Garments of the High Priest: Day of Atonement — John Stubbs

Thank you very much for coming to the meeting tonight, this last meeting. It's hard to believe that the last meeting of this series, this week, has now come upon us. But we do trust that all has been spiritually worthwhile and profitable, and a blessing and encouragement to the Lord's people in this place.

Aaron's Ministry on the Day of Atonement

Now, we have a different subject tonight, a very solemn one, a very serious one, and it's all that. And that is, we're going to consider the same High Priest Aaron, as you see in the chart there on the wall, on the Day of Atonement.

What he had to do, his tremendous individual responsibilities, and how much rested on him for one more year for the success of all the ritualistic detail he had to be involved with on this day. And we're going to see how it looks on to the mighty atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, we might have a little lengthy reading, but nevertheless it's important, so let us turn to Leviticus chapter 16. The book of Leviticus chapter 16. We'll read from verse number 1. 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 vale 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 the 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. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house. And he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself.

And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense, sweet and small, and bring it within the veil. And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not.

And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward, and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his fingers seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat.

And he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, because of their transgressions in all their sins, and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it, and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.

And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.

And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all iniquities of the children of Israel. And all their transgressions, and all their sins, put in them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.

And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited, and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. Now come right down, just one more verse we'll read. Verse 30 please. For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be cleaned from all your sins before the Lord.

Now that's all we will read of the good word of God. A lengthy reading, but nevertheless important. It's quite a long chapter. Many details touching the Day of Atonement indeed in Leviticus chapter 16.

The Plain Garments and Heavenly Significance of the Tabernacle

Now, how very different Aaron was scarred on the Day of Atonement. So very different, great contrast indeed to those lovely garments for glory and beauty. All their varied colours, blue and scarlet and so on.

So many lovely colours, all in one way or another typifying the glories of our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many colours in the tabernacle and in the garments of Aaron for glory and beauty that he used in war every day.

It's interesting to notice of all the colours to do with the tabernacle or in the tabernacle, you don't really have, do you, an earthly colour. There's no black, there's no brown, there's no yellow. I suppose that's because the tabernacle is a pattern of things in the heavens.

It's typical of heavenly things to do with our Lord Jesus Christ. And I think that's significant, no earthly colour as such in the tabernacle. You do have in one or two cases, at least with one, the twelve stones of the breastplate that we considered two days ago, you do have at least one, perhaps two, gems with a green colour.

And all I can think of that is that it's because our Lord Jesus Christ represents us in heaven while we are on earth. We are on earth, but he represents us in heaven. Thus, coming to this very, very important day, the Day of Atonement, a very solemn day, in Israel's religious yearly calendar, the Yom Kippur, called Yom Kippur, if you pronounce it that way.

Very critical day indeed, and a very, very solemn day to say the least. Every year, Israel nationally had to be cleansed. Every year this Day of Atonement took place. It's a very big holiday to this day among the Jews in Israel and elsewhere.

You know, whether we look at the Day of Atonement historically in its bearing on the nation of Israel, or whether we look at the day typically in the Virgin's chapter 23 and dispensationally, it is still very, very important.

It is interesting to notice that we have reference, of course, to the Day of Atonement along with the seven feasts of Jehovah in Leviticus chapter 23. There we don't read of the ritual, the blood, the Ark of the Covenant, the holiest of all.

There's no mention at all in Leviticus 23 of the blood and the ritual that took place in the Day of Atonement. We have, of course, very great detail of all this in Leviticus 16, because Leviticus 16 is typical.

It's to be seen, the Day of Atonement, in a typical sense, looking forward to the death of the Lord Jesus, his sacrifice for our sins, his atoning sacrifice on the cross. So thus, we have so much ritualistic detail and the importance of the blood in Leviticus 16, touching the Day of Atonement, but not in the reference to the Day of Atonement in the Feast of Jehovah.

Why? Because the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 23 is seen in its dispensational setting. Those last three feasts, the Feast of Trumpets, the Awakening of Israel, Atonement, the Conversion of Israel, the Repentance of Israel, and then the last great feast, the closing feast of all, the most joyful feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, looking on to the millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, we shouldn't be too surprised or questioned why we don't have the blood and something of the ritual on that Day of Atonement, as we have it in Leviticus 23. We have to appreciate the different contexts.

Leviticus 16 is typical, essentially, pre-eminently typical, looking forward to the death of Christ. Leviticus 23, in connection with the seventh feast of Jehovah, is more dispensational. You know, when you come to the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, we can't escape, can we, the importance of the blood.

The Blood of Christ in Atonement

It's mentioned so many times on the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, the blood. And, you know, we couldn't have emphasised more the importance, even in the New Testament, of the blood of Christ. Some time ago, a certain evangelical denomination compiled a new hymn book, and they gave it to one man who knew hymns very well and so on, and they thought he would be competent to look at this new hymn book and to give his conclusions and opinion about it.

When it finished, he came to the committee who were producing this new hymn book, and this is what he said, Why don't you have in this hymn book, Cowper's lovely hymn, there is a fountain filled with blood?

Do you know what the answer was? Because there's too much blood in it. Isn't that awful? We can't make too much of the blood of Christ, the blood of Jesus, God's Son that cleanses us from all sin. In the epistle to the Hebrews, for example, we have mentioned in that epistle, more times than in any other book of the New Testament, of the blood, the importance of the blood of Christ.

I trust we evaluated it tonight. And are in the good of the truth of the atoning shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Another observation I want to make regarding the Day of Atonement is just this. I have been surprised in the few books I have on the tabernacle, to find that certain authors talk about the High Priest of Israel on the Day of Atonement, in the holiest of all.

And they talk about the people waiting outside on the Day of Atonement. And how concerned, well they might be, we can understand it, how concerned they would be, that the High Priest for one more year would be successful and their sins cleansed.

They would be waiting for him to emerge, after so many hours, whatever time was involved in the ritual of the Day of Atonement. They would be rather anxious. A couple of authors say something like this.

But they would be relieved, because they would hear the sound of the bells. The movements of the High Priest, he hasn't collapsed, he hasn't died, he's still alive. Now that sounds interesting and fascinating, but you'll search in vain in Leviticus chapter 16, for the High Priest going into the holiest of all on the Day of Atonement, with garments of glory and beauty that we considered during the week.

No, no, the passage makes clear, he put off his garments of glory and beauty on this day. And he put on a very plain white coat. He's going into the presence of God. It's a serious thing. He goes in, in the field of God, reverently.

He appreciates the holiness of God. They tell us, the High Priest, for months before, practiced every move that he would have to make, and all that he would have to do on the Day of Atonement. He couldn't afford to make any fatal mistake, that he died.

And how serious for the nation would be the consequences of that. No, he's not in the presence of God, in the holiest, with garments of glory and beauty. He doesn't draw attention to himself, he must not.

He's not there with self-display. He's in the presence of God on the Day of Atonement, with an appreciation of who God is, with a recognition of the greatness and the holiness of God. He goes in without adornment.

He goes in without accompaniment. He goes in alone. And in that sense it reminds us, typically, our Lord Jesus fought the battle alone at Calvary. By himself he cursed our sins. By the sacrifice of himself.

No angel helped him. He did it alone, thank God. Alone he went into the darkness. Alone he suffered. Let us not forget that. The Jews have a rather strange tradition. It's not substantiated in the Word of God.

It's not in the Word of God at all. Especially Leviticus 16. What's the tradition? Well, they were so concerned about the high priest Aaron and his successors on the Day of Atonement. What did they do?

They put a rope around him. How long the rope was supposed to be, I don't know. And with that rope he went into the holiest of all on the Day of Atonement and did what he had to do. And you know, if anything happened to him was the idea, they could pull him out.

Is that in the Word of God? No. It's a fanciful idea. It's just a Jewish tradition. And no more. Not in Leviticus 16. Brethren and sisters, the blood is a great important thing in the Day of Atonement.

Incense, Blood, and the Solitary Work of Christ

Typical of the precious blood, I told you the sacrifice at Calvary of our Lord Jesus. When he went into the holiest of all on the Day of Atonement, he didn't go in without blood. But the first thing he did when he first went in was this.

He took the holy incense, beaten small, and he cast it on the coals of fire from off the altar of incense. That fire brought out the sweetness of the aroma, the preciousness, the fragrance of the incense.

Aaron had to do this first before anything else he did. Or even shed the blood of the bullock for himself and his house. Or shed the blood of the first goat. There were two goats on the Day of Atonement.

The first thing that was required by God was to go in with the holy incense. God cannot smell death. What do the coals of fire speak of? The efficacy of the blood of Christ. What does the holy perfume or incense speak of?

The acceptability of the person of Christ. The coals of fire, as it were, covered the sins. The sweet incense covered their persons. Beaten small, how sweet and precious and fragrant our blessed Lord Jesus Christ is.

At Calvary, what pressure he endured. He endured the cross and despised the shame. The more he suffered, the deeper his agony. The more awful his feelings on that great day, my friend. The more his sweetness and fragrance was emitted and came out.

These are lovely thoughts concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. How many times, this is interesting, how many times do you think the High Priest Aaron went into the presence of God? I think at least, at least to answer that, three times.

I've already said that first of all Leviticus 16 shows he had to go in with the incense. Then he would shed the blood, wouldn't he, of the bullet which was for himself in his house. The priestly house.

That's the second time he would go in. The third time he would go in would be when he had slain the first goat for a sin offering. The bullet was for a sin offering for Aaron and his house, but also the first goat was a sin offering for Israel.

And so, three times at least, as far as I can see. If you see another time, tell me, I'm all ears. But at the very least, he withdrew himself into the holiest of all, that big critical day for Israel, three times.

“It Is Finished” and the Resurrection

It's interesting to see that, isn't it? You know, beloved, when I come to John's Gospel, he's the only Gospel that tells us of the cry. It is finished. Done is the work that saves. Once and forever done.

Finish the righteousness that clothes the unrighteous one. It's done. It's finished. Are you surprised to read of the linen clothes in the next chapter? Before the Lord rose from the dead in a place by itself.

What happened on the Day of Atonement? Aaron left his linen clothes in there. The linen clothes over which our Lord was wrapped, his body was wrapped, were there. Laid neatly and orderly in one particular place.

And not only that. Do you remember how John describes the two angels when Mary Magdalene came and observed? You remember, don't you? One at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been.

Because the ark of the covenant, the children on either side, with the mercy seat in the middle, the blood-sprinkled mercy seat, it's as if there's heavenly interest in the blood of Christ. The importance of the blood, the cherubim, not so much looking to each other, but looking on the blood-sprinkled mercy seat.

I think we have an answer to that in John chapter 20. Just like the cherubim are facing the ark and the mercy seat. Two angels, one at the head, one at the feet, where the body of Jesus lay. I'm not surprised that John mentions that.

As I've said, he's the only one that tells us of that cry, it is finished, or one word, finished. Then we read of the linen, then we read of the angels. It links my mind to the Day of Atonement. What a ritual it is.

How the high priest would have to be careful in every move. I've said before in these meetings, he couldn't afford to make a mistake. They tell us he practiced every move long before the Day of Atonement.

It was a serious thing. Beloved, what I want to do is contrast what Aaron did on the Day of Atonement. The whole work, the whole ritual, the whole program, the whole serious undertaking of the Day of Atonement, I want to contrast it with the death of Christ.

Seven Contrasts Between Aaron and Christ

With his atoning sacrifice. I'd love to have taken the time to show you seven, seven comparisons between what Aaron did on the Day of Atonement and Christ and his sacrifice. But I'm going to spend the time more on highlighting in the ministry on the Day of Atonement right now by drawing attention to seven contrasts between the ritual of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 and the death of our blessed Lord Jesus at Calvary.

The first contrast is that some of them may seem simple, but we need to be in the good of them. We need to enjoy them afresh. The high priest on the Day of Atonement had to move very carefully, as we've said.

He had to be very careful of his function and office on that day. We think of our Lord Jesus. How different to Aaron, who had to offer a bullock for himself and his house. Important office, though he had, and great responsibility as the high priest.

He had to offer first for himself. This was never true of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. His sacrifice was acceptable to God. It's a spotless sacrifice, because he himself was spotless and sinless. He was not at the cross to sacrifice for himself.

No, no, a thousand times no. So here at the start, looking at the contrast between the Day of Atonement and its ritual in Leviticus 16 and what happened at Calvary. What a big contrast. Maybe simple to observe, but very important to remember.

Aaron had to offer for himself, not so our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, an obvious one I know, but a very good one. The sacrifices on the Day of Atonement were temporary. It had to be enacted every year, a yearly thing.

It was in no way permanent. Year by year, the big critical day arrived. It all had to be done, gone through again. It was temporary in its character and nature. Whereas when we come to the great teaching of the epistles of Hebrews.

How lovely, how lovely I say. His sacrifice was once for all. He imparts his own sufficiency and character to it. It's permanent, perpetual in its accomplishment. He'll never need again to be incarnate and live a holy life and die and rise again.

His work is fully done. It's permanent, perpetual in its efficacy. The Day of Atonement was temporary. But the sacrifice of our blessed Lord was eternal in its character. Am I right? Is that not the teaching of Hebrews?

Here's another thought about the blood of Christ. Do you know, the ritual and what happened to the sin offering, the goat of the sin offering, the bloodshed, almost appears a perfect type of the Lord Jesus.

It's unique. It has no parallel, I mean this. No sin offering and its blood was ever brought into the holiest of all. Except this. Sometimes the animal was shed and the blood was shed outside the camp.

But this blood in the Day of Atonement was brought right in. Right into where God dwelt. This is why I suggest to you it approaches more nearly to the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. It underlies for us very clearly the typical nature of what happened on the Day of Atonement.

A third contrast I would like to make between the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16 and the death of our Lord Jesus, again may seem obvious and simple, but it's good to mention it. On this day, I take it that Aaron had no pain.

It wasn't a painful experience, physically I mean. It was a solemn experience and no doubt he felt the pressure of it. Whether he perspired we do not know. Certainly all his powers of concentration would have to be used.

What step to take next, what to do next. But Aaron didn't suffer in there on this day, in the holiest. He didn't endure pain. What a difference with our blessed Lord. Not the pains of death to bitter, says the hymn writer, my redemption to procure.

Oh in contrast to Aaron who did not have pain or suffer on the Day of Atonement, our blessed Lord Jesus knew what pain was, what agony was. I want to know what agony is, I look at the cross. I listen to the feelings in the Psalms of the Lord Jesus.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why thou so far? That's the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, I have no doubt. How to be let go by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness? Having had confessed over it, with his hands laid on it by the high priest, the sins and iniquities of Israel for one more year.

And the symbolism is that second scapegoat is taken far from the camp. As if indicating symbolically the sins of the people, the nation, for one more year is taken care of, have been removed. As far as the east is from the west, says the psalm.

So far they removed, what a verse, our transgressions from us. If you looked at Psalm 22 very carefully, you would see that little word far three times in the first 18 verses. For those first 18 or 20 verses tell us in that first half of that psalm of the suffering of Christ, Psalm 22, tell us the distance he experienced, the distance he went.

Beginning with, why thou so far from helping me? And from the words of my roaring. It's a picture of a distressed, distressed line. What distress our Lord had on the cross. What torment and agony he had to bear.

What intense sufferings were his. What a contrast to Aaron on the Day of Atonement. It meant so much, far more to our Lord to die the death he died. And to be crucified, to use the language of Peter, in the flesh.

It was real to him. His agony was real, his pain was real. You remember in John 20, he appears suddenly in the midst and shows them his hands on his side. He'd already just greeted them with these significant words.

First words to his own from the Lord after resurrection. Peace be unto you. And when he shows them his hands on his side, or in Luke 24, his hands on his feet. It's as if to say, this is what it has cost.

Peace for you. This is why I can bless you with peace and greet you with peace. And why you have the blessing of peace, because I paid the price for it. I endured the pain for it. Very touching. What about contrast number four between the Day of Atonement, Aaron's work and our blessed Lord at Calvary.

Well, here's something very interesting and I rejoiced to see this a number of years ago and never thought about it before. This is what I want to tell you. When the high priest went into the holiest of all to do what he had to do with the blood, in his plain linen coat.

He'd gone into God's holy presence. He fears God, critical day, most momentous. So much depends on it for one more year. Did he go into that holiest of all to prepare the way for another to follow? Did he pioneer the way?

Was there anyone associated with him on the Day of Atonement? We've already seen he went in alone. The rest of the people, sons of the priesthood, nor the people of Israel, could not come in, could not enter that holiest of all.

Otherwise they'd be struck dead.