GOD’S PROVISION FOR THE WAY

                           "He is able also to save them to the uttermost                             that come unto, God by Him." Hebrews 7:25

                                     THE twenty-fourth chapter of Exodus, though almost                                     entirely ignored in the theology of Christendom, holds a                                     large and prominent place in the theology of the New                                     Testament. Indeed, it is the key to the exposition of the                                     Epistle to the Hebrews, for it supplies the framework on                                     which the doctrine of that Epistle rests. For the Epistle to                                     the Hebrews has not to do with the redemption of the                                     sinner, as redemption is popularly understood, but with                                      the life and service and worship of a sinner already                                     redeemed. The Passover, therefore, has no place in its                                     teaching. It takes up the typical story of redemption, not at                                     the twelfth chapter of Exodus, but at the twenty-fourth.                                     And the twenty-fourth chapter is expressly quoted or                                     referred to again and again throughout? (See, ex. gr.,                                     chapters 1:3; 9:18- 20; 10:29; 12:29; 13:12, 20.) And one                                     lesson of principal importance which we learn from the                                     Epistle to the Hebrews is that, in all that follows the                                     twenty-fourth chapter, the teaching is in part by contrast.                                      The redemption sacrifices were offered "once for all." The                                     great blood shedding by which the Covenant was                                     dedicated and the people were sanctified was never                                     repeated. Neither was the Passover. For here we must                                     distinguish between the redemption in Egypt and the                                     yearly commemoration of that redemption. But, with one                                     notable exception, repetition was a prominent                                     characteristic of the sacrifices of the law. They                                     foreshadowed the great sacrifice which should put away                                     sin. But the repetition of them bore testimony that they                                     had no real efficacy. Sin was not, in fact, put away; "For it                                     is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take                                     away sins." The words last quoted refer expressly to the                                     annual sin-offering of the great Day of Atonement; and                                     the rite is one which claims special notice here. The ritual                                     of it is unfolded in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus; and                                     for our present purpose we may confine our attention to                                     some of the principal features of the sin-offering for the                                     whole congregation. In the case of the leper’s cleansing,                                     two sparrows were required; and so also here, two kids                                     were needed for the offering. Of these, one was killed, and                                     its blood was sprinkled in the most holy place. The ritual                                     respecting the other victim is thus described "And Aaron                                     shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat,                                     and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of                                     Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and                                     he shall put them upon the head of the; goat, and shall                                     send him away by the hand of a fit man that is in readiness                                     into the wilderness; and the goat shall bear upon him all                                     their iniquities unto a solitary land." (Leviticus 16:21, 22, )

                                    In the case of ordinary sin-offerings the laying on of                                     hands was followed by the victim’s being led away to the                                     slaughter. We may presume, therefore, that in the                                     symbolism of the chapter the "solitary land" represents                                     death. And the fulfilled merit of this is not doubtful. "The                                     Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6.)                                     "His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree."                                     (1 Peter 2:24.) But who are they that are thus blest. The                                     neglect of systematic study of the types has led to much                                     confusion of thought, and not a little serious error, in                                     regard to the truth of what is called "the simple Gospel."                                     The sin-offering, as we have seen, was only for the                                     covenant people; and if, ignoring the redemption                                     sacrifices, we give to this an exclusive prominence, we                                     shall limit the efficacy of the death of Christ, and leave no                                     room for grace. The sins borne by the victim were the sins                                     which had been confessed over its head; and the laying                                     on of hands betokened identification with it. The offerer                                     became identified with the victim, and the victim died in his                                     stead. The efficacy of the death was thus strictly limited; it                                     could neither be extended nor transferred. Therefore it is                                     that, in Scripture, the Gospel for the unsaved is never                                     stated in the language of the sin-offering. But in the case                                     of the Passover there was no laying on of hands, no                                     preceding identification of the sinner with the sacrifice.                                     The victim died, and it was by the sprinkling of its blood                                     that the efficacy of its death accrued to the sinner. Just as                                     the protection of the "scarlet line" in Jericho was extended                                     to all the household of Rahab, and to all who came within                                     her doors, (Joshua 2:18, 19.) so in Egypt a. believing                                     Egyptian might have sought the shelter of the blood. It is                                     not that the Passover was the revelation of grace — for                                     "Grace came by Jesus Christ" — but it foreshadowed it.                                     The Gospel is to be preached to every creature.                                     "Forgiveness of sins" is proclaimed to all, without                                     distinction; and "all that believe are justified." But they                                     whose Gospel is limited to the Passover can know nothing                                     of oneness with the Sin bearer nothing of the Divine                                     provision for the wilderness journey with all its difficulties                                     and perils. But what if the redeemed sinner fall by the way?                                     Will not sin thrust him back again under Egyptian                                     bondage, and create the need for a new redemption? Most                                     emphatically, No. Sin might bring Israel to Babylon; but a                                     return to Egypt was for ever barred. (Deuteronomy 17:16.)                                     The only sin for which there can be no forgiveness is the                                     sin of apostasy from Christ and "doing despite" unto the                                     Spirit of grace. (Hebrews 10:26-29, cf.Mark 3:29.) It is an                                     "eternal redemption" that Christ has obtained? (Hebrews                                     9:12.) The new theology makes so light of sin that the                                     question here raised scarcely concerns it. And the old                                     theology, owing to its neglect of the types, gives an                                     answer which is inadequate. When the Israelite sinned he                                     brought his sin-offering. It was the definite                                     acknowledgment (or "confession ") of his sin, and it                                     obtained for him forgiveness. But as we have seen, a                                     sinner needs more than forgiveness, for God is holy. He                                     must have a twofold cleansing, and this was provided for                                     in the ritual of the great Day of Expiation. His sins were                                     blood of the slaughtered victim, carried within the veil and                                     sprinkled on the mercy-seat. Thus were the benefits                                     accruing both from the Passover and from the                                     Burnt-offering of the Covenant renewed and continued to                                     the Israelite. And we have this twofold cleansing in the                                     opening chapter of the First Epistle of John. The blood                                     upon the mercy-seat cleanses us from all sin. "And if we                                     confess our sins, He is faithful and just…to cleanse us                                     from all unrighteousness." Sin is thus dealt with in a                                     twofold aspect. Nor is this all, for the word is added; "If                                     any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus                                     Christ the righteous; and He is the propitiation for our                                     sins." (1 John 1:7-9; 2:1, 2.) In dealing with truth like this,                                     we need to keep closely to the very words of Scripture.                                     When we say that Christ has made atonement or                                     propitiation, we use the language of theology. According                                     to the passage last cited (and the statement is repeated in                                     chapter 4:10) He is the propitiation. In our English Bible a                                     similar statement occurs in Romans 3:25; but the term there                                     used is different; and our rendering of it, if not erroneous,                                    is at least inadequate. Of Christ it is said, "Whom God set                                        forth to be a mercy-seat through faith in His blood." It was                                     by virtue of the blood of atonement that the cover of the                                      Ark was the mercy-seat — the place where God and the                                      sinner could meet. And it is because of His death on                                      Calvary that the Lord Jesus Christ is both the mercy-seat                                     and the propitiation. The "merits" of the scapegoat were,                                     as we have seen, strictly limited to those whose sins had                                     been confessed upon its head. But if a heathen stranger,                                     on hearing of the holiness and terribleness of the Jehovah                                     God who "dwelt between the cherubim," demanded                                     whether it were safe to sojourn in the camp of Israel, he                                      would have been told of the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat.                                     For the atonement of the mercy-seat was for all. And so, to                                     the words already cited — "He is the propitiation for our                                     sins" — the Holy Spirit adds, "And not for ours only, but                                     also for the whole world."

                                    The propitiation is hilasmos. This word occurs only in 1                                     John 2:2, and 4:10. The propitiation, or mercy-seat, is                                     hilasterion, which word is used only in Romans 3:25, and                                     Hebrews 9:5. To make propitiation is hilaskomai, a word                                     that occurs only in Luke 18:13 ("be merciful"), and                                     Hebrews 2:17. As appears from the second passage, where                                     this last word is used, making propitiation is a part of our                                     Lord’s present priestly work for His people. The rendering                                     of our Authorized Version is unfortunate; for the phrase                                     "making reconciliation" is elsewhere used to represent a                                     wholly different Greek word. And the confusion is                                     increased by rendering the kindred noun of this other                                     word as "atonement" in Romans 5:11. Christ is the                                     Propitiation, and as a continuing work He makes                                     propitiation. But reconciliation is a work past and finished.                                     In his "Synonyms of the New Testament," Archbishop                                     Trench brackets "redemption" with these two words,                                     "reconciliation" and "propitiation "; and the opening                                     passage of his treatise respecting them may fitly close this                                     chapter. He writes: — "There are three grand circles of                                     images, by aid of which it is sought in the Scriptures of the                                     New Testament to set forth to us the inestimable benefits                                     of Christ’s death and passion. Transcending, as these                                     benefits do, all human thought, and failing to find                                     anywhere a perfectly adequate expression in human                                     language, they must still be set forth by the help of                                     language, and through the means of human relations.                                     Here, as in other similar cases, what the Scripture does is                                     to approach the central truth from different quarters; to                                     seek to set it forth not on one side but on many, that so                                     these may severally supply the deficiency of one another,                                     and that moment of the truth which one does not express,                                     another may. The words placed at the head of this article,                                     apolutrosis, or redemption; katallage, or reconciliation;                                     hilasmos, or propitiation, are the capital words summing                                     up three such families of images, to one or other of which                                     almost every word directly bearing on this work of our                                     salvation through Christ may be more or less remotely                                          referred."

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