THE SANCTUARY, ITS SERVICE, ETC

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 21, 1886

THE SANCTUARY, ITS SERVICE, ETC.

The Cleansing of the Sanctuary.

(Lesson 4. Sabbath, January 30.)

1. DESCRIBE the daily round of service in the sanctuary.

“Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even; and with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” Ex. 29 : 38-41.

2. What other services were performed from time to time? Lev. 4 and 23.

3. When did the yearly service take place?

4. What was that day called?

“And ye shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.” Lev. 23 : 28.

5. What was the object of this day of atonement?

“For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Lev. 16 : 30.

6. With what was the atonement made?

“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.” Lev. 17 : 11.

7. What besides the people was cleansed?

“And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar; and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.” Lev. 16 : 33.

8. How were the people required to observe this day?

“Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” Lev. 23 : 27-31.

9. What offering was selected with which to make the atonement?

“And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.” Lev. 16 : 7, 8.

10. What is the penalty for breaking the law of God?

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” Eze. 18 : 20.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6 : 23.

11. Which goat was slain?

“And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.” Lev. 16 : 9.

12. Why did the goat have to suffer this penalty?—Since the sins of the people rested upon him, he had to receive the penalty of God’s broken law.

13. What did the priest do with the blood of the Lord’s goat?

“Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.” Verse 15.

14. What does the blood represent? Lev. 17 : 11.

15. Why was the blood of these sin offerings sprinkled upon the mercy seat?—To show that the law deposited beneath it demanded the life of those who had broken that law.

16. What was the mercy seat?

17. What was beneath it?

“And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not.” Lev. 16 : 13.

18. What solemn work did the priest perform when he returned from the most holy place into the first apartment, called in this chapter the “tabernacle of the congregation”?

“And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Lev. 16 : 18, 19.

19. How was this work accomplished?

20. For what did the priest first make an atonement on this tenth day of the seventh month?

“And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself; and he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail; and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not; and he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.” Lev. 16 : 11-14.

21. What was the next step in the important services of the day?

“Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat; and he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, in all their sins; and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.” Verses 15, 16.

22. What work of cleansing was performed in the first apartment? Verses 18, 19.

23. After the high priest had thus made an end of reconciling, or purifying, both holy places and the altar of incense, what ceremony did he perform at the door of the tabernacle?

“And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat; and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.” Verses 20, 21.

24. What name was given to this goat that was kept alive?

“But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.” Verse 10, also margin of verse 8.

25. What was finally done with this goat?

“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness; and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited; and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Verses 21, 22.

26. What was thus in a figure fully accomplished?—The cleansing of the sanctuary by removing the sins of the people from it.

27. Did this service actually take away sin?

“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Heb. 10 : 3, 4.