Earlier this morning I was thinking about the duties of the High Priest of Israel … on this great Day of Atonement. Heavy duties, reverent duties! Much was asked of him. And on fear of death as well!
“And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; and the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 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.” Leviticus 16:1-4
Warning: Aaron, do not come into the Most Holy Place at will! If you do so, you will die! As did your two sons Nadab and Abihu!
Warning: Aaron, do not come into the Most Holy Place without having sacrificed a sin offering and a burnt offering as well! Wherein work was involved, meticulous work at that! Regulation after regulation! (Think of all that would have been involved in killing and preparing that “bullock” alone, that “ox!” Just that sin offering!)
Warning: Aaron, when you approach God in the Most Holy Place you must dress correctly! Do not wear your garments of glory, your most “fancy” attire! Dress simply, linen only … dress humbly!
Warning: Aaron, do not fail to bathe in water, carefully and fully, before dressing either!
And frankly, in these first four verses of Leviticus 16 we are just beginning with the High Priest’s obligations!
Wow!
All this helped me ponder our (us Christians) great High Priest … Jesus Christ the Righteous! (Hebrews 3:1 … “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.”)
He too, in bringing about our Atonement (via His Death on Calvary) had many, many “duties” to perform!
A heavy weight to bear!
What duties, one might ask?
He that Day long ago fulfilled every aspect of the typology involved in the … Burnt Offering!
In the Meat Offering!
In the Peace Offering!
In the Sin Offering!
And in the Trespass Offering!
Work, Holy Work … but work indeed!
And on our “Day of Atonement,” Jesus did not merely “kill” a bullock … He laid down His Own Life as that bullock, as the lamb, as the little innocent dove!
And that “rule” about dress?
Jesus died naked (or nearly so) … a further attempt of a heathen government to humiliate our dear Lord!
What weight to bear!
Not even considering this load … “And the LORD (God the Father) hath LAID on him (God the Son, Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6
Yes, Jesus is a greater High Priest than Aaron (good as he might have been) in a thousand different ways!
Wow!
A whole Lesson on the magnificent superiority of our Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest!
Jesus, according to the Book of Hebrews, “better” than the whole Aaronic Priesthood! God to His Son, way back in Psalm 110:4 …“Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Yes, better!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
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