Christ as Seen in the Offerings-R F Kingscote

8/9/2019 Christ as Seen in the Offerings-R F Kingscote

1/27

CHRIST AS SEEN IN THE OFFERINGS

Notes of Lectures

R. F. Kingscote

http://.!i!"ecentre.org/in#e$.ht%

I. THE &'RNT OFFERING

Le(iticus )* +:,-)

My intention is to take up in a simple way, as the Lord may help me, some of the

offerings mentioned in the book of Leviticus, because they set forth in a special manner

the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ; and also, we may add, the blessings whichhave become ours through what He has done Let us read, therefore, two verses in the last

chapter of !"odus #$%, $&', the whole of Leviticus (, and )the law of the burnt offering*in chapter +-.($

Probably most present here are aware that the offerings which are brought before us in

the book of Leviticus are, as / have intimated, types or pictures given by the Holy 0host

of the Lord Jesus Christ1s Person and work, of what results to us through that work too,thank 0od 2ut some one might say, )3re you sure that they are really types4 5r is it only

in the imagination of man that they are such4*

/n answering this in6uiry we will turn to the 7ew 8estament, where we shall learn fromthe words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, as well as from the inspired words of anapostle, that the offerings of the 5ld 8estament are indeed types of the 9aviour and His

work

:irst then we will read a passage in Luke % 8he Lord Jesus, speaking to those two goingto !mmaus, said,

)5 fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ought not Christ

to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory4 3nd beginning at Moses and all

the prophets, He e"pounded unto them in all the 9criptures the things concerning

Himself* v&.euteronomy = and then )all the prophets, He e"pounded untothem in all the Scriptures * #that is, the 5ld 8estament 9criptures' )the things concerning

Himself *


2/27

Have you, dear friends, ever read the book of Leviticus, and learned from it the things

concerning the Lord Jesus4 5r have you done as many of the Lord1s people to this day

do4 8hey commence to read through the 2ible, but when they come to Leviticus they pass it over 8hey do not read it at all, because they think it is only a book of Jewish

forms and ceremonies = a ritual that has nothing to do with Christians at all 2ut we learn

from this passage in Luke that the Lord e"pounded to those two travellers )in all the9criptures the things concerning Himself*

3 little further down in this chapter of Luke we read,

)He said unto them, 8hese are the words which / spake unto you, while / was yet with

you , that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses , and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me* v%%

)8he law of Moses* does not mean merely the ten commandments, but the first five

books of the 2ible

)8hen opened He their understanding, that they might understand the 9criptures, and said

unto them, 8hus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from thedead the third day* v%&,%+

5h, what a wonderful e"position that must have been? /t was from the 5ld 8estament

9criptures = the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms = that He e"pounded unto

them the things concerning Himself How wonderful then does this book of Leviticus become in our eyes, when we find that, instead of its being only some Jewish ritual, we

have precious things in it concerning the Lord Jesus Himself, 3nd when we find that each

one of the offerings gives us a picture of the Lord Jesus, either in His Person or His work,

how interesting does it become? /t is indeed very gracious of 0od to teach us in this way, by means of types or pictures; for our poor, narrow minds could not apprehend at once

the glory of the Person of the Lord Jesus, or the value of His work 8herefore, 0od givesus these types in order that we may, so to speak, consider one aspect of the Person or

work of the Lord Jesus at a time 8hen, having looked at one type, we turn to another,

which gives us a different aspect 8hus, putting all together, our hearts are filled with

wonder, worship, and praise; while we learn, in a way we could not otherwise havelearned, what the glory of His Person is, and what the value of His work

@e find in this book of Leviticus that there were four chief offerings 8he first chapter

presents the burnt offering; the second chapter, the meat offering; the third chapter, the

peace offering; and the fourth chapter, the sin offering :our offerings are brought beforeus by the Holy 0host, in order to make clear to our minds four different aspects of the

Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ Just as, in the 7ew 8estament, the Holy 0host

has given us, in the four gospels, four different views of the Lord1s Person

7ow if you turn to Hebrews (A, you will find all these four offerings mentioned


3/27

)@herefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith, 9acrifice and offering 8hou

wouldest not, but a body hast 8hou prepared Me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin

8hou hast had no pleasure* v&,+

)9acrifice and offering,* in verse &, would answer to the peace offering and the meat

offering; and in verse + we have )burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin* 9o we find allthese four offerings mentioned 8hen in verse < the Lord Jesus is seen coming to

accomplish the will of 0od

/t is very clear from these verses that the offerings are types of Him who said, )Lo, /

come to do 8hy will, 5 0od*; that is, of the Lord Jesus

3nother scripture that may be referred to is in Hebrews B

)7ow when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first

tabernacle, accomplishing the service of 0od 2ut into the second went the high priest

alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errorsof the people the Holy 0host this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not

yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing* v+.-

9o, by 3aron1s going only once a year into the holy of holies, the Holy 0host signifies

something /n fact, the act was typical; the whole ritual was so @e find indeed, from

Hebrews B$, that the tabernacle and the things in it were called )patterns of things in

the heavens*

/ think we have now seen enough from the 7ew 8estament to show us very clearly that

all these sacrifices are really types given us by the Holy 0host of the Lord Jesus Himself

@e will therefore return to our subect

/t is very helpful to connect the end of !"odus with the beginning of Leviticus 8his isnot often done; but / think we may lose by not doing it, and that is why / read those

closing verses

8wice over in them we find this e"pression )8he glory of the L5D> filled the

tabernacle* #v$%,$&' )3nd Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the L5D> filled the tabernacle* #v$&'

Moses dared not go in because of the glory there

7ow read Leviticus (( )3nd the L5D> called unto Moses, and spake unto him out ofthe tabernacle of the congregation, saying* /t was from within the tabernacle that theLord spoke He did not speak from Mount 9inai , where He gave the law 7o 8he glory

of Jehovah filled the tabernacle, and out of that glory He spoke to Moses, and said,

)9peak unto the children of /srael , and say unto them, /f any man of you bring anoffering unto the L5D>,* etc He gave out all those instructions, not about law.keeping,

but about the sacrifices /s that not significant4 :irst, we find glory filling the tabernacle,

and then 0od speaking out of that glory as to the way a sinner, like you and me, could be


4/27

made fit for all eternity to dwell in that glory How simply, how beautifully, it is brought

out in this chapter? 8he burnt offering stands first, because it shows how a sinner by

nature can be accepted before a holy 0od on the ground of sacrifice /t brings out clearlyand blessedly how a sinner that is away from 0od, alienated from Him by wicked works,

who hates 0od in his heart, who has a rebellious will, and is full of sin; how that sinner

could be accepted before 0od on the ground of the value, in His eyes, of the sacrifice ofChrist 8hat is what we have brought out in the burnt offering / do not say that it is the

first thought, but it is what we do find brought out

7ow, of what does this burnt offering speak4 )8he work of Christ,* you say 2ut what

aspect of the work of Christ4 @ell, the sin offering, which comes last in order, speaks foritself 8hat is a type of Christ bearing our sins, what we have done, putting them away

forever 2ut what is the burnt offering4 8he burnt offering is that which typifies Christ

coming to do the will of 0od, at all cost to Himself, in spite of all that awful sufferingand agony of the cross He came to accomplish the will of 0od and to glorify Him, even

in death 8hank 0od, it was for us too 0od1s will was our salvation; and thus the Lord

Jesus, in coming to accomplish the will of 0od, came to accomplish our salvation also9upposing / were to ask this 6uestion of the Lord1s people generally, )@hat do you think

was the first obect of the Lord Jesus Christ in coming into this world4* @hat answer do

you think they would give4 7ine out of ten would say, that the first obect was to save

sinners, of course Eet that was not the first obect /t was an obect 2ut what was theLord1s first obect in coming into this world4 Have we not ust read from Hebrews (A4

)@herefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith, 9acrifice and offering 8hou

wouldest not, but a body hast 8hou prepared Me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin

8hou hast had no pleasure 8hen said /, Lo, / come to do 8hy will, 5 0od* v&.


5/27

that is the other side, and is the aspect that is presented in this burnt offering = an offering

and a sacrifice to God for a sweet.smelling savor / am sure we lose very much in our

own souls through not looking at that aspect of the sacrifice of Christ = what it is to God ,and not merely what it is for us @e get far deeper peace by looking at it in that way @e

gain immensely by it Let me ask you, Have you ever contemplated that aspect of the

death of the Lord Jesus4 / trust that every one here is able to say from the heart, )8heLord Jesus died for me; in the love of His heart He gave Himself for me* @ondrous and

blessed fact? @e shall never forget it through all eternity 2ut let me ask you, Have you

ever dwelt upon what that work of Christ was to 0od4 Have you ever considered whatwere 0od1s thoughts concerning that blessed 5ne when He thus offered up Himself

without spot4 Deturning to Leviticus ( we read

)/f his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish he

shall offer it for his acceptance* #this is the correct reading' )at the door of the tabernacleof the congregation before the L5D>* v$

Mark, the animal is not killed yet /t is first brought, or presented, without blemish, for theofferer1s acceptance before the Lord 3n imperfect animal could not be accepted Just turn

to a passage in chapter

)9peak unto 3aron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of /srael, and say unto them,@hatsoever he be of the house of /srael, or of the strangers in /srael, that will offer his

oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the

L5D> for a burnt offering; ye shall offer for your acceptance* or, that ye may beaccepted #see the Devised Fersion' )a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep,

or of the goats 2ut whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer for it shall not be

acceptable for you 3nd whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the L5D>

to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to beaccepted; there shall be no blemish therein. * v(-.(

/t must be perfect to be accepted, to begin with /f there had been a single spot, a single

blemish, upon that bullock, it could not have been accepted; and if the bullock had not been accepted, the offerer would not have been accepted, for it was for his acceptance

that the animal was offered @hat does that point to4 8o the holy, spotless Person of the

blessed Lord Jesus, born into this world, made of a woman, made under the law, the 5newho thought it not robbery to be e6ual with 0od #Phil', but who made Himself of no

reputation, emptying Himself, coming into this world, not a full.grown man as 3dam, but

a newborn babe, and then passing through this world as the holy, sinless 5ne, and

offering Himself without spot to 0od 8he whole of that blessed, spotless life #which / donot dwell on now, because it is typified in the meat offering', the whole of that life, every

word He spoke, every action He performed, ascended to 0od as a sweet savor 3nd then

we find that He went into death

8he obedience that characteriGed Him in His life was only perfected, so to speak, in His

death 5r, as we read in Philippians , He was obedient unto death, even the death of the

cross @e know the :ather1s thoughts of that blessed 5ne 8wice over, the heavens were


6/27

opened, and the :ather1s voice was heard, )8his is My beloved 9on, in whom / am well

pleased,* or, )in whom / have found My delight* #J7> 8rans' !very thought of His

heart was to 0od a sweet savor 8hen came the dreadful hour in the garden of 0eth.semane, when there was brought before the Lord Jesus all that He would have to go

through if He persisted in this blessed path of obedience = what He would have to go

through if He carried out the will of 0od perfectly /t was all brought before Him in suchwise that the Lord said, )5 My :ather, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me

nevertheless, not as / will, but as 8hou wilt* #Matt+$B' 9o He goes on to the cross in

perfect and blessed obedience, and there offers Himself up, a willing victim, toaccomplish the will of 0od

/ ask you, beloved friends, not what your thought is about that wondrous work, that act of

blessed obedience and devotedness to the :ather1s glory, but, Have you ever considered

what is 0od1s thought about that blessed 5ne and His obedience unto death4 /f the :ather could say of Him during His life here, )8his is My beloved 9on, in whom / am well

pleased,* how much more now that He has gone even into death itself, out of obedience

and love to the :ather /n John (%$( we find the two things, His love and His obedienceto the :ather, both shown in His going on to death )2ut that the world may know that /

love the :ather; and as the :ather gave Me commandment , even so / do 3rise, let us go

hence* He rose from the supper to go to the cross

9upposing a friend whom we loved very much went through great trouble and sufferingto do something we wished to be done, should we not appreciate his devotedness to us4

8hink then of the Lord Jesus Christ, at all cost to Himself, at the e"pense of that awful

agony of the cross, in perfect obedience coming to do the will of 0od; as He said, )My

meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work* #John %$%' 8he:ather ever delighted in Him 2ut now He was going to lay down His life in love and

obedience to the :ather, and He says, )8herefore doth My :ather love Me, because / laydown My life, that / might take it again* #John (A( * vB

)3n offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the L5D>* @hat idea do those words

convey to your minds4 /s not a sweet savor something in which we delight, something

that is pleasing to us4 8hese are the words the Holy 0host uses to make known to us0od1s thoughts of that blessed 5ne and His sacrifice )3n offering made by fire, of a


7/27

sweet savor unto the L5D>* @hat does )fire* mean in 9cripture4 :ire signifies gen.

erally 0od1s testing udgment :ire and the sweet savor go together Look at that blessed

5ne on the cross @hen He was there, all the waves and the billows of the udgment of0od rolled over His head @hen He was made sin for us, who knew no sin; when He was

there, bearing the whole weight of our udgment, in His infinite grace, what came out4

7othing but infinite perfection, nothing but a sweet savor to 0od, nothing but what 0odfound infinite delight in 8ested to the utmost, and the more tested the more sweet savor

came out 8he more we are tested, very often, the more our imperfections come out 8he

more He was tested, the more His perfections came out = the more the sweet savor cameout before 0od How blessed to look back and see the Lord Jesus made sin for us, and yet

the sweet savor of what He was going up to 0od? /n that sweet savor we find ourselves

accepted, as we shall see further on

p to this time we have been thinking of what Christ is to 0od; and if we ask, )@hatdoes 0od think of the wondrous sacrifice of the Lord Jesus4 @hat does He think of that

blessed 5ne who went to the cross to accomplish His glory at all cost to Himself4* the

subect is so great that we can never know it in its fullness 2ut the Holy 0host hase"pressed it for us in these words )3n offering and a sacrifice to 0od for a

sweetsmelling savor” #!ph&'

7ow, what is our part in the burnt offering4 @here do we come in4 /t has been truly said,

that the burnt offering was all for 0od; the priest was to )burn all on the altar* 2ut wemust remember that atonement is spoken of, bloodshedding is spoken of; and in verse % it

says,

)3nd he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted

for him to make atonement for him*

8hat is our part = our getting the benefit of it, so to speak /t is the sin offering that tellsus how Christ )bore our sins in His own body on the tree* 8hat relates to what we have

done. 8he burnt offering deals more with the 6uestion of what we are our state before

0od as sinners, as in Domans &(B )2y one man1s disobedience many were madesinners* = what we are by nature 8hat is really the 6uestion to be settled, and how a

sinner by nature can be accepted before a holy 0od 8his is a difficulty to thousands of

the Lord1s people Many say, )/ have no difficulty about my sins; / know the Lord borethem all Eet / cannot say that / have settled peace before 0od* How is that4 Eou say, )/

see my sins are forgiven, but / feel / come far short of what / ought to be as a Christian /

seem to have so little love for the Lord and for His @ord*

/ believe the burnt offering represents that which fully meets this 6uestion, because itdeals more with our state by nature, and how we are accepted before 0od 8his is not the

first time we read of a burnt offering in 9cripture 3bel1s offering bore the character of a

burnt offering; and by it he obtained witness that he, a sinner by nature, was righteous,0od testifying of his gifts; that is, bearing witness to the value of the sacrifice #Heb((%'


8/27

7oah also offered a burnt offering after the deluge 3nd the Lord smelled a sweet savor

there, and said in His heart, )/ will not again curse the ground,* although )the imagina.

tion of man1s heart is evil from his youth* #0en-(' 3gain, Job offered burnt offeringsfor his sons ):or Job said, /t may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed 0od in their

hearts* #Job (&'

Eou will notice that verse % of our chapter says, )He shall put his hand upon the head of

the burnt offering* 8hat action means that the offerer was identified with all the value ofthe sacrifice /n other words, if 0od accepted the sacrifice, He accepted the one who

brought it; but if 0od reected the sacrifice, He likewise reected the one who came with

it /f 0od found the sacrifice a sweet savor, and found delight in it, He found the samedelight in the one who came with it 8he offerer was fully identified with the value of the

sacrifice before 0od 3s we read, )3nd it shall be accepted for him,* instead of him 5h,

how simple and how blessed that is? 8he sacrifice of Christ accepted by 0od for us,according to all the value that He puts upon it = Christ accepted instead of us /nstead of

being before 0od with our sins and hatred to Him, instead of our disobedience and lack

of devotedness, we are accepted according to all the value of that work on the cross,where our sins were all atoned for, and where Christ1s obedience, devotedness, and love

to the :ather were fully manifested )/t shall be accepted for him*

@hatever the offerer was, whether he was devoted or not; whatever were his feelings, his

e"periences, or his thoughts as to the value of the sacrifice = all this had nothing to dowith his acceptance 8he 6uestion was, what the value of the offering was in the sight of

0od 8he offerer might have said, )/f 0od accepts the sacrifice, / am accepted; if He

reects the sacrifice, / am reected too /f 0od finds delight in the sacrifice / bring, He

finds delight in me too* How simple when we apply that to our case? /n other words, it isChrist and His work accepted by 0od instead of me 8hat is really it 8hank 0od, if we

have once come as lost sinners, and taken our true place before Him, we find ourselvesaccepted, in spite of all that we are = our unworthiness, our lack of devotion, and ourhatred and rebellion against 0od; accepted on the ground of what Christ was to 0od

when He offered Himself a willing sacrifice = when He was made sin for us, who knew

no sin

>oes not that make it plain4 / am sure we lose a great deal by not dwelling more on whatthat work was to 0od @e must remember that these things give only different aspects of

the same work /t was when the Lord was made sin for us, bearing our udgment, that the

sweet savor of His sacrifice rose up to 0od Has the value of that sacrifice before 0odchanged4 8hank 0od, it has not 8he value of that sacrifice is as fresh before 0od today

as on the day upon which it was offered

@e will ust look at )the law of the burnt offering* in Leviticus + before we close

)Command 3aron and his sons, saying, 8his is the law of the burnt offering /t is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar* #mark the following e"pression' )

all night unto the morning. * vB


9/27

/ think that is so beautiful? /t was burning )all night unto the morning* /n the darkness of

the night, when /srael were asleep, or perhaps murmuring in their tents; in the midst of

the darkness there was the sweet savor of the sacrifice going up before 0od /s it not thenight now4 )8he night is far spent, the day is at hand* #Dom($(' /s it not night during

the absence of the Lord Jesus, till He come as the bright and morning 9tar4 /t is blessed

to think that, during the long, dark night, when the ruin of the professing church is becoming more and more manifest, and in the midst of all the failure of the Lord1s people

on every hand, the sweet savor of the sacrifice, when Christ offered up Himself, is as

fresh before 0od as at the moment when it was offered May we not also apply itindividually4 Ees /f we get away from the Lord in heart, and drift back into this world,

and the things of the world = right away from the Lord = is our acceptance before 0od

changed4 7o; for the sweet savor of the sacrifice of Christ before 0od is as fresh as ever,

and in that we are accepted >oes that sweet savor ever alter4 7ever 8herefore the believer1s acceptance never alters 5ur appreciation of it may; alas? it does 3s we often

sing =

)My love is ofttimes low, My oy still ebbs and flows; 2ut peace with Him remains thesame 7o change Jehovah knows*

8here is another blessed point brought out in this chapter +, and that is, the eternal

efficacy and value of Christ1s work )8he fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall

never go out* #v($' !ever go out. @hat does that imply4 @hen we have been in theglory of 0od for innumerable ages, we shall be there on the same ground as that upon

which we are now accepted; namely, the value of the work of Christ before 0od @hen

0od brings in the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, the

foundation on which all that scene of blessedness will rest will be the sweet savor of thesacrifice of Christ, when He offered Himself without spot to 0od

/ do not know a more peace.giving truth than this that we are dwelling on /f anyone ask,

)@hat are you building on4 @hat are you resting on for your eternal salvation4* we cananswer, )8he value 0od puts upon the work of His beloved 9on* @hat a sure, solid

foundation for our souls? / was only lately saying to some Christians, )/t is a great thing

to see that you and / are as fit for heaven now as we ever shall be through all eternity* 3t

first they could not see it, and did not 6uite believe it 8hey could not endorse thatstatement / then asked the 6uestion, )@hat makes us fit to dwell with Christ in glory4*

8hey said, )@hy, of course, the work of Christ* 2ut will the work of Christ be of any

more value in 0od1s sight when we are in glory than it is today4 7ot one atom 8herefore,if we are believers, the blessed truth is this, that on the ground of that work we are as fit

for the glory now as we ever shall be when we are actually in it, although then free from

the presence of sin, and with a glorified body like Christ1s 3nd although we may fail, andget away from the Lord, and our hearts become as cold as a stone; though the whole

professing church have gone wrong, how blessed it is to think of the burnt offering

burning all night; the sweet savor of it as fresh before 0od at this moment as on the day

when the sacrifice was offered 3nd throughout all the countless ages of eternity it will bestill the same = what Christ was to 0od when He offered Himself without spot through

the eternal 9pirit


10/27

May the Lord give us, beloved friends, to know more of that wondrous work of the Lord

Jesus on the cross = what it is to 0od, and what it has done for us /t will be our theme of

praise in glory, when we shall know as we are known 8he same blessed 9aviour willoccupy us then, and will bring out the thanksgiving of our lips, and the adoration of our

hearts May 0od grant that it may be more and more so now

II. THE EAT OFFERING

Le(iticus 0: +:)1-),

@e were saying last week that the burnt offering, which comes first in the book of

Leviticus, is a type of the Lord Jesus offering Himself to accomplish the will of 0od, atall cost, even to death @e have bloodshedding and atonement in that offering, because,

although the Lord Jesus went into death in obedience to 0od, it was on account of what

we are by nature, on account of our condition as lost children of 3dam

8he case of the meat offering is 6uite different 8here is no bloodshedding here 8hisoffering was composed of fine flour, or it might be of green ears of corn 8here was no

death connected with it 8he fine flour was to be mingled or anointed with oil, and

frankincense put upon it Part of the meat offering = )the memorial of it,* as it is called =with all the frankincense, was offered on the altar for a sweet savor to 0od 8hus it was

6uite unlike the burnt offering, all of which went up to 0od, e"cepting only the skin,

which the priest had for himself 8he remainder of the meat offering 3aron and his sonsate

7ow, while the burnt offering typifies Christ offering Himself to 0od for a sweet savor in

His death = obedient unto death, the meat offering speaks to us of the perfect, sinless

humanity of the Lord Jesus = what He was as a man here on earth, but as offered to 0od;)an offering,* as it states here in chapter , )made by fire* 8his fire, as you know,

represents testing udgment; and surely the blessed Lord was tested in all His path

through this world, as also on the cross, and by death itself 2ut the more He was tested,

the more was brought out His infinite perfection before 0od !very thought, every word,every action was a sweet savor to 0od 8he Lord was perfect in every step of His way

through this world = perfect in obedience, perfect in dependence, perfect in meekness,

perfect in kindness, perfect in sympathy, perfect in humility; in fact, there is not a singlegrace you can think of that the Lord Jesus did not e"hibit in all its perfection during His

life upon earth 8his the meat offering typifies 3ll the frankincense was to be burnt with

the meat offering, and the sweet perfume of that frankincense speaks to us of all the

graces of the Lord Jesus, every thing being perfectly acceptable to 0od = a sweet.smelling savor

9ome might wonder why the burnt offering comes first, since the Lord1s life, as a matter

of time, came before His death 2ut divine wisdom is shown in giving us the burntoffering before the meat offering; for had the Lord stopped short of death, and the bearing

of udgment as made sin for us; had He failed when the last test came = when, in the

garden of 0ethsemane, there was brought before the Lord all the awful suffering He


11/27

would have to go through in bearing the udgment of 0od if He took up our case = if then

He had said, )/t is too much; / cannot go on to that in obedience to 0od,* His obedience

would not have been perfect 8herefore, we get in Philippians , He )became obedientunto death* 8he perfection of His obedience reached even to death( 8he obedience that

characteriGed Him throughout His life was brought to its severest trial in His death 8hen

that obedience was perfected in His giving up His life in atonement 8hus we find, first of all, the Lord1s death brought out in the burnt offering, as that was the foundation of every.

thing 8hen, in the meat offering, we find what He was as a man here on earth = His life

here, but as offered to 0od

/t is a very blessed subect indeed, but one feels utterly unable to speak at any length ofthe perfections of the Lord Jesus in His life here below @ould that one could better?

8here is, however, a very practical side for us to consider; and we always gain by

learning 0od1s thoughts concerning the Person of Christ, whether in His life or in Hisdeath

@hen we were looking at His death, and the value of it, we saw how infinitely acceptableall was to 0od 3ll was a sweet savor @e saw that every believer in Christ is accepted

before 0od in that same sweet savor 8hat shows how we gain by learning 0od1s thoughtsabout the Lord1s death 9o, when the thoughts of 0od concerning the life of Christ on

earth are known by us, we are immense gainers @e see the delight that 0od finds in

Him, and can, as believers, say that we are accepted in that blessed 5ne 5f course, it isonly after His death and resurrection that we could be in Him; but the same 5ne in whom

we are now accepted was the 5bect of 0od1s delight here below 8he better we know

0od1s thoughts about Christ, the better we know 0od1s thoughts about us, who are in

Christ 3ccording to that verse in ( John %, )3s He is, so are we in this world* 8here isnot a single grace, not a single beauty, not a single perfection of the Lord Jesus that we

see brought out in the gospels respecting which we, as believers, may not say, )8hat ismine* >o you ask how this can be4 / reply, /s not Christ your life4 )@hen Christ, who isour life, shall appear* #Col$%', >o you want to see what your life is in its perfection4

Eou must not look at yourselves, or your fellow.Christians; you must look at Christ here

on earth ):or the life was manifested* = shown out # John (' @hat life4 8he eternallife 8hat is the life you and / possess as believers How often that blessed yet

simple verse, the last verse of John $, is 6uoted and preached from? and how many

thousands of souls have got peace from it?

)He that believeth on the 9on hath everlasting life*

( 3nother has said, )3ll shall be udged = the saints, that they may not be condemned

with the world . the rest by final udgment; but salt, separation from evil, belonged tosacrifices thus given to 0od I3nd every sacrifice shall be salted with salt1 8hose who

were consecrated to 0od, whose life was an offering to Him, should not lack the power of

holy grace which binds the soul to 0od, and inwardly preserves it from evil* #J7>'


12/27

Many, by believing that verse, have known they are saved; but when we come to in6uire,

)@hat is that everlasting life that we possess4* we have touched upon a far deeper

6uestion than that of the soul1s salvation @ell, / say, Eou must not look at me to find itout, because very often a great deal that is not the life of Christ comes out; very often the

sin, the 3dam.nature, shows itself 7o; if you wish to see the eternal life that / possess

perfectly manifested, you must look at the Lord Jesus Christ as a man on earth

8he meat offering then sets forth the life of Jesus as a man on earth, yet as offered to0od He is our life now as risen from the dead; and was not that life manifested in His

Person here on earth4 Most of you will remember that verse in Corinthians, where we

find the very e"pression, )life of Jesus* Just turn to it for a moment #ch%(A'

)3lways bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus*

7ow, this is the part / meant to call your attention to

) That the life also of "esus might be made manifest in our body*

9cripture furnishes no account of the Lord1s life in glory, where He is now @e only know

that He is there, and there to make intercession for us 2ut in the gospels 0od has givenus an account of the life of the Lord Jesus on earth in four distinct aspects, ust as there

are four great typical offerings in the book of Leviticus, as we noticed when speaking of

the burnt offering 3nd the life of Jesus, that eternal life, which was with the :ather, was

manifested, or shown out 8he Lord having now died, and borne our sins, being made sinfor us, there is an end of what we were as children of 3dam; and, as risen out of death,

the Lord communicates His resurrection life to us 3s we read in John A, He breathed on

His disciples and said to them, )Deceive ye the Holy 0host*; that is, He imparted life in

resurrection in the power of the Holy 0host >oes it not make it more interesting whenwe remember this in looking at the life of the Lord Jesus here on earth4 Deturning to our

chapter, we read

)3nd when any will offer a meat offering unto the L5D>, his offering shall be of fineflour* v(

:ine flour is a type of the spotless, sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus 8he Lord speaks

of Himself once or twice, at least, in the gospels, as wheat, and also as bread 5ne in.

stance is in John +

):or the bread of 0od is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto theworld* v$$

8here you see that a humbled Christ = the 5ne who came down = is called )the bread of

0od* 3nd John ( says,

)Ferily, verily, / say unto you, !"cept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, itabideth alone* v%


13/27

8here the Lord speaks of Himself as a corn of wheat. /n chapter +, as we saw, He speaks

of Himself as the bread of God. 8hus it is not very hard to understand the language of the

types when we turn with the light of the 7ew 8estament to the book of Leviticus @e findthat one of the offerings, which we know typifies Christ, is composed of fine flour 8his

represents the 5ne who came down from heaven, the Man Christ Jesus, in His spotless,

sinless humanity here 3nd how beautiful is fine flour? @hen we pass our hand through itthere is no roughness, no unevenness; all is perfectly smooth 9o in the Lord Jesus 8here

was no unevenness in Him; there was nothing in that blessed 5ne but what was

absolutely according to 0od1s mind

/n some cases the fine flour was mingled with oil; in other cases it was anointed with oil

)3nd if thy oblation be a meat offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour

unleavened, mingled with oil* #v+'

) Mingled with oil* 5f what does that speak to us4 @ell, we know that the blessed Lord

Jesus was conceived of the Holy 0host, as the angel announced to Mary

)8he Holy 0host shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadowthee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the 9on of

0od* Luke ($+

8hus, in His nature as a man, He was conceived of the Holy 0host, and everything that

He did was by the power of the Holy 0host 7o doubt the mingling of the oil speaks to usof that

9ome of the meat offerings were anointed with oil, which speaks for itself Most of us are

familiar with the verse, )How 0od anointed Jesus of 7aGareth with the Holy 0host andwith power* #3cts (A$-' 8he Lord was anointed with the Holy 0host when He wasabout thirty years of age 3t the baptism of John the Holy 0host descended upon Jesus in

the form of a dove, and abode upon Him 8here was the anointing

8here is another thing to be noticed in this offering, and that is the entire absence ofleaven 8here was to be no leaven in any of the offerings

)7o meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the L5D>, shall be made with leaven for

ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the L5D> made by fire* v((

Leaven in 9cripture is a type or symbol of evil 8here is not a single place in 9cripturewhere it typifies any good / am aware that some people, who cannot deny that itrepresents evil in many places, say that in one place it means good 8he supposed

e"ceptional passage is in Matthew ($

)8he kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three

measures of meal, till the whole was leavened* v$$


14/27

8hose people say that this means the gradual spread of good in the world, until at last the

whole world becomes converted @e know, however, that it is not so /n every instance

where the word leaven is found, it refers to evil 8wo passages will be enough to 6uotehere /n ( Corinthians &- we read, )8he leaven of malice and wic#edness *; and in Luke

(( the Lord said, )2eware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy* /n this

same 0ospel of Matthew #ch(+(' the Lord shows His disciples that, when He badethem beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the 9adducees, He referred to their

doctrine ; and this parable in Matthew ($ no doubt speaks to us of the spread of the

Christian religion, so called, in contrast to other religions, but not of true faith and realconversion so much as of propagating doctrines, dogmas, etc in the world, the result

being professing Christendom >octrines are held where there is no real conversion, and

all mere outward religion must be connected with evil :or instance, 2abylon , in the

book of Develation, representing worldly religion, will be udged by 0od as utterlycorrupt and evil @hen we understand by 0od1s @ord that the professing church here on

earth is going to get more and more corrupt, evil men and seducers wa"ing worse and

worse # 8im$($', we need not seek to alter the significance of the word leaven in

Matthew ($ /t is all simple and clear 8here was to be no leaven in any offering of theLord 8hat speaks for itself /n the Person of the blessed Lord Jesus, there was no sin;

)that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the 9on of 0od* 3nd thee"ception in verse ( of our chapter only brings out more strikingly the wonderful

accuracy of the 9pirit of 0od in using these types, and shows that the records are inspired

of 0od in a most admirable way

)3s for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the L5D> but they shallnot be burnt on the altar for a sweet savor* v(

Particulars of the oblation of firstfruits are given in Leviticus $(+.( 8he meat offering

referred to there is a type of the Church, of Christians as a body, sanctified by the 9piritof 0od, and accepted in all the value of the work of Christ /n that instance only wasleaven to be present How beautifully accurate 9cripture is? /n the one type only, which

represents us as believers in Christ, was leaven to be found 2ecause, although we are

before 0od according to all the value of the work of Christ, we still have sin in us /f anuninspired man had written the book of Leviticus, would he have put in a thing of this

kind4 /mpossible 8hese are 0od the Holy 0host1s pictures of the heavenly things and of

the 5ne who was coming

8here was also to be no honey in the sacrifice Honey is understood to typify that whichis sweet to us as men here = family affection and such like, right in itself = but when it

was a 6uestion of being wholly consecrated to 0od, or offered to Him, as in the language

of our type, all this had to be set aside 8he blessed Lord when on earth fully recogniGednatural relationships, but #to use the language of another' He who could say, )@oman,

behold thy son?* and to the disciple, )2ehold thy mother?* even in the terrible moment of

the cross, when all was finished, could also say, )@oman, what have / to do with thee4*

when He was in the simplest accomplishment of His service


15/27

8here is very little said of the Lord1s life before His public ministry @e have ust a

mention of Him when He was twelve years of age He was with the doctors in the temple,

hearing them, and asking them 6uestions /t was then that He said to His mother, )@ist yenot that / must be about My :ather1s business4* He was consciously the 9on of the

:ather; yet the very ne"t verse says that He went back with His parents, and was subect

to them 8hat shows the perfection of what He was, even at twelve years old = a subect9on to His earthly parents How beautifully the Lord1s perfections came out every step of

the way? @hat passed from the time He was twelve years of age till He was thirty, the

Holy 0host does not reveal to us, but all that time the :ather1s eye rested upon Him; andall His thoughts, acts, words, and prayers were going up as a sweet savor to 0od

Concerning the commencement of His public ministry, we read in Matthew $,

)3nd Jesus, when He was baptiGed, went up straightway out of the water and, lo, the

heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the 9pirit of 0od descending like a dove,

and lighting upon Him and lo a voice from heaven, saying, 8his is My beloved 9on, in

whom / am well pleased* v(+,(


16/27

5n the other hand, we are apt to go to the other e"treme, and attach too little importance

to the Lord1s life 7evertheless, it is very clear that His life is not for our ustification, and

we cannot be too clear upon it; for if He had lived down here ten thousand years, and hadnot died, we could never have gone into the glory of 0od 7ever 8herefore we can say

with all confidence, that the Lord1s life on earth did not put away sins His death and

bloodshedding alone could do that /f it be asked, )@hat was the obect of His life onearth4* / reply, that in all things we are apt to think of our own side, and the benefits we

get from what Christ has done Have you ever considered that the world1s history for

%AAA years, from the time that 3dam sinned till the Lord came, is a history of sin, ofdishonor done to 0od, of rebellion against Him, of independence and self.will in every

conceivable form4 @e have only to read the 5ld 8estament to find that this was the case,

both before the flood and after it /t is all the same story = nothing but a history of man1s

sin, rebellion, and independence of 0od, e"cept when there was true faith wrought by the9pirit of 0od 3nd is all this to be allowed to pass without any notice being taken of it4

7o

/t is most interesting to see that the Lord Jesus, in His life down here, took up, andglorified 0od in, every point in which the first 3dam and his race failed /t is very blessed

to see that 3dam and all his race are characteriGed by disobedience )2y one man1s

disobedience many were made sinners* #Dom&(B' @hat characteriGed the Lord Jesus4

5bedience, perfect obedience /ndependence characteriGed the first 3dam and all his raceall the way down Look at the tower of 2abel , for instance @hat an e"pression of

independence that was? 8hey said, )Let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may

reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name 3nd the L5D> said, now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do* #0en((%.+' 8here was the

self.e"altation of man on the earth in independence of 0od 2ut what characteriGed the

Lord Jesus4 Perfect dependence /n the wilderness He was ahungered; and when the devil

came to Him and said, )/f 8hou be the 9on of 0od, command that these stones be made bread,* He answered, )/t is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word

that proceedeth out of the mouth of 0od* Perfect dependence, perfect obedience,

characteriGed the Lord Jesus in every possible way He brought infinite glory to 0od inthe very place where nothing but dishonor had been brought to Him by the first man and

his race /t is most blessed to think of = He was doing the :ather1s will at all cost to

Himself >o you think that you lose by contemplating 0od1s thoughts of Christ4 / willgive you an instance of the opposite of this Just turn to John +$


17/27


18/27

be salted with salt* !ternal udgment is the portion of all men who die in their sins 2ut

in the case of the sacrifice, the efficacy of it and its results will endure forever /t is )the

salt of the covenant of thy 0od,* in which 0od, as it were, binds Himself to bless usaccording to His own heart on the ground of the everlasting efficacy of the sacrifice of

the Lord Jesus /n connection with this meat offering, the sweet savor of what Christ was

to 0od here as man on earth will be no passing savor, but will abide for all eternity, aswill also our oy in feeding upon Him as the humbled Man here on earth

@e will ust refer in conclusion to )the law of the meat offering* #ch+(%.(-' 8his

passage brings out our portion in that offering 8he memorial of that meat offering was to

be burnt upon the altar for a sweet savor unto the Lord

)3nd the remainder thereof shall 3aron and his sons eat with unleavened bread shall it

be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation shall they eat

it /t shall not be baked with leaven / have given it unto them for their portion of My

offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering*

)/ have given it unto them* / think that is beautiful 0od says, )/ have given it unto

them* 0iven what4 8he meat offering nto whom4 nto His priests, unto us = )for

their portion of My offerings* /t was 0od1s offering, all offered to 0od, as the life of the

Lord Jesus here, but we have our portion in it @e, as 0od1s priests, can feed upon thathumbled 5ne; our souls can feed upon and delight in Him in His perfection as a man

going through this world How wonderful that is? 3nd is it not very remarkable that every

time these scriptures speak of 3aron and his sons eating of this offering, it is said, )/t ismost holy*4 Dead the third verse of chapter )3nd the remnant of the meat offering

shall be 3aron1s and his sons1 it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the L5D> made

by fire* Ferse (A also )8hat which is left of the meat offering shall be 3aron1s and his

sons1 it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the L5D> made by fire* 3nd verse (< inchapter + )/t shall not be baked with leaven / have given it unto them for their portion of

My offerings made by fire; it is most holy , as is the sin offering, and as the trespassoffering* )@ith unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place* #v(+' @hat is the

holy place for us4 9urely the presence of 0od @ithout leaven the priests1 portion was to

be eaten in the holy place; with unleavened bread = the absence of all allowed sin /n the

presence of 0od, with the flesh udged and kept in the place of death; only there and thuscan we, as 0od1s priests, feed upon the spotless, holy Person of the Lord Jesus Christ in

His life as a man here below 8he meat offering and the sin offering are characteriGed

alike by )it is most holy* 3ll the efforts and attacks of 9atan against the truth, in almostall false doctrines, are directly or indirectly aimed at the Person or work of the blessed

Lord = not so much at what He is now in glory, as what He was as man down here on

earth 3 humbled Christ seems to be the obect of the enemy1s attack in all false doctrine/t was so in the beginning Look at the troubles in the early days of the Church = the

8his is also seen in the meat offering; but the difference is, that in the burnt offering it is

the Lord1s death and bloodshedding, and atonement, while in the meat offering it is His

life here on earth Hence in the latter there is no bloodshedding or atonement


19/27

3rian doctrine, for instance, aiming a blow at the Person of Christ = and the doctrine of

the non.eternity of punishment, in our day, indirectly undermining the truth both as to the

Person and the work of Christ

2ut we read, first of all, that the priests shall eat of the meat offering 5nly a converted

person can understand and feed upon the Lord Jesus in His pathway through this world9econd, )with unleavened bread shall it be eaten* 7o sin may be allowed in us /f sin

were unudged in us, the Holy 0host would be grieved, and could not unfold to us the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ in His humiliation on earth; and it is the Holy 9pirit alone

who can do that 5n the other hand, nothing is more dreadful than an unconverted man1s

criticiGing and udging the life of the Lord Jesus here on earth, or than the e"ercise of thethoughts of an unrenewed heart as to the Person of the 9on of 0od 8he priests of 0od

feed upon a humbled Christ in the holy place

May the Lord enable us in the power of the Holy 9pirit to feed on Himself 9urely that is

what the Lord speaks to us of in the message to the church at Pergamos in Develation

)8o him that overcometh will / give to eat of the hidden manna* @hat is the )hiddenmanna*4 8here in glory we shall, in the power of the Holy 0host, look back and enter

fully into 0od1s delight in the perfections of the blessed Lord in His humiliation uponearth; and it is surely our portion now 9urely His humiliation is far more wonderful to us

than His e"altation = the humiliation of that blessed 5ne who, being in the form of 0od,

emptied Himself, humbled Himself, went down in perfect obedience )unto death, eventhe death of the cross* May the Lord in His grace give us to be feeding upon Himself

more and more

)8here on the hidden bread,

5n Christ = once humbled here =

0od1s treasured store, forever fed,His love my soul shall cheer*

III. THE 2EACE OFFERING

Le(iticus 3:)-34 )+4 )5* 5:))-),4 00-01

8he term )peace offering* conveys a wrong thought concerning the sacrifice spoken of in

the scriptures which we have ust read Many persons take it for granted that this offering

typifies Christ making our peace with 0od 2ut that is not a correct thought 8he peaceoffering is rather an offering of thanksgiving or praise )9acrifice of prosperity,* as it is

translated in :rench, better e"presses the thought 8he peace offering typifies ourcommunion, as saints of 0od, on the ground of the value of the work and precious blood

of Christ before 0od = our communion with 0od Himself, our communion with the Lord

Jesus, and our communion with one another as priests of 0od 8hat is what is set forth in

the peace offering /t is really a communion sacrifice, and thanksgiving and praisenaturally flow from communion Conse6uently, we have that e"pression, )/f he offer it


20/27

for a thanksgiving* #ch


21/27

Chapter


22/27

)3nd 3aron1s sons shall burn it an the altar upon the burnt sacrifice* #Lev$+'

@e have seen that the burnt offering speaks of that wondrous work in which Christ

offered Himself to 0od without spot /n the very place where He was made sin for us, He put away all our sins, so that they are all gone forever from before 0od; and we, as

believers, may add, )3nd we ourselves, as children of 3dam, are gone too* @hatremains4 7othing but the sweet savor of what that sacrifice was to 0od, and in that we

find ourselves accepted; in other words, it is not a 6uestion of our thoughts, of ourappreciation of the work of Christ, of how we value it; but the blessed truth is, that if you

are the weakest, feeblest believer in the Lord Jesus Christ = one who has ust looked once

away from self to Christ as 9aviour = it is true of you at this moment that you areaccepted before 0od according to His estimate of all the infinite value of the work of the

Lord Jesus on the cross Eou and / may little enter into or understand it, yet such is the

blessed truth >oes Christ1s acceptability ever alter4 >oes the sweet savor ever change4 7ever 7either does your acceptance ever change, dear believer in Christ 8he sweet

savor is as fresh before 0od now as it was when Christ offered Himself; and in that sweet

savor you and / are found before 0od 8his is the ground of our peace

/ need not say that unless a person has peace with 0od, unless every 6uestion about sin issettled, there can be no communion, no worship in spirit and in truth 8he ground of it all

is the value of the work of the Lord Jesus = all its efficacy in the sight of 0od Perhaps

the reason why so many Christians do not seem to have much heart or inclination to lookinto the @ord of 0od, and search out the precious things contained therein = do not seem

very interested in what concerns the Lord1s interests, and what the Lord is in His own

Person = is, in nine cases out of ten, because they have not really peace with 0od; the

great 6uestion of their sins has never been settled 8herefore, when they come into the presence of 0od, or think about the things of eternity, the 6uestion is always rising up in

their minds, )3m / after all really accepted4 3m / really and truly a child of 0od4 5rhave / been deceiving myself all this time4* 9uch a soul is not free to be occupied with0od1s thoughts about Christ, is not at liberty to be occupied with the blessed Lord

Himself 9uch a soul has necessarily to think about himself, his acceptance; and therefore

the first great 6uestion with him is, )3m / fit to stand in the unclouded light of 0od1s presence, in that glory where not a single trace of sin can be found4 Can / stand there4

Can / be at home there4* /f we, any of us, look at ourselves, we must all confess that we

cannot stand there for a moment; but if we look away from ourselves, and see Christoffering Himself up to 0od, we hear the blessed words, )/t shall be accepted for him* @e

learn that all our sins were dealt with and effaced at the cross, and that now nothing is left

but the sweet savor of the sacrifice, and that we are before 0od according to the infinite

value that He sets upon the work of Christ @hat peace that gives?

)3nd the priest shall burn them upon the altar it is the food of the offering made by fire

for a sweet savor all the fat is the L5D>1s* v (+

8he fat, especially that which covered the inwards, was, as it says in verse $, the Lord1s

:at signifies the energy of the inward will @hen the will is in opposition to 0od, set upagainst Him, 9cripture calls that sin 8he very fact of our having an independent will of


23/27

our own is sin 8hat is what it means in ( John $%, which is not correctly translated in

our version / am glad, however, to see it is rightly translated in the Devised Fersion

)@hosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law for sin is the transgression of thelaw*

8he proper reading is, )9in is lawlessness* /t is lawlessness to set up our own will in

opposition to 0od 8hat is why / said if any one of us had a will independent of 0od1s

will, that in itself is sin 9o 0od claims all the fat for Himself; for if the will does not belong to 0od, it is sin; it is not 0od1s will 8he Lord Jesus could say, )/ came down from

heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me* )Lo, / come,* He

said, )to do 8hy will, 5 0od*? He came to accomplish the will of 0od at all cost toHimself, although it led Him on to death, and that the death of the cross He did not

shrink back even in the garden of 0ethsemane , where He prayed, ):ather, if it be

possible, let this cup pass from Me nevertheless, not as / will, but as 8hou wilt*

3ll the fat then was Jehovah1s; all went up to 0od for a sweet savor 8he energy of thatwill of the Lord Jesus was perfectly in accordance with 0od1s will 8hat is a lovely e".

pression in verse (+ )/t is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savor* How

much is involved in these few words? = 0od1s food @here was the offering made4 3t the

cross How was it made by fire4 8he testing udgment of 0od was there, and the moreChrist was tested, the more was brought out the perfection of that blessed 5ne who came

to do nothing but the will of 0od 0od found His food in Jesus; He could feed upon Him,

He could delight in Him; and we can say, )7ever was He personally more the obect ofHis :ather1s delight than when He went into death for our sins, even when forsaken of

0od on the cross*; for 9cripture never says, as some persons say, the &ather forsook

Christ He said, $My God, My God, why hast 8hou forsaken Me4* / suppose that the only

time He used that e"pression before His resurrection was when He was on the cross,when He took the sinner1s place before a holy 0od; but personally never was He more a

sweet savor than at that moment

8he sacrifice of Christ has set us in the glory of 0od without a fault, and that glory cansearch us through and through and not find a single spot or stain @hy4 2ecause we are

there in all the value of the work of Christ; and if 0od were to find a spot upon one who

was before Him on the ground of the value of the work of Christ, He would have to saythat that work was not perfect He would have to say, )8he value of the sacrifice is not

sufficient; it has cleansed some sin, but not all* Could 0od ever say that4 7ever 8he

more we are in the light of the glory, the more does it make manifest how clean we are,

because washed in the precious blood of Christ )/t is the food of the offering made byfire for a sweet savor all the fat is the L5D>1s* 3ll belonged to Him /s it not a very

blessed thought for us, that that in which 0od finds His chief delight = that wondrous

sacrifice = is the very work that has set us without spot in the presence of His glory4

Defer now to chapter


24/27

3s we have seen, this was the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savor @e will

connect this with the Lord1s table 8here it is that our worship ought to flow out 5ur

communion ought to be at its height when we are gathered there around the blessed LordHimself, with the memorials of His death before us = His body given and His poured.out

blood showing that redemption is accomplished 9urely if we can worship anywhere, it

ought to be there @e read in ( Corinthians (A, )8he bread that we break, is it not thecommunion of the body of Christ4* 7ow, / think a great many of the Lord1s people read

that verse without really thinking what it means / have heard a brother ask the Lord in

prayer that the bread which we break might be the communion of the body of Christ toour souls 8he 3postle does not say, )May the bread which we break be the communion

of the body of Christ*; it is, he says )8he bread which we break, is it not the communion

of the body of Christ4* )8he cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of

the blood of Christ4* 3nd then he refers to the offerings under the law Leviticus


25/27

is nothing 0od is so ealous about as the way He is worshiped, and that generally is the

last thing that Christians think about )3s long as we are saved, and get to heaven,* they

say, )it is of very little importance how we worship 0od; it is a secondary thingaltogether* 2ut when 7adab and 3bihu offered strange fire before the Lord, they were

struck dead, because they did not approach in the way 0od had commanded 3nd what

did Moses say4

)8his is it that the L5D> spake, saying, / will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me*#Lev(A$'

:or an unconverted person to pretend to worship 0od is, like Cain, to ignore sin and the

fact that he is a fallen creature @hen we are gathered around the Lord1s table, the breadwhich we break is the communion of the body of Christ @e are there gathered to the

Lord1s name, identified as true believers in all the value of that one offering, the sweet

savor of which is before 0od in all its freshness, accepted before Him in the light of His

presence without a spot @e know that we are fit to be there, and we give )thanks unto

the :ather, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints inlight* #Col((' 0od finds delight in that wondrous sacrifice; we, in our poor, feeble

measure, find our delight in it too 3nd we see the love that gave the 9on, and we see thewondrous efficacy of that sacrifice, and what a sweet savor it was to 0od; and then we

find that the very thing that 0od finds delight in has set us, without a spot, in His own

holy presence 8his, surely, will bring praise and worship out of the heart = not prayer toask the Lord that there may be worship = that is to confess there is none @hen we are

occupied with Christ and His beauty, thanksgiving and praise must flow out; we cannot

help it

>o you not think = / submit it to those who have had longer e"perience than / = that it is a

mistake to suppose that we go to the Lord1s table to worship4 because we get occupiedwith the worship instead of the Lord @hat do we go for4 8he disciples came together to

break bread 8hey did not come to have a worship meeting, or to have a service; theycame to break bread, to remember the Lord in death )8his do,* says the Lord, )in

remembrance of Me* /f we remember Him, we think of that work; we think of 0od1s

food of the offering, of His delight in it; we think of all its infinite results, and the glory

that is coming; and we cannot help reoicing, in conse6uence of our blessing 9othanksgiving and praise must flow out 8hat is 0od1s part; our part is mentioned in verse

$(

)8he priest shall burn the fat upon the altar but the breast shall be 3aron1s and his sons1*

3aron and his sons typify all believers 8he breast was their portion @hat does the breastspeak to us of4 8he place of affection, and the unutterable love of the Lord Jesus to us is

our portion forever @e must ever remember that the blessed Lord Jesus loves all His

people /ndividually we say, He )loved me, and gave Himself for me*; but collectivelywe say, He )loved the church, and gave Himself for it* /t was love that brought Him

down from heaven, from that glory which He had with His :ather before the world was

!ven then His delights were with the sons of men Love brought Him to the manger, and


26/27

led Him through this world till He came to the cross, and there to give Himself for us

3nd it is well to notice that the Lord1s words at the last supper, as to the bread and the

wine, were more e"pressive of what His work was for us than the burnt offering aspect of it, what it was to 0od )8his is My body,* He said, )which is given for you this do in

remembrance of Me* :or at the Lord1s supper it is surely not so much doctrine that

engages us; it is the e"ercise of the heart and affections as we remember Him who gaveHimself for us @e think of all the love of the Lord Jesus in thus giving Himself, and we

shall ever remember it @e shall know it in all its fullness when we see Him as He is,

when we behold Him in all His glory and beauty, when we behold Him there, the fullnessof the 0odhead dwelling in Him bodily, and the glory of 0od shining out of His face @e

shall bow down before Him in worship, and individually we shall be able to say, He

)loved me, and gave Himself for me* )8he breast shall be 3aron1s and his sons1* 3h? we

shall never forget it; on the contrary, the remembrance of it will be intensified when weare in glory = that blessed, blessed reality? = He loved us, He gave Himself for us !ven

now we say, )nto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

and hath made us kings and priests unto 0od and His :ather; to Him be glory and

dominion for ever and ever;* @e say it now; how much more when in the glory, and likeHim?

8hus we have seen that 0od has His part, and that we have our part, in the sacrifice of

Christ 2ut there is 3nother who will have His part too, and that is the 5ne who broughtabout all this blessing = the Lord Jesus Himself @e find the type of this in verse $$

)He among the sons of 3aron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat,

shall have the right shoulder for his part*

8he offering priest is a type of the Lord Jesus, who offered Himself without spot to 0od

He must have His part, surely, in all this blessed communion and oy and worship, because it is through Him it has all come about, as we were singing

)5ur every oy on earth, in heaven, @e owe it to 8hy blood*

8he Lord Jesus = wonderful and blessed to think of it = finds His oy and delight, even

now, in seeing of the travail of His soul How little we think, when we are gathered, forinstance, around the Lord1s table, of the Lord1s oy in having us gathered around Himself;

and when we are in eternity, when we shall all be like Himself, and when He will fully

see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, what oy He will have then? /f we havedone some piece of work that has cost us a great deal of pains and trouble, we have

satisfaction in seeing the results of our labor >o you not think that the Lord Jesus has oy

in seeing the results of His work4 3re not we the results of His work4 @hat oy He musthave in seeing us gathered around Himself to remember Him? 3nd when we are thus

gathered, and, indeed, at all times, we ought to see ourselves and our fellow believers as

He sees us; that is, in all the value of His work, and acceptance in Himself, before 0od

/ cannot leave this subect without referring to an illustrative passage in the 0ospel ofMatthew, chapter +B /t is connected with the Lord1s supper too 8he Lord said,


27/27

)/ will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when / drink it new

with you in My :ather1s kingdom*

@e read of the :ather1s kingdom in chapter ($ also )8hen shall the righteous shine forthas the sun in the kingdom of their :ather* #v%$' /t is the heavenly side of the kingdom

8here will be the earthly side of it; but the heavenly side of it will be the e'cellent glory,as Peter calls it @ine is a type of oy @hat does the Lord mean when He says He will

drink it new in His :ather1s kingdom4 He means that it is not the oy of earth; it is thenew oy belonging to that place of blessing into which He has brought us 8here are two

little wards in this verse that / think very blessed = ) with you * ) ( drink it new with you

in My :ather1s kingdom* He will share the oy with us in that day of glory 3nd the:ather will have His oy as He sees us blessed as His beloved children, holy and without

blame before Him in love, according to His own heart, and according to His own counsel

before ever sin came in 8he Lord will then be able to say, in the language of the 9ong of9olomon, )/ have drunk my wine with my milk eat, 5 friends; drink, yea, drink

abundantly, 5 beloved* #ch&('

/n that day we shall not need to have our loins girded; we shall not need to be on the

watch; there will be no danger of being defiled; but we shall share in those eternal oyswhich the Lord will minister to us with His own hands He will make us sit down to meat,

and will come forth and serve us

2ut, beloved brethren, we are not obliged to wait till we get to heaven in order to enoy

these things @e can begin here; and the Lord1s table, surely, is intimately connected withall this @hen we are gathered around Himself, we think of the body of Christ given for

us, the love that it speaks to us of, the shed blood of which the cup reminds us )8he cup

of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ4 8he bread

which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ4*

May the Lord give us, when we gather around Himself, to enter into it all in the full,

unhindered power of the Holy 0host @e need not think of worship @e are sure to

worship if our hearts are filled with Christ, and with the remembrance of what He hasdone through that one offering, when He offered Himself without spot for a sweet savor

to 0od

Date post:	01-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	carlos-sumarch
View:	216 times
Download:	0 times

Christ as Seen in the Offerings-R F Kingscote

Documents