LEVITICUS 40


     We will begin this lesson in Leviticus 16:1 "And the LORD spake
unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered
before the LORD, and died;"

     We remember from a previous lesson that 2 sons of Aaron brought
strange fire into the temple, and a fire came out from God and killed
them. We must remember that they had been instructed on the holiness
of God, and they disregarded that. We mentioned several things the
strange fire could have been. One of the things most scholars believe
it was, was that they were drinking alcoholic beverages. We also
remember that Aaron was not allowed to grieve for them, or to bury
them. He was separated for the things of God, and their cousins came
and got them in their coats.

     Leviticus 16:2 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron
thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy [place]
within the veil before the mercy seat, which [is] upon the ark; that
he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat."

     We remember that Moses and Aaron had the same mother and father;
Amram and Jochebed. They were of the tribe of Levi. Aaron could not go
into the holy of holies whenever he wanted to, even though he was the
high priest. To go into the holiest place without God's permission
would be certain death. The presence of God was in the holiest place
in the cloud above the mercy seat. The veil separated the holy place
and the holy of holies. We will find that this veil symbolizes the
flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, that everything in the holy
of holies must be pure gold or 24kt. pure gold overlay. Where God
dwelled must be holy. Gold means the purity of God. This warning could
have been given to Aaron just after the death of his sons.

     Leviticus 16:3 "Thus shall Aaron come into the holy [place]: with
a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering."

     Aaron will not only represent himself before God, but will be the
entire congregation's representative, as well. Of course, this young
bullock symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ who was our sin offering.
Jesus took our sin upon His body that we might receive His
righteousness. The ram for the burnt offering is, also, symbolic of
the Lord as our burnt offering.  We remember that Abraham was about to
offer his son Isaac to the Lord, when God stopped him and gave him a
ram substitute.  Genesis 22:13 "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and
looked, and behold behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his
horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a
burnt offering in the stead of his son." This ram will be totally
burned up as a sweet savour to the Lord.  Remember, this offering
shows the total surrender to God by the person being offered for. In
the sin offering Jesus is our Saviour, in the burnt offering He is our
Lord.

     Leviticus 16:4 "He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall
have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a
linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these
[are] holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and
[so] put them on."

     When Aaron is representing God to the people in the sanctuary, he
wears the fancy garment of the high priest. You remember, that garment
was the one with the breastplate with the 12 stones. It, also, had the
ouches of gold on each shoulder with the twelve tribes of Israel
engraved on the stones. The high priest carried the people he
represented on his shoulders and on his heart at all times. When the
high priest appears in the holy of holies before God for his sins and
the sins of the people, he wears a very different garment. The garment
the high priest wears when he presents the people and himself before
God, is very plain. The linen in the garment, in the britches, and in
the mitre shows righteousness. This washing of his body, before he
puts on the garment, symbolizes water baptism. When we receive the
Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we are baptized in water and we put
on the robe of righteousness that Jesus provided for us. We read in
Revelation that this robe is so white, because it has been washed in
the blood of the Lamb. This garment the high priest wears, shows that
we stand before God with nothing cleansing us, but the blood of Jesus.
We stand in the robe of all believers that Jesus has provided. No
flesh must be showing. Flesh has been left behind. We are a Spirit
man.

     Leviticus 16:5 "And he shall take of the congregation of the
children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one
ram for a burnt offering."

     He not only takes a sacrifice of the goats, and a ram for us, but
takes one for himself, as well. Notice that the offering for the high
priest is the same as the offering for the whole congregation. We
must, also, see that the daily sacrifices were not enough. The fact
that this offering was made just one day a year foreshadows the fact
that Jesus would make one perfect offering for all time for everyone.

     Leviticus 16:6 "And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin
offering, which [is] for himself, and make an atonement for himself,
and for his house."

     We must see in this, that his offering for himself and his
household must be made first, before he would be worthy to make
offering for the congregation.

     Leviticus 16:7 "And he shall take the two goats, and present them
before the LORD [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."
Leviticus 16:8 "And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot
for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat."

     We remember in the 2 goats, that one represents death and the
other represents life. We are dead in sins and trespasses, until we
accept Jesus as our perfect sacrifice. The animal that is killed
represents the fact that we were dead in sin. The scapegoat represents
life. We have been set free to live for Jesus. These goats are offered
before the brazen altar at the door of the tabernacle.

     Leviticus 16:9 "And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the
LORD'S lot fell, and offer him [for] a sin offering."

     Jesus was our substitute, just as this goat was their substitute.
Just as Jesus shed His precious blood for payment of our sin, this
goat would shed his blood to pay for their sin.

     Leviticus 16:10 "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."

     This goat being set free and driven into the wilderness with the
sins on him, show the life we receive in Jesus. The high priest laid
his hands upon the goat confessing the sins of the people and then
released the goat, and drove him into the wilderness. Both of the
goats made up the sin offering.

     Leviticus 16:11 "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:"

     The priest could not go into the holy of holies without blood for
his sins and the sins of the people. This bullock is killed at the
brazen altar, the blood from the animal will be brought into the holy
of holies. We have mentioned this over and over, but it is very
important to remember that the blood of animals can only cover sin.
The blood of Jesus Christ does away with sin.

     Leviticus 16:12 "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 veil:"

     The smoke from the incense burning will separate Aaron from the
full view of God. The presence of God is in the holy of holies. When
he put the sweet incense on the coals, the smoke made a veil where he
could not see the face of God.

     Leviticus 16:13 "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:"

     If he entered without blood, or in any way did not fulfill all
the requirements of God, he would die. The mercy seat covered the ark
of the covenant and the Spirit of God hovered in the smoke above the
mercy seat. The holy of holies was closed off to everyone except the
high priest, and was even closed to him except for one time a year.
Thank goodness, Jesus opened the way into the very presence of God for
all believers when he was crucified. Matthew 27:51 "And, behold, the
veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and
the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;" This veil had kept all out,
except the high priest. The veil symbolized the flesh of Jesus. We can
go boldly before the Father now in the name of Jesus.

     Leviticus 16:14 "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."

     This sprinkling 7 times on the mercy seat symbolizes the complete
work of mercy that Jesus gave all who will believe. This blood
sprinkled completed the sacrifice for sin for that year for the priest
and the congregation. The blood of the perfect Lamb {Jesus Christ}
completed the sacrifice for all time for all who believe.








































                             Questions 40

1.  What had happened to 2 of Aaron's sons, when they offered before
    the Lord?
2.  Why had the LORD killed them?
3.  Who came, and got, them and buried them?
4.  Who did the LORD call Aaron in verse 2?
5.  Where did God say He would appear?
6.  What did He warn Aaron not to do?
7.  Who were Moses' parents?
8.  What separated the holy place and the holy of holies?
9.  What did this veil symbolize?
10. What shall Aaron come into the holy place with?
11. Who will Aaron represent before God?
12. Jesus took our ___ upon His body that we might receive His
    ________.
13. What was the substitute God had provided for Abraham instead of
    his son Isaac as a sacrifice?
14. This offering shows the complete ________ to God by the person
    being offered for.
15. In the sin offering, Jesus is our _______.
16. In the burnt offering, He is our ____.
17. What shall Aaron wear in the holiest place?
18. What does the white linen symbolize?
19. Before he puts on the garment, what shall he do?
20. In the holiest place Aaron is representing ___ ____ to ___.
21. When Aaron was representing God to the people, what did he wear?
22. What 2 things showed the concern of Aaron for the people?
23. After we Christians are baptized, what do we put on?
24. What is offered for a sin offering for the congregation?
25. What does the fact that this offering inside the veil is made just
    one time a year foreshadow?
26. Whose offering must be made first?
27. What is the fate of the two goats?
28. How does Aaron determine which goat shall die?
29. What does the scapegoat symbolize?
30. Who was the substitute for the Christian?
31. What symbolism can we see in the goat being set free in the
    wilderness?
32. Why did Aaron carry the censer full of coals and the incense into
    the holiest place?
33. What happened to the veil between the holy place and the holy of
    holies, when Jesus was crucified?
34. How many times was Aaron to sprinkle the blood before the mercy
    seat?