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The Sin-Offering

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · Jun 27, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 26.

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The Sin-Offering

By S. N. Haskell

IN no other type was the individual worshiper brought in so close touch with the sanctuary as in the sin-offering. There is no other part of religious worship that brings the individual worshiper in such close touch with the Lord as confessing his sins at the Saviour's feet, knowing the strength of the promise, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." It is then the sinner touches the hem of his Saviour's garment and receives his healing power in the soul.
Sin is a transgression of the law of God; and the one who had "done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord" was guilty of sin; and in order to be free from sin, he was to bring an offering, that by seeing the innocent victim die for his sins, he might more fully comprehend how the innocent Lamb of God could offer his life for the sins of the world. If he was a priest, filling that holy office where the influence of his wrong course would cause many others to stumble, then he was to bring a bullock, an expensive animal, as a sin-offering; but if the sinner was one of the common people, he could bring a kid or a lamb. The value of the animal required to be offered was determined by the position held by the transgressor.
The sin-offering was brought into the court of the sanctuary to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. The sinner, with his hands laid upon the head of the lamb, confessed over it all his sins, and then with his own hand killed the offering. Sometimes the blood was taken into the first apartment of the sanctuary by the officiating priest, who dipped his fingers in the blood and sprinkled it before the Lord. The horns of the golden altar, the altar of incense, were also touched with the blood. The priest then came out into the court and poured all the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering in the court.
The bodies of the animals whose blood was taken into the sanctuary were burned without the camp. "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." Heb. 13:12. The sinner, by confessing his sins over the lamb, in type and shadow transferred them to the lamb. The life of the lamb was then taken instead of the life of the sinner, typifying how the Lamb of God would offer his life for the sins of the world. The blood of the animal was powerless to remove sin; but by shedding its blood the penitent revealed his faith in the divine offering of the Son of God. Every sin-offering was to be without blemish, thus typifying the sacrifice of Christ.
In some offerings the blood was not taken into the sanctuary, but in every sin-offering all the blood was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering in the court. When the blood was not taken into the first apartment of the sanctuary, a portion of the flesh of the sin-offering was always eaten by the priest in the holy place, or first apartment of the sanctuary. This was a beautiful type. The priest who performed the work of the sanctuary, assimilated the flesh of the sin-offering,—it became a part of his own body,—thus beautifully typifying how Christ "bare our sins in his own body," and then entered the heavenly sanctuary with that same body to appear in the presence of God for us.
The priest ate the flesh of the sin-offering only when the blood was not taken within the sanctuary. The command in regard to this was very plain. "No sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burned in the fire." Lev. 6:30. To violate this command would ignore the significance of the type. The priest's entering into the sanctuary to present the blood of the sin-offering before the Lord was a forcible symbol of Christ, who, by his own blood having obtained eternal redemption for us, entered into the heavenly sanctuary. Heb. 9:11, 12. By the blood and by the flesh the confessed sins of the sinner were in type and shadow transferred to the sanctuary. They were hidden from view, for no human eyes except the eyes of those who officiated as priests gazed within the sanctuary.The type was beautiful, but how much more beautiful the antitype! When the sinner lays his sins on Christ, "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," those sins are hidden, covered by the blood of Christ. They are all recorded in the books in heaven; but the blood of Christ covers them. If the penitent and forgiven sinner is faithful, his sins will never be revealed, but will be finally destroyed in the fires of the last day. The most wonderful part of it all is that God himself says he will cast them behind his back, and will remember them no more. Why need any one carry the burden of sins when we have such a wonderful Saviour waiting to receive them?
In every sin-offering two things were essential on the part of the sinner: First, to realize his own sinfulness before God, and prize pardon sufficiently to make a sacrifice to obtain it; second, by faith to see, beyond his offering, the Son of God, through whom he is to receive his pardon; "for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." Heb. 10:4. The blood of Christ alone can atone for sin.
After the blood was presented before the Lord, there was yet an important work for the sinner to perform. With his own hands he was to remove all the fat from the different organs of the animal offered as a sin-offering, and give it to the priest, who burned it upon the brazen altar. At first thought, this seems a strange ceremony; but when we remember that the fat represented sin (Ps. 37:20; Isa. 43:23, 24), it has a beautiful significance. Evidently it was viewing this service in the sanctuary that saved David from backsliding. He had beheld the prosperity of the wicked, and was envious of them until his "steps had well-nigh slipped" (Ps. 73:2-18), but when he went into the sanctuary, then he understood the end of the wicked. We can imagine him watching the sinner separate the fat, and the priest place it upon the great altar. Presently nothing remains but ashes. In that ceremony he saw ashes as the end of all who would not separate from sin; for if the sin was a part of themselves when all sin was burned, they would be burned with the sin. The only reason God will ever destroy a sinner is because the sinner keeps sin in his own character, and will not separate from it.
It was a beautiful type, the priest standing waiting for the sinner to separate the fat from the offering, ready to take it any time he offered it to him. So Christ, our great High Priest, is waiting for each sinner to confess his sins and give them to him, that he in return may clothe the sinner with a robe of righteousness (Isa. 61:10), and consume his sins in the fires of the last day. Paul evidently refers to this part of the sanctuary service in Heb. 4:12.
The burning of the fat was "a sweet savor unto the Lord." There are few odors more disagreeable than that of burning fat, and yet "it is a sweet savor unto the Lord," for it typifies the sin consumed and the sinner saved. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but he delights in the destruction of sin separated from the sinner. When the redeemed of the Lord, from within the shelter of the New Jerusalem, behold the fires of the last day consuming all the sins they have committed, it will be indeed a sweet savor to them. Rev. 20:8, 9.
An individual that was too poor to offer a lamb for a sin-offering, could bring two pigeons. If he was so poor that he did not possess two pigeons, then he could catch two of the wild turtle-doves and offer them for a sin-offering; but if he was too feeble to capture the wild doves, the Lord made ample provision by allowing him to bring a small portion of fine flour, and the priest presented the crushed grain as a type of the broken body of the Saviour. Of this one's sin it was said, "It shall be forgiven him." He stands then in just the same relation to God as does the one who was able to bring a bullock. A handful of the flour was burned, corresponding to the burning of the fat, typifying the final destruction of sin; and the remainder was eaten by the priest; thus typifying the bearing of our sins by the Saviour.
In all sin-offerings where animals or birds were offered, the blood was all poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering in the court of the sanctuary. When we remember how particular the Lord was that everything about the camp should be kept in a sanitary condition, we can see at a glance that to keep it thus, must have required much work; therefore the Lord would not have directed all the blood to be poured on the ground at the base of the altar if that act had not contained a very important lesson.
The first sin ever committed in the earth affected the earth as well as the sinner. The Lord said to Adam, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake." Gen. 3:17. When the first murder was committed, the Lord said to Cain, "Now art thou cursed from the earth." He also said that from that time the earth would not always yield her increase, there would be failure of crops and barrenness. The curse of sin rests heavier and heavier upon the earth. Isa. 24:5, 6. There is only one thing in all the universe of God that can remove this curse. "The land can not be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it." Num. 35:33. It must be by one belonging to the human race, a member of the same family that shed the blood. Hence Christ took on himself human nature, became our elder brother, that he might remove the curse of sin from the earth as well as from the sinner. Christ purchased the earth by his death upon Calvary, and redeemed it as well as its inhabitants. Eph. 1:14. It is the sins of mankind that defile the earth. Therefore whenever an offering had been made for a sinner, the remainder of the blood was poured out on the ground at the base of the brazen altar in the court as a type of the precious blood of Christ, which would remove every taint of sin from this earth, and clothe it in Eden beauty.
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
Type Antitype
Lev. 4:3, 23, 28. The animal to be without blemish. 1 Peter 1:9. Christ was "without blemish and without spot."
Lev. 4:4. The offering was to be brought before the Lord at the door of the sanctuary. Heb. 4:15, 16. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Lev. 4:4. The sinner laid his hands on the head of the offering, thus acknowledging his sins. 1 John 1:9. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins."
Lev. 4:29. The sinner slew the sin-offering. Isa. 53:10. Christ's soul was made an offering for sin. Criminals often lived for days upon the cross; the sins of the world slew Christ.
Lev. 4:5-7, 17, 18. In some offerings the blood was taken into the sanctuary and sprinkled before the Lord. Heb. 9:12. "By his own blood he [Christ] entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
Lev. 10:16-18. When the blood was not taken into the sanctuary, a portion of the flesh was eaten by the priest in the sanctuary; thus in type the priest bore "the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord." 1 Peter 2:24. This was a type of the One "who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
Lev. 4:31; 7:30. The sinner with his own hands was to separate all the fat from the sin-offering, the fat typifying sin. Ps. 37:20. Isa. 1:16. We are not only to confess past sins, but we are to examine our own hearts and put away evil habits. "Cease to do evil."
Lev. 4:31. The fat is all burned to ashes in the court of the sanctuary. Mal. 4:1-3. All sin and sinners will be burned to ashes in the earth.
Lev. 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34. The blood of every sin-offering was poured on the ground at the bottom of the brazen altar in the court. Eph. 1:14. Christ purchased the earth as well as the inhabitants by his death on the cross.
Portland, Maine.