"And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, 'Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end; for seven days shall He consecrate you. As He hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not; for so I am commanded.'" (Ver. 31-35.) These verses furnish a fine type of Christ and His people feeding together upon the results of accomplished atonement. Aaron and his sons, having been anointed together on the ground of the shed blood, are here presented to our view as shut in within the precincts of the tabernacle during "seven days." A striking figure of the present position of Christ and His members during the entire of this dispensation--shut in with God, and waiting for the manifestation of the glory. Blessed position! Blessed portion! Blessed hope! To be associated with Christ, shut in with God, waiting for the day of glory, and, while waiting for the glory, feeding upon the riches of divine grace, in the power of holiness, are blessings of the most precious nature--privileges of the very highest order. Oh, for a capacity to take them in, a heart to enjoy them, a deeper sense of their magnitude! May our hearts be withdrawn from all that pertains to this present evil world, so that we may feed upon the contents of "the basket of consecrations," which is our proper food as priests in the sanctuary of God.
"And it came to pass _on the eighth day_, that Moses called Aaron, and his sons, and _the elders of Israel_. And he said unto Aaron, 'Take thee a young calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And unto _the children of Israel_ thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin-offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt-offering; also a bullock and a ram for peace-offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord; and a meat-offering mingled with oil; for TO-DAY THE LORD WILL APPEAR UNTO YOU.'" (Chap. ix. 1-4.)
The "seven days" being over, during which Aaron and his sons were shut in in the retirement of the tabernacle, the whole congregation is now introduced, and the glory of Jehovah unfolds itself. This gives great completeness to the whole scene. The shadows of good things to come are here passing before us, in their divine order. The "eighth day" is a shadow of that bright millennial morning which is about to dawn upon this earth, when the congregation of Israel shall behold the true Priest coming forth from the sanctuary, where He is now hidden from the eyes of men, and with Him a company of priests--the companions of His retirement, and the happy participators of His manifested glory. In short, nothing, as a type or shadow, could be more complete. In the first place, Aaron and his sons washed with water--a type of Christ and His people, as viewed in God's eternal decree, sanctified together in purpose. (Chap. viii. 6.) Then we have the mode and order in which this purpose was to be carried out. Aaron, in solitude, is robed and anointed--a type of Christ as sanctified and sent into the world, and anointed by the Holy Ghost. (Ver. 7-12; comp. Luke iii. 21, 22; John x. 36; xii. 24.) Then we have the presentation and acceptance of the sacrifice, in virtue of which Aaron and his sons were anointed and sanctified _together_ (ver. 14-29.)--a type of the cross, in its application to those who now constitute Christ's priestly household, who are united to Him, anointed with Him, hidden with Him, and expecting with Him "the eighth day," when He with them shall be manifested in all the brightness of that glory which belongs to Him in the eternal purpose of God. (John xiv. 19; Acts ii. 33; xix. 1-7; Col. iii. 1-4.) Finally, we have Israel brought into the full enjoyment of the results of accomplished atonement. They are gathered before the Lord; "and Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and peace-offerings." (See chap. ix. 1-22.)