The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 20

administered by them, neither in their representative nor lu their individual oapacity, but purely as officials. These rites pertained to the officials of Churoh and Stato and l!OCiety at large, and may be conveniently classified according as they attaohed to the priests, the kings, the elders, and the ministering women. 1. The priestly o_f!erings. Quite apart from their almost endless duties u the religious executive of the Israelites, there was a distinctive sacrificial cultus which belonged to the priests in their exceptional official functions. The following enumera- tion is exhaustive. There were special sin offerings to be made by any priest who had inadvertently erred in the discharge of his holy calling (eh. iv. 3). There was a specific offering of meal to be made by the high priest daily, morning and evening, within the outer vail (eh. vi. 14). The solemn expiation of the great Day of Atonement opened, as we have seen, with an atonement for the officiator and the whole priestly order. At the consecration of any high priest, priest, or Levite, characteristic offerings were enjoined, varying in costliness and manner in eacl;I case. Thus at the consecration of a Levite, the lowest grade in the hierarchy, there was a consecration itself called a sacrifice (Numb. viii. 13); after a process of purification, two young bullocks were offered, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering (Numb. viii. 6-26). At the consecration of a priest, the intermediate ecclesiastical grade, two sets of three acts were performed: in the first place, the novice was specially purified, solemnly invested, and religiously anointed; and in the second place, a triple sacrifice was pre- sented in his behalf, consisting of a bullock for a sin offering, a ram for a burnt offering, and a ram for a peace offering (Exod. xxiv. 1-37; xl. 12-15; eh. viii. 1-36), .At the consecration, however, of the "anointed priest,n or "the priest n par excellence, afterwards called the "high priest," a more elaborate ceremonial still was ordained, occupying seven days instead of one, and, whilst consisting of the same series of acts- puri.6.cation, investiture, anointing, and sacrifice, this last act showing as clearly as the investiture with the "golden garments" the exalted rank of the person concerned.- whereas for an ordinary priest one bullock formed a sin offering, for a high priest seven bullocks were offered on successive days. A further evidence of his exalted position may be seen in the sin offering to be made by the high priest upon any infringement of his official duty. "He was to offer an ox without blemish. Having performed the presentation, the imposition of the hand, and the slaughtering in the customary manner, he took a part of the blood into the tabernacle, and sprinkled it seven times • in the face of the va.il of the holy,' and having put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of incense, be poured out the remainder at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering. The same fatty portions which were removed in the case of the peace offerings were afterwards lifted off the carcase and consumed above the daily burnt offering, the high priest carrying the rest of the carcase to a clean place before the camp, and burning it on wood with fire.n A ceremonial of highly significant variations ! 2. The offerings of the princes and the ruler. Express mention is made of elaborate offerings made at the dedication of the tabernacle "by the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers "-gold and silver utensils, a goat apiece for a sin offering•. and large burnt offerings and peace offerings (Numb. vii. 10-89). Express mention is also made of a sin offering for a ruler, whether judge or king (eh. iv. 22-26). Remembering, however, the special offerings of David and Solomon on set occasions, it would appear that the offerings just mentioned are simply instances of an adaptation c,f the sacrificial cultus to the sanctification of the chief officers of the State, and instances which any occasion of great penitence or gratitude might constitute into an inspiring precedent,  THE LEVITIUAL SACRIFICES LITERALLY CONSiDEP.ED. ix