Leviticus 16 -- A Picture In The Day Of Atonement

I loved the way that my commentary linked the rituals on the Day of Atonement to what Christ did for us.

“On that day, God called His people to get serious about sin …”  The high priest had to make sure the proper sacrifices were available – a bull, two rams, and two goats – all without defects.

The high priest took off his glorious garments, washed at the laver, and put on the simple linen garments of an ordinary priest.  He left his special garments in the holy place where he would return later to put them on again.  Laying aside his glorious robes was an act of humiliation, and washing at the laver was an act of sanctification … In a much greater way, Jesus did all of this for us … He never needed to be cleaned from sin because He was sinless, but He did set Himself apart to serve us.  He laid aside His glory and came into this world as a poor baby.  As God’s suffering servant, He humbled Himself and died on the cross.  His work completed, He returned to heaven and “dressed Himself” once again in the glory that is rightfully His.”

“Since the cloud of incense symbolized the glory of God, the high priest put God’s glory ahead of everything else … We need to remember that the ultimate goal of God’s great plan of salvation is not the good of people but the glory of God.”

“The releasing of the goat symbolized the sins of the people being carried away, never to be held against them again.  ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.’”

“Once he was sure that the scapegoat was officially lost in the wilderness, the high priest went into the holy place of the tabernacle, took off the linen garments, bathed, and put on his official robes.  This reminds us of our Lord’s return to heaven, where He received the glory He had laid aside when He was here on earth.”

John Stott was quoted:  “We strongly reject, therefore, every explanation of the death of Christ which does not have at its center the principle of ‘satisfaction through substitution’, indeed divine self-satisfaction through divine self-substitution.”

Father, thank You again for this Old Testament reminder of what You and Your Son agreed to do before the world was created, and the love You showed to us as poor, wicked sinners that was so undeserved!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford