The Book of Leviticus prescribes a special monthly cleansing for the sins of the people. It is connected with the episode when certain people, not being priests, decided to offer a sacrifice and died...
The Book of Leviticus prescribes a special monthly cleansing for the sins of the people. It is connected with the episode when certain people, not being priests, decided to offer a sacrifice and died because of the defilement of the sanctuary. This episode is mentioned in the Book of Leviticus without details. It is described in somewhat greater detail in the Book of Numbers, but there too the details are not numerous. One thing is clear: this concerns the defilement of the sanctuary, which can become deadly for a person.
In the case described, this concerns deliberate disregard of the prescribed norms and rules, but the prescribed purification rituals presuppose the cleansing of the whole people from uncleanness about which the people may not even know. Such a view of uncleanness may seem strange if one does not take into account the fact that, as people believed in those days, a person could be defiled not only by sin. Of course, when the matter concerns the people, one could speak of some unnoticed or forgotten sins.
It would seem that if a person does not know or does not remember his sin, there can be no question of repentance: it is impossible to repent of what one does not know. If we are speaking of sin as such, this is indeed so. Here, however, what is meant is not only sin but also its consequences, and even its consequences first of all, because it is precisely they that defile a person and keep him from being sanctified. If such a person, unready for sanctification, approaches the altar, he can defile the altar, and perhaps even die.
The point is that sanctification presupposes a change in the quality of a person's life, in which the stream of his soul, and in the Bible a "living soul" is precisely a stream, a process, a dynamic reality, changes so greatly that the person can in principle partake of the life of the Kingdom. At the time when the Book of Leviticus was written, the time of the Kingdom's nearness had not yet arrived, but God's effect on a person was the same then as it is today. Meanwhile, the defiled person approached the altar in a state in which his life was being drained rather than filled.
The state of defilement is nothing other than a process of continuous, ongoing depletion of the stream of life, the opposite of sanctification as its filling. Two such opposite spiritual effects can, in certain cases, truly be deadly for a person and destructive for a people. Special rituals of purification for the people are prescribed precisely to avoid something like this, so that defilement of which the people are unaware does not destroy their life.
16 The institution of the yearly day of atonement for the whole nation.The whole service is committed to the high - priest, who is,
16:2 At all times - Not whensoever he pleaseth, but only when I shall appoint him, namely, to take down the parts and furniture of it upon every removal, and to minister unto me once in the year. Lest he die - For his irreverence and presumption. In the cloud - In a bright and glorious cloud, over the mercy - seat, as a token when I would have him come.
16:3 With a young bullock - That is, with the blood of it; the body of it was to be offered upon the altar of burnt - offerings. A sin - offering - For his own and family's sins; for a goat was offered for the sins of thepeople.
16:4 The linen coat - It is observable, the high - priest did not now use his peculiar and glorious robes, but only his linen garments, which were common to him with the ordinary priests. The reason whereof was, because this was not a day of feasting and rejoicing, but of mourning and humiliation, at which times people were to lay aside their ornaments.These are holy - Because appropriated to an holy and religious use.
16:8 For the Lord - For the Lord's use by way of sacrifice. Both this and the other goat typified Christ; this in his death and passion for us; that in his resurrection for our deliverance.
16:11 The bullock - Mentioned in general, Levitico 16:6.The ceremonies whereof are here particularly described. This was a different bullock or heifer from that Numeri 19:2, Numeri 19:5, Numeri 19:9, Numeri 19:10, Numeri 19:17, as appears by comparing the places.
16:12 Within the veil - That is, into the holy of holies, Levitico 16:2.
16:13 Upon the fire - Which was in the censer, Levitico 16:12.
16:14 Upon the mercy - seat - To teach us, that God is merciful to sinners only through and for the blood of Christ. With his face east - ward, or upon the eastern part, towards the people, who were in the court which lay east - ward from the holy of holies, which was the most western part of the tabernacle. This signified that the high - priest in this act represented the people, and that God accepted it on their behalf.Before the mercy - seat - On the ground.
16:15 Then shall he kill the goat - He went out of the holy of holies, and killed it, and then returned thither again with its blood. And whereas the high - priest is said to be allowed to enter into that place but once in a year, that is to be understood, but one day in a year, though there was occasion of going in and coming out more than once upon that day.
16:16 Because of the uncleannesses of Israel - For though the people did not enter into that place, yet their sins entered thither, and would hinder the effects of the high - priest's mediation on their behalf if God was not reconciled to them. In the midst of their uncleanness - ln the midst of a sinful people, who defile not themselves only, but also God's sanctuary. And God hereby shewed them, how much their hearts needed to be purified, when even the tabernacle, only by standing in the midst of them, needed this expiation.
16:17 In the tabernacle - ln the holy place, where the priests and Levites were at other times. This was commanded for the greater reverence to the Divine Majesty then in a more special manner appearing, and that none of them might cast an eye into the holy of holies, as the high - priest went in or came out.
16:18 The altar before the Lord - That is, the altar of incense, where the blood of sacrifices was to be put, particularly the blood of the sin - offerings offered upon this day of atonement, and which is most properly said to be before the Lord, that is, before the place where God in a special manner dwelt. His going out relates to the holy of holies, into which he was said to go in, Levitico 16:17.
16:19 Seven times - To signify its perfect cleansing, (seven being a number of perfection) and our perfect reconciliation by the blood of Christ.
16:21 All the iniquities - He mentions iniquities, transgressions, and sins, to note sins of all sorts, and that a free and full confession was to be made, and that the smallest sins needed, and the greatest sins were not excluded from, the benefit of Christ's death here represented.On the head - Charging all their sins and the punishment due to them upon the goat, which tho' only a ceremony, yet being done according to God's appointment and manifestly pointing at Christ upon whom their iniquities and punishments were laid, Isaia 53:5-6, it was available for this end.And hence the Heathens took their custom of selecting one beast or man, upon whom they laid all their imprecations and curses, and whom they killed as an expiatory sacrifice for their sins, and to prevent their ruin. A fit man - Heb. a man of time, that is, of years and discretion, who may be trusted with this work. Into the wilderness - Which signified the removal of their sins far away both from the people, and out of God's sight.And here the goat being neglected by all men, and exposed to many hazards from wild beasts, which were numerous there, might farther signify Christ's being forsaken both by God and by men, even by his own disciples, and the many dangers and sufferings he underwent. The Jews write, that this goat was carried to the mountain called Azazel, whence the goat is so called, Levitico 16:10, and that there he was cast down headlong.
16:24 He shall put on his linen garments - Not his ordinary priestly linen garments, for he was to leave them in the tabernacle, Levitico 16:23, but the high - priestly garments, calledhis garments properly, and by way of distinction. And this change of his garments was not without cause. For the common priestly garments were more proper for him in the former part of his ministration, both because he was to appear before the Lord in the most holy place to humble himself and make atonement for his own and for the people's sins, and therefore his meanest attire was most fit, and because he was to lay his hands upon that goat on which all their sins were put, by which touch both he and his garments would be in some sort defiled, and therefore as he washed himself, so we may presume his linen garments were laid by for the washing, as the clothes of him who carried away the scape - goat were washed, Levitico 16:26. And the high - priestly garments were most proper for thelatter part of his work, which was of another nature.
16:29 The seventh month - Answering part to our September and part to our October; when they had gathered in all their fruits, and were most at leisure for God's service: This time God chose for this and other feasts, herein graciously condescending to men's necessities and conveniences. This feast began in the evening of the ninth day, and continued till the evening of the tenth. Your souls - Yourselves, both your bodies, by abstinence from food and other delights, and your minds by grief for former sins, which though bitter, yet is voluntary in all true penitents, who are therefore here said to afflict themselves, or to be active in the work.
16:31 A sabbath - Observed as a sabbath - day from all servile works, and diligent attendance upon God's worship.
16:32 He - The high - priest, who was to anoint his successor.
16:34 This shall be an everlasting statute - By which were typified the two great gospel privileges; remission of sins, and access to God, both which we owe to the mediation of the Lord Jesus.