63 - The Ram for the Burnt-Offering

THE RAM FOR THE BURNT-OFFERING.

"Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

"And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

"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.

"And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar; it is a burnt offering unto the Lord: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord." -Exodus 29:15-18.

"And he brought the ram for the burnt-offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

"And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.

"And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat.

"And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, and an oftering made by fire unto the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses." - Leviticus 8:18-21.

NEXT "he brought the ram for the burnt-offering." The burnt-offering is the highest sacrifice in Scripture, for all of it ascended from off the fire of the altar as a sweet savour unto the Lord. The Hebrew word (ohlah) translated "burnt-offering" means in reality that which "ascends," or "goes up." It designates a sacrifice which entirely ascended in fragrance. Noah’s offerings when he came out from the ark into the new world were of this character. Genesis 8:20; Genesis 8:22. "The Lord smelled a sweet savour," or as it is in the margin, "a savour of rest," and said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again smite any more everything living as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Abraham was also directed to offer Isaac for a "burnt-offering." Genesis 22:2-13.

Whilst God’s perfect rest, satisfaction and delight in this sacrifice were expressed by its all ascending as a sweet savour; the devotedness also, and perfect obedience of Him whom it pourtrayed, are implied in the words recorded of the offerer. Leviticus 1:3, "he shall offer it of his own voluntary will." And throughout this 8th chap, of Lev. the words "and he brought,’’ Leviticus 8:14; Leviticus 8:18; Leviticus 8:22, express the readiness of the victim to draw near the altar, like the phrase, Isaiah 53:7, "he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter;" or as it is in Acts 8:32, "he was led as a sheep to the slaughter." In the Gospel of John we have this Scripture remarkably fulfilled. "And they led him away to Annas first - then led they Jesus from Caiaphas." John 18:13; John 18:28. "Then came Jesus forth wearing the crown of thorns. He brought Jesus forth. They took Jesus and led him away. And he, bearing his cross, wentforth.’’ John 19:5; John 19:13; John 19:16-17.

"And Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram, and killed it," Leviticus 8:18-19.

Again, they identified themselves with the victim. All their sins and failures in obedience being transferred from themselves to it. Immediately this was done, Moses killed the ram. Death instantly succeeded the laying of their hands upon its head.

"And Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about." Thus the altar was completely consecrated by blood. Blood had been put upon the horns of it round about; had been poured at the bottom of it, and now was sprinkled round about it. The top base, and sides presented in every direction the records of death; for there can be no access to God, and no worship, save through death, the death of Christ.

"And he cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar," Leviticus 8:20-21,

Every portion of the ram came under the eye of Moses. The head, the seat of mind and intellect: the inwards, the seat of the will and affections: the legs, the tokens of the outward walk and conduct. All were scrutinized, and presented in perfect cleanness to God, upon the altar. The type this of the unblemished ways, and spotless intrinsic purity of Christ.

"In Him is no sin." 1 John 3:5.

"He knew no sin." 2 Corinthians 5:21.

"He did no sin," 1 Peter 2:22 And though tempted in all points like as we are. He was "without sin." Hebrews 4:15. A blessed fourfold testimony to the perfection of Christ. But this is not all. Not only sinless, so as to be personally ignorant of sin; without it under every temptation; and never doing it; but actively devoting Himself to God throughout the whole course of His life on earth, and at last in perfect subjection and obedience, yielding up that life on the cross; giving "Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." Ephesians 5:2. In all the full value of Him, who thus gave Himself, we are accepted. The same burnt-offering whose blood was poured out as an atonement for sin, was burnt as a sweet savour upon the altar. And the priests who laid their hands upon it, found remission of sin through the shedding of its blood, and at the same time perfect acceptance with God, according to the full value of the spotless victim consumed on the altar.

Although the sin-offering presented most strongly and vividly the aspect of Christ’s death under wrath, because of sin, yet even in that case portions of the sacrifice were burnt as a sweet savour upon the altar. And the burnt-offering, which has regard more especially to the death of Christ as that through which we are perfectly justified, and according to the value of which we are accepted of God; still keeps in view the fact, that that death has also atoned for us as sinners. In the shedding of blood, sin, the cause of death, is always acknowledged. And as without shedding of blood there could be no remission; so also, there can be no justification but by the blood. The song of (Revelation 5:9; Revelation 5:12) is, "Thou art worthy . . . . for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."

’’Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," seems especially to contemplate the death of the Lord Jesus, in all the value of the burnt-offering. We claim His worthiness, whilst we own our worthlessness. We are accepted in the Beloved, whilst in ourselves, "we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." The fourth part of the chapter here concludes with the same words before repeated, "as the Lord commanded Moses.”