Schoolmaster to Christ
LEVITICUS CHAPTER 17
Schoolmaster to Christ
LEVITICUS CHAPTER 17
Scripture Reading: Leviticus 17 (KJV)
In this chapter we find two special points: life belongs to Jehovah and atonement is in the blood. The Lord attached importance to both. He would have them impressed on every member of the congregation. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, saying, What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord, before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people."
This was a solemn matter; and we may ask what was involved in offering a sacrifice other than in the manner here prescribed? It was nothing less than robbing Jehovah of His rights; and presenting to Satan that which was due God. A man might say, "Why can't I offer a sacrifice in one place as well as another?" The answer is, "Life belongs to God, and His claim on it must be recognized in the place He has appointed – before the tabernacle1 of the Lord." That was the only meeting place between God and man. To offer sacrifice elsewhere would be proof that the heart did not want God.
The moral of this seems plain. There is one place where God has appointed to meet the sinner, and that is the cross – antitype of the Brazen Altar. There and there alone has God's claim on life been duly recognized. Rejecting this meeting-place brings judgment – trampling underfoot the just claims of God. This is important to understand.
"And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the Lord." The blood and fat belonged to God. The blessed Jesus fully recognized this. He surrendered His life to God, and all his hidden enemies were devoted to Him likewise. He voluntarily walked to the altar and there gave up His precious life; and the fragrant odor of His intrinsic excellence ascended to the throne of God. How sweet it is, to be reminded every step of our way of the blessed Jesus.
The second point is clearly stated in verse 11: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls: for IT IS THE BLOOD THAT MAKETH AN ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL" (emphasis added).
The connection between the two points is deeply interesting. When man takes his place as one possessing no title whatsoever to life – when fully recognizing God's claims on him, then the divine record is, "I have given you the life to make an atonement for your soul." Yes; atonement is God's gift to man; and atonement is in the blood, and only in the blood. "It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." It is not the blood and something else. The Word2 is most explicit. It attributes atonement exclusively to the blood. "Without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). It was the death of Christ that rent the veil. It is "by the blood of Jesus" we have "boldness to enter into the holiest." "We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14), "Having made peace by the blood of his cross." "Ye who were afar off are made nigh by the blood of his cross." "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jn. 1:7)."They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7). "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 12).
We desire to call attention to the vital teaching of the blood; and are anxious that its true place be seen and understood. The blood of Christ is the foundation of everything. It is the ground of God's righteousness in justifying an ungodly sinner who truly believes in the name of the Son of God – the faith of Jesus4. The blood of Christ is the ground of the sinner's confidence in drawing nigh to a holy God whose eyes are too pure to behold evil. God would be just in the condemnation of the sinner; but, through the death of Christ, He can be just and the justifier of true believers – a just God and a Savior. The righteousness of God is His consistency with Himself – acting in harmony with His revealed character. If it were not for the cross, His consistency with Himself would demand the death and judgment of the sinner. But in the cross death and judgment were borne by Jesus, so that the same divine consistency is perfectly maintained while a holy God justifies an ungodly sinner through obedient faith. It is all through the blood of Jesus – nothing less, nothing more, nothing different. “It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” This is conclusive. This is God's simple plan of justification. Man's plan is much more cumbrous, much more roundabout. And not only is it cumbrous and roundabout, but it attributes righteousness to something quite different from what we find in the Word. From Genesis 3 to the close of Revelation, we find the blood of Christ put forward as the sole ground of righteousness. By the blood, and nothing but the blood, we receive pardon, peace, life, and righteousness. The entire book of Leviticus, particularly this chapter, is a commentary on the teaching of the blood. It seems strange to insist on a fact so obvious to every dispassionate teachable student of Holy Scripture. Yet, so it is. Our minds are prone to slip away from the plain testimony of the Word. We are ready to adopt opinions without ever calmly investigating them in the light of the divine testimonies. In this way we fall into confusion, darkness, and error.
May we learn to give the blood of Christ its due place. It is so precious in God's sight that He will not allow anything to be added to or mingled with it. "The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
