THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
PHP Is there any importance attached to the fact that this was spoken after the death of the sons of Aaron?
JT The Spirit of God waited until things had broken down before introducing this great subject. I suppose it would be in view of what is said in the New Testament that the way into the holiest was not yet made manifest. Aaron is personally disqualified. The word is “Come not at all times into the sanctuary inside the veil”.
WB-w He had liberty to go in previously.
JT I think the allusion here shows that he had liberty; but the breakdown gives occasion to bring in this shutting out of man after the flesh. The linen garments call attention here to the personal holiness of Christ. Aaron did not enter here in his garments of glory and beauty. In chapter 8 he was anointed as clothed in his garments of glory and beauty. It was typically Christ anointed in connection with the universe, but here there is no allusion to that. Instead of it, you have the linen clothes, speaking, I think, of the personal holiness of Christ. You will observe that a bullock is mentioned: “In this manner shall Aaron come into the sanctuary: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. A holy linen vest shall he put on”, the clothes come in after the mention of the offering. Here it is not a question of Christ’s outward dignity as Priest, but of His personal holiness as accomplishing the great work of atonement. In the consecration of the priests the work was performed outside, whereas here the main feature is what was done inside, although, of course, the death of the victim [p. 204] was outside.
BTF Aaron here represents not only his house, but also the people.
JT The breakdown of man in the flesh was evident, so it is the personal purity and holiness of Christ that comes into prominence, rather than His outward priestly dignity. It is His work on the cross, in its universal bearing as the foundation of everything, that is in view. God had indicated His mind as to Christ in chapter 8, and the breakdown in the priesthood gave occasion for the introduction of this great subject.
AFM “He shall bathe his flesh in water”, this is to show how Aaron was to represent the personal purity of Christ.
JT In chapter 8 Aaron is anointed in relation to the tabernacle; here he is to make atonement for it. The tabernacle represented the universal order of things, and Christ, having become Man, is seen in relation to it. Then in this chapter He is seen as accomplishing atonement, so that all should be established on this ground.
FL Romans 3 refers to this directly. The blood on the mercy-seat is universal in its bearing; “towards all, and upon all those who believe”, Romans 3:22.
JT Romans shows that the bearing of the death of Christ is towards all men. It is the righteousness of God towards all, when man as under law and without law was proved to be utterly wanting in righteousness. But in the type we have only Aaron and his house and Israel mentioned; the Old Testament does not present the gospel fully; hence in order to get a complete gospel in Leviticus we have to supply it from Romans. There it is said, “towards all, and upon all those who believe”, Romans 3:22. Righteousness of God is upon those who believe; it is theirs by faith in Christ Jesus. The blood of the bullock and the goat are brought into the sanctuary and placed on the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat.
[p. 205] Great care was to be observed by Aaron; both his hands were to be full of fragrant incense, the cloud of which was to cover the mercy-seat before the testimony. These features refer to the personal excellences of Christ as accomplishing redemption; without them, Aaron would be exposed to instant death. In the early part of Romans the names “Jesus Christ” or “Jesus” are prominent, referring to the Man who did God’s will here. Later we have “Christ Jesus”.
FL Without the linen clothes, the fire and the incense, Aaron could only represent what he was naturally, and therefore, as approaching God, he only merited judgment.
BTF Romans is “God’s glad tidings ... concerning his Son ... Jesus Christ our Lord”, Romans 1:1 - 4. In Him as man we see all that Aaron’s garments and the incense represent.
JT Yes. The “Spirit of holiness” in Romans 1:4, would answer to the linen garments. Romans answers to Aaron, the bullock, the goats, the ram, the incense, the altar, and the mercy-seat. As risen from the dead, Christ is the mercy-seat. The blood is upon it; He is, as it were, set forth. God’s rights in mercy are perfectly presented to all men in Him.
CAM His death has everything in view. All things, as well as persons, are to be reconciled.
FL That takes in both Romans and Colossians.
WLP The whole universe.
JT The reference to the tabernacle in Hebrews 9 shows what is in God’s mind. It is the universal order of things in holiness. That is what is in God’s mind, and this chapter shows how God, through the death of Christ, purposes to set all on the ground of redemption.
PHP This chapter then is the work of Christ in relation to the universe. In Romans 3 it is only in relation to [p. 206] people.
JT In Romans the gospel is presented “on the principle of faith, to faith” (Romans 1:17) so that persons only are in view in the announcement of it; still, the creation according to chapter 8 will be delivered. In our chapter men are reconciled and things, the tabernacle, are also reconciled. In this chapter you have typically outlined the whole scene that is to be recovered through redemption.
PHP Not only mankind, but the whole creation.
JT Paul says in Colossians that the gospel was preached to all the creation. The Lord had commissioned the apostles to “go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all the creation”, Mark 16:15.
WLP Paul’s gospel has gone to all the world.
FL The mercy-seat is the great central feature of the day of atonement.
JT What corresponds with this in us, sinners, is self-judgment. On the day of atonement the people were to afflict their souls. There was to be a sense of sin. The sin, through sacrifice, was covered typically on the day of atonement. Sin offended the majesty of God, and so the blood of the sin-offering was carried inside and sprinkled on the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat. While the blood was being sprinkled a cloud of incense covered the mercy-seat. This represented the fragrance of Christ’s humanity before God as seen in the cross. How infinitely perfect is the work of our Lord Jesus Christ! Our souls may well rest in it. Here the work of Christ is seen as glorifying God in the whole universe in respect of sin. As a result all things, as well as persons, are to be reconciled.
CAM Atonement is made for all things.
JT It is. It involved the full satisfaction that God required in His holiness against evil, satisfaction that was due to Him and to the majesty of His throne; atonement is made for Aaron and his house, for the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle and for [p. 207] the altar. It is made for himself and his house first, and then for Israel.
CAM To avail themselves of what is presented here, there must be a subjective work in those to whom it is presented.
JT There must be a sense of guilt before God, and repentance of it.
ANW Would it be right to suggest that atonement is negative, and reconciliation positive?
JT I think that is right; you get reconciliation in this sense in Ephesians 2:16. Reconciled ‘in one body’; that is positive; in Colossians it is “in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblameable and irreproachable before it”, Colossians 1:22.
ANW The bullock seems to present what is more positive than the goats. The former was for Aaron and his house, the priests; the latter was for the people, and there was to be confession of sins in connection with the goat on whom their lot fell.
JT “Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house”. Note, that it is for his house, not here for his sons. It is more the family aspect.
AFM In verse 33 we read, “for the priests, and for the whole people of the congregation shall he make atonement”.
JT First his house, and then in verse 16, atonement is made for the sanctuary, because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel; verse 17, he shall make “atonement for himself, and for his house, and for the whole congregation of Israel” and again in verse 18, “he shall go out unto the altar which is before Jehovah, and make atonement for it”; verse 33, “he shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary; and for the tent of meeting, and for the altar shall he make [p. 208] atonement; and for the priests, and for the whole people of the congregation shall he make atonement”; this latter is a summary of what Aaron did on the day of atonement.
FL Beginning from the inside and coming out.
BTF What is the difference between the bullock and the goats?
JT I think they indicate in type the relative places that Israel and the assembly have in the affections of Christ. The bullock, being for Aaron and his house, denotes that the assembly has the first and greatest place in His heart; the goat, being a much smaller animal, would denote the place that Israel has. The bullock denotes the fulness of the love of Christ. He loved the assembly and gave Himself for it.
BTF What is your thought of the scape-goat?
JT It is Christ as He will be seen by Israel in the future. There will be the evidence that their sins have all been borne away. Aaron confesses over the live goat all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. We know forgiveness on the principle of faith, the Spirit being a witness to us. “Their sins and their lawlessnesses I will never remember any more”, Hebrews 8:12. There is, therefore, no “scape” bullock.
FL “Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear to those that look for him the second time without sin for salvation”, Hebrews 9:28.
JT In chapter 14 there is nothing said about confessing sins over the bird, whereas here there is confession of sins by the priest. Chapter 14 refers more typically to Christianity; the cleansing of the leper involved not only the resurrection of Christ, but also His ascension. There is liberty for the soul as well as cleansing. The scapegoat could not fly; it refers to Christ as appearing to His earthly people.
FL The type refers to Christ as bearing sins, going away and returning. It is seen that the sins [p. 209] have been borne away. There is the evidence that He has been into death, so that sins have been dealt with, they have been borne away sacrificially.
PHP The Holy Spirit is to us what the goat will be to Israel, a witness that our sins are borne away.
AFM Christ has gone in; He is not seen yet; He has sent the Spirit out.
JT I know I am forgiven, not only by the fact of the gospel; I know it in my soul by the Spirit.
FL Besides, we have liberty of access, Christ has gone in, and we go in; His place is our place.
ANW Thomas answers in a sense to those for whom the scapegoat is; he saw and believed.
JT “Blessed they who have not seen and have believed”, John 20:29.
ANW Thomas says, “My Lord and my God.”, John 20:28.
JT But the Lord did not breathe into him as He did into the other disciples at the first meeting. Thomas lost through being absent at the first meeting. The Lord says to him, “Bring thy finger here and see my hands; and bring thy hand and put it into my side; and be not unbelieving, but believing”, John 20:27. He calls attention to the evidences of His death. Thomas wanted tangible evidence and the Lord granted it, but it was more blessed to believe without seeing.