How does Numbers 15:24 connect to Jesus' role as our High Priest? The Old Covenant Picture in Numbers 15:24 “then if this is done unintentionally and the community is unaware of it, the whole congregation is to prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the ordinance, and one male goat as a sin offering.” (Numbers 15:24) Key elements • Unintentional sin by the entire congregation • A single, representative sacrifice offered “for them” • Priests mediating between the guilty people and a holy God • Acceptance signaled by “a pleasing aroma to the LORD” How These Elements Point Forward to Jesus • Corporate guilt: Hebrews 9:7 reminds that the high priest entered “for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” Jesus likewise addresses sins we did not even recognize (Luke 23:34). • Representative offering: The bull and goat foreshadow the one Body of Christ offered “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). • Mediation: Israel needed a priestly go-between. Jesus is now “a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens” (Hebrews 4:14). • Pleasing aroma: Ephesians 5:2 says His sacrifice was “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God,” fulfilling the scent of acceptance first pictured in Numbers. Jesus as the Superior High Priest • Perfect knowledge—no ignorance in His mediation (Hebrews 4:13-15) • Perfect sacrifice—His own blood, not animals (Hebrews 9:11-14) • Permanent effect—“by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14) • Personal access—He brings believers directly to the Father (Hebrews 10:19-22) Practical Takeaways Today • Confidence: Because the once-for-all sacrifice stands, we “approach the throne of grace with boldness” (Hebrews 4:16). • Humility: Our sin, even when unintentional, required nothing less than the cross. • Gratitude: The pleasing aroma now rises from Christ’s finished work, not our repeated efforts. • Intercession: As Israel relied on priestly mediation, we rely on Jesus, who “always lives to intercede for us” (Hebrews 7:25). Summary Numbers 15:24 sketches a community unaware of its offense yet covered by a representative sacrifice. In Jesus the sketch becomes reality: the whole congregation of believers is cleansed by one flawless High Priest who offers Himself, securing permanent forgiveness and unhindered fellowship with God. |
    |