Leviticus 16
McGeeCHAPTER 16THEME: The great Day of Atonementpreparation of the priest; preparation of the place; preparation of the peopleThis chapter holds the greatest spiritual lesson for us. The subjects treated so far in Leviticus have been offerings, priests, and sin. None of these have dealt finally and completely with sin. We now come to that which more completely than any other deals with the subject of sin. It at least points more specifically and adequately to the work of Christ in redemption. It is a shadow of His redemptive work. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Col_2:16-17). A shadow is a picture. Although a picture is a poor substitute for the real thing or the real person, it points to the reality. Years ago Hengstenberg commented, “The elucidation of the doctrine of types, now entirely neglected, is an important problem of future theologians.” The picture, or type, of this great Day of Atonement merits our careful study. Dr. Kellogg states the significance of the great Day of Atonement in this fashion: “[It] was perhaps the most important and characteristic in the whole Mosaic legislation.” The rabbis designated the Day of Atonement with the simple word Yoma, “The Day.” It was on this day that sin was dealt with in a more adequate way than in any other ceremony of the Mosaic system. Notice in verse Lev_16:16, “…and because of their transgressions in all their sins.” Then in verse Lev_16:22, “And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities …” and in verse Lev_16:21, “…and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel….” He will make atonement for all their transgressions, all their iniquities, all their sins! This was the best that the Law had to offer until Christ should come. The instructions and restrictions of this day grew out of the historical incident of the rebellion and disobedience of Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, when they intruded into the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle, and were immediately put to death by the direct judgment of God (chapter 10). Some writers treat these two chapters together. The Day of Atonement was observed in the seventh month and on the tenth day. These numbers are significant in most of Scripture. The seventh is the sabbatic month and denotes rest and cessation from works. Surely it is not amiss that this month was chosen to set forth the rest of redemption that is in Christ. “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Heb_4:10). Ten is another prominent number in Scripture, and seems to convey the idea of that which expresses God’s complete will and way. There were the Ten CommandmentsGod could have given another, but He did not. God requested the tithe, the tenth, and the remnant of Israel is defined as a tenth (Isa_6:13). Ten expresses God’s mind and purpose. The tenth day expresses the truth that Christ came to do the will of God. It pleased the Lord to bruise Him, He hath put Him to grief. He came in the fullness of time, at the appointed hour. The word for “atonement” is the Hebrew kaphar, which means “to cover.” God did not take away sins in the Old Testament; He covered them until Christ came and removed them. There are a number of Scriptures which teach this. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at [overlooked]; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Act_17:30). “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [that is, a mercy seat] through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom_3:24-25). “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (Heb_9:15). “The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience” (Heb_9:8-9). The Day of Atonement pointed to Christ and His redemption as did no other sacrifice, ceremony, or ordinance of the Old Testament. It reveals Christ, as our Great High Priest, going into the Holy of Holies for us.
Leviticus 16:1
PREPARATION OF THE PRIESTThe instructions, ordinances, and rituals for the great Day of Atonement were made essential after the incident of the death of Nadab and Abihu, who intruded into the Holy Place and were slain by the direct judgment of God. The great Day of Atonement offered an explanation for the sudden death of these two men. The utter holiness of God and the utter sinfulness of man are made clear in this service. There is a great gulf between God and man, but it is not fixed. Thank God for that! It has been bridged. Today God offers encouragement to man to come to Him but, my friend, you must come God’s way. When you come God’s way, you can come with boldness. “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 veil, 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” (Heb_10:19-22). “For through him [Christ Jesus] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph_2:18). The invitation is to come.
That means we are to come God’s way. If we do, then we can come with great assurance. You will notice that all this was done because these two sons of Aaron had intruded into the Holy of Holies. God now says, “You can’t at all times come into My place.” For us today it is different. We can come any time and any place and enter into the presence of God; that is, provided we come through Christ. I actually think it is sinful for some people to pray. A minister who rejects Christ and who prays publicly to God, but does not come to God through Jesus Christ is coming to God in some other way which God will not accept. That is the son of Nadab and Abihu.
Leviticus 16:3
The unique and significant feature about this day was that the high priest alone performed the ritual. He had no assistance whatsoever. “And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place …” (v. Lev_16:17). It was all his work, from the menial tasks to the high priestly offers. All the other priests retired from the tabernacle. He alone entered, for the work of atonement was his. This is important to see because he pictured Christ. Christ was alone with the sins of the world. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psa_22:1). Christ was forsaken of both God and man when He was made sin for us. Nevertheless, He and the Father were in fellowship regarding the plan of salvation. “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (Joh_16:32). This is a great mystery. “…God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself …” (2Co_5:19). The high priest laid aside his garments of glory and beauty. He became attired in the same linen garb as the other priests. He washed himself and put on the linen garments only. He must be unadorned but pure. This is a beautiful foreshadowing of Christ, our High Priest, who laid aside His glory and took upon Himself human flesh to die on the Cross. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth…. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (Joh_1:1, Joh_1:14, Joh_1:18). Our LORD did not lay aside His deity, but He put aside His glory when He came down to this earth and became a man. “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” (Php_2:5-8).
Leviticus 16:5
This gives the final personal preparation of Aaron for this all-important day. Aaron offered a sin offering for himself and his family and maybe included the entire tribe of Levi. This phase of the great Day of Atonement finds no counterpart in the life and work of Christ. He had no sin. He was without sin. He did not die for Himself. He was made sin for us. He never made an offering for Himself. The offering of turtledoves which was brought to the temple when He was a baby was for the cleansing of Mary, His mother. It was to remind her that she was a sinner. There is no record of a sacrifice or an offering for Jesus. But Aaron had to make an offering for himself first, and then he could make an offering for the people.
Leviticus 16:7
PREPARATION OF THE PLACEIt is well to note here that the two goats constituted one sin offering. Each presented a distinct aspect of the remission of sin. One was offered as a sin offering. The other was taken into the wilderness. The goat sent into the wilderness was called the scapegoat. The Hebrew word is lo-azazel. There has been some confusion as to its meaning. The word applies primarily to the goat and its destination into the wilderness. The view of the Septuagint, Luther, Kellogg, and Andrew Bonar is that it means an entire and utter removal. Edersheim gives it the meaning, “wholly to go away.” It is definitely a part of the sin offering. One lot fell on the goat to be sent away and one lot fell on the goat to be offered. Before anything was done to the goats, Aaron had to enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of the bullock for himself and for his house. So it is not exactly accurate to say that the high priest went in only one time. He went in on only one day of the year, but he went in twice on that day. The brazen altar was in the outer court. The bullock for his sin offering would be slain as in any other sin offering. Something new is added at the conclusion of the offering. On the way into the Holy of Holies, as he passed the laver, I am confident that he washed his hands and his feet. Then, in the Holy Place, he was to take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the golden altar of incense and with his hands full of sweet incense, he would place the incense upon the coals in the censer. When he passed the veil into the Holy of Holies, the cloud of smoke would fill the Holy of Holies.
The ark and the mercy seat were in the Holy of Holies. He would take the blood of the bullock which he had brought in a basin with him, dip his finger into it, and sprinkle it before the mercy seat seven times. The blood made the top of the box a mercy seat. Seven times denotes a complete and adequate atonement. I’m sure this was an awesome day for the high priest. He must perform accurately and meticulously in the presence of God. The slightest deviation would mean instant death. He probably rehearsed the ritual many times before the performance actually took place. As far as we know, no high priest ever died in the Holy of Holies. The only two who died were Nadab and Abihu. Christ was made sin for us on the Cross. This is the counterpart to the brazen altar in the tabernacle. Then, as our Great High Priest, He entered into heaven and offered His own blood for our sins. Now the throne of God is a mercy seat for us. All of this is clearly taught us in Hebrews 9 and 10. Whereas Aaron went with fear and trembling, we are bidden to come with boldness according to Heb_4:16. Where he did not dare linger and could come only one day in the year, we are bidden to come constantly. Christ, our High Priest, carried His own blood and the sweet incense of His own intercession into heaven, and He is there today at God’s right hand. After Aaron had gone in for himself and his house, he was to go into the Holy of Holies for the people.
Leviticus 16:15
Now he is going in, not only for himself and his family, but for the children of Israel. This is done because of their transgressions and because of their uncleanness. The same ritual is followed in slaying the goat as in the slaying of the bullock for Aaron. He goes into the Holy of Holies as before, but now the atonement covers the Holy Place itself because of the contamination of Israel. Even the brazen altar itself must have the blood applied because this is where the sins of Israel were confessed and atoned; it is polluted because of the sin of the people. All of this is to remind us of the One who died on the Cross for us. It is not the Cross that is important; the importance is in the One who died on the Cross. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Pe_1:18-19). All of this revealed the inadequacy of the ritual of the blood of bulls and goats. “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” (Heb_9:23). I believe that in heaven Jesus Christ literally offered His blood; that He bore it to the Holy of Holies of which the tabernacle Holy of Holies is but a pattern. Now I know some people don’t like to hear of the blood, and they consider such a literal interpretation to be crude. You will notice that the apostle Peter calls it the “precious blood of Christ.” I believe that the blood of Christ will be at the throne of God to remind us throughout the endless ages of eternity that our salvation was purchased at a tremendous price. Christ shed His blood on the Cross and then He presented His blood for your sins and my sins. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.
Leviticus 16:20
PREPARATION OF THE PEOPLEOn this day the great high priest functioned alone. Aaron had sprinkled the blood of “the Lord’s goat” on the mercy seat and now he places his bloody hands on the head of the live goat and confesses the sins of Israel. It must have been a sordid list of sins, but down the list he went. The laying on of hands denotes the fact that this goat is now identified as the sins of Israel. Of Christ it is said, “…the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa_53:6). “For he hath made him to be sin for us …” (2Co_5:21) is reality. Ambrose said, “The thief knew that those wounds in the body of Christ were not the wounds of Christ, but of the thief.” Then Aaron put that goat into the hands of a man who had no personal interest in it, and Israelites were stationed at intervals to see that the job was done. The live goat finally disappeared into the wilderness, never to be seen or found again. The news that the goat was gone was relayed from station to station so that it was known a few minutes later in the temple. Just as the news was passed from station to station, so the good news that Christ has taken away our sins has been passed from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to Paul the Apostle, then to the early church fathers, and finally to me and to you. Christ has put away our sins in a perfect and complete manner. The scapegoat illustrates several Scriptures in this connection: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psa_103:12). “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back” (Isa_38:17). “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee” (Isa_44:22). “In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve” (Jer_50:20). “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will remember their sin no more” (Jer_31:34). What does the great Day of Atonement mean to the Christian? It is a holy day for us too. When the high priest is there with his bloody hands on the head of the goat, I think of my Lord on the Cross. John pointed Him out, “…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Joh_1:29). “…If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1Jn_1:7). Dean Law has well said, “Faith transfers our sins; Christ removes them; God forgets them.”
Leviticus 16:23
The ritual of the great Day of Atonement has now been completed. Without being irreverent, let me say that all that was left for Aaron to do was to wash up. This finds no counterpart in Christ. When His work was finished, He sat down at the right hand of God. Aaron did not dare enter the holy place for another year, but our Lord sits in the presence of the Father because there is no taint of sin upon Him noweven though He bore all sins upon the tree. Verse Lev_16:25 says that the fat of the sin offering is treated as a burnt offering. This protects the person of Christ from any implication of sin, even though He was made sin for us.
Leviticus 16:26
The one who led the goat into the wilderness was contaminated by contact with the live goat and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. The carcasses of the bullock and goat were taken without the camp and burned, and the people who did that had to wash themselves. I tell you, God was impressing these people with the fact they were sinners, lost sinners. He is showing that He is holy and that sin separates from God. Friends, we were separated from God by sin, but Christ died for us. He is the One who took away our sins when He entered into the Holy Place with His own blood.
Leviticus 16:29
The Day of Atonement is the only day of mourning and fasting which God gave His people. On this day you don’t say, “Happy Yom Kippur” or “Merry Yom Kippur” because that is not the way the day is celebrated. It was the day to afflict the soul because of sin. It was mourning for sin. This is the basis for fasting in the Old Testament. This day was to be observed until the permanent and eternal sacrifice for sin came. It was fulfilled by Christ in His death. “Man of Sorrows!” what a name For the Son of God who came Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! what a Saviour! Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood; Hallelujah! what a Saviour! Guilty, vile and helpless, we; Spotless Lamb of God was He: “Full atonement!” can it be? Hallelujah! what a Saviour! “Lifted up” was He to die, “It is finished,” was His cry; Now in heav’n exalted high; Hallelujah! what a Saviour! When He comes, our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring, Then anew this song we’ll sing: Hallelujah! what a Saviour! P. P. Bliss