The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 238

accompaniments of the Divine glory (of. Isa. over him "all the iniquities of the children vi. and Ezek. i. and x.). of Is1·ael, putting them on the head of the V~r. 6.-Now these things being thus goat," and sent him away to the wilderness, ord1W1ed (A.V.; rather, arranged or oon- whore he was to be let go. (6) Ho agBin •Wu.ted; it is_ the same word (1e"..-ra1T1<£v<1(0,) entered the tabernacle, whore he put off hie ns wns UB<'d 1n ver. 2, " there was a taber- linen ge.rmonts1 and loft them there, and 1111.cle made;" also in oh. iii. 3, 4, or God's then, after washing again, and putting on "h~use;" ~,n which see BU])f'a), the priellta his ordinary official dress, eacriflood hie own go m oontinn&!ly into the :first tabernaole, and the people's burnt offering. (7) The aooomplishing the servioee. (Observe that bodies of the two sin offering-e (the bullock here, where the ministrations are described, and the slain goat) were to.ken outside the present tenses are used; perhaps beoause camp, and there entirely oonRumed by fire. these ministrations were still going on when The points in this ceremonial here especially the Epistle WBB written.) The continual noted are: (I) That the entmnce within the sen·i<"es in the "first tabernacle" were (1) veil was only "once in the year," i.e. on li:::liting the lamps every evening, and one only dBy in the year; for on that day trimming them every morning (Exod. x:i:vii. the high priest entered more thBn once. The 21; xxx. 8; Lev. :xxi.. 3); (2) renewing meaning is that ordinarily, except on that the twelve loaves of sbewbread every single day, approach to the innermost shrine sabbath (Lev. xxiv. 5, etc.) ; (3) burning was closed to all. (2) That e1·en on that incense on the golden o.ltar twice daily, when day the high priest alone entered ; neither the lamps were trimmed and lighted (Exod. the people, nor even the priesthood generally, xxx. 7, 8), at the time of the morning and ever had approach to the holiest of all. (3) evening sacrifice, the people meanwhile That even he could not enter " without praying outside (Luke i. 10). blood; " neither the daily sacrifices nor all Vers. 7, 8.-Bnt into the seoond the high the ordinary ceremonial of the Law e.vBiled priest a.lone, onoe in the year, not without for his access: be must take with him the blood, whioh he o:ffereth for himself and for blood of special sin offerings, or he still could the errors (literally, ignorancM; of. ver. 2) not enter and live. (4) This blood he of the people. For the ceremonies on the Day offered " for himself and for the i!Tnomnces of of Atonement, see Lev. xvi. They may be the people ; " for himself, since he too we.s summarized, in their main characteristics, "compassed with infirmity," and required thllil: (1) The high priest brought to the atonement (ver. 2), e.nd also for the people's door of the tabernacle a bullock 6B a sin ignorances. There is a significance in this offering for himself, and two goats e.e a sin word. It was not the sins done with a offering for the people ; also a ram ns a high hand that had to be a.toned for on that burnt offering for himeeU: and a ram as a day ; these were either visited by "cutting burnt offering for the people. (2) After off," or atoned for in we.ye appointed for tbe washing and arraying himself in white purpose : it we.a the less definite and un- linen garments (nut the ordinary official detected sinfulness, infecting the whole dress), he cast lots on the two goats which community, and 1·emaining after all cere- were for the people's sin offering-one lot monial cleansing, so as to debar them from being "for the Lonn," the other "for coming " boldly to the throne of grace," Azazel; ·• that on which the former lot fell that was yearly kept in remembrance on being for sacrifice, the other to be set free. the Day of Atonement. Hence before even (3) He sacrificed his own sin offering, en- the high priest could enter and not die, the t.ered the holy place with the blood thereof, mercy-seat over "the testimony" which was filled a cens-ir with burning coals from the within the ark mUBt be enveloped with the golden altar, went with it within the veil, cloud of incense and sprinkled with the sprinkling incense on the coals, " that the blood which" covereth sin" (the verb trans- cloud of the incense may cover the mercy- lated" make atonement for" means properly ecat, that he die not;" took also the blood "cover"). The sin was still not taken away, within the veil, e.nd sprinkled the mercy- only "covered•• for the time; for the holy seat therewith. (4) He returned outside of holies after the ceremony remained closed the tabernacle, sacrificed the people's sin as before, and the same rites had to be offering, i.e. the goat that was " for the repeated at each yearly entrance. All that Loan," entered the holy place with its blood, was expressed WO,S an ever-recurring need of e.nd proceeded as before; sprinkling also atonement, not yet effected truly, though the altar of incense, 6B well e.s the mercy- symbolically prefigured. The Roly Ghost sea.t, with the blood of both sacrifices, to this signifying, that the way into the holiest "hallow it from the uncleanness of the chil- of all (so the A.V., giving the idea correctly, dren of I..arael." (5) He again returned though the expression is simply ,,.ii,,, a:ylo,11, ontsidt the tabernacle, laid his hunds on the which might dtnote only the holy place, as head of the goat " fur Azazel," confessing in ver. 2, if we there read 11.-yui and not i,.-y[c,,, OIi, IX, 1-28.] 'l'llE EPISTLE •ro THE HEBREWS. 229