Leviticus 8:15
And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it. And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.
Moses took the blood of the slain sin-offering, put it on the horns of the altar with his finger and poured the rest at its base, thereby purifying and sanctifying the altar to make reconciliation upon it and fitting it for its ministry. This rite belonged to the consecration of Aaron and his sons and the dedication of the earthly sanctuary, when the tabernacle, its holy places and vessels, and Aaron with his priestly garments were anointed and sprinkled with blood to set them apart before regular ministration began. Reconciliation here is the work of atonement, cleansing, purification and hallowing that brings into favor with God, and blood is the means of that work. What Moses and Aaron did in the earthly sanctuary is the pattern that Christ as High Priest was to carry out in the true tabernacle in heaven, entering and consecrating it for reconciliation with His own blood. The anointing of the sanctuary in Leviticus 8:10-15 is the type for the anointing of the Most Holy in Daniel 9:24, which is not the earthly Holy of Holies made with hands but Christ anointing the heavenly Most Holy to prepare for His ministration under the new covenant, while the slain animals themselves pointed forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Altar Consecrated With Blood
Moses slew the sin-offering and with his finger put its blood upon the horns of the altar round about, then poured the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar, thereby purifying it and sanctifying it to make reconciliation upon it and fitting it for its ministry. This was part of the consecration of the priests and the dedication of the earthly sanctuary and its altar, whose purification and setting apart through the blood offering had meaning that finds its fuller meaning in Christ's sacrifice, life, and work. The altar's purification and consecration with blood to make atonement illustrates the ceremonial laws governing approach to a holy God and the worship of the sanctuary.
This altar rite belonged to the consecration of Aaron and his sons and to the establishment of the Levitical priesthood and its sanctuary rites in the two holy places of the earthly sanctuary. The dedication included anointing the tabernacle, both holy places, and all the sacred vessels, and the consecration extended to Aaron and his priestly garments, which were sprinkled with blood to set them apart to God for sacred service. All this anointing and consecrating of the sanctuary and its sacred vessels was preparatory and was done before the regular ministration began.
Reconciliation upon the altar is the work elsewhere called atonement, cleansing, purification, sanctification, or hallowing, which is bringing into favor with God, and blood put on the horns and poured at the base was the means of that work. The sacrificial service with its blood used to purify and sanctify the altar and make reconciliation belongs to the object lessons God gave about sin, with the slain animals pointing forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Pattern of Christ's Work
What Moses and Aaron did in dedicating the earthly sanctuary is the pattern for what Christ as High Priest was to do in the true tabernacle in heaven. The purifying and sanctifying of the altar with sacrificial blood to make reconciliation upon it and fit it for its ministry answers to Christ entering heaven itself and consecrating it for reconciliation with His own blood. That building, priesthood, and round of rites typified Christ and His priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary, representing in yearly pattern His once-for-all ministry. The anointing of both holy places and all the sacred vessels was preparatory to the commencement of ministration, and the ministration that followed began in the holy place, not the most holy.
The anointing of the tabernacle in Leviticus 8:10-15 is the type for the anointing of the Most Holy in Daniel 9:24. That anointing refers not to the earthly Holy of Holies made with hands but to Christ anointing the heavenly Most Holy. It was the last event of the seventy weeks, preparing for His ministration as High Priest under the new covenant.
On earth the anointing of the Holy of Holies immediately preceded the presentation of the sin-offering before the mercy-seat. Christ therefore had to go within the veil after His ascension before He could fulfill the type. This proves the seventy weeks were not finished at the crucifixion.
The slain animals of this consecration service were object lessons about sin, teaching that sin demands its penalty. They pointed forward as types to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In themselves those sacrifices could not take away sin, but pointed penitent sinners forward to Christ the great Sacrifice. The purifying and setting apart of the altar through the blood offering to make reconciliation upon it thus finds its fuller meaning in Christ's sacrifice, life, and work, to which the sanctuary sacrifices are symbolically connected.