Sinful Failure By The Anointed Priest (Leviticus 4:3-12).
Here we are now faced with sinful failure by the anointed Priest himself. This was a grave matter indeed. Here was the one who, together with his sons had been set apart by God, and who represented the whole people before God and acted on their behalf. He was their mediator and representative. He was to be the perfect exemplar. Any failure on his part to fulfil properly the ritual requirements exactly as prescribed, and the ritual requirements included all the moral requirements, reflected therefore directly on the people. For how could they act for the people once they themselves had sinned? Purification was therefore immediately necessary.
The maintenance of the true ritual exactly as prescribed was especially vital, for the danger was always that they might by altering it stray into the ways of the nations and fall away from the truth that God had revealed. The temptation was all around them constantly. The maintenance of true morality (our distinction, not theirs) was also vital because God is also morally ‘holy' (set apart as totally different in that way), and those who are unholy morally have therefore no standing before Him. And this was especially true of the Anointed Priest. As the one especially set apart to God the Anointed Priest had a special responsibility to be holy, both in carrying out the ritual, in his activities, and in his whole way of living. Exactness in ritual did matter. Purity of life did matter. These both prevented the straying from the truth which could follow a consideration of the ‘good ideas' or the sin of others which would only lead into error.
The Anointed Priest was primarily the High Priest, (called ‘the Priest') but the office also included those who acted under him, at this time the sons of Aaron. They had the huge responsibility of maintaining the purity of the faith of Israel. For being ‘anointed' sets apart the one so anointed for God's service. They henceforth stood as God's man between man and his God. Anointing did not necessarily involve an outward impartation of God's Spirit, although that did happen at times when the person was being chosen and set apart by God for a task where that power would be needed. It indicated rather that the person was ‘chosen and set apart' permanently for a God-given task. Thus for the one appointed to act as men's mediator before God to sin, was to invalidate his whole position and his whole efficacy. His position ceased to be tenable. And yet, alas, it did happen, and that was why, when it did, he must instantly set about obtaining atonement for himself. As the writer to the Hebrews pointed out, he had first to offer for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people (Hebrews 5:3; Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 9:7). Until Jesus came there was no perfect mediator. This then brings out in contrast the perfection of our own Mediator, Jesus Christ, to Whom is purity and glory for ever.
‘If the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull ox without blemish to Yahweh for a purification for sin-offering.'
So if the anointed priest became aware of any sin that he had committed, which would have brought guilt on the people because of whom he was, and especially in cases where the failure had been where he was acting as ‘The Priest', he must immediately act in order for that sin to be neutralised, to be totally got rid of, so that his own and their holiness could be restored. He had sinned on their behalf as well as his own. Thus they have sinned in him. He was therefore called on to make the most valuable of sacrifices, the young bull ox; maturing, life producing, vital and powerful (by tradition it would be required to be three years old). And it is to be ‘perfect', total and complete, without blemish. This was a reminder that it was being offered for someone who was blemished, and it therefore required one who was unblemished to die for him. It was the sacrifice of the unblemished for the blemished (compare 2 Corinthians 5:21). And it was to be brought to Yahweh Who alone could deal with his sin. The matter was between the Priest and Yahweh.
In this sacrifice, the writer to the Hebrews tells us, we have the shadow, the copy, which points forward to Christ, for He also was a growing, mature male, was without blemish and was offered to God as a sin offering for others (Hebrews 10:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21), and it is through Him alone that sin can be dealt with. But He died for sin not His own.
‘And he shall bring the bull ox to the door of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull ox, and kill the bull ox before Yahweh.'
In the same way as with the other offerings and sacrifices the bull ox is brought ‘to the door of the tent of meeting', that is into the courtyard where the bronze altar was, in front of the outer curtains of the sanctuary behind which, separated only by the Holy Place, was the throne room of Yahweh. And there the priest was to lay his hand firmly on the bull ox, firmly identifying with it and making it his representative for the bearing and purification of his sin. And then he killed it before Yahweh, and its life flowed out in death, and so before Yahweh there was a death for his sin, the death of a perfect representative who died in his place, and in the place of the people. His sin was identified with the bull ox, just as he was identified with the bull ox, and the bull ox died for his sin. And that death neutralised the sin. It was the antidote to sin. The sin was fully punished and the barrier that had arisen between him and God was removed. It ‘made atonement' and brought purification for the sin.
The wages of sin is death, he who sins shall die, and that was why a life had to be forfeit. But a death having taken place the priest could, by the grace of God, become as though he had never sinned. And the bull ox too was no longer tainted with sin for the price of sin was paid. Instead it became excessively ‘holy' because of God's activity through it and on it. It was now wholly ‘separated to God' as His instrument of purification. His holy action on it had made it ‘holy'. By means of the necessary punishment of death sin had been dealt with. It was ‘forgiven'. And the result of God's holy working through it was that the ox bull became holy. Its remains had therefore to be dealt with with the greatest possible care. It had been God's instrument of mercy.
That the sacrifice becomes holy is declared clearly elsewhere (Leviticus 6:25-27; Leviticus 7:1; Leviticus 7:6; Leviticus 10:17), and is emphasised by the fact that when taken outside the camp it has to be buried ‘in a clean place'.
The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus too was offered as a purification for sin offering, and that indeed as the anointed High Priest He offered Himself, and that His blood too was poured out and was accepted for purification for sins (Hebrews 9:11-14; Hebrews 10:5-14; Hebrews 1:3). And he reminds us that He too was excessively holy (Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:8-9; Hebrews 7:26; Hebrews 10:7; Hebrews 13:12), so holy that His death and offering up had to be ‘outside the camp'. Indeed the death of the bull ox had been but a shadow of this, and without this offering of Christ once-for-all the shadow would have been ineffective. The efficacy of Christ's sacrifice was carried back into the blood that was offered before Yahweh (Romans 3:25).
‘And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bull ox, and bring it to the tent of meeting,'
Here we have the first major difference with this particular offering for purification for sin (together with the community offerings for purification of sin) from all the others. The blood of the slain bull, caught in a bowl, is to be brought into the tent of meeting. All else had been dealt with at the door of the tent of meeting, without entering through the curtain. But here he goes beyond the door of the tent of meeting right into the Holy Place itself, and there approaches the veil. Once there only the veil separates him from the Holy of Holies and the very covenant throne of God. To be able to enter here is evidence that the blood has become ‘very holy' indeed. But in what does this holiness consist? It is in that the blood has been shed for sin, and has been accepted, so that it has become God's instrument in making purification for sin. It has ‘totally covered' the sin of the anointed priest, and the resulting defilement of the Holy Place, and neutralised it by the action of God in the imparting His holiness, thus making both once again holy, and the blood holy with the holiness of God. It has become a most precious thing.
‘And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before Yahweh, before the veil of the sanctuary.'
And this ‘blood made holy' is now sprinkled by means of the priest's finger seven times before Yahweh within the Holy Place of the tabernacle, before the veil, to demonstrate that all that has to do with the priest and the Holy Place has now again been made holy. The sinning priest had not only defiled the people but also the Holy Place. But that shed ‘blood made holy' was the proof of holiness fully restored to the whole through the shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:11). It completed the cleansing. The covenant was restored. The Priest's mediating work could go on.
There is also in this a recognition in this that the priest's sin or the nation's sin had defiled the Sanctuary. Thus the blood also purifies the Sanctuary.
“Seven times.” Seven was the ancient number of divine completeness and perfection. Compare how Naaman had to dip in the Jordan seven times to be cleansed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:10; 2 Kings 5:14). Throughout Leviticus the number will occur again and again, indicating the same idea. In early Sumer numbering to seven was as far as a man could count, using five fingers on a hand, and then the two extra numbers he could manage. Thus seven very early on became the number that represented everything that could be counted, and continued in all nations to indicate divine completeness. It became, and continued to be, the number of divine perfection. Beyond that man could not go. (That is until someone thought of using both hands, then ‘twelve' (two eleph) became the limit of counting - two eleph means two more - and thirteen was thus seen as unlucky - but by then the significance of seven had been fixed. The number thirteen was not, however, seen as unlucky in Israel. Thirteen bull oxen could be offered on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles).
So the sevenfold sprinkling indicated the divine completeness of the purification, and the restoration of the covenant relationship, and was necessary before he could make this first approach to the altar of incense after becoming aware of sin.
‘And the priest shall put of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Yahweh, which is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull ox shall he pour out at the base of the altar of ‘offering up' (of the whole burnt offering) which is at the door of the tent of meeting.'
Then having sprinkled the blood with his finger seven times towards the veil as he approached, indicating that the sin that would have prevented his approach has been dealt with, he is able to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar of incense before the veil, which is seen as uniquely ‘before Yahweh'. For directly behind the veil, with its two poles pushing the veil forward where they extended into the Holy Place (1 Kings 8:8 - probably on each side of the altar of incense), was the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh, where from an earthly point of view Yahweh was enthroned invisibly between the Cherubim. This was as close as the blood could be brought without going within the veil into the Holy of Holies itself. Indeed the altar was seen as in some way within the Holy of Holies, as being a kind of appendage (1 Kings 6:22; Hebrews 9:4) of the Holy of Holies, made available in the Holy Place for the priestly offering of incense, and for this type of application of blood.
“The horns on the altar” were upward projections at each corner. Comparative incense altars with similar projections have now been found elsewhere, for example at Megiddo, in Palestine. Their description as ‘horns' suggests that they were probably intended to symbolise power, as the horns of a beast constantly represent its power throughout Scripture. The altar was seen as a place of power, and powerfully effective in what it achieved. And the blood was thus applied to its most powerfully effective part. Part of the reason was to purify this altar (compare Leviticus 8:15). But we are probably to see that all the power of God went into receiving that blood on God's behalf, and it was made powerfully effective in purification in general. Having now become holy it has become a kind of incense to God, an act of worship on restoration of the covenant. It was holy blood, shed for sin but then made holy by God as he accepted the price that had been paid. Prayer could, as it were, now begin again, and it began with the blood. (We must not underestimate the devastating nature of the Priest's sin).
The remainder of the blood was then taken out of the sanctuary and poured out at the base of the altar in the courtyard which was ‘at the door of the tent of meeting' within the holy precincts of the tabernacle. This was to sanctify it and make atonement for it (Leviticus 8:15). So the whole of the blood which had been made very holy by being shed for sin was dealt with within the tabernacle precincts. And it was first applied for the purification of sin, and to make atonement, and then to purify the Holy Place and its contents, and then to give praise for that atonement, and then it was finally all given to God.
‘And all the fat of the bull ox of the sin-offering he shall take off from it; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the covering of fat on the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away, as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of peace-offerings: and the priest shall burn them on the altar of whole burnt-offering.'
All the fat of the bull ox, was then stripped from it, including the innards, and the fat that was on them, and the two kidneys and the liver, and all fat associated with them, and these were burnt up on the altar as an offering to Yahweh. The fat represented the very best of the offering, and the parts mentioned represented its vital being, its life and emotions and all that it essentially was, given by Yahweh in creation when He first gave them life and breath. These belonged to Yahweh and were passed back to Him, offered up in worship to Him. So even the sin offering has a worship aspect and recognises God's rights as Creator. Indeed the blood having now been shed the worship could be offered truly.
‘And the skin of the bull ox, and all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, and its inwards, and its dung, even the whole bull ox shall he carry forth without the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire. Where the ashes are poured out shall it be burnt.'
Then all that remained of the bull ox and its carcase, including its skin, was taken out to be burned in ‘a clean place'. This was very significant. It was far from just getting rid of the remains. Being burned ‘in a clean place' indicated its extreme holiness, and that it was being handed over to God. Nothing that could defile would be taken to ‘a clean place'. So even its dung has been made most holy. Like all else connected with the sacrifice God's power had transformed it. We can almost hear the words, ‘what God has cleansed do not call common' (Acts 10:15). It is burned in the clean place where the very ashes from the altar were taken for disposal, outside the camp. Those ashes too were holy for they had received of the offerings and sacrifices that had been offered on the altar. (Compare the live coal from the altar and its purifying effect in Isaiah 6:6-7). Indeed they were too holy to remain in the camp outside the tabernacle. So nothing that was taken there could be seen as defiling. Thus it is not correct to suggest that they were taken outside the camp because they had become unholy, and were saturated with sin. They were taken out because they were too holy to be disposed of in the camp. The sin had been neutralised by its penalty having been exacted, and the offering had become possessed by God's holiness as having been His instrument of salvation and as having purified the Holy Place.
The inference is that these parts of the bull ox had become so totally holy that they could not even be burned on the altar (as the whole burnt offering was). They were beyond being offered to God by men in any worshipping way. The altar was for offering to God men's offerings. But these had been involved in God's activity in the purification of sin and had so been made excessively holy. They therefore belonged to Him already. God's holiness had been imparted to them. Man could not offer them.
So they no longer in any way represented man and his offerings. Man could no longer offer them up. They were already devoted to God. Therefore while they had to be removed from the earthly sphere and given to God as His, it was by being burned (despatched to God) outside the camp altogether, in a clean place, a place so clean that it could receive the ashes of the altar. They were too holy for the altar, they were too holy for the camp, and they were too holy for the priests to partake of. They could only be offered by burning in a clean place outside the camp, and not as an offering and sacrifice, because they were already His, but as already belonging to Him. They were already devoted to Yahweh.
This point is taken up by the writer to the Hebrews in Leviticus 13:10-13 when he stresses that Jesus offered up Himself outside the camp, in His case totally, because of His extreme holiness. Jerusalem was no longer holy enough for Him to be offered there, and God took Him without the camp to His own special altar, for Him to be offered there in holiness. Jerusalem meant it as a reproach. God by it indicated His extreme holiness. Jerusalem testified against itself. As a result He is able to make holy and to purify all Who come to God through Him, for he is their purification for sin offering.
“A clean place --- outside the camp.” Such is referred to again in Leviticus 6:11. It was clearly a place set apart for God' use and was regularly needed for the depositing of holy ashes. How or why it was clean or made clean we are never told. (see also Leviticus 10:14 where it has a different meaning but with a similar intent of holy things being dealt with there). But they had met God in the wilderness and it was still to be seen as His possession. He was still the Creator of all things, and watched over those places where man and beast were not allowed to control and defile. The ashes would be safe there in God's keeping. It was in contrast with ‘an unclean place' (Leviticus 14:40-41; Leviticus 14:45). All these many details constantly bring out how accurately the narrative fits into the time of the wilderness. To suggest that someone later invented all these details is inadmissible.
It is noteworthy that there is no mention of atonement here. This is not because there was none but because it cannot be said that ‘the priest made atonement' for himself. In this case the atonement was directly made by God. The Priest was merely a suppliant.