The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 8

oentral fact to be taught we.s-the shedding of a life the salvation and life of the world. We are taught now to look upon that Sacrifice at a meal, because the atoning power must always be connected with the life-giving power. The eating of bread and the drinking of wine are signs distinct enough to keep the world in memory of the fact and character of the death of Christ, the Life of the world. The Lord's Supper is, moreover, a bridge of history, taking us back by unerring steps to the hour of its institution, and the hour of Christ's agony. But to prepare the world for thia great idea, to perpetuate through succeeding generations, before the event, an expectation of the coming "mystery," something more distinct was appointed. To take the Mosaic dispensation as a starting-point, we find under that dispensation the great analogue to the Lord's Supper in the system of sacrifice. And we have the authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews for saying that the Jewish sacrifices were a. figure of Christ. Then also the symbol was connected with a meal; or had in every case at least some reference to food. Except in the case of the whole burnt offering, either the priests and the offerers of the sacrifice, or the priests alone, solemnly ate the offering, and that for the most part, in "the holy place." Nor was the animal sacrifice the only sacrifice: the "meat offering" (minchah) was as truly a sacrifice as the lamb, part being also consumed in the holy fire, and part eaten by the priest. Every animal sacrifice was an animal or bird used for food. But to the ritual of the animal sa.cri- fi.cial meal was added a most elaborate ritual as to the previous slaying of the animal itself, and the sprinkling of its blood, the offerer putting his hand on the head of the victim, and being taught to regard the sacrifice as a picture of atonement, the Hebrew idea of which was a covering, or a hiding of sin; and the blood was called the blood of the covenant. Thus, while the lesson of life by food is the same in the Lord's Supper and the sacrificial feast, the symbol of breaking of bread in token of the death of the Lord's body is replaced by a much more powerful symbol in the slaying of the a.nimal that supplies the feast, and the solemn sprinkling of its blood. The two ordinances are from the same hand; and while we see the exquisite beauty of the symbolism in the commemorative Supper of the Lord, we cannot fail to see the beauty of power in the parallel symbolism of the shedding of blood in the prospective Old Testament dispensation. But for the Jews to realize that power they must have been instructed in the fact that God would provide a greater, a perfect atonement in the person of the long- promised Messiah. They must ha.ve had an intelligent knowledge of what the "covenant" meant. The Eucharistic service of the Church of the Christian dispensation could have no meaning for the man who was unacquainted with the atonement of Christ. Nor can we conceive the intelligent and devout Jew seeing in the mere blood and death of an animal a covering for his sin. The Jew was not taught that the death of the animal was accepted instead of his punishment; but he was instructed to look upon it as a foreshadowing of a perfect Offering to come. This may not be apparent on a cursory glance at the Pentateuch; but the New Testament commentary leaves no doubt on the question. "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins;" the first tabernacle was "a figure for the time then present; n "the Law having a shadow of good things to come, and not tho very image" (or full revelation) "of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the camera thereunto perfect." This is not a contradiction of the Old Testament, but an explanation of the Mosaic dispensation. Of Moses we know, through our Saviour's own words, that he saw through and beyond the type to the .Antitype: "Had ye believed Moses, ye would ha.ve believed me: for he wrote oi me;" as of Abraham, that he "saw Christ's day, and was glad." That the sacrifice.a X AN ESSAY ON SACRIFICE.