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Introduction. This Day of Atonement was the most im portant Sn the whole Mosaic system of sacrifices, for then the idèa of the removal of sin received its highest expression. To illustrate: It must be that countless sins were committed by the people collectively and iridi- COMMENTS viduaily of which they were unaware, FROM THE and which were not covered by any of COMMENTARIES the daily offerings. If, then, there V. V. Morgan were not some great act of atonement , covering everything to the fullest ex tent,. the sacrificial system had fallen short. To meet this the Day of Atonement was instituted. On this day atone ment was made for Aaron and his house; the holy place and the tabernacle; the altar.and the outer court; and the whole congregation of Israel; and this “for all their iniqui ties, and all their transgressions, even all their sins” (vs. 21); that is unknown to every one except God (c. f. Heb. 9:7-9).—Gray. Vs.3 The ceremonies of that day took place primarily in the holy of holies. This was an indication that the true end of all spiritual worship is not attained until the wor shipper has free access into the very presence of God. Here in lies the superiority of Christianity to Judaism. Christianity affords such access (cf. Romans 5:2; He brews 4:16; 9:1-24.—Evans. Aaron is the central, figure in the day of atonement. AH is his work with the exception of the leading away of the scapegoat. Aaron is' the type of Christ. Aaron had to enter thè Holiest with blood of sacrifice, but Christ entered by His own blood. (Heb. 9:12). Such an offering for Himself Christ did not need (Heb. 7:27). But Aaron’s offering was an atonement for his house. And Christ is Son over His house, whose house we are (Heb. 2:5). The bullock offering made by Aaron typifies therefore the as pect of Christ’s work for .the church.—Gaebelein. V. 4 That dress typified the perfect righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, the righteousness which He has procured for us. The high priest was kept in seclusion or privacy for seven days before the day of atonement, lest he should defile himself. It is said by some that the high priest sat up the entire night before the day of atonement, praying. If this be true; how much-is wrapped up in the saying of our Saviour, the great High Priest, who, in the garden of Gethsemahe, before the great atonement, said to His dis- siples, “Could ye not watch with me one hour?”—Evans. V. 5 Two goats were necessary, probably, because one could not fulfill the two parts of the whole truth which set forth the sacrifice for sin and the effect-of that sacrifice. There can be no forgiveness unless there has been sacri fice. Confession is not enough; pardon rests on atonement. The whole question as to whether my sins are forgiven or not turns on this question,—Has God laid His hand upon Christ and accepted Him as my substitute? Faith is the attitude and condition which lays hold of this. fact. The scapegoht indicates thatsfn bad been carried away and was remembered no more by God fpreverc- -The;•daily sacrifice dealt with daily sins.. The, day of atonement: dealt, with-sins as a whole ‘arid showed thè people ‘that God had not only forgiven and pardoned their sin, but had removed it en tirely from His remembrance.—Evans. V. 14 How blessedly all this foreshadows Christ and His work! The incense typifies the fragrance of His own per son, and the sprinkled blood is the type of His own precious blood, in which God accomplishes all His eternal and sov ereign counsels of grace. The blood which is sprinkled upon the believer’s conscience has. been sprinkled “seven times” before the throne of God. The nearer we get to God, the more importance and value we find attached to the blood of Jesus. If we look at the brazen altar, we find the blood there; if we look at the brazen laver, we find the blood there; if we look at the golden altar, we find the blood there; if we look at the vail of the taber nacle, we find the blood there; but in no place do we find so much about the blood as within the vail, before Jeho vah’s throne, in the immediate presence of the divine glory. —Selected. The atonement was made within the vail. Christ, our great High Priest, has presented the blood of atonement within the vail, in the very presence of God Himself (Heb. 9:24-2 6).—Evans. And we who believe and constitute His church have boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us
through the vail, that is to say, His flesh. This entire age is the day of atonement, and it will end when, He comes forth again.—Gaebelein.
- ELEMENTARY Kate H. Hans
We have one day in every year that is not like any other day of the year in joy and gladness. We call it Christmas day. We try to make all happy and bright on that day. The Jews had a day that was different from every other day
in its sadness, and yet too in its joy. It was called the day of Atonement. This day,- the High Priest went into the Holy of holies to pray God to' par don the sins of the people. ■ The High Priest had to bathe himself very carefully, and put on clean white linen garments, and offer a sacrifice for him self first: Then he was to take in every way, and ask the Lord
CHTU s t
SCKVt qpK two goats that were perfect
to show which goat was to be burned as a sin offering, and which one was to be the scapegoat. (Describe carefully the approach to the altar in the Holy of holies, 'and the Mercy Seat.) First the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the sin of fering for himself on the Mercy Seat, then he sprinkled the blood of the goat, the sin offering of the people, on the Mercy Seat. This was to show how Christ would shed His blood for our sin, and God would accept it, and pardon our sin because of it. Then the priest would come out and place his hands upon the head of the live goat, to show that all our sin was placed upon Christ. Then some man would lead this goat way off into the wilderness, and let it go, and it would never be found again. This showed that when Christ took our sins upon Himself, He put them so far away from us that they never could come back to us, and God would forget them. (Read very carefully this chapter, and give just as much of details, as your class can understand and ought to have according to their age.) Make this very plain. Christ was our offering to God, on the Cross, for our sin, and without His blood being shed for us, none could be saved. Tell how many are trying to save theihselves by good works, and; are .trying to. make us believe we can save ourselves that way. .pcaalto timid Christ was , 0 0 5 ,;scapegoat) taking: iour -place, ’being made sin for us, meeting on the cross the penalty we dught to have borne, so being punished in our place. One day, a wicked man was judged and sentenced to be shot. He wasn’t ready to die, was afraid to die. A good man came forward, begged for his life, and died in his place. The wicked man loved his savior, gave up his wickedness, and lived godly, ever after, for the sake of the man who had died for him. Jesus did just that for us. The good man could only die to save the other man’s body from death; Jesus’ death on the cross saves our soul from everlasting death. Let us then give Him our heart’s best love and service (Heb. 9:28). a» A CHEERFUL NOTE FOR CHEERLESS DAYS Watch not the clouds above thee, Let the whirlwind round thee sweep;
God may the seed time give thee, But another’s hand may reap. Sow ye beside all waters Where the dews of Heaven may fall, Ye shall reap if ye be not weary, For the Spirit breathes o’er all.
—Hyp.
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