Charles Spurgeon Commentary Leviticus 16
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Leviticus 16
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Leviticus 16
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before Jehovah, and died; and Jehovah 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." — Leviticus 16:1-2 (ASV)
The way into the heavenly places was not yet revealed; the inner shrine, called the holy of holies, was specially guarded from human access. No one could have said in those days, Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, for only the high priest could approach the mercy seat at all, and he must go within the veil strictly in accordance with the instructions given to Moses by the Lord.
Nadab and Abihu appear to have entered into the presence of God wrongfully. They had probably been drinking, for there was a command afterward given that no priest should drink wine or strong drink when he went into the house of the Lord. God in his righteous anger slew these young men at once, and now, so that no others would intrude into the secret place of communion, a law was given to specify when and how a person might approach God.
"Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering." — Leviticus 16:3 (ASV)
There is no access to God except by sacrifice; there never was, and there never can be, any way to God for sinful man except by sacrifice.
"He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on." — Leviticus 16:4 (ASV)
Our great High Priest offered himself without spot to God, and he is himself without sin; but the Jewish high priest must make himself symbolically pure by putting on the snow-white garments of holy service, and before doing so, he must wash himself with water, so that he might come before God acceptably. No one could approach the Holy God with impurities on them.
"And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering. And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house." — Leviticus 16:5-6 (ASV)
These priests were sinful, and therefore they must first themselves be purged from guilt before they could come near to God; but the true High Priest of God, our Lord Jesus, needed to offer no sacrifice for himself, for he was pure and without blemish or stain of sin.
"And he shall take the two goats, and set them before Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting." — Leviticus 16:7 (ASV)
These two goats were not for himself, but for the people. You must regard them as if they were only one offering, for it needed both of them to set forth the divine plan by which sin is put away; one was to die, and the other was symbolically to bear away the sin of the people.
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