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Christ is all in all! Listen in to see how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament High Priest, the Scapegoat, The Slaughtered Goat, and the Mercy Seat.
Christ – The High Priest, Scapegoat, and Mercy Seat
Exodus 25:10-22; Leviticus 16
We have come to our last study in our series, “Beholding Christ in Exodus.” And folks, I have saved the best for last. We come this morning to examine the final piece of furniture – the ark of the covenant. It was the only object in the Holy of Holies. Its importance can’t be overestimated. It was the only object in the Tabernacle that was later transferred to the Temple. After God told Moses to make a Tabernacle in Exodus 25, the very first thing He gave instructions for building was the ark of the covenant. God starts from Himself and works out.
The various parts of the Tabernacle show the sinner’s approach to God.
The fence around the Tabernacle speaks of Separation – the sinner’s separation from the holy God because of his sin and corruption.
The bronze altar speaks of Salvation – an innocent animal died, and its blood was shed so that the sinner would not die.
The bronze laver speaks of Sanctification – our being washed from our daily defiling contact with the world through the water of the Word.
The Table of Showbread speaks of Satisfaction – Christ is the bread of life, who satisfies our deepest longings for fellowship with God through the Word.
The Golden Lampstand speaks of Illumination – Christ brings to light the truth to our understanding and exposes our sin that we might repent.
The Golden Altar of Incense speaks of Intercession – we are able to persevere in faith to the end because Christ is interceding for us at the right hand of God in heaven.
The Ark of the Covenant speaks of Glorification – one day we will stand before God and see Him face to face as He sits from His glorious throne.
He is Savior – Sanctifier – Satisfier – Enlightener – Inercessor – and Sovereign King.
As I studied the ark of the covenant this week I realized that I could not do it be staying in Exodus 25 alone. I had to go to Leviticus 16 and look at the Day of Atonement as well, because the only time a human being ever came close to the ark of the covenant was on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the 10th day of the 7th month of the year.
So, this morning I would like to take you back to Leviticus 16 to the most impressive, solemn day on the Jewish calendar. It has been called “The Good Friday of the Law” and “The Gospel According to Moses.” As we look at the rituals of this solemn day, I want you to see Christ in the High Priest, the Slaughtered Goat, the Scapegoat, and the Ark of the Covenant.
1. Christ Foreshadowed In The High Priest
The High Priest Was Humbled. The high priest was normally dressed in beautiful garments. Exodus 28:2 says, “You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.” He wore a pure gold crown, and a jewel studded breastpiece. He wore garments of blue, purple, and scarlet material. Oleg, would you put up that picture so everyone can see what he would have looked like?
However, notice Leviticus 16:4, “He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be nest to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on. He was dressed in all white. There was no gold turban or precious gem studded breastpiece. It was just very plain white linen material. Brothers and sisters, doesn’t this point to our Lord emptying Himself of His glory in heaven to come down and dwell among us in humility? Instead of being worshiped by all the heavenly hosts, Jesus humbled Himself to be found in appearance as a man. As such He was rejected, despised, spat upon, mocked and crucified. He became just like one of us, although He was still God of very God.
Now, notice Hebrews 2:17, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” What infinite condescension! What wonderful humility!
The high priest was still the High Priest though he was clothed in ordinary garb. And Jesus was still God though He was clothed in ordinary human flesh.
The High Priest Was Purified. The high priest had to bathe himself multiple times on this day, and he had to offer sacrifices for himself. Look at verse 4 and 23-24, as well as verse 11. He must present himself before the Lord pure and clean. He had to be spotless to come before the Lord. Friends, we have a spotless and holy high priest! Hebrews 7:26 says, “For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.” He is perfectly pure!
The High Priest Performed the Work Alone. Aaron must do everything on this solemn day. The other priests did nothing. They took the day off. They didn’t even light the lampstand. At other times, the ordinary priests did almost all the work of the Tabernacle, but not now. All of the work was placed on him. It has been computed that he had to slaughter 15 animals by himself, bathe himself several times, dress, and undress. He must have been exhausted at the end of the day, especially considering that he was fasting. Notice verse 17, “When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel.” And everyone else in the nation were commanded to rest, because this was a sacred day. Verse 29 says, “This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you…” Everyone in the nation rested, while the High Priest did all the work.
So it is with us. Christ does all the work. He doesn’t leave even just a little for us. He does it all. “Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” God does not call us to help Jesus save us. He doesn’t tell Jesus to do most of the heavy lifting, but leave a few dumbbells for us to lift. The truth is that Christ doesn’t provide salvation for us, but then sit idly by and leave it to man’s free will whether he will accept or reject that salvation. As Whitefield once said, “Man is nothing. He hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven.” Don’t think you can help Jesus save you! He either does all of the work of redemption or none at all. The essence of salvation is to stop trying to work your way into heaven, and instead start resting in what Christ has already done to obtain your salvation.
The High Priest Represented Others. The atonement for the nation depended on one man. How fearful might the Jewish people be that the high priest might fail in any point of his duty! If he failed, their guilt remained.
There have been two men that have stood as representatives – Adam and Christ. Adam represented all who would be born from him, and he failed miserably, and plunged the world into ruin and death. Christ, the last Adam, represented all would be born from Him spiritually and succeeded. We are guilty because of Adam’s sin. You say, “That’s not fair! I had nothing to do with that!” However, we are also declared righteous because of Christ. You also had nothing to do with that! Man’s damnation and salvation both come to us on the same principle – that of representation. Are you in Adam or Christ? That will determine your eternal destiny.
Because Jesus represented His people, His righteousness could be put to their account, and their sin could be transferred to His account. Think about it like a basketball game. Your team can’t make a single shot, but every time they miss a basket the referee says, “Score – 2 points!” The opposing team can’t miss. But every time they make a basket the referee says, “Doesn’t count – no 2!” The points scored against me are not counted against me, and the points I missed are being counted to me as if I had made them. Friends, what is justification? Justification consists of the sins you have committed not being held against you, but the righteous works you haven’t done being put to your account. Now, when a referee acts in this way we would cry, “What a crook! He must have been bribed!” And that would probably be true. So the real question is, “How can God justly do this for us? How can He count us righteous when we are wicked, and how can not count us guilty when we are?” The answer is that God has His eye on another game that His Son is playing all alone. He sinks basket after basket, but the referee says “Doesn’t count.” The points don’t go on his scoreboard, but are put on our scoreboard. Jesus blocks shot after shot, but the referee says, “count them anyway.” It’s like we have two gymns side by side, and two games going on side by side. The points that Jesus makes by hitting basket after basket are not put on His scoreboard, but instead they are put on ours. The score of our opponent is not registered on our scoreboard, but on His. In Jesus’ game the score is Jesus – 0; Opposition 100. In our game the score is Our Team – 100; Opposition 0. He represented us as our High Priest, and He did it perfectly!
The High Priest Was Glorified.
Notice Leviticus 16:23-24, “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. He shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes.” After the high priest was done making atonement, He would emerge from the Tabernacle into the view of his expectant people who were breathlessly waiting for him, and he would be wearing the garments of glory and beauty which he had temporarily laid aside. The whole nation would erupt in shouts of joy and praise as He would emerge from the Tabernacle. Does that remind you of anything? Of course it does! The Lord laid aside His glory temporarily while He lived upon earth, but the next time He appears it will be in power and great glory!
Notice Hebrews 9:11-12, “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
Jesus died for sin on the cross. Then He ascended to heaven and entered the True Tabernacle. One day He will leave the heavenly tabernacle and return to earth. And when He does, all His people will erupt with great shouts of joy and glory. He came as a meek lamb the first time, but will return as a roaring lion. Then the wicked will cry to the rocks and hills to fall on them and hide them from the presence of Him who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb! O come, Lord Jesus!
2. Christ Foreshadowed In The Live Goat
The Live Goat (scapegoat). There were two goats involved in the Day of Atonement. One was slain, and the other kept alive. Let’s look at the live goat first. Leviticus 16:21-22 says, “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”
The high priest would lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and then confess all of the sins of the people of Israel. In this way, sin was being symbolically transferred from the high priest to the goat. The high priest stood as a representative of the people. So, when he confessed all the sins of the people, he was able to transfer them from themselves onto the goat. This pictures the glorious truth that our sins were transferred to Christ, our high priest, on the cross, and He became legally liable to pay for them.
Then, notice that a designated man would lead that scapegoat out into the wilderness and set it free never to return again. The man would watch until the goat had slipped off into the distance. He would run back to the Tabernacle. When the sons of Israel would see him, there would be great shouting! Why? Because their sins had been removed from them, never to return again.
The releasing of the scapegoat illustrates the great truth of expiation. The two letters “Ex” mean “away from.” We see these letters in the words “expel” and “exit.” Expiation is to remove the guilt of sins away from us. Through Christ’s death, God has removed our sins into oblivion. They will never return to us again. In fact, even God can’t find them! Meditate with me on the preciousness of these promises:
Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Isaiah 38:17 “For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”
Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
Micah 7:19 “Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
Glory! My sins were laid on Christ the sin-bearer! They will never return on my head again. Hallelujah!
3. The Slain Goat
Now we are finally able to look at the ark of the covenant, which is what this whole study is all about!
Look at Leviticus 16:15 with me, “Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.”
The day of atonement was the only day of the year in which a human being was permitted into the Holy of Holies to behold the ark of the covenant. The only human being permitted to enter was the high priest. In fact, tradition says that the high priest would tie a rope around his feet, so that if anything went wrong and he died, they could pull his body out without anyone having to go in and get it. He entered through the veil carrying incense and blood. He would sprinkle the blood of the goat seven times upon the mercy seat, that lid of pure gold which covered the ark. Remember that inside the ark were the two tablets of stone on which God’s law was written. God looked down on His law which the sons of Israel had broken. No wonder that no human being could approach Him without dying. When God saw His broken law, the only righteous response was wrath. His justice must be satisfied. Sin must be punished. But when the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, no longer did God see a broken law. Now He saw the blood. He saw the proof that sin was punished, making Him free to show mercy. That’s why it was called the Mercy Seat.
The scapegoat illustrates the doctrine of expiation. The slain goat illustrates the doctrine of propitiation. Propitiation is for God’s wrath to be turned away by a sacrifice which satisfies Him. Let’s say that I accidentally back into your car and put a big dent in the hood. You get out of your car hopping mad. But before you can begin to yell at me, I say, “I’m so sorry! Here, let me take care of this.” And then I start slapping $100 bills in his hand. After I have put twenty $100 bills in his hand, I say, “Is that enough? Will that satisfy you?” Now, his car was only worth about $1,000, and I have just given him $2,000. He says, “Yes, that’s fine. I’m happy with that.” I have propitiated him. I have pacified him. I have turned his anger away with a sacrifice. Now he’s not going to call the police or sue me.
Expiation is for man. It meets man’s needs. We need for our sin to be removed forever. But propitiation is for God. It meets God’s needs. God needs His justice satisfied before He can bestow mercy. Expiation refers to the benefits that man receives from the cross. Propitiation refers to the benefits that God receives from the cross.
The ark of the covenant was really the throne of God. How do I know that? Well take a look at these old testament passages.
1 Samuel 4:4, “So the people sent to Shilo, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits above the cherubim.”
2 Samuel 6:2 “And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.”
2 Kings 19:15 “Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim.”
Psalm 80:1 “Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You w ho lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!”
The ark of the covenant was God’s throne on earth. He sat enthroned above it, with the two cherubim at His sides.
The ark of the covenant was the place of God’s immediate presence on earth. If you wanted to be in God’s immediate presence there was only place on earth to do it – the ark!
But when God looked down from the top of the ark and saw His broken law, His throne would be a throne of wrath. God hates sin and must punish it. If a human being dared to approach Him he would be instantly killed. But now that the blood had been sprinkled on the mercy seat seven times, the throne of wrath has been transformed into a throne of grace! God can now justly grant mercy to sinners. He can now deal graciously with us, because someone else has born our sin and guilt.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near, with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Conclusion
My friends, let’s draw this message to a close with a couple of questions.
- What Does God Require Of Us? Look at Leviticus 16:29, “This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you.” There they are. We are to humble ourselves, and rest from all our work.
Humble Ourselves. The NKJV puts it this way, “you shall afflict your souls.” Most commentators agree that to “humble your souls” meant that they were to fast on that day. Today, to humble yourself might mean to fast. Certainly it would be to sorrow for your sin. It is a heart breaking sight to look on the Lamb of God slain because of our sins. The great atoning work of Christ is only appreciated by afflicted and sin-smitten souls. Only through the tears of a crushed and broken heart can we best see the beauty of the blood of Jesus. Leviticus 23:29 says that if a person did not humble his soul on the day of atonement, he would be cut off from his people! Certainly, to humble our souls includes confession of sin, and seeking God’s mercy. Friends, there is no salvation apart from repentance.
Rest From All Work. This illustrates faith. Repentance and faith. This was a command. The people were to do no work, because all the work was being done for them by their representative. If you will ever be saved, you must cease from working for salvation and trust in the work of Christ the High Priest on your behalf. You must stop being a worker and start being a rester.
- What Does God Do For Us? Look at Leviticus 16:30, “for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” That’s it! Clean! From how many sins? All your sins! Where? Before the Lord. This is our great need! God has applied the blood of His Son to the mercy seat. God is satisfied. He is pacified. He is propitiated. Now, you can come boldly to the throne of grace. Listen to Hebrews 9:11-12, “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Eternal redemption! This is not a temporary redemption, that you must repeat over and over. Once Christ has redeemed you, has redeemed you for all eternity! Oh, my friends, come! Come to the throne to worship your King! Rejoice in your cleansing! Rejoice in your eternal redemption!
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