Leviticus 16:2-17 And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to Aaron your brother… The high priest offering sacrifices for the sin of the people was a clear type of" the High Priest of our profession," who offered the one sacrifice for sin, who became the Propitiation for our sin, even for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). We have - I. FOUR FEATURES OF RESEMBLANCE. 1. Aaron acted under Divine direction. He was appointed by God to take the post he took, and was charged to do everything he did. He might not deviate in any particular from the instructions which came from heaven. "Aaron shall" is the continually recurring strain; almost every other verse contains this formula; departure from direction was utter failure in his work and death to himself (verse 2). 2. Aaron divested himself of his rich attire - he wore not the ephod with precious stones, nor the mitre glittering with golden crown; this splendid attire he laid by on this occasion, and he put on the simple linen coat, and was girded with a linen girdle, and wore a linen mitre (verse 4). 3. Aaron did his priestly work alone. "There shall be no man in the tabernacle when he goeth in... until he come out" (verse 17). No other foot but his might enter within the vail; no other hand but his might sprinkle the blood on the mercy-seat. 4. Aaron bore a heavy burden for the people. "So laborious and trying was his work that, after it was over, the people gathered round him with sympathy and congratulation that he was brought through it in safety." So Christ, the great antitype, (1) was appointed of God (Hebrews 5:4, 5); he was "the Anointed," the Sent One; he "came to do his Father's will," and though under no such minute commandments as those which regulated the actions of Aaron, he was ever consulting the will of the Father, doing "nothing of himself" (John 5:19-30; John 8:28; John 9:4). (2) Divested himself of the robe of his divinity, and put on the frail garment of our humanity (John 1:14; Hebrews 2:14; Philippians 2:7). (3) "Trod the winepress alone." "Ye shall leave me alone," said he (John 16:32) and alone he agonized in the garden, and alone he suffered and died on the cross. His was a most lonely life, for not even his most loved disciple understood the meaning of his mission; and his was a lonely death, none of those who stood weeping by being able to take any part in the sacrificial work he then wrought out. (4) Bore so heavy a burden for us that his heart broke beneath it. II. THREE POINTS OF CONTRAST. 1. Aaron was compelled to present offerings for himself (verses 6, 11-14). 2. Had to present an offering that was provided for him; a bullock had to be brought from the herds of Israel (verse 6), or he would have been a priest without an offering. 3. Could offer no availing sacrifice for deliberate transgressions: presumptuous sin had already paid the penalty of death. But Christ Jesus, our Great High Priest, (1) needed not to present any sacrifice for himself; the holy, harmless, undefiled One, separate from sinners, did not need to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins (Hebrews 7:26, 27). (2) Had no need to procure a victim, for himself "... came down to be The offering and the priest." He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 9:26). (3) Offered a sacrifice which avails for all sin. His blood "cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 7:25, etc.). - C. Parallel Verses KJV: And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. |
    |