Scripture Reading: Leviticus 16
Well, please turn in your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 16. Leviticus chapter 16, the record of the Day of Atonement in Israel's religious cycle. We have looked at this passage before and drawn out several lessons. I hope to draw out those same several lessons this evening, but prior to that I want to Set the stage and put this section in its particular context, in the Pentateuch and specifically with the book of Exodus, beginning in Leviticus chapter 16 at verse 1.
Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the Lord and died. And the Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die. For I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Thus Aaron shall come into the holy place with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.
He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body. He shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore, he shall wash his body in water and put them on.
And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.
And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself. Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the testimony, lest he die. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side, And before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil. Do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
So he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions for all their sins. And so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting, which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. And he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord, and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull, and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.
Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his fingers seven times, cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. And when he has made an end of atoning for the holy place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take 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 body with water in a holy place, put on his garments, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried outside the camp, and they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal. Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. This shall be a statute forever for you. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be cleaned from all your sins before the Lord. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father's place, shall make atonement and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments.
Then he shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. There shall be an everlasting statute for you to make atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses. Amen.
Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this instruction that we receive in reading scripture. We pray now that the Holy Spirit would guide us as we look a little further into the meanings here, into the context, and may it indeed ultimately point us to that blessed Son of God, that Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We know, Father, that this system, this sacrificial system existed as a type and as a shadow and as a pointer to Israel concerning the Messiah to come. and how we thank You that He has come, and how we thank You that through His sacrifice we have atonement, how we thank You that through His sacrifice we have the removal of guilt and all the things that we see in a passage like this. We give praise and glory and adoration to You for so great a Savior in our Lord Jesus Christ.
So fill us with the Spirit, forgive us of all of our sins, and help us to receive with thanksgiving Your holy Word. And we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Introduction
Well, as I said, I want to try and set this in its particular context, specifically relative to the book of Exodus. So, with reference to context, I want to consider the broader and then the specific, and then, as I said, we'll move on to a few particular lessons that I think that this Day of Atonement instructs us concerning.
Leviticus in Its Pentateuchal Context
in the first place concerning the time frame. The events of the book of Leviticus take place in one month. We know that from Exodus 40 at verse 17 and then at Numbers 1.1. So the children of Israel were already at Sinai where they had received the law from God and then God gives them this legislation or this instruction concerning the sacrificial system.
One man comments concerning the amount of time that Israel spends at Sinai. He says, Israel stays at Sinai for 11 months in real time and 57 chapters in narrative time. This is important given the fact that 68 chapters precede Sinai and 59 chapters follow it. Sinai is central to the Torah. and one book that has recently been written by a man named L.
Michael Morales. It's a biblical theology of the book of Leviticus. He shows how Leviticus is not only the literary but the structural center of the Pentateuch. He argues as well that chapter 16 is central to the entirety of the Pentateuch.
I highly commend the book. It's called Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus. But if you go back to the book of Exodus, just for a moment, again as we set it in context, or this Day of Atonement in context, Exodus records for us God's deliverance of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.
God then demands from the people, He gives them law, chapters 19 to 24 in the book of Exodus. And then the largest section in Exodus extends from Exodus 25 to 40, and the emphasis there is on dwelling. God will dwell in the midst of His people. Note specifically Exodus chapter 25 and verse 8.
Exodus 25 and verse 8, "...and let them make me a sanctuary." Again, the progression thus far. In Exodus 1-19, we have the narration concerning the Exodus itself, deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Chapters 19-24, God commands the people. He gives them the Ten Commandments, and then He gives them the case laws that is to be a concrete application of that Decalogue.
And now in 25-40 he highlights the intention, his dwelling among his people Israel. So 25-8, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.
Eden, Exodus, and the Problem of Access
Ever since Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, man had lost that blessed privilege of God dwelling among them. Eden was a temple. Eden was a place where God dwelt with His people. Adam's function was not primarily as a farmer.
Adam was a priest, and he was tasked with extending that Edenic temple throughout the entirety of the earth. But when he sins, God casts him out. And so now God is purposing a way to dwell in the presence of His people Israel. That's what we see there in Exodus 25 verse 8.
Notice as well Exodus 29 and verse 45. I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. If you were to do a study of the biblical covenants, this is the recurring theme. This is the refrain.
This is what God does in covenant as He promises to be our God and we will be His people. And then to some extent or to some degree, this goal is realized at the end of the book of Exodus. You can turn to Exodus chapter 40. Note specifically in verse 34, then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting.
They had constructed the tabernacle according to the law received by Moses from God. They had put it into practice. They had built the temple or the tabernacle rather. Everything was in place.
Everything was in order. And then in verse 34, it says, then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting. and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. It's a beautiful picture, isn't it? God has said, build me a sanctuary and I will dwell with them.
But now note the particular problem still facing the people. Verse 35, And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. So you see, God now dwells in the midst of Israel, but because of sin and because of His holiness, Israel cannot meet with God. So we have the dwelling place of God in place, but it's not become a meeting place yet.
Imagine if we knew that God was going to be in this building, that He was dwelling in this building, but we were not able to access the building. We were not able to come into the building. It would be a dwelling place, but it was not a meeting place until such time as God can bring us close so that we can enjoy His presence. So there's a tension created at the end of Exodus, and thus comes the book of Leviticus.
It provides the way of access so that man can meet with God in the dwelling place. One man has said, the book of Exodus closes with a tension that is not resolved. After the completion of Israel's sanctuary, Moses is not allowed inside the tent, specifically because the latter, the tent, is filled with the divine presence, the glory of Yahweh. In other words, although He is present among His people as promised in 25.8 and 29.45, Yahweh cannot be approached, even by Moses.
And the gap between God and man remains insuperable. After Exodus 40, Leviticus 1-10 recounts the gradual abolishment of this gap. So, you see, as you're reading through Exodus and Leviticus, hopefully you stumble upon that problem at the end of chapter 40, and you say, well, how can this be? Well, Leviticus deals with the particular issue in view.
Now, the solution is proposed by God in Leviticus 1-9. Israel was taught to sacrifice. Israel was taught to shed blood. Israel was taught to bring an animal, the best from their flock, to the tabernacle, to push their hand upon its head, to cut its throat, to turn it over to the priest, so that he could burn it on the altar and offer it up unto the living and true God.
Israel is taught in Leviticus 1-9 that the way of approach to God is through sacrifice. It is through the shedding of blood. Morales says Israel's sins must be dealt with, expiated, that means removed. He says only a cleansed humanity may belong to Yahweh.
He says the way to God then is through a bloody knife and a burning altar. And that is precisely the movement in Leviticus chapters 1 to 9.
From Dwelling Place to Meeting Place
So turn now to Leviticus chapter 9. We see the resolution of this particular problem. God dwells among the people. But heretofore, the people have not met with God.
They implement the sacrifices according to the commandment of God. And in Leviticus 9, verse 22, we read, Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord, and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar.
When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. We move from dwelling place to meeting place, through that bloody knife and through that burning altar. That is what Leviticus 1-9 addresses. We move into Leviticus chapter 10, and you will see how this all jives with Leviticus 16 in just a moment.
But in Leviticus chapter 10, note what happens. Verse 1. Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
And Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord spoke, saying, By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy, and before all the people I must be glorified. This is another problem, this is another tension. Exodus ends, God is dwelling, but no one can enter in. Leviticus 1-9 gives the sacrificial system by which, through bloody knife and burning altar, Israel may approach her God.
And then Nadab and Abihu offer this strange fire before the Lord, and God kills them and God consumes them. Leviticus 11-15 deals with cleanliness laws. It deals with the laws concerning cleanness and uncleanness. And the point is simply this.
To be clean is to be fit for the presence of God. And that brings us to Leviticus 16 in the specific context. Notice, verse 1. Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron.
See, it's closely connected to Leviticus 10. Nadab and Abihu offer up strange fire to the Lord, and the Lord consumes them. He doesn't consume their sacrifice. He doesn't consume their offering.
It's probably the same day. The legislation concerning cleanliness and uncleanliness in 11-15 doesn't take a whole long time. So when He reminds them of this, the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered profane fire before the Lord, So, the reminder of the problem was not difficult because it was the same day. The reminder concerns the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, and persons have speculated as to why God killed Nadab and Abihu.
Go back to Leviticus 10 for just a moment. Two reasons given in this particular chapter. One, they offered profane fire. They offered strange fire.
God had commanded what kind of fire they were to present, they were to offer. They present profane fire so the Lord God kills them. Others have connected it with verse 9. Notice it says, do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die.
Some have suggested that Nadab and Abihu took a little nip before they went in, and God killed them as a result of that. But I think the answer is in Leviticus 16. Note what God says. Verse 1, Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered profane fire before the Lord and died.
And the Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the holy place inside the veil. Probably what they did is they went inside the veil. Probably what they did is they went into the holy of holies, or what is called here the holy place. The profane fire, probably it was not authorized to even bring it in to that holy of holies.
The whole idea of intoxicating drink, I don't know how much that bears upon it, but the problem probably is, is that they sought to go into the holy place that was forbidden to them, and the Lord God killed them as a result of that. So hence, Leviticus 16. Leviticus 16 explains the procedure to go into the holy place. Leviticus 16 explains the way of atonement on the day of atonement in the holy place by the high priest himself.
And also, we need to understand that this was to be repeated. Morales says, inserting those laws, the cleanliness laws between 11 and 15, before the Day of Atonement legislation demonstrates that this ceremony is not a specific and merely occasional response to a particular incident, but rather that this purification ceremony will be the regular resolution to Israel's uncleanness and defilement of the tabernacle.
Summary: Access Through Blood and Altar
So let's just summarize. God is holy and man is not. And for man to stand or dwell in the presence of this holy God in this old covenant arrangement, it was through bloody knife and burning altar. It was through the Day of Atonement that was prescribed for a once-a-year event in the seventh month on the tenth day.
And only the high priest was to enter. He was to go behind the veil. And he was not to go behind the veil without blood. He was not to go behind the veil without that which God had demanded.
And when we consider this, and when we survey this, and when we see this, we will understand why, in Psalm 24, the people of God would ask, who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who can stand in His holy presence? This was most likely gate liturgy, and it informed or instructed Israel in the need for this sacrificial system so that they, sinful men and women, could approach a holy and a righteous God. So
The Holiness of God
as we come to some specific lessons concerning Leviticus 16, the first thing I want to present is the holiness of God. You see, I think we speak of it, we sing of it, we consider it, but do we really contemplate God's holiness? Consider the church today. Consider the fact that we oftentimes rush into the presence of God, we enter into the presence of God with little to no concern whatsoever of His holiness, of His majesty, of His greatness, of His awesomeness.
Now, it's easy for us to pick on Arminians, or it's easy for us to pick on Charismatics, it's easy for us to pick on all those people out there, but how are we doing when it comes to entering in to the presence of a thrice holy God? Is it something that we take for granted? Is it something that we do not ponder? Is it something that we do not consider?
I mean, if we realize that we are in the presence of the God of heaven and earth that is absolutely and utterly and completely holy, then hopefully we won't fall asleep. Hopefully our minds won't wander. Hopefully we won't be thinking more about lunch or about dinner or about a date or about a business proposition. But the holiness of God will strike fear in our hearts. the reality as He exhibits, or as He expresses rather, to Moses in Leviticus chapter 9.
May this frame our hearts each and every Sabbath day, each and every Lord's day. May we hear these words rang by those who come near me. I must be regarded as holy and before all the people, I must be glorified. That's why we come to church.
We don't come to church first and foremost to get our batteries recharged. We come to church to glorify God. We come to church to praise God. We come to church to exalt God.
It's the Lord's day. It's the Lord's Sabbath. It's what He has given to man for our good. God knows our chief good is to worship Him.
It is to praise Him. It is to honor Him. In the language of the first question of the Shorter Catechism, what is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
Brethren, this holiness of God, as we see it displayed in the book of Leviticus, don't just say, oh, this is some antiquated system for a barbaric nomadic people that has no bearing on us today. Oh, it absolutely does. Read the book of Hebrews. I really don't know how someone could understand the book of Hebrews without understanding the book of Leviticus.
I really don't get how somebody could appreciate the book of Hebrews without understanding what's happening in the book of Leviticus. But the holiness of God is underscored. He dwells amongst Israel. Moses, who is the mediator himself, can't even go into the presence of God.
That's a problem, brethren, when your mediator can't go into mediation because of the holiness of one of the parties. And so Leviticus resolves the tension. God demands, God commands, God says, bring blood, burn it on the altar, and then you may approach me. and then Nadab and Abihu offer profane fire going in behind the veil, most likely, and God kills them as a reminder, by those who come near me I must be regarded as holy, and before all the people I must be glorified. I think we ought to appreciate the great contrast between chapters 9 and 10.
At the end of chapter 9, what happens? God sends fire down and consumes their offering, and the people shout. It's probably a shout of praise and joy and exaltation. And then in chapter 10, no sooner do we get into Nadab and Abihu, God sends fire down again, but it's not to consume the offering, it's to consume the offerers, who in their arrogance, and who in their forgetfulness, and who in their sinfulness and uncleanness, went behind the veil and did what God had never commanded them.
They breached His holiness and God sent fire down to consume them, to kill them, and to bring them out, ultimately. Brethren, the holiness of God is something that we appreciate. The holiness of God is something we love to read about and to preach about. But may the holiness of God frame our hearts aright for the worship of God.
When we come here, it's not to do with men and women. It is to do with the living and the true God.
The Pervasive Power of Sin
In the second place, I think this Day of Atonement instructs us concerning the pervasive power of sin. The pervasive power of sin. Note in Leviticus 16, Aaron must first offer in order to have atonement for Aaron. Aaron must first be purified before he goes behind the veil.
Notice specifically in Leviticus 3, 6, and 11. Thus Aaron, verse 3, shall come into the holy place with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. 6. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. Verse 11, and Aaron shall bring the bowl of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bowl as the sin offering, which is for himself.
Aaron, the high priest and the mediator of this particular covenantal situation, needs atonement for his sin. Sin's pervasive power is seen in that the holiest man in Israel needs to come to God via bloody knife and burning altar. Of course, the book of Hebrews makes this contrast. Aaron brought sacrifice for his own sins.
Christ did not offer sacrifice for his own sins. Aaron brought the blood of bulls and goats. Christ offered his own blood. Aaron brought a sacrifice once a year as prescribed in Leviticus 1634.
Christ's sacrifice was once for all. Aaron brought sacrifice in terms of types and shadows and pointers. Christ is the substance and secured eternal redemption for his people. We see the pervasive power of sin in the life of Israel as a whole.
They needed atonement due to their sin. This was the whole purpose on the Day of Atonement, these two goats. One would be cut up and one would be burned and would be offered to the Lord. The other was the scapegoat by which the high priest would push his hands onto that goat and he would confess the sins of Israel and would drive that goat out into the wilderness.
What a blessed and a beautiful picture for them. Remember this morning we saw a picture of the Gospel. When that young lady went into the water, we see a picture of the gospel as we eat this bread and we drink this cup. Imagine the Israelite on that day of atonement.
He didn't see the high priest go into the Holy of Holies. He didn't see the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat. But he saw and he heard when that high priest laid his hands on that scapegoat. He heard when his sins were confessed along with the other Israelites.
And he saw visibly the expiation or the removal of sin when that goat was sent out into the wilderness. That goat took the sin of Israel and took it away from the camp of Israel. It truly was a beautiful thing, but it highlighted the need for atonement for Israel due to sin. And as well, we need to appreciate something that I think bears reference to the work of Christ.
Definite Atonement Prefigured
When we talk about the work of Jesus Christ, we talk about particular redemption. We talk about definite atonement. We say with Scripture that He didn't die for all men without exception. He died for all men without distinction, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, but He died for the sins of the elect.
He died for those whom the Father gave Him. He died for those whom God preordained from the foundation of the world to be those for whom Jesus would die. That particular atonement, or that definite atonement, or that particular redemption, or some call it limited atonement, finds its taproots here. When Aaron confessed the sins of Israel, he wasn't confessing the sins of Jebusites.
He wasn't confessing the sins of Hittites. He wasn't confessing the sins of Hivites. He was not offering the blood of atonement for the pagans around them. It was limited atonement, limited to the objects by which God had purpose to redeem, to forgive, to cleanse, and to atone for.
So the pervasive power of sin is seen in the atonement for Aaron, the atonement for Israel, but as well for the atonement of the very tabernacle itself. It's interesting, isn't it? The cleansing of the tabernacle, verse 16, "...so he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins. And so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting, which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness." The tabernacle, the holy place, the holy of holies, all must be atoned for. they must all be rendered fit to stand in the presence of God.
And then in verse 18 it says to us that he must make atonement for the very altar itself. Bonar comments in his commentary on Leviticus, he says, strange that the altar should need to be purified, isn't it? Think about it. The altar needs to be purified.
He asks the questioner, says this, strange that the altar should need to be purified. And yet what spot had more connection with sin? He says, 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.
So we see the holiness of God, the pervasive power of sin.
The Necessity of Blood
A third lesson is the necessity of blood. the necessity of blood. It must be through bloody knife and burning altar that sinful man stands before a holy God. Note specifically in verse 17, there shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. This speaks to the need of a mediator.
The high priest mediates on behalf of Israel, and as he goes about that mediatorial task, he does not go empty-handed. He takes blood. He takes that spilled by an animal, and he presents it to the living and the true God. This is to occur each and every year on this one day of the year, Tishri the 10th, specifically.
As well, blood must be offered for Aaron. Blood must be offered for Israel. There are two kids of the goats, one for sacrifice, the other was the scapegoat. The significance of the blood, the significance of the animals themselves, speak to the whole idea of substitution.
There must be death, there must be bloodshed. It's either you or the goat, it's either you or the animal. Now, hopefully, you've got your new covenant ears on, and you will see why John the Baptist, when he lays eyes upon Jesus, he says, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Notice that the person standing around him didn't say, John, what are you talking about?
They had been taught by this sacrificial system. They had been taught by this cult. Cult here doesn't mean bad, like Jehovah's Witness, but cult means a religious approach to God. They had been tutored by the cult to understand the need for animals to stand in their place, such that they could find atonement.
So that when John lays eyes upon Jesus, he says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. That's what this system stood for. That's what this system pointed Israel toward. That's what this system was about.
It was to teach them that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. Hebrews 9.22, it is altogether clear. The death of Christ was not haphazard. The death of Christ was not just some convention.
The death of Christ didn't just occur, but it was ordained by God. It was prefigured by these goats. It was prefigured in this whole sacrificial system. It was an elaborate plan for God to instruct Israel concerning sin, concerning holiness, concerning mediation, concerning the mediator himself, And it was a means by which the faithful would be encouraged, would be strengthened, would be helped along.
So this Tishri the 10th, this one day out of the year, when they went through this particular process, the faithful would have been blessed. the faithful would have been helped, the faithful would have been encouraged, much like, I hope and pray that the supper is for us. We find refreshment here. We find encouragement. We are called upon to remember what our Lord Jesus did on our behalf.
This holy God, us sinful men, this mediator, that through His own sacrifice, through His own death, shed His blood on our behalf, thus rendering us fit for communion with our God.
The Blessing of Atonement
And then the final lesson I think we ought to appreciate is the blessing of atonement. The blessing of it. The privilege of it. The joy of it.
The encouragement of it all. The sin offering. We've already mentioned or referenced the fact the first goat was slain. The first goat had its blood shed.
The first goat's blood was sprinkled on that mercy seat. The scapegoat. Notice in verse 20. And when he, this is Aaron, has made an end of atoning for the holy place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.
Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions concerning all their sins." Those are comprehensive terms, aren't they? Look at what he does. He lays his hand, he confesses all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions concerning all their sins. You say, how did he know this?
Because Aaron knew his own heart. Remember, he had to make atonement for himself as well. And because he was a priest, he shucked and jived with the people of God, and he knew their sins. And as well, Aaron knew the Ten Commandments.
How do you confess all your iniquities? You just run through the commandments. I hope you do this from time to time. I hope you say, Lord God Almighty, please forgive me for the idolatry that's in my heart.
Forgive me for the blasphemy and the Sabbath-breaking that's in my heart. Forgive me for the insubordination to my parents or to the governing authorities that's in my heart. Forgive me for the murder that's in my heart. Forgive me for the adultery that's in my heart and the theft and the lies and the covetousness.
You see, the law of God provides for us that rule of life, that standard, that perfect benchmark by which we know that we have transgressed a holy God. So when Aaron comes and he lays his hands upon that scapegoat and he's confessing all their sins, he's confessing their transgressions and their iniquities, The faithful Israelite standing there is hearing this, and he's with him, and he's confessing, and he is finding the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, the promised Savior, the promised Messiah. Notice, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness." Again, isn't it a beautiful picture?
You know, it's probably pride on our part to say, oh, this is some barbaric thing, this is, you know, bloody, it probably smelled, it was, you know, this thing that these ancient peoples did. What a blessed thing for them to see that goat run into the wilderness. What a blessed thing to say, my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole, is laid on this goat and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. It was probably such an encouragement for the people of God. Not everybody was saved, to be sure, but there were faithful Israelites.
Bonar, again, from his commentary, says, follow the scapegoat 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, defenseless, trembling amid a wilderness? There is here enough to remind us of Jesus left to suffer without sympathy. He looked on his right hand and there was none.
Refuge failed him. No man cared for his soul. The scapegoat's solitary cry is re-echoed by the barren rocks, and the howling of beasts of prey terrifies it on all sides. The gloom of night settles down upon it and shrouds it in deeper terror.
The day of atonement, brethren, brought cleansing from sin and expiation, or the removal of sin. Thus the scapegoat, in a book called Pierced for Our Transgressions, they say thus the scapegoat is depicted in Leviticus 16 as bearing the sin, guilt, and punishment of the people and being condemned to death in their place. So before you read this and say, I don't need anything to do with the book of Leviticus, this is all about Jesus. This is all Christ.
That's what Hebrews does. It takes Leviticus and reads it through the lens of the Messiah King. Reads it through the lens of the High Priest. Reads it through the lens of the One who is not only priest, but He is victim.
He is not only offerer, but He is the offered. He is not only the One that stands before God, but He is the One slain before God in sacrifice.
Types, Shadows, and Christ's Once-for-All Sacrifice
Now in Hebrews 10, Specifically at verse 3, it tells us, in those sacrifices, a reference to the old covenant sacrifices that we've argued are types, shadows, prefigurements of the sacrifice of Christ. But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. See, the point of Hebrews is that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. I mean, that system was efficacious, that system was blessed, that system was real, it wasn't a fake, it wasn't a farce, but the virtue of it was the coming Messiah.
Those bulls, those goats, those heifers, those kids, whatever they were, they pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so the author tells us in Hebrews 10.3, in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. It's another place where that word reminder is used. It's in 1 Corinthians 11, specifically verses 24 and 25.
Do this in remembrance of me. So while the faithful Israelite, standing there, watching that scapegoat run into the wilderness, seeing his sins expiated, he knew that we were going to go through this again next year. So in a sense, it was a reminder of sin. We need to go through this every year because we keep sinning against God.
We need to go through this every year because we keep violating a holy God. We need to keep bringing animals out of our flocks, and we need to keep cutting their throats, and keep giving them to the priests, so that through bloody knife and through burning altar, we can approach Yahweh, who is altogether holy. There is a reminder of sins each and every year as they gather together on this month of Tishri. But the Apostle tells us that we are to do this in remembrance of Christ.
The Lord's Supper is repetitious, but in this remembrance it's, yes, of our sins, but of the reality of Christ who atoned for those sins. Philip Hughes says the gospel transforms, the Greek word anamnesis, from a remembrance of guilt to a remembrance of grace. And that's what we have in the supper tonight. The typical significance of Leviticus 16 points us to the Lord Jesus.
The bloody knife and the burning altar is accomplished by Christ at Calvary so that sinful, guilty, vile, helpless, wretched sinners like us can be brought into the presence of a thrice holy God. It's truly an amazing thing that we have in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior.
Application
So brethren, in conclusion, please remember the holiness of God. Please ponder that reality. Pray that God will give you more of a consciousness for it when you come into church on the Sabbath day. It shouldn't be the case that we're all so somber and serious that there's no joy in our hearts, But it ought not to be the case that this looks like a three-ring circus.
It ought not to be the case that we forget we're in the presence of the great king. If we were going to meet, even with Justin Trudeau, we would put on a suit, we would put on our finest duds, we would be on time. We wouldn't come in at 11.03 if we had an audience with the Prime Minister. We would make sure we're a little early before we meet with him.
And if we don't respect a man personally, we respect his office, We're coming into the presence of the King of heaven and earth, the presence of the Great I Am, Yahweh of Israel, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One in whom we see in Isaiah 6 the angels. They have six wings, with two they fly, with two they cover their feet, and with two they cover their eyes. You know why Morales says that the priest took the incense into the Holy of Holies? When he went behind the veil, he had that burning censer and he put the incense there.
It was to shield his eyes from seeing the glory of God. It was to shield his eyes from beholding the majesty and the excellence and the purity and the glory of God. That incense served a purpose so that the naked eye of man, in his sinfulness, wouldn't behold the glory of a holy God. Remember those men of Beth Shemesh in the book of 1st Samuel.
They want to peer into the Ark of the Covenant. What happens? God kills each and every one of them. What do the men of Beth Shemesh who remain say?
Who can stand before this holy God? When Jesus Christ displays His majesty, remember in John's Gospel, when Christ is in Gethsemane, and Judas, that traitorous, betraying wretch, brings that detachment of troops into that garden where our Christ is praying. When they ask Jesus if He is who Judas says He is, He says, I am. Well, those who have read John's Gospel know that many times Jesus uses that phrase, I am.
It's a reference to Exodus 3.14, when Yahweh reveals himself to Moses as, I am. And when Jesus says this, do you know what the troops do? They fall down on the ground. We have no reason to believe whatsoever that those troops were all converted.
We have no reason to believe whatsoever that they had all been affectionately called by the Spirit. No, they're in the presence of the holiness of Jesus Christ, and they fall down. When our Lord Jesus Christ stills the sea, when our Lord Jesus Christ hushes the waves, when our Lord Jesus Christ stops the wind from blowing, the disciples say, what kind of a man is this? You see, that's what the holiness of God produces.
It doesn't produce triviality. It doesn't produce jokesterism. It doesn't produce chatty preachers with hands in pocket and latte sipping and them just entertaining the crowd or giving you a little moral boost for your unhappy lives. No, we are in the presence of the thrice-holy God.
Our business is the business of eternity. And when we meet with this God, we need to remember this God and we need to humble ourselves before Him. We need to listen and take to heart what the book of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 12. We are to worship God in an acceptable manner.
Sometime, probably in the 20th century, man began to think that it's Him who determines what an acceptable manner is. You see, up until that point, all the people of God always believed that we do what God says, that God defines for us what acceptable worship is. In other words, we sing the Bible, we pray the Bible, we read the Bible, we preach the Bible, and we see the Bible. For, you know, 18, 19 centuries, that satisfied the people of God.
Well, now we want to entertain people. We want to have three-ring circuses. We want to have jugglers. We want to have clowns serve us the Lord's Supper.
We want to have men repel into the services. We want to have all of these shenanigans. Why? because we have forgotten that our God is a consuming fire. That's the argument in Hebrews, right out of the book of Deuteronomy.
Our God is a consuming fire, therefore, or worship Him in an acceptable manner with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire. Brethren, let that frame your hearts and minds on the Sabbath day. He's holy. He's holy.
He's holy. Now, by God's grace, we have access. We can go behind the veil because our Christ has taken us there. But that doesn't minimize the necessity for us to be a holy people, to dwell in the presence of a holy God, and to maintain that in the presence, specifically, in corporate worship.
As well, we need to consider the pervasive power of sin. If we are not Christians, if you are not a Christian tonight, sin is a powerful influence in your life and heart. There is only one way of atonement. You can't go to the Day of Tishri in Old Covenant Israel.
You can't show up at a tabernacle because it's no longer there. You can't bring a goat or a bull out of your flock, cut its throat, lay your hand on its head, and give it over. You can't do that. The way of access now is one and one only.
It is through Christ, the Lamb of God. It is through faith in Him. It is through repentance unto life. It is through looking and living.
Your problem tonight, if you are not a believer, is not that you've got, you know, personal issues or economic issues or any whatever it is. Those are problems and they're real. But your problem is God. is angry with the wicked every day. And the only way of salvation is by grace through faith in Christ.
And the necessity of blood is seen through the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, through what He went through on our behalf at the cross. So all those who are outside of Christ believe. All those who are in Christ praise, worship, glorify, honor, and as we eat and drink tonight, do so in remembrance of Him, And may there be godly fear, and may there be reverence, and may there be joy unspeakable and full of glory in our hearts when we consider the reality that our God has dealt with our sin through his son. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the way it all fits together, ties together, and points us always to the Lord Jesus. What a gracious Word it is, God, to do this for us. And we pray that You would help us to ponder these things, help us to reflect upon Your holiness, and may these things frame our hearts aright as we come before You in worship. May they frame our hearts aright when we conduct ourselves in this world.
May we glorify and honor You. And may we ever be thankful and may we ever be joyful over what Christ has accomplished on behalf of his people. We thank you for the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and we pray in his most blessed name. Amen.