The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 50

-ment offering, which always o.ccompanied that of sacrifices wholly conB1Jmed, we.a to the bumt offering. The place where the be sprinkled" (Edersheim,' The Temple'). presentation took place was the door of the Thie was in some respects the most es- tabernaole, that ia, the space immediately sential part of the ceremony, the blood within the eastern entrance into the court representing the life. (eh. xvii 11), which -of the tabernacle, immediately fncing the we.a symbolically received at the hands of the brazen altar, which stood before the east offerer, and presented by the prieate to God. end of the t ..bernacle, where was the door In the antitype oar Lord exercised the or entrance which led inlo the holy pie.cc. function of the sacrificing priest when he "The presenting of the victim at the en- presented his own life to the Father, as he trance of the tabernacle was a symbol of hung upon the altar of the cross. the free will submitting itself to the Law of Ver. 6.-He Ehall flay the bumt offering. the Lord" (Clarke). Cf. Rom. xii. I: "I The hide was given to the priest (eh. vii. 8). beseecli yo11 that ye present your bodies a The whole of the remainder of the animal living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, was consumed by the flre of the altar ; none which is your reasonable service." of it was eaten by the offerer and hie friends Ver. 4.-And he shall put his hand upon as in tl,e peace offerings, or even by the the head of the burnt offering. This putting, ministers of God as in the sin offerings ; it or forcibly leaning, the hand on the victim's was a whole burnt offering. Ria pieces. head, which is the most essential part of into which it was to be out, means the the oblation of the victim, was a symbolical cu,;tomary pieces. ' act implying "This animal is now for pre- Ver. 7.-The priest shall put fire upon the sent purposes myself, and its life is my life." altar. The fire once kindled was never to be It was this act of identifico.tion with the allowed to go out (ch.vi.13). Unless, there- offerer which made it be accepted for him to fore, these words refer to the first occasiou make atonement (litemlly, covering) for him. only on which a burnt sacrifice was offered, The sin offering is the sacrifice which es- they most mean " make up the fire on the pecially symbolizes and ceremonially effects o.ltar," or it might possibly have been the atonement, but the idea of atonement is practice, as Bishop Wordsworth (after Mui- not absent from the burnt sacrifice. The monides) supposes, that fresh fire was added aspect under which atonement is presented to the altar fire before each sacrifice. here and elsewhere in the Old Testament Ver. 8.-And the priests shall lay the parts, is that of covering. But it is not the sin the head, and the fat, in order. The head that is covered, but the sinner. Owing to and the fat are designated by name, because, his sin, the latter is exposed to the wrath with the" pieces," they complete the wholo of a just God, but something intervenes of the o.nimal with the exception of the whereby he is covered, and he ceas.is, hide. The order in which they were le.iii is therefore, to attract the Divine anger and said to have been the same approrimlltely punishment. No longer being an object as that which the members held in the .of wrath, he becomes at once an object of living creature. benevolence and mercy. The covering pro- Ver. 9.-The priest shall burn all on the vided by o. sacrifice is the blood or life of altar, etc. The fourth and last part of the an animal, symbolically representing the B1Lcrifice. The word empk,yed is not the offerer's own life freely surrendered by him common term used for destroying by tire, but for his acceptance, and typically foreshadow- means " make to 11Bcend." The life of the ing the blood of Christ. e.nimlll bas already been offered in tlie blood; Ver. 5.-.And he shall kill the bullook. now the whole of its substance is "me.de to After haviug mode tho presentation, the ascend " to the Lord. Modern science, by offerer proceeds to the second part of the showing that the effect of fire upon the sub- sacrifice, the immolation or slaying, which btonce of a body is to resolve it in lo ga.,es woe to be performed before the Lord, thot which rise from it, oontributes a new illustrn- is, in front of the tabernacle, on the north tion to the verse. The vo.pour that o..scends is side of the brazen altar. Then follows the not something different from tLat which is third part of the socrIBce : the priests, burnt, but the very thiug itself, its essence ; .Aaron'• sons, shall bring the blood, and which, having ascended, is of a aweet ■avour sprinkle the blood round about upon the unto the Lord, that is, acceptable and well- altar. The prieetlf"·caught the blood (some- pleasing to him. The burnt offering, tlie times the Levites were allowed to do this, meat offering, and the peace offering, are 2 Chron. xu:. 16), and spri11kled or rather sacrifices of sweet savour(ch. ii. 2; iii. 5); threw it round about on the altar, that is, the expression is not used with regard to the -110 as to touch all the inner sides of the sin offering and trespnss offering. St. Puul altar. "A red line all round the middle applies it to the sacrifice of Christ, in E 1,h. of the altar marked that above it the blood v. 2, "As Christ also loved ns, and gu, o <>f sncrifices intended to be eoten, beww it himself for WI an offering and a eacrifi,·e lo  THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [on. 1. 1-lT.