The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 68

Vers. 5-9.-The killing, flaying, and C()nsuming <>f the fJictim. Full, throughout, of the idea of atonement. The three main elements are-I. 'l'he blood. II. 'fhe fire. III. 'l'he sweet savour unto the Lord. Consider- !. TnE SPRTh'KLED :BLOOD. The offerer killed the victim. The priests received the blood and sprinkled it upon the altar. The two chief elements of atonement were thus united-the human and the Divine. Atonement is reconciliation on the ground of a. restored covenant through sacrifice. 'l'he blood shed represented the fact of life for life offered by faith. The blood sprinkled by priests, represented the Divine offer of mercy through an appointed mediation, at the place and time prescribed by God's gracious will. His will is our sanctification. The sacrifice of Christ is an outcome of Divine love received on behalf of the sinner as being offered by him in believing surrender to God and renewal of the co,enant. II. Tm: FIRE. The offering flayed and cut in pieces. Fire and wood placed by the priests on the altar, etc. All these details belong to the one fact that the offering is not only presented, but consumed, and consumed in pieces. The idea is that of the mingling together of the will of Jehovah with the offered obedience of bis creature. A representation of the promised sanctifying grace which renews the whole man, gradually, but with comprehensive application of the Spirit of God to every part of the being and character. The ablution would convey the idea of the washing of regeneration. All which is specially significant of life and activity," the inwards and the legs," is washed in water before placed on the altar. Tbe whole is then termed, "a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire." 'l'be fire represented at the same time purification and destruction. As applied in the name of God, it promised his bestowment of the supernatural power which should at once clestroy the evil and renew the good. Hence the gift of the Holy Spirit was symbolized by fire. We must be wholly offered, we must be penetrated and pervaded by the Spirit. The application of the fire is not only in a first baptism of the Spirit, but in the sanctifying work of life, in which oftentimes consuming dispensations are required, which, while they burn up, do also renew and recreate. Are we yielding up all to this gracious process on God's altar? Ill. THE SWEET SA VOUB UNTO THE LOBO. Fragrant ascent of man's offering. Nothing is said of the addition of incense, therefore the mere smoke and steam of the offering itself is described as "sweet savour." 'l'be obedience of faith is acceptable to the Lord. Nothing can more decidedly set forth the freeness and fulness of pardon and reconciliation. 'l'be Divine will is entirely reunited with the human will. Thus every sacrifice pointed to the end of sacrifices. When it is offered, when the fire has done its work, there is peace with God. So the Lord Jesus, anticipating the conclusion of his sufferings and his return to heaven, exclaimed, "The hour is come, glorify thy Sun." "I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to clo." Resting on that finished sacrifice, we can rejoice in our obedience as a sweet savour to the Lord, notwithstanding that in itself it is necessarily consumed 1y the perfect righteousness of the Divine Law. The blood and fire of the cross of Calvary are already upon the altar. We are able in the resurrection ancl ascension to- 1ebold the manifest tokens of acceptance. 'l'hc fragrance of the Saviour's risen glory and eternal righteousness are not only before God, well pleasing to him, but are also ours by faith, mingling with the imperfection of a fallen humanity, and lifting it up to angelic lire and spotlesa purity and joy in the presence of God.-H. Yers. 10-13.-7'he offering from the flocks. Sheep or goat. This is a repetition ol  <lH. n. 1-16.] THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. 23 ---------------------------------- the same law as applied to the offering o( lower value. The great spiritual fact is thus set forth that God is no respecter of persons. His Law applies to all sorts and con- ditions of men, and his grace is coextensive with his Law. The rich man's offering and the poor man's substantially the same. The only unchangeable condition is the ,. relation of the offering to the offerer. It must represent sincere, heartfelt surrender to God. It must not be a wild animal caught for the purpose, but that which, having been associated with the personality and life, represents both the man himself and his house and family. Hence in the early Church, baptism was a consecration both of the individual and of his household, an offering of all to the Lord. Many applications of this idea. All can give something. Religion sanctifies the world through the sanctifi .. cation of souls. The Spirit creates afresh the inner man, then all follows.-R. Vere. 14-17.-The offering of fowls-turtle-dovu &r young pigeona. The great abundance of these birds in the East would make the provisiun one which was easy even for the poorest to fulfil. How gracious this appointment! God is no " hanl master." He delights not in mere burdensome sacrifice-no costliness, suffering, or privation has merit with him. He demands the willing obedience of the heart. He asks for that which really represents a surrender of self. All these minute regula- tions were simply intended to develop the principle of voluntary obedience. There was the same subdivision in the case of the bird as in the case of the quadruped, to remind the very poorest and humblest offerer that he must not shelter himself in the insignificance of his offering from the obligations which it represented. The applica- tion of fire to the second bird denoted the application of the righteousness of God to the life of the offerer, and while it was as a prescribed offering a promise of acceptance, and therefore of renewing grace and spiritual restoration, it was on the part of the offerer the pledge and promise of an entire obedience in which body, soul, and spirit, all the life and all the possessions, should be consecrated to Gud.-R.