04.05. THE TRESPASS OFFERING
THE TRESPASS OFFERING Leviticus 5:1-19
“TRESPASS” is the transgression of law. There may be sin, but “where no law is, there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15). The transgression of known law is willful or presumptuous sin, and this would require for its remission a male offering. But law may be transgressed inconsiderately or inadvertently, and it is for such that provision is made according to this chapter; hence the female sacrifice (Leviticus 5:6).
Concealment of evil is sin, if a person sees or knows of evil, and is called upon to bear witness, if he does not declare it “he shall bear his iniquity.” If one were called upon in a court of justice to give evidence on oath, so far from its being wrong for him. to do so, it appears from this scripture it would be sinful for him to refuse. When Christ was adjured by the high priest, He at once responded (Matthew 26:63-64).
Leviticus 5:2-3. “If a soul touch any unclean thing, he also shall be unclean, and guilty.” Association with evil is defiling. It is not enough for a person to say, “I did not know evil was there” he ought to have inquired. Contact with spiritual death is deadening and defiling to the soul.
Leviticus 5:4. Inconsiderate speech may involve the soul in sin, especially when we speak to God (Ecclesiastes 5:1-9; James 3:2-6).
Leviticus 5:5. When sin is known in any particular case, the confession of it is not sufficient; the offence might be against man, but the sin is against God; and nothing but the blood of atonement can put away its defilement.
Leviticus 5:6. The atoning sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, pleaded by faith before God, avails to put away the defilement of transgression, as well as the sense of sin from the conscience.
Leviticus 5:7-10. There may be instances, as from infancy, feebleness of mind or faith, or want of instruction, when faith may fail in its full apprehension of the person of Christ. In such cases divine grace condescends to human infirmity. Jesus may be simply known in the kindness and tenderness of His feelings, as represented by the two turtle doves, or two young pigeons - the “gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” He requires to he recognized not only as the perfect Example in life, but also in His sin-atoning sacrifice and death. The birds were not only to be brought, but killed, and the blood sprinkled and poured out - the one for a sin offering, and the other for an ascending offering. For Christ was not only delivered for our offences, but raised again for our justification - the One who in life and death was in thought, purpose, affection, and desire undivided towards God.
Leviticus 5:11-13. The apprehension of some as to the person, character, and work of Christ may be exceedingly limited and imperfect; yet, if the faith of such be real, divine grace condescends to their infirmity. The tenth deal of fine flour without oil or frankincense represents the Son of Man in His sinless humanity, but made sin, and through His atoning death putting sin away. The omer of manna, the daily portion of Israel in the wilderness, was of the same quantity.” The omer is the tenth part of the ephah” (Exodus 16:36); and it was an omer full of manna that was laid up in the golden pot (Exodus 16:32-34), typical of Christ in His humiliation and in His glory. Faith applies to Christ the officiating priest, and Christ presents before God the memorial of His sinless life and atoning death; and on this ground the sin confessed, being atoned for, is forgiven.
Leviticus 5:14-16. If a trespass against a neighbour requires confession, atonement, and forgiveness, much more does transgression in things pertaining to the worship, service, or testimony for God. The RAM is the type which represents Christ in His public, living TESTIMONY, and also in His atoning death.
The TRANSGRESSOR brings the offering.
The PRIEST makes atonement.
And GOD assures the forgiveness.
“If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins”(1 John 2:1-2). Spiritual offences need to be estimated and weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, and it must be a priestly estimate - that is, the estimate of one who has an unction from the Holy One - not simply according to human valuation. The discovery of error, failure, or shortcoming in service or testimony should lead to increasing diligence and more devoted service, so that not only amends may be made, but that the cause of God may be even furthered thereby. But the amendment made with the fifth part added does not make the atonement; the ram for the trespass offering was requisite.
Leviticus 5:17-19. Ignorance regarding any of those things which God has forbidden or required in His service does not leave a person guiltless; and when the sin is known God requires amendment should be made, and the blood of atonement pleaded for forgiveness and acceptance. The Consecration of the Priests (Leviticus 8:1-36).
Leviticus 8:1-2. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread.” THE priesthood of believers with the Risen Christ, and the qualifications for their office are typified in this chapter. From Hebrews 3:1, we learn that Moses was a type of Christ as the APOSTLE, communicating the mind and will of God, and Aaron a type of Christ as the HIGH PRIEST of our profession; while the sons of Aaron represent the priestly family, the children of God, as a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:1-25 :), the words “with him” expressing close association. “And the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread” - a provision for the consecration.
Leviticus 8:3. God would have all His ransomed people to know that which, according to His mind, is essential to true priestly service and worship. The door, or open space in front of the TENT of the congregation, was the appointed place of communion between God and His people (see Exodus 29:42-44). The expression “tabernacle of the congregation,” never occurs in the original Scriptures; it conveys a different thought.
Leviticus 8:4-5. All were thus present before God, to hear all things commanded of God (Acts 10:33). Leviticus 8:6. The signification of this washing or BATHING is, I believe, taught us in Romans 6:1-23 : - the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and of His people in association with Him, through the Pentecostal Spirit; for it is only in resurrection that the Lord Jesus truly entered on His High-priestly office, and it is only as dead and risen with Him that we can enter the holiest as a spiritual priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
All descended from Aaron were priests by BIRTH, but it was only after their CONSECRATION, as here set forth, that they could enter on the performance of their priestly office. So all the children of God by faith in Jesus are priests by birth; but do all, as a royal priesthood, recognize and enjoy the privilege? Are we all a consecrated priesthood?
There are two Hebrew words rendered “consecrated” in the Authorized Version which are never to be confounded. The one word signifies “set apart,” or “SEPARATED AS HOLY T0 GOD.” The other word signifies “having the HAND FILLED,” and it is this latter word which is employed in this chapter. All believers are saints, but all have not their hands filled for priestly service.
Leviticus 8:7-9. These garments, which are described at large in Exodus 28:1-43 :, set forth the various particulars in which the Lord Jesus is fully qualified for the High Priesthood, with which He is invested. “Coat,” typifying the pure, sinless humanity of Christ. “Girdle,” of righteousness and faithfulness. The “Robe” of the ephod was blue, the emblem of heavenly perfection - heavenly from its colour, and perfection from the Hebrew word. “Breastplate” of judgment (Exodus 28:29), the Lord’s estimate of His people. “Urim and Thummin,” the LIGHTS and PERFECTIONS of the Divine mind. “Mitre”: this was a token of subjection; “The head of Christ is God.” The priests wore “Bonnets” in token of subjection to Aaron. “Golden plate,” - .”Holiness to Jehovah”; Christ in His Divine separation from evil, is our righteousness to God.
Leviticus 8:10-11. The anointing oil is the type of the Pentecostal Spirit, and everything connected with the service and worship of God should be in the unction and power of the Spirit of the ascended Christ.
Leviticus 8:12. Typical of the Lord Jesus receiving the fullness of the Spirit in resurrection as the head of the priestly family, and also as the head of His body, the Church (see Psalms 133:2). Aaron’s sons were virtually anointed in the anointing of Aaron, and each member of the mystic body of Christ receives from the fullness of the Head, as one Spirit with the Lord in glory.
Leviticus 8:13. The priestly family also invested with their priestly office. Leviticus 8:14. Priesthood is founded on atonement, and for acceptable priestly service there must be the putting away of sin.
Leviticus 8:15. Aaron slays the victim, so Christ laid down His life, and no man took it from Him.
Without shedding of blood is no remission of sin; the blood of atonement lies at the very foundation of all acceptable worship or priestly service to God. Leviticus 8:16. Even when made sin and suffering for sinners, there was that in the internal experience of Christ which went up as a sweet-smelling savour to God. Leviticus 8:17.”Burnt with fire without the camp.”
“Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).
Leviticus 8:18-21. The burnt or ascending offering. Christ was not only delivered for our offences, but was raised again for our justification. And as a royal and holy priesthood, we are not only pardoned through the blood of Christ, but stand accepted and complete in Him who was raised from the dead.
Leviticus 8:22.”Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.” The ram of CONSECRATION or FILLINGS. Not only is priesthood founded upon sacrifice, but with the preciousness of that sacrifice the hands of the priests are filled. This is true not only of the High Priest, but of the priests. The Lord Jesus within the veil presents before God the remembrance of the same precious offering which His people plead on earth.
SANCTIFIED BY BLOOD.
Leviticus 8:23. “He slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.”
Thus Aaron was set apart, or sanctified by blood. So Christ through His atoning death sanctified Himself, or set Himself apart, becoming a Nazarite; as He said to His disciples, “I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” So also in His prayer to the Father, He said, “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth,” linking them in association with Himself.
Leviticus 8:24. So also the blood was put upon Aaron’s Sons; it is the blood of atonement which separates the believer in his priestly character from sin; for Christ died to redeem him from all iniquity, setting apart the entire man for God, from head to foot.
Well for us if the blood of atonement stands sentinel at the ear, challenging every word that would pervert the truth, or defile the mind. Well if a sense of redeeming love keeps us from engaging in any evil work, or walking in any evil way; as well as being that blood which we plead in our approaches to a throne of grace.
Leviticus 8:25-27. Moses took the fat, the kidneys, the right shoulder, one unleavened cake, a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, “and he put all upon Aaron’s hands, and upon his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before Jehovah” - thus causing, as it were, all that Jesus was on earth, in the internal preciousness of His atoning sacrifice, His devoted service, His pure, undefiled, and excellent humanity, with which the hands of Christ and His people are filled, to pass and repass before the eyes of God.
Leviticus 8:28. “Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them [as incense] on the altar, upon the burnt offering [ascending offering]: they were consecrations [fillings] for a sweet savour [savour of rest]: it is an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.”
Those spiritual sacrifices which the believer in his priestly character presents, whose hands are filled with the preciousness of Christ, being tested by the searching holiness of God, are found to be a savour of rest unto Jehovah. In the altar of burnt offering the fire was ever burning, and from that altar the sweet savour of the morning or evening lamb was ever ascending. Upon that altar all the sacrifices of the day were burnt.
Leviticus 8:29 .”Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before Jehovah; for of the ram of consecrations [fillings] it was Moses’ part.” In Hebrews 3:1 we are exhorted to consider the APOSTLE as well as the High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. Of Christ as the APOSTLE, or communicator to us of the mind and will of God, Moses was a striking foreshadowing type. And the AFFECTIONS of Christ’s heart, as typified by the BREAST, while engaged in this work were ever before the eye of God.
Leviticus 8:30. BLOOD SEPARATES; OIL UNITES. The oil here used was not simple olive oil, as in the cleansing of the leper, but the ANOINTING oil, in which the sweet spices were incorporated. “Olive oil” is the emblem of the Spirit of God, but the anointing oil shows not only the Holy Spirit’s testimony to Christ, but Christ anointed at the right hand of God in resurrection, as the risen Son of Man. It is the Spirit of the ascended Christ, and the blood of His atoning sacrifice, which have sanctified, or set apart, the Lord Jesus in His priestly office - and the believer as associated with him alike in their persons and in their offices - as a holy priesthood unto God.
Leviticus 8:31. Those portions of the sacrifice and of the gift-offering with which the hands of the priestly family were filled, were burnt as incense upon the altar, as “the food of the offering made by fire unto Jehovah.” The rest was for food for the priestly family, to be partaken of in the place of communion with God (Exodus 29:42-44). God’s holy priesthood are not only provided with that on the ground of which they could draw nigh to God, but also on which their souls may feed in unbroken communion with Him.
Leviticus 8:32. Whatever remained was to be consumed with fire, lest it should be put to any profane use. Leviticus 8:33. These seven days, the complete or perfect number, stand for the whole period of the present dispensation, during which time God’s royal and holy priesthood, fully furnished, are to abide in fellowship with God.
Leviticus 8:34-36 .”That ye die not.” Spiritual life in its vigour can only be maintained by unbroken communion with God (See Romans 8:6-13).