The sin offering is never said to be a “sweet savour” unto the Lord! As was the whole burnt offering and the meat offering and the peace offering! This must be because the sin offering ESPECIALLY, FUNDAMENTALLY pictures Jesus bearing our sin on the Cross! Sin is NOT sweet smelling to God, rather it “stinks” as an abomination.

So for that reason, I guess, I suspected that the sin offering was not considered especially holy unto the Lord.

God would not even allow the skin and flesh of the sacrificed animal (in the sin offering) to be burnt inside the tabernacle! ON the brass altar! it had to be carried outside the city gates to be reduced to ashes!

Still, I suspected, it must not have been particularly “holy,” with such clear rejection in view!

But I was wrong!

Not only did God classify the sin offering holy, but “MOST HOLY!” A surprising fact indeed!

Now it is true that the BLOOD of the sin offering was to be presented to God! “And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary. And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Leviticus 4:6-7

And it is also true that the FAT of the bullock was to be sacrificed (burned) unto the Lord, at the huge altar of sacrifice, the brass altar. “And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away, as it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering.” Leviticus 4:9-10

The blood and the fat being the Lord God’s! So Jesus, even as our sin offering, first presented Himself to God the Father as an acceptable sacrifice … His BLOOD and the FAT (the richest part of an animal In God’s estimation) given … GOD BEING CONSIDERED FIRST AND FOREMOST EVEN IN AN OFFERING OF EXPIATION! (It may not have smelled good to the Father, reeking of our filthy sin, but it sure was HOLY unto the Father! Because it involved His Beloved, Only Begotten Son!)

But, as I earlier said, the rest of the beast (an ox, a bullock, was the first example God used here) was to be taken AWAY and burned! “And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung, Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth WITHOUT (OUTSIDE) THE CAMP unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.” Leviticus 4:11-12, a picture of Jesus being consumed by the burning Wrath of God (as the Substitute for us, for our sin) “outside” the city of Jerusalem!

But, with all this obvious rejection carefully noted, still God calls the sin offering … “MOST HOLY!”

Where, you might ask?

“Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the SIN OFFERING: in the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is MOST HOLY.” Leviticus 6:25, further instructions on the sin offering!

This means to me that even when Jesus was dying for our sin (on the cruel Cross) … even when He was rejected of God, forsaken by His Father … He was still (in His Father’s Eyes) … MOST HOLY!

Wow!

I feel that we have stood this morning “on holy ground!”

Paul used the expression once, and in a bad sense at that … “ever learning.” But I’d like to be that kind of Bible student, in a good sense … “ever learning!”

And I sure have learned some things today, about Jesus’ Death on that Hill (Mount Calvary) so long ago!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

To God be the Glory! And to His Darling Son Jesus as well! Let’s just say Thanks to the “Godhead,” Paul’s word again.

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