29:1. “And
this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister
unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without
blemish,”
As a man became an Aaronic
priest only by being born as a son of Aaron, so do men today become
spiritual priests only by being born again spiritually into Christ’s family
through faith in Him as Savior.
The Levitical priests are
types of believers of whom it is written that God has “made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth,” Revelation 5:10. As
those OT priests were to be hallowed, i.e., consecrated, dedicated,
sanctified (set apart) for God’s service, so are we also to consecrate,
dedicate, and sanctify ourselves to Him and His service. We are to keep
ourselves separate from the things of the world, consecrated (set apart)
exclusively for God’s service; dedicated (devoted completely) to Him and His
work.
“... to minister unto me,”
i.e., they were to devote themselves to serving Him. We too are to dedicate
ourselves entirely to His service. The common attitude today is to devote
ourselves to our own advancement in the things of this world, what we do for
God being relegated to our spare time, and even then only after we have
devoted the major part of that time to the pursuit of our own interests, God
being given - and that begrudgingly - what little time is left. We ignore
the injunction given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “... whatsoever ye do,
do all to the glory of God,” and the further admonition recorded in
Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might
....” Nor is our service to be rendered to elicit the praise of men, see
Ephesians 6:6-7, “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers: but as the servants
of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing
service, as to the Lord, and not to men.” See also Colossians 3:22.
Before beginning their
service they were to take “one young bullock, and two rams without blemish.”
The young bullock is a
type of Christ rendering His service in the energy of utter devotedness to
His Father, as He Himself declared, “For I came down from heaven, not to do
mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me,” John 6:38. As in all
things, He is to be the pattern for our service which is to be rendered
willingly in the same spirit as motivated Him.
But the bullock had to
die, and in this we have a symbolic picture of the Lord’s sacrifice of
Himself, for His service was even unto death, as it is written, “And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross,” Philippians 2:8.
We too are to live as
those who are dead to the things of the world, as declared by Paul, “How
shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that
so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him: knowing that Christ being raised
from the death dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in
that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto
God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign
in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof,” Romans
6:2-12
Two unblemished rams were
also to be offered, but since two is the biblical number of witness
or testimony, God would have us see in these two rams another figure of the
Lord Jesus Christ: He was the perfect Witness to the holiness of God, but
also to the corruption of unconverted men “dead in trespasses and sins,”
Ephesians 2:1. Christ’s perfect life glorified the Father, but His
vicarious death has secured also the salvation of every repentant believing
sinner.
29:2. “And
unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers
unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.”
Leaven is a type of sin,
so that unleavened bread is a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless
One, Who came to earth as the bread of life, He Himself declaring, “I am the
bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger ....” John 6:35. See
also John 6:41, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”
Its being emphasized that
the flour was to be wheaten, reminds us again of what the Lord said
concerning Himself, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit,” John 12:24. He
was the true corn of wheat Who came down to earth to redeem men’s souls by
the sacrifice of Himself.
As the loaf of bread
speaks of Christ, so do the unleavened cakes seem to represent Him in His
relationship with each individual believer. The fact that they were
composed of the same unleavened wheaten flour as the loaf, tells us that
every believer is possessed also of the Lord’s sinless life and nature, “In
Him is no sin,” 1 John 3:5, and it is written, “As he is, so are we in this
world,” 1 John 4:17. This same identity of nature was declared by the first
Adam relative to his bride, who is a type of the Church, the bride of the
last Adam, when he said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man,” Genesis
2:23.
Tempered means anointed
with: mingled with: soaked in, but since oil is a type of the Holy
Spirit those oil-anointed cakes portray believers as those who are not just
anointed with the Holy Spirit: He indwells us. Paul gives this assurance
explicitly in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” repeating it again in 1
Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in
your spirit, which are God’s.”
29:3. “And
thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the
bullock and the two rams.”
Their being put into one
basket is the figurative announcement of the fact that believers are a
corporate body of which Christ is the Head, their union with Him being
further emphasized in that they were to be brought “with the bullock and the
two rams.”
29:4. “And
Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and shalt wash them with water.”
The literal washing of the
Aaronic priests is the OT foreshadowing of the truth that every believer has
been washed in the blood of Christ which “cleanseth us from all sin,” 1 John
1:7.
29:5. “And
thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of
the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious
girdle of the ephod:”
29:6. “And
thou shalt put the miter upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the
miter.”
See the notes on
chapter 28:4 for the spiritual
significance of these items.
29:7. “Then
shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint
him.”
The head is the seat of
the intellect, and concerning man it is written that, “As he thinketh in his
heart, so is he,” Proverbs 23:7, and in Genesis 6:5 we read that, “God saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The
new, i.e., born again man however, is exhorted to think differently, God’s
command to him being, “... whatsoever things are true ... honest... just...
pure... lovely... of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be
any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8.
29:8. “And
thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.”
This is the metaphoric
reiteration of the fact that until the “filthy rags” of self-righteousness
are replaced with the righteousness of Christ, a man cannot hope to enter
heaven, that exchange occurring the moment he confesses himself a sinner,
and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
29:9. “And
thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets
on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statue: and
thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.”
This need of their being
girded with girdles foreshadows the truth of Ephesians 6:14-15, “Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the
gospel of peace.”
Their need of bonnets
points symbolically to the further NT truth of Philippians 2:5-8, “Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
The priest’s office being
theirs “for a perpetual statute” declares the truth that the believer’s
priesthood, which begins at the moment of conversion, will continue
eternally.
29:10. “And
thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the
congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of
the bullock.”
As discussed already, the
bullock is a type of Christ, and their putting their hands upon its head is
the typological declaration of the truth that through faith in Him as Savior
we are eternally identified with the Lord Jesus Christ.
29:11. “And
thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord;, by the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation.”
This foreshadows the truth
that the Lord must die; and the ram’s having to die “by the door of the
tabernacle” reminds us that by His death He has become for all who trust Him
as Savior “the way, the truth, and the life,” He himself warning “I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,”
John 14:6. "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture," John 10:9.
29:12. “And
thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of
the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the
altar.”
The four horns of the
altar pointed to the four corners of the earth, and the placing of the blood
upon them is heaven’s assurance that the blood of Christ is efficacious to
cleanse the sin of every member of the human race who will trust Him as
Savior.
The pouring out of the
remainder of the blood “beside the bottom of the altar,” is the symbolic
announcement of heaven that he who will not trust Christ as Savior cannot be
saved, his unbelief robbing the blood of its power to save him, God’s
warning being that, “If we sin wilfully after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a
certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy
under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye,
shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and
hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an
unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews
10:26-29.
29:13. “And
thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is
above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and
burn them upon the altar.”
The fat, which except in
the smallest quantity, is too rich for human digestion, speaks of that in
the Lord’s death which is beyond human comprehension, the Father alone being
able to measure the worth of the Lord’s sin-atoning sacrifice. The smoke of
the burning fat rising up from the altar portrays the fragrance to God of
the Lord’s death, that death being first for the Father’s glory, and then
for the redemption of our souls, as it is written, “... Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God ....” Hebrews 9:14.
29:14. “But
the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with
fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.”
This still has to do with
the Lord’s death, but from an entirely different perspective. It teaches
the lesson that when He voluntarily assumed responsibility for our sins,
taking them upon Himself as though they were His own, when God “made Him Who
knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him,” the Father turned His face from Him, and poured out upon Him,
without mitigation, all His righteous wrath and judgment, the extremity of
the Lord’s anguish being disclosed in His desolate cry, “My God, my God, Why
hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46.
29:15. “Thou
shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon
the head of the ram.”
29:16. “And
thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it
round about upon the altar.”
The placing of the hands
of Aaron and his sons upon the head of the ram signified the transfer of
their sin to this divinely appointed substitute, its immediate death
declaring the deadly nature of sin. The type is fulfilled when the sinner
trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, seeing in Him the One who has voluntarily
become his Substitute, and Who has died in his stead for his sins.
The blood sprinkled on the
four sides of the altar continues to emphasize the universal efficacy of
Christ’s blood to cleanse all the sin of those who trust Him as Savior, and
to sanctify their service.
29:17. “And
thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs,
and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.”
The dissection of the ram
certified that the outward perfection was duplicated also in the inward
parts, and it points to the impeccability of Christ. His terrible death by
crucifixion revealed the same perfect submission to His Father’s will as had
been demonstrated in His obedient life. The washing of the parts further
emphasized symbolically the Lord’s perfect purity. “... his legs” point to
His outward walk or manner of life; “his head” represents His inward life,
His thoughts and emotions. All were alike holy.
29:18. “And
thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto
the Lord: it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”
This certifies that the
Lord’s death was first for the Father’s glory, and then for the expiation of
our sins.
29:19. “And
thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands
upon the head of the ram.”
In this identification of
Aaron and his sons with the ram we are being shown the eternal union that
exists between the redeemed and the Lord Jesus Christ.
29:20. “Then
shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of
the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and
upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right
foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.”
The continued emphasis
upon the killing of the ram reinforces the truth that apart from the
sin-atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ there could be no redemption of
men’s souls.
The application of the
blood to the tip of Aaron’s right ear declares that the Lord’s obedience was
even unto death. Its being placed on the right ears of his sons tells us
that our obedience is to be of similar character. The right side is
associated with the activity of power; and the left side with submission, so
that the lesson being taught here symbolically is that there is to be
obedient listening to the Lord’s commands.
Since the right hand
speaks of exercised power, the blood on the right thumb tells us that all
the activity of our lives is to be according to the Lord’s direction. And
because the right foot speaks of the walk or manner of life, the
blood-anointed right foot translates into the fact that our lives are to be
lived in such fashion as will glorify Christ.
The sprinkling of the
blood on all four sides of the altar continues to emphasize the universal
efficacy of Christ’s blood to cleanse all the sin of those who trust Him as
Savior, and to sanctify their service.
29:21. “And
thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing
oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons,
and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and
his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.”
As the blood speaks of
redemption, so does the oil portray the Holy Spirit; its being sprinkled on
Aaron and his garments, and on his sons’ and their garments, teaches the
truth that we who are the spiritual sons of the true Aaron are not only
anointed by the Holy Spirit, but also indwelt by Him. Its being sprinkled
also on their garments is the reminder that every activity of our lives is
to be under the Holy Spirit’s control, for as has been noted already,
garments are to the body what habits are to the life.
29:22. “Also
thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth
the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat
that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:”
As has been discussed
already, the fat represents that of Christ which is fully comprehensible
only to the Father, the kidneys enclosed by the fat portraying His inward
thoughts and emotions, while the meaty rump may represent the richness of
the Lord’s life in the sight of the Father.
Since the right shoulder
is the biblical symbol of strength it speaks here of Christ’s omnipotence.
Its being a ram of consecration points to the fact that the Lord’s devotion
to the will of the Father was exercised in the power of that same
omnipotence. He was consecrated, i.e., devoted to doing the Father’s will
with all the inherent power that was His as God the Son, even while He was
here on earth in a human body.
29:23. “And
one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the
basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord:”
The one loaf of bread
represents Christ as the true Bread Who came down from heaven, He Himself
declaring, “... my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the
bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the
world .... I am the bread of life,” John 6:32-35.
He is represented also by
the “one cake of oiled bread,” the emphasis here being on the fact that He
was anointed by the Holy Spirit as portrayed by the oil.
The “one wafer” focuses
attention on His sufferings, for in the process of becoming a wafer the
bread was pressed out to minimal thickness, that “pressing” being
accomplished when the Lord experienced what is written in Psalm 88:7, “Thy
wrath lieth hard upon me ....” The process also involved the fire, relative
to which it is written, “From above hath he sent fire into my bones ....”
Lamentations 1:13.
29:24. “And
thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and
shalt wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.”
The wave offering was
presented horizontally towards the altar, in contrast with the heave
offering which was lifted up towards heaven. The wave offering speaks of
God’s having come down to our level in the person of His Son, the man Christ
Jesus: the heave offering is associated more with Him as the mighty eternal
God of heaven
Its being put in the hands
of Aaron as a wave offering points to the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ,
our Great High Priest “... offered Himself without spot to God ....” Hebrews
9:14.
The parts of the sacrifice
being put also in the hands of Aaron’s sons is a type that is fulfilled
every time we worship the Father for His having given His Son to die in our
guilty stead, for worship is always to be addressed to the Father, in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and at the impulse of the Holy Spirit. There
is no scriptural warrant for addressing prayer to any member of the Godhead
other than the Father, see e.g., Matthew 6:6,9; Luke 11:2.
29:25. “And
thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a
burnt offering, for a sweet savor before the Lord: it is an offering made by
fire unto the Lord.”
Its being said that the
offering was “made by fire,” goes beyond the literal, and points also to the
involvement of the Holy Spirit, Who is presented in Scripture under the
figure of fire, e.g., Acts 2:2-4, “And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house ... and
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost ....”
29:26. “And
thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration, and wave it
for a wave offering before the Lord: and it shall be thy part.”
In Scripture the breast is
associated with affection and love, and the mention of it here is meant to
teach us that it was love on God’s part that impelled Him to institute a
system of worship which enabled men to enter into His Holy presence
reverently, but unafraid, and still live. In this present age of grace, in
which OT type has given place to NT reality, the announcement of God’s love
comes in crystal clear language, “For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
And by virtue of Christ’s
sin-atoning death we have the further assurance of Hebrews 10:19-22, “Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through
the vail, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the
house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith,, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.” (The “pure water” here, incidentally, is the pure
water of the Word, see Ephesians 5:26, “That he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word”).
29:27. “And
thou shalt sanctify (set apart) the breast of the wave offering, and the
shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of
the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that
which is for his sons:”
As already noted, the
breast speaks of affection and love; the shoulder, of strength and power,
and in keeping with this is the fact that the breast was waved horizontally,
i.e., on our level, while the shoulder was heaved up towards heaven, the
abode of God. We need to experience God’s love at the human level which we
can in a measure at least understand; but in our warfare with Satan and the
world, we need the omnipotence of God put forth on our behalf.
29:28. “And it
shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a statute for ever from the children of
Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from
the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their
heave offering unto the Lord.”
Since Aaron is a type of
the Lord Jesus Christ, his sons are types of believers, for in this
connection the Lord Himself has said, “Behold I and the children which God
hath given me,” Hebrews 2:13. This statement therefore seems to carry us
forward to what will be in the Millennium when the Levitical system of
worship will be reinstated, and will be the order for Jews and Gentiles
alike. It seems that “for ever,” as used here, doesn’t embrace time beyond
the Millennium.
29:29. “And
the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons’ after him, to be anointed
therein, and to be consecrated in them.”
Having noted already that
garments are to the body what habits are to the life, this translates into
the declaration that the holiness required of Aaron and his sons applies
also to all believers. There can be no acceptable service apart from holy
living.
29:30. “And
that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he
cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy
place.”
This continues to
emphasize the imperative of holiness if we would render God acceptable
service; and since seven is the biblical number of perfection or
completeness, the seven days represent the whole of the believer’s life.
29:31. “And
thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the
holy place.”
29:32. “And
Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in
the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
“... seethe” means “to
boil,” a process that requires fire, a pot, water, and meat; and the
spiritual lesson is easily read when we understand the spiritual
significance of the things mentioned. The fire represents the Holy Spirit;
the pot represents the person studying the Word; the water in the pot
represents his present knowledge of Scripture; and the meat is the portion
of Scripture being studied. I will understand what I’m presently studying
only to the extent that the indwelling Holy Spirit is unquenched and
ungrieved; and I will understand also only in proportion to my present
knowledge of Scripture.
The need to boil the flesh
“in the holy place” announces the imperative of having a quiet place to
which we can retreat to read and study without the distraction of the
ordinary affairs of life.
The door of the Tabernacle
separated the sanctity of the Tabernacle from the defilement of the world
all around it, and their being commanded to eat on the Tabernacle side of
the entrance curtain is the symbolic announcement of the truth that if we
would nourish our souls on the Word of God we must take the necessary time
to read, study, and pray in a place apart from the distractions of the busy
world around us.
Their eating of the flesh
of the ram may perhaps refer symbolically to the need of our remembering
always that the redemption of our souls cost the Lord His life, He Himself
declaring, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood,
ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat
indeed, and my blood is drink indeed,” John 6:53-55.
The “bread that is in the
basket” was in the form of cakes, this being the symbolic demonstration of
the truth that the Holy Spirit applies to our individual needs that part of
Scripture which is exactly suited to our individual need.
29:33. “And
they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate
and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are
holy.”
Eating is the symbolic
equivalent of believing. It is obedient faith in Christ that enables us to
consecrate ourselves to His service, and that sets us apart as clean vessels
suitable for His work.
The stranger is the
scriptural type of the unbeliever, and of him it is written, “But the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned,” 1 Corinthians 2:14. Man in his natural state cannot understand
any part of Scripture except the simple truth of the Gospel, and even that
eludes him apart from the enlightening and convicting power of the Holy
Spirit. But this seems to imply that man therefore cannot be saved unless
the Holy Spirit convicts him of his sin and shows him his need of a Savior.
And that is in fact the situation exactly, the seeming implication being
then that man has no choice in the matter of his salvation.
But he does have a choice,
as is disclosed in the Lord’s gracious invitation, “Come unto me all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” Matthew 11:28, and in
His lament, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life,” John 5:40.
This removes all doubt as to whether man has a free will to accept or reject
God’s gift of eternal life. What has to be taken into account however, is
the matter of God’s foreknowledge, see Romans 8:29, “For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son
....”
But foreknowledge and
predestination are two very different things which should never be equated.
Note carefully that God foreknows who will and who will not believe the
Gospel, and He brings it to some who, He foreknows will reject it, and He
withholds it from others who He also knows would reject it even if they did
hear it. This is a matter of His sovereign choice which He has not chosen
to explain to us.
It is to be noted that
predestination has to do with believers, not unbelievers; nor is it
predestination to be saved, but to be conformed to Christ’s image.
29:34. “And if
ought of the flesh of consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the
morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be
eaten, because it is holy.”
In the present context the
morning typifies eternity, and the solemn truth being declared here is that
as a man’s state is when he passes from time into eternity, so will it be
for ever. The believer’s bliss will be eternal, as will be also the torment
of the unbeliever. What folly then for men, believers and unbelievers
alike, to spend their brief lives pursuing the vain things of this passing
world!
29:35. “And
thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things
which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.”
Since seven is the
biblical number of perfection or completeness, their being consecrated for
seven days points to the fact that our dedication of ourselves to the Lord
for His service, is to be lifelong.
29:36. “And
thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and
thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and
thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.”
The need to offer a
bullock every day for a sin offering declares the pervasive nature of sin.
It is everywhere, and affects everything we do, even our spiritual service,
this latter fact being emphasized in that the sacrifice was for the
cleansing of the altar. The need to anoint the altar, and to sanctify it
every day, teaches the lesson that we too must dedicate ourselves afresh
each morning to the Lord’s service, and seek the anointing of the Holy
Spirit for the activity of each day.
29:37. “Seven
days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it
shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.”
The altar here represents
our sphere of service, the seven days portraying the whole of our lives, the
imperative of holiness relative to that service being declared in the daily
need of making atonement for the altar and sanctifying it; the need of
personal holiness being emphasized in the words, “whosoever toucheth the
altar shall be holy.”
29:38. “Now
this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first
year day by day continually.”
29:39. “The
one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt
offer at even:”
Like all the OT
sacrifices, each one represented the Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom John the
Baptist pointed, and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin
of the world,” John 1:29.
The offering of two lambs,
one offered in the morning, and the other in the evening, points to the
continuous and eternal efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice to atone for sin.
Eternal ages will never change the believer’s blessedness.
29:40. “And
with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an
hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink
offering.”
The flour represents the
perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the quantity - a tenth deal -
pointing to His perfect obedience under the government of God, ten
being the number of that government as expressed in the Ten Commandments.
The mingling with the
“fourth” part of a hin of beaten oil speaks of His perfect obedience under
testing - of which four is the number - such as no other man has ever
undergone. The oil, as noted already, represents His being anointed with
the Holy Spirit. And since wine is the biblical symbol of joy, this drink
offering declares the joy He found in doing His Father’s will, as it is
written, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my
heart,” Psalm 40:8.
29:41. “And
the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to
the meat (meal) offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering
thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”
This speaks of the
perpetual efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice. It continues through the night as
in the daytime, the present reference to its being offered in the evening
reminding us that all the vicissitudes of life are under His control, even
the seeming tragedies being for His glory and our eternal blessing, enabling
every believer to make his own the words of Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
29:42. “This
shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door
of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet
you, to speak there unto thee,”
29:43. “And
there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be
sanctified by my glory.”
“... at the door of the
tabernacle,” continues to emphasize the importance of the Lord’s death as
the only means by which men can enter the Divine presence, the Lord Himself
declaring, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me,” John 14:6; “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture,” John 10:9.
Relative to the
Tabernacle’s being sanctified by God’s glory, the Church is the NT
counterpart of the Tabernacle, and we should never forget that God is
glorified by our obedience; and dishonored by our disobedience.
29:44. “And I
will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will
sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s
office.”
To sanctify is to set
apart for a holy purpose, so that the sanctification of the tabernacle
foreshadows the NT truth that since the Church is composed of believers we
too are set apart for God’s service, the sanctification of “both Aaron and
his sons” being the reminder that since Aaron is a type of the Lord Jesus
Christ, His sanctification is the pattern for ours: we are to emulate His
perfect obedience.
29:45. “And I
will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.”
He dwells today, not just
amongst believers, but in them, through the Holy Spirit Who indwells every
believer. His being their God certifies His right to govern their lives;
and since He is our God that same truth applies to us. In all things we are
to be obedient to His will as revealed in His Word.
29:46. “And
they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of
the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.”
The clear implication is
that their obedience would enable them to know Him as their great and
beneficent Deliverer. We have been delivered from a bondage far more
terrible than theirs, and at infinitely greater cost to Him: the death of
His only beloved Son, so that our obligation to obey Him is also greater
than theirs.
As their obedience would
insure His dwelling amongst them, so will ours guarantee His presence and
blessing: and the repeated “I am the Lord their God” reminds us that He who
is our God is the Almighty.