of our Lord for us in the days of His flesh. His work indeed was one, but the Scriptures set it forth in a twofold aspect. On the one hand, He is the Sinless One, bearing the curse for us; but also, in all His suffering for our sins, He is also manifested as the Righteous One, making many righteous by His obedience, even an obedience unto the death of the cross. {Rom 5:19; Php 2:8} And if we ask what was the essence of this obedience of our Lord for us, what was it, indeed, but that which is the essence of all obedience to God, namely, full, unreserved, uninterrupted consecration and self-surrender to the will of the Father? And as, by His suffering, Christ endured the curse for us, so by all His obedience and suffering in full submission to the will of God, He became also "the Lord our righteousness." And this, as repeatedly remarked, is the central thought of the burnt offering and the meal offering, -full consecration of the person and the work to God. In the sin offering, then, we see Christ as our propitiation; in the burnt offering, we see Him rather as our righteousness; but the former is presupposed in the latter; and apart from this, that in His death He became the expiation of our sins, His obedience could have availed us nothing. But given now Christ as our propitiation and also our righteousness, the whole question of the relation of Christ’s people to God in law and righteousness is settled, and the way is now clear for the communication of life which the peace offering symbolised. Thus, as by faith in Christ as the Sin offering, our propitiation and righteousness, we are "justified freely by grace," "apart from the works of the law," so now the way is open, by the appropriation of Christ as our life in the peace offering, for our sanctification and complete redemption. In a word, the law of the order of the offerings teaches, symbolically and typically, exactly what, in Romans 6:1-23 ; Romans 7:1-25 , the Apostle Paul teaches dogmatically, namely, that the order of grace is first justification, then sanctification; but both by the same crucified Christ, our propitiation, our righteousness, and our life: in whom we come to have fellowship in all good and blessing with the Father. It is interesting to observe that after the analogy of this order of the offerings, is the most usual order of the development of Christian experience. For the awakened soul is usually first of all concerned about the question of forgiveness of sin and acceptance; and hence, most commonly, faith first apprehends Christ in this aspect, as the One who "bare our sins in His Body," by whose stripes we are healed; and then, at a later period of experience, as the One who also, in lowly consecration to the Father’s will, obeyed for us, that we might be made righteous through His obedience. But no one who is truly justified by faith in Christ as our propitiation and righteousness, can long rest with this. He very quickly finds what he had little thought of before, that the evil nature abides even in the justified and accepted believer; nay, more, that it has still a terrible strength to overcome him and lead him into sin, even often when he would not. And this prepares the believer, still in accord with the law of the order of grace here set forth, to lay hold also on Christ by faith as His Peace offering, by feeding on whom we receive spiritual strength, so that He thus, in a word, becomes our sanctification and, at last, full redemption. Leviticus 9:22 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. THE DOUBLE BENEDICTION Leviticus 9:22-24 "And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out and blessed the people and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came forth fire from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces." The sacrifices having now been made, and the offerings presented in this divinely-appointed order, by the ordained and consecrated priesthood, two things followed: a double benediction was pronounced upon the people, and Jehovah manifested to them His glory. We read ( Leviticus 9:22 ), "And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings." Presumably, the form of benediction which Aaron used was that which, according to Numbers 6:24-27 , the priests were commanded by the Lord to use: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." It was not an empty form; for the Lord at that time also promised Himself to make this blessing efficient, saying thereafter, "So shall they put My Name"-Jehovah, the name of God in covenant, -"upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them." So also the Lord Jesus, just before withdrawing from the bodily sight of His disciples after the completion of His great sacrifice, "lifted up His hands, and blessed them"; and thereupon disappeared from their sight, ascending into heaven. Even so was it in the typical service of this day; for when Aaron had thus lifted up his hands and blessed the people ( Leviticus 9:23 ), "Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting." The work of Aaron in the outer court had been finished, and now he disappears from Israel’s sight; for he must, in like manner, be inducted into the priestly work within the Holy Place. He must there be shown all those things to which, in his priestly ministrations, the blood must be applied; and, especially, must also offer the sweet incense at the golden altar which was before the veil which enshrined the immediate presence of Jehovah. But this offering of incense, as all have agreed, typifies the precious and most effective intercession of the great Antitype; so that thus it was shown in a figure, how the Christ of God, having finished His sacrificial work in the sight of men, and having ascended into heaven, should there for a season abide, hidden from human sight, making intercession for His waiting people. After an interval-we are not told how long-Moses and Aaron again ( Leviticus 9:23-24 ), "came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came forth fire from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces." This second blessing, by Moses and Aaron conjointly, followed Aaron’s reappearance to Israel, and marked the completion of these inauguration services, the intercession within the veil, as well as the sacrifices. And the revelation in a visible way of the glory of the Lord added what now was alone required, the manifest attestation by the Lord of the tabernacle of His approval of all that had been done in these memorable eight days. This appearance of the Shekinah glory was followed by a flash of fire which, in token of the Divine appropriation of the sacrifices, consumed in an instant the burnt offering on the altar with the fat of the sin offering and the peace offering, which had been laid upon it. We cannot follow here the Jewish tradition, which has it that with this act the sacrificial fire which was never to go out upon the altar, was originated. On the contrary, as we have seen, the offerings had before this been made by Moses, and even on this day the fire had been kindled before ( Leviticus 9:10 , et seq. ). Nor is there any necessary inconsistency here; for we have but to suppose that the burning of the sacrifices which had been kindled by Aaron was not yet complete, when the flash from the cloud of glory in an instant consummated the burning, teaching in a most august and impressive manner the symbolic meaning of the burning of the sacrifices on the altar, as signifying the acceptance and appropriation of that which was offered, by the Lord who had commanded all, and thereby endorsing all that had been done, as according to His mind and will. And even so, according to the sure Word of prophecy, our heavenly High Priest has yet in reserve for His people a second benediction. His first blessing upon leaving the world was followed by Pentecost; the second, on His reappearing, shall bring in resurrection and full salvation. And in that day, when He "shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him unto salvation," {Heb 9:28} therewith shall appear the glory which on that day, long ago, appeared to Israel; for He "shall come in the glory of His Father," and thus shall God, the Most High and the Most Holy, testify before the universe His gracious acceptance of the service of the true Aaron and His "many sons," the priestly people of God, through all the Christian ages. Thus, the services and events of that day of induction, in their order from beginning to end, were not only a parable of the order of grace, but also, as it were, a typical epitome of the whole work of redemption. They are thus a prophecy that the work which began when Christ made His soul an offering for sin, and to perfect which He is now withdrawn from our sight for a season, shall be consummated at last by His reappearing in glory for the final blessing of His waiting people. And if we look at other and subordinate aspects of this inauguration service, we shall still find this sequel of all, no less richly suggestive. Expiation, righteousness, fellowship in peace with God, shall bring with it the blessing of the Lord, and finally issue in the revelation of His glory in the sight of all who accept this great redemption through sacrifice. And so also in the personal life. As the trustful acceptance and use of the appointed Sin offering leads to the consecration of the person and the life, and as by this consecration we come into conscious fellowship with God in joy and peace, as we feed on the flesh of the slain Lamb, so, as the blessed result, unto every true believer, according to the measure of his faith, this is followed by the double benediction of the Lord; one for this life, and a larger, for the life which is to come. The Lord blesses him, and keeps him: the Lord makes His face to shine upon" him, and is gracious unto him: the Lord lifts up His countenance upon him, and gives him peace, according to that word of the great High Priest: "Peace I leave with you: My peace I give unto you". {Joh 14:27} And then, after the present peace, is yet to follow, as the final issue of the expiated sin, and the consecrated life, and fellowship in peace with the God of life and love, the beholding of the glory of the Lord; according to, that high priestly prayer of our Redeemer, That which Thou hast given Me, I will that, where I am, they also may be with Me: that they may behold My glory". {Joh 17:24} Even here some know a little of this, and find that expiated sin and full consecration are followed here and now by bright glimpses of the Glory of the Lord. But what is now seen thus in part shall then be seen fully and face to face. Who would not make sure of that beatific vision of the glory of the Lord? The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Aaron therefore went unto the altar. Leviticus 9 Aaron in the duties of his office J. A. Seiss, D. D. The duties of the high priest, as exhibited in this chapter, divide themselves into two general classes. Some of his services related exclusively to himself, and the rest exclusively to the people. Aaron, though a priest, was still a man, with all the wants and infirmities of men. He consequently needed atonement as much as those for whom he was to officiate. And before he was allowed to proceed with his duties for others, he was required to offer sacrifices for himself. 1. Aaron was first of all to offer a calf for a sin-offering. And it may be that this was intended to refer back to his great sin in the matter of the "golden calf," which he had been prevailed upon to make for the worship of the people while Moses was in the mount. It is a hard thing to shake off the degrading recollection of any marked deed of wrong! The soil of sin upon the conscience cannot be easily washed out. I once heard a man say with tears upon his cheeks, that if he owned a world, he would willingly and gladly give it to have certain recollections of crime blotted from his mind. He was a pious man — a man who had solemnly consecrated himself to labours for the good of his kind; but the thought of his former deeds of shame haunted him like a demon, and clouded his brightest peace. Aaron had done a great evil in the sight of God, and the dark shadow of its remembrance followed him even into the honours of his high priesthood, and stood before him every time he came to enter into the Tabernacle of the Most High. 2. The second offering which Aaron was to make for himself was the holocaust, or whole burnt-offering. In addition to his special sin he was a common sinner with all other men. He needed justification by the blood of Jesus, just as everybody else. There is a sense in which all are equally guilty before God, the high and the low, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the learned and the ignorant, the priest and the people. And the only deliverance from this common guilt, as from all other guilt, is through the one great offering of "The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Even Aaron in his priesthood needs it just as much as the wickedest and vilest of the race. These preliminary and personal services having been attended to, Aaron proceeded, as God directed, to perform the duties of his office for the people for whom he was ordained. A sin-offering, a burnt-offering, a peace-offering, and a meat-offering had been prescribed, and his functions with reference to these he now proceeded to discharge. Let us, then, contemplate him in the solemn service. 1. Aaron's first official duties were connected with the altar at the door of the Tabernacle, and were all performed in the presence of the people. Now, in order to understand the typical meaning of all this, it will be necessary to observe that Christ is at once the priest and the sacrifice. It was impossible to unite these two things in the type. They stand in the Levitical ritual as distinct, and they are not at all confounded together in the great mediation of Calvary. But we must bear in mind that Christ is at the same time the victim and the High Priest who officiates in offering that victim. When He was led forth to His immolation, He was the lamb without blemish and also the one who was to lay its body upon the fire, and sprinkle its blond upon the altar. As the apostle tells us, "He offered up Himself." He is the great High Priest who officiated at His own immolation. It was He Himself that presided at the awful ceremony, in which all His joints were relaxed, and all the binding ligaments of His being cut asunder, and all the tender parts of His most interior nature torn out for burning — and His body, soul, and spirit, laid down as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. It was by His own will that the blow was struck; that the blood flowed; that every covering and protection was torn off; and the whole blessed Christ reduced to a mangled and lifeless mass around and upon the altar of God. And it is this very fact that so infinitely ennobles, exalts, and dignifies Christ's sacrifice. It was a willing surrender of Himself to death. There is a very remarkable expression in the fifteenth verse to which I desire to call your particular attention in this connection. You read there that Aaron "took the sin-offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin." A stricter rendering of the original, as noted by various critics, would be, "He sinned it," or, "He made it to be sin." The same diction occurs in Leviticus 6:26 . The idea is, that the sin-offering somehow had the sin transferred to it, or laid on it, or was so linked with the sin for which it was to atone as to become itself the sinful or sinning one, not actually, but imputatively and constructively. The animal had no sin and was not capable of sinning; but, having been devoted as a sin-offering, and having received upon its head the burden of the guilty one who substituted its life for his own, it came to be viewed and treated as a creature which was nothing but sin. And this brings us to a feature in the sacrificial work of Christ, at which many have stumbled, but which deserves to be profoundly considered. Jesus died, not only as a martyr to the cause He had espoused, not only as an offering apart from the sins of those for whom He came to atone, but as a victim who had received all those sins upon His own head, and so united them with His own innocent and holy person as to be viewed and treated, in part at ]east, as if He Himself had sinned the sins of all sinners. "The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all." "He made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us." 2. Having attended to what was to be done with the sacrifices at the altar, in presence of the people, the next duty of Aaron, as the high priest, was to enter into the sanctuary and the most Holy Place with the blood of the sin-offering, as directed in Exodus 30 . But before entering upon this second grand department of his priesthood he "lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them." It was a very significant act. It was as if he were emptying over them from his bloody hands all the effects and virtues of that blood. And it pointed forward to those gracious transactions of the Lord Jesus subsequent to His offering of Himself for us, and prior to His ascension into heaven. But having thus spread his hands in blessing towards the people, Aaron "went into the Tabernacle," and was hidden from the view of the solemn worshippers. How beautiful the connection between type and Antitype! Of our Aaron it is written, "He lifted up His hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven"; "while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight." Aaron was to enter into the Tabernacle with the atoning blood of the victim slain without. "But Christ being come an High Priest of good things, which were to come, entered into a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, not by the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood... 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." Moses, as the representative of Jehovah in these transactions, accompanied Aaron into the holy places, and delivered over to his care all the vessels of the sanctuary, and put the ordering of all the sacred services into his hands. And thus also hath Jesus "received from God the Father, honour and glory." But Aaron did not stay in the Tabernacle. He went in after the morning sacrifices were made; bat before the evening sacrifices he again "came out, and blessed the people." The soul kindles as we proceed with these ancient types. They portray so beautifully the grand mysteries of redemption's progress. When I read of Aaron returning from his duties in the Holy Place the words of the bright angels that kept guard at the Saviour's ascension gather new preciousness. "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." When Aaron came out of the Holy Place, it was to bless the waiting people. And so it is written of our great High Priest in heaven — "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Most people are afraid of the Saviour's second coming, and never think of it but with dread. It is because they have not sufficiently considered its nature, and what it is for. It is not to curse, but to bless. It is not to distress, but to heal and save. It is not a thing to be dreaded, but to be prayed for and most earnestly desired. It is the event that is to finish our redemption and complete our bliss. When Aaron came out of the Holy Place, "the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people." Nor shall it be otherwise when Christ's epiphany shall occur. Then shall Jerusalem's light come, and the glory of the Lord arise upon her. Then shall the pure in heart see God, and the righteous behold the King in His beauty. When Aaron came out of the Holy Place, "there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat." These things had been "made sin." It was the exact picture of what is predicted concerning the reappearance of our great High Priest ( 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 ; Malachi 4:1 ; Hebrews 10:26, 27 ). But the fire that darted forth before Aaron, and burned up what was accounted to be sin in that congregation, touched not ,me of the waiting worshippers. They saw it leap out with lightning fierceness, and lick up the guilty mass in a moment, but it came not near either of them. Not a saint of God shall be burned by the terrific fires of the Great Day. When the wicked are cut off, they shall see it. But He who upholds the worlds, yet marks the sparrow's fall, says to His people: "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh." Nay, when the congregation of Israel saw the fires, "they shouted" and adored. They "fell on their faces" for very ecstasy, and holy worshipful admiration. They had expected much, but the thing transcended their most rapturous imaginings. And so, in the day of our Saviour's coming, there is a joy, and glory, and holy exultation, and adoring gladness, for the people of God, which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived. ( J. A. Seiss, D. D. ) For to-day the Lord will appear unto you. Sacrificial preparation for Jehovah a appearing W. H. Jellie. Who would see God? Let the soul make ready. To whom will God show Himself? They who make ready by sacrifices. I. TO SEE THE LORD DEMANDS SPIRITUAL PREPAREDNESS IN MAN. 1. For man to meet God without readiness would entail on him terror and death. 2. But man may meet God with readiness, prepared even to behold His glory. 3. When man meets God thus prepared, the meeting is propitious and privileged. II. SACRIFICIAL MERITS PREPARE MAN FOR SEARCHING MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD. 1. By affecting the complete removal of his sin (by sin-offering), and therefore cancelling his condemnation. 2. By presenting an offering of self-devotion (burnt-offering), and thereby obtaining the Divine favour. 3. By conciliatory acts of propitiation (peace-offering), thus removing all estrangement. 4. By covenanted communion with God (meat-offering); fellowship with God in the sacrificial feast. When Jehovah meets a soul thus "made nigh" by sacrificial merit, not only is there "no condemnation," but "access unto grace" is assured, and even "joy in God" ( cf . Romans 5:1, 2, 11 ). III. AMID MOST GLORIOUS DIVINE MANIFESTATION THE SOUL PREPARED BY SACRIFICE STANDS FEARLESS AND BLEST. 1. Revelations of God come now to privileged souls, and are "times of refreshing." 2. The unveilings of death, which will bring the soul to God's clear presence, will not terrify the believer: it will be "far better." 3. The Lord's appearance "in great glory" at the judgment will be welcomed with joyous acclaim by those who "look for His appearing." 4. And in the splendour of heaven the ransomed hosts will stand without rebuke, realising in God's presence "fulness of joy." ( W. H. Jellie. ) Advent glory Sometimes, perhaps, you have passed in the daytime through some public place where at night there was to be a magnificent exhibition of pyrotechnic art, and you have seen the figures that are to be lighted up as they stand ready for the exhibition. They are very plain and common-looking. You can see in the rude outlines the forms of men, the crown upon the kingly brow, and the jewels that flash from it; but there is no beauty and glory whatever about them. But wait till the eventide, till the sun goes down, and the master of ceremonies appears on the scene, and suddenly, at the signal, perhaps of a trumpet-blast or a chorus of melody, the lights are turned on and a blaze of glory lights up the scene. Every figure stands out in radiant light, and the whole scene is illuminated, transfigured, and seems almost supernatural. So it will be when our Master appears, and these bodies of humiliation shall be lighted up with His brightness, and all the members shall shine with the beauty and majesty of their living Head, and He shall reveal all His glory in His heavenly Bride. Aaron lifted up his hand toward the, people, and blessed them. A solemn benediction W. H. Jellie. I. In the relations of men to Jehovah there are those who ATTAIN A HIGHER LIFE OF PRIVILEGE AND OF POWER. The high priest alone was empowered to bless. His was a spiritual elevation above the priests. 1. Conscious nearness to God is not equally attained by all. 2. Sacred power from God is not equally derived by all. II. HIDDEN FELLOWSHIP WITH JEHOVAH IS THE SOURCE OF EXALTED QUALIFICATION, THE SPRING OF BENEFICENT SPIRITUAL POWER. Aaron had spent solemn seasons during the seven days enclosed within the Tabernacle. It nerved his heart for his high task; it gave him assurance as he assumed the high function of blessing the people in Jehovah's name. But after that official act he went into more intimate fellowship and prayer with God (ver. 23); and when he came forth he again "blessed the people." It was the act of one whose soul was full of conscious power, to whom it was no longer an official trust and duty to bless, but a delight and privilege; it was the outflowing of a soul all a, dent and adoring. 1. Blessings can only flow from a soul itself rich in the affluence of blessedness. 2. Affluence of blessedness can only be won by the most intimate communion with the Lord. III. THEY WHO LIVE AN ELEVATED SPIRITUAL LIFE ARE RICH BENEFACTORS TO A SINFUL WORLD. 1. They draw power from God which does not rest unused, but goes forth in blessing others. 2. They exert salutary and saving energy among men, by which earthly life is sweetened, and spiritual health is imparted, and Christian peace is bestowed. 3. Their very prayers, unheeded as factors of good, win daily benediction from Heaven on many hearts and homes. 4. As a daily influence in society such elevated souls shed a benign grace, making social circles purer, kinder, less selfish and sinful, more gentle, peaceful, and Christian. 5. In all their active ministries for Christ they are potent for good. They cannot "lift up their hands towards the people" but gracious results ensue. Thus should every Christian seek to be a "light of the world," "salt in the earth." Therefore let each —(1) Live a life of nearest intercourse with the Lord — a "life hid with Christ in God";(2) fulfil the solemn office of gracious intercessors for men, winning blessings by secret prayers. ( W. H. Jellie. ) Blessing the people F. W. Brown. I. THE RECOGNITION OF MAN'S GREATEST NEED, viz., GOD'S BLESSING. Probably the formulary employed was that recorded in Numbers 6:23 27, or Psalm 90:17 . What a complete and comprehensive blessing! Man needed the face of God to shine upon him — God s reconciled, cheering, transforming face, the face of his Father and King. The peace of God alone could remove remorse for the past and dread apprehensions for the future. Here, then, was the bestowment of all needed grace, the earnest as well as preparation for final glory. These blessings centre in and flow from Christ with — 1. Infinite fulness. 2. Inestimable graciousness; for all men and all time. II. THE DECLARATION OF GOD'S GREATEST JOY, VIZ., BLESSING MEN. He is slow to anger, and delights in mercy. Aaron, standing with outspread hands, was the representative of God as well as of the people; and in the words of the Lord, as well as in His name, he pronounced the blessing. God blessed man. 1. In equity. He had not connived at iniquity, had not accepted man into His confidence and communion without obedience and satisfaction. 2. Out of the sanctuary. The high priest came out of the Tabernacle and blessed the people; and God still pronounces His best and brightest blessing out of Zion, where His name is recorded, His worship observed. 3. In connection with human means. It was the blessing of God, but it passed through the lips of Aaron. God employed and honoured human agency. ( F. W. Brown. ) Christ's priestly blessing Richard Newton, D. D. Jewish priests were required to give the blessing — or, as we say, "pronounce the benediction" — at the close of their religious meetings, as the ministers of the gospel do now. And this was especially done at the close of the solemn service here among the Jews every year on what was called "the great Day of Atonement." We know what the words were which the priests used on these occasions. We find them in Numbers 6:24-26 . They are these: "The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." These words are very beautiful. But then the Jewish priests could only use them as a kind of prayer. But they had no power to give the people these blessings. And here we see the great difference between all other priests and Jesus, our heavenly Priest. He not only speaks the words of blessing, but He really gives the blessings those words represent. This was what He meant when He said to His disciples, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you" ( John 14:27 ). The world, or the people in the world, can only wish or pray that we may have peace. But Jesus can give peace. Yes, and not only peace, but pardon, and hope, and joy, and grace, and every blessing that we need, Jesus is able to give. He came to bless the world. He did bless it while He was in it. He "went about doing good." He was scattering blessings wherever He went. And He is doing the same still. He loves to bless; and the store of blessings He has to draw upon is so large and full that it never can fail. Look at yonder sun. For thousands of years it has been shining away all the time; and yet the sun has as much light to give to-day as it had in the day when God first made it. Or look at yonder ocean. It has been giving up its water to supply the springs and fountains of the earth ever since it was made; and yet there is as much water in the ocean to-day as there was thousands of years ago. And so it is with Jesus. For thousands of years He has been giving away blessings continually; and yet He has as many to give to-day as though He had never given one before. He came to bless the world. He has blessed it, and He is blessing it still. He is blessing nations and families and individuals in such a way as nothing else can bless them. ( Richard Newton, D. D. ) There came a fire out from before the Lord The miraculous fire F. W. Brown. I. SOME OF THE FACTS WHICH THE FLASHING FIRE CONFIRMED. 1. That the sacrifices were Divinely accepted. 2. That the priests were Divinely accredited. 3. That the Tabernacle was Divinely appropriated. II. SOME OF THE EFFECTS WHICH THE FLASHING FIRE PRODUCED. 1. Holy rapture. 2. Gratitude. 3. Sacred awe. 4. All the manifestations of God's glory to men, in nature and in revelation, are calculated and designed to awaken rapture and beget reverence.The gospel brings glad tidings of great joy; it begets reverence, for it shows us how great our sins and how holy our God. We see God as a consuming fire to consume sin and to purify from all defilement. Let us so live that hereafter we may enter into the glory unchanging and eternal. Rapture and reverence will characterise the delight and worship of heaven. ( F. W. Brown. ) God's acceptance of the sacrifices Chas. Simeon, M. A. I. THE TESTIMONIES OF GOD'S ACCEPTANCE. These were of different kinds. 1. Ministerial. Moses and Aaron having finished all that they had to do within the Tabernacle, came forth and "blessed the people." In this they were(1) Types of Christ. Showing what He would do as soon as He had finished His sacrifice: He blessed His disciples ( Luke 24:50, 51 ) as He was taken up to heaven; and He sent the promised blessing of the Holy Spirit quickly thence ( Acts 2:33 ; Acts 3:26 ).(2) Examples to ministers. Showing what all ministers are empowered to declare to those who rely on the Great Sacrifice. They are to stand forth in the very name of God and proclaim pardon and peace to all ( Acts 13:38, 39 ). 2. Personal. In two ways did God Himself, by direct testimonies, apart from all indirect human agency, manifest His acceptance.(1) He displayed His glory before all the people. Now we have no such visible manifestation, but we have instead, as direct testimonies from God, "the Spirit of God witnessing with our spirit." and "the love of God shed abroad in our hearts."(2) He sent fire upon the sacrifice. Showing what fiery indignation they deserved, but that He had turned it aside from them and caused it to fall on the altar. II. EFFECTS PRODUCED BY THESE TESTIMONIES OF GOD'S ACCEPTANCE. Visible objects affect us strongly; the people now were deeply impressed with what they saw. They were filled — 1. With exalted joy. Had they not been taught to expect this manifestation they would have been terrified thereby, as Gideon and Mancah ( Judges 6:21, 22 ; Judges 13:19-22 ); but being prepared, they rent the air with their shouts. The inward triumph of Paul seems more suited to our dispensation ( Romans 8:31-39 ), and that is both the privilege and duty of every one of us to enjoy. 2. With profound reverence. Humility united with joy. Even the seraphim cover their faces and feet before the throne; glorified saints cast their crowns at the feet of Him who sitteth thereon. Exalted joys should be tempered with adoration. Illustrations will be found in Genesis 17:3 ; Exodus 3:6 .Learn —(1) To lay no stress on transient affections. Such a state of feeling in the people ought to have issued well, but soon passed away when temptation arose.(2) To be thankful for the advantages we enjoy. We are apt to envy the Jews their privileges they walked by sight, we walk by faith. But our High Priest "blesses us with all spiritual blessings." ( Chas. Simeon, M. A. ) Gracious fire Dean Law. I. FIRE SEALS WITH HEAVEN'S OWN SEAL THE ATONING RITES. Wherefore comes the fire forth? Is it to seize the guilty sons of men? Is it to hurl on them deserved wrath? Far otherwise. It comes with. olive-branch of peace. It settles on the altar. It feeds on the victim as its feast. Then it brings evidence of God's delight. Then it fills hearts with tranquil peace. The flame with blazing tongue proclaims, "Here is the sacrifice which God selects, approves, calls men to bring, and never will refuse." II. THE ATTESTING FIRE SPEAKS GOD'S ACCEPTANCE OF SUBSTITUTION. The altar victims were the foreshadowing of Christ. Faith, therefore, loves this scene. It is one of the wells from which it gladly draws new joy. It is one of the meadows of its richest food. But what is the antitype of the descending flame? The clear gospel page. Three distinct testimonies answer to this approving sign. 1. The angelic host, a shining train, which swept down from heaven at Jesus' birth. 2. The baptismal seal ( Luke 3:21, 22 ). 3. Transfiguration glories rest on Him, and a voice from the cloud proclaims, "This is My beloved Son." 4. The opened grave, guarded by the angels, for in the resurrection of Christ we have the fiery seal of an accepted sacrifice. When Israel's host beheld the fire of God, what were their feelings? "They shouted and fell on their faces." Sweet joy was theirs. Deep adoration warmed each heart. Exulting praise burst forth. Profoundest worship was their instant act. Shall we not do the like? God sent His Son to seek, to save. Oh, then, let every breath praise God! Let every hour of every day be inward worship! ( Dean Law. ) Of the divers occasions of the sending of miraculous fire upon the sacrifices A. Willet, D. D. 1. One occasion was when in the confusion of things they had need of some unwonted confirmation; as when Gideon was appointed to be the deliverer of the people this figure was given him in that confused state to confirm him in his calling ( Judges 6:21 ). 2. Another reason was when God's worship was to be maintained against idolatry and false worship; as when Elijah contended with Baal's priests the like miracle was shown ( 1 Kings 18:38 ). 3. And further when the Lord was pleased to give assurance of His favour and reconciliation after some sin committed; as when David had numbered the people, and the Lord being therewith offended had sent a great plague, He showed his acceptance of David's sacrifice by answering him by fire from heaven ( 1 Chronicles 21:26 ). 4. By the sending also of fire the Lord gave assurance of His perpetual presence and assistance; as at the dedication of Solomon's Temple. Thereby He testified that the mount of Sion pleased Him. 5. And hereby also the Lord gave approbation of His own ordinance, as here He doth demonstrate Himself to be the Author of the legal priesthood. ( A. Willet, D. D. ) The fire in the gospel A. Willet, D. D. This fire which came from God upon Aaron's sacrifice representeth the spiritual force of the gospel. The fire hath four properties — to give light, to heat, to examine and try, to consume; so the Word of God is a lantern to our feet; it inflameth the heart; it trieth our life and doctrine; it consumeth and purgeth our sin. here saith well, "Thou art the bush, I the fire in the bush; I therefore am as fire in the flesh, that I may give thee light and consume thy sins." ( A. Willet, D. D. ).

9:1-21 These many sacrifices, which were all done away by the death of Christ, teach us that our best services need washing in his blood, and that the guilt of our best sacrifices needs to be done away by one more pure and more noble than they. Let us be thankful that we have such a High Priest. The priests had not a day's respite from service allowed. God's spiritual priests have constant work, which the duty of every day requires; they that would give up their account with joy, must redeem time. The glory of God appeared in the sight of the people, and owned what they had done. We are not now to expect such appearances, but God draws nigh to those who draw nigh to him, and the offerings of faith are acceptable to him; though the sacrifices being spiritual, the tokens of the acceptance are spiritual likewise. When Aaron had done all that was to be done about the sacrifices, he lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them. Aaron could but crave a blessing, God alone can command it. 9:22-24 When the solemnity was finished, and the blessing pronounced, God testified his acceptance. There came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed the sacrifice. This fire might justly have fastened upon the people, and have consumed them for their sins; but its consuming the sacrifice signified God's acceptance of it, as an atonement for the sinner. This also was a figure of good things to come. The Spirit descended upon the apostles in fire. And the descent of this holy fire into our souls, to kindle in them pious and devout affections toward God, and such a holy zeal as burns up the flesh and the lusts of it, is a certain token of God's gracious acceptance of our persons and performances. Nothing goes to God, but what comes from him. We must have grace, that holy fire, from the God of grace, else we cannot serve him acceptably, Heb 12:28. The people were affected with this discovery of God's glory and grace. They received it with the highest joy; triumphing in the assurance given them that they had God nigh unto them. And with the lowest reverence; humbly adoring the majesty of that God, who vouchsafed thus to manifest himself to them. That is a sinful fear of God, which drives us from him; a gracious fear makes us bow before him.