Offerings of the Sanctuary—Their Meaning
By Clarence Santee
"How Can We Know the Way?"
THIS question was asked of the Saviour by Thomas. Jesus answered, "I am the way: . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6. The steps that lead into the way and along the way are made known by various lessons. There was a time when men could not see the life of Christ as we now see it. To them it was represented by something tangible from the flock or the herd. His death was not seen as we now see it; but by looking upon the death of the innocent victim, they could dimly picture the reality of an unoffending one taken by sinful hands, confessed over, killed, and the blood, which represented the life (Lev. 17:11), taken to atone for the sins of the transgressor. They were represented as living in the "shadow," in the moonlight, as compared with the glorious sunlight of day. Heb. 8:5; Rev. 12:1. When Christ came, and lived, died, and ascended to heaven, the shadows vanished. The life to which all the offerings pointed, and from which they obtained their luster, was written down by credible witnesses, filled with the Spirit that could make no mistakes. It is our purpose to write out some of the beautiful lessons through which those in the shadow obtained that faith for which God has admonished us we should "earnestly contend." Jude 3. As the godly priests taught conversion and acceptance with God, they pointed to the "Seed" (Gal. 3:16) who should come. While the offerings were being made, each act was explained to the congregation present, and earnest calls were made for any whom God had touched to respond. The first step taken by the sinner in throwing off the yoke of bondage, was to bring his sin-offering. Lev. 5:8; 4:32-34. Friend, you may say that the record of these offerings is meaningless to you, but I hope that as you go with me through some of them they will shine out so brightly that in the future this portion of God's word will be of real interest. CONSECRATION AND ACCEPTANCE ILLUSTRATED
Every phase of the experience from a state of sin to entire consecration and acceptance in Christ is wonderfully illustrated. After one confessed his sins, placing them, in type, upon the head of the lamb, the burnt offering should immediately follow. That we may more clearly see the need of this, I will anticipate, and state the close connection between the two. The confession of sin must be the first step after conviction, in coming to the Lord. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Ps. 66:18. The next step after a confession of sin, must be a surrender of all the powers of our being to God. This was embodied in the burnt offering. Of this offering I read: "If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord." Lev. 1:3. There is no compulsion in the service of God. Man-made edicts can never change the heart. "He shall offer it of his own voluntary will." "And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. . . . And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: but his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord." Verses 4-6, 8, 9. Verses 10-13 repeat the same of the sheep or the goats. The offerer placed his hand on the head of the innocent victim, signifying the placing of his sins upon it in figure, and by faith, upon the sinless Victim, Christ. With his own hand he then took its life. Here Christ and the sinner become one. The lamb represents the sinner. It takes his place with his sins. It also represents Christ, who takes his sins. Slaying the offering with his own hand was a confession that his own sins caused the death of the Lamb of God. The skin was given to the priest. Lev. 7:8. It was that part which had been seen before, and it would represent the past life, that had been seen, of the individual before his turning to God. No man can do more with the past than to place it in the hands of our Priest. It has gone from us. He becomes responsible for its failures. In reading of the burnt offering, you will notice that its flesh was cut in pieces, and each piece was placed in the hands of the priest, by the man who made the offering, to be placed, by the priest, upon the altar. A lesson is here taught that we seldom learn without many failures. It is that no man can lay his own weaknesses of the flesh upon the altar. Every effort is a failure and a source of discouragement. But we can place them in the hands of Christ, our High Priest, and He can lay them upon the altar. The head, the inwards, and the legs were also to be laid with the "pieces," by the priest, upon the altar. THE COMPLETE SURRENDER TO GOD
The head represented the thoughts, or the mind; the "inwards," the heart. "I will put My law in their inward parts." Jer. 31:33; Heb. 10:16. The legs of the sacrifice correspond to the hands and feet of the one who would have his all laid upon the altar. The hands and the feet are mentioned in the surrender of the person to the Lord. "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners." James 4:8. "Their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood." Prov. 1:16. They must be washed before they can be acceptable to the Lord's service. When they have been washed, it can be said, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings!" Isa. 52:7. Thus after confession of sin, the next step is the placing of all — desires of the flesh, the mind, the heart, hands and feet — in the hands of Christ, to be laid upon the altar. One important part in the sacrifice of the burnt offering was the taking of the blood by the priest (Lev. 1:11) and sprinkling it where he willed upon the altar. "The blood is the life." Deut. 12:23. This typifies the surrender of the life to the Lord, to use wherever He may choose to use it in all the world, which is so well represented by the altar of burnt offering, where the sacrifices were consumed. Before it is a perfect offering, there is one more requirement. It is found in Lev. 1:14-17. A bird is offered. "And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: and he shall cleave it with the wings thereof." The crop and feathers of the bird, that were to be taken and cast to the east of the altar, represented the food and clothing of the one who offered it, as made secondary, or cast behind his back, as he gave himself to the Lord. Our Saviour instructed His disciples, "Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" Matt. 6:31. Making the kingdom first, all these things shall be assured. Verse 33. Many halt in the service of God, never to advance, because they can not see every want supplied before it exists. Our Saviour taught, in the offerings of the house of the Lord, that until these things could be cast behind the back, and implicit faith in the providence of the Lord accepted, the offering could not be complete, and the Lord could accept of no other kind. The priest could not lay it upon the altar. The wings were also cleaved. Lev. 1:17. The bird could follow no more in the way of its companions. A bird with the wing cord severed, can look upon its companions, they can come to it, but it can no more share with them the devious flights as in the past. So the sinner, coming to the feet of Jesus, leaves forever the associations of the paths of sin. He gives willing service, putting the past life in the hands of Christ, placing also in His hands the desires of the flesh, the thoughts, the heart, the hands, and the feet, considering not the food or the raiment, willingly and forever severing the ties that bound to a life of sinful pleasures, and placing the redeemed life at the disposal of Christ, to be used by Him in the place of His choice, anywhere, far or near, in the broad harvest-field. Truly the burnt offering taught a gospel lesson of consecration complete and full. Dear reader, with all your greater gospel light and privileges, have you filled the measure called for in the burnt offering? If not, are you willing to do so to-day? Is it not a beautiful outline of a Christian character?