1 Chronicles 6:49 But Aaron and his sons offered on the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense… It is only to the atonements of the Mosaic system and the general truths which they suggest that we propose here to direct attention. The subject of the Divine atonement for sin is too large and many-sided for efficient treatment in any one homily or sermon; and yet there is the danger of producing an imperfect or erroneous impression when any piece or portion of the great subject is isolated for consideration. The word "atonement" in the Old Testament means a "covering over," and "hiding from view;" and it is applied to some sacrifice whose acceptableness covers over and hides from view the unworthiness and transgression of him who brings it, or to some act, such as that of Phinehas, which, because it vindicates the Divine honour, Law, and righteousness, is regarded as covering over iniquity, and making possible the pardon of the transgressors. But some changes passed in the connotation of the term, so that the New Testament Greek equivalent became the word "reconciliation," which appears to regard the word as at-one-merit, but does not carry over the idea of covering transgression by a sacrifice or a loyal act. The appointment of Aaron and his sons for this particular work emphasizes the fact that, under the older dispensation, there was constant need for atonement. Every individual needed that it should be made for him again and again, and every year a great public atonement was made for the sins of the people. The reason appears to be this: every fresh act of wilfulness and sin imperilled the standing of the individual and the nation as within the Divine covenant, and brought down upon them all the penalties of the broken covenant - penalties involving even the surrender of life. It would help greatly to clearness of view if we recognized that atonement always bears relation to man's standing before God, and not to man's personal cleanness or cleansing. The constant atonement covered the sin which broke the covenant-relations, and restored, for the individual and the nation, the old covenant-conditions. The daily burnt offering was a daily atonement, or vindicatory act, which covered the people's sin and set them again in full covenant-standing. The private burnt offerings did the same thing for the individual. And the "day of atonement" did it, in a sublime way, as a grand national spectacle, for the due impression of the entire nation. As carried over into Christianity, and gaining its moral and spiritual aspects, we must duly conserve the features illustrated in the Old Testament atonements. These are: 1. Man's lost standing with God by reason of his transgressions. This is fully argued by St. Paul in the earlier chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. Beyond and besides other effects of human sin, this must be fully recognized - it sets us all out of our true standing with God, out of the covenant-relation which is conditioned by our obedience and faithfulness. 2. Man's standing recovered on the ground of something offered to God that is infinitely acceptable to him. In Judaic symbol, the spotlessly pure and absolutely complete animal presented entire. In Christian history, the offering of the person of the Son of God and Son of man, the Lamb without blemish or spot, on the altar of the Divine will. 3. The full acceptance of the atoning sacrifice, by the offerer, as the representation to God of his own will and purpose. This declared the sincerity of a Mosaic atonement; this makes Christ's offering to be for us. There is, however, for us no need of a constantly renewed atonement. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews argues this from the surpassing dignity and worth of the atonement offered by Christ, and from the relation in which he, the Divine Son and Divine man, stands both to God and to us. But that one sacrifice is our constant daily pledge to God that we will keep in the covenant of holy service to him. Every morning to name Christ's Name is to do, in effect, what the Jew did every morning by sharing in the burnt offering. It is to declare our standing within the new covenant, and to pledge ourselves afresh that we will be true and faithful to all its responsibilities and claims. - R.T. Parallel Verses KJV: But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. |
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