which was burned without the camp, an entirely different word is used, which signifies the burning in wrath, the consuming as of something loathsome.

The fire for the incense altar confirms this view. It was always taken from off the brazen altar. It could not thus signify wrath. It signified Jehovah's delight in what was going up-the incense of prayer -the sweet fragrance of such prayer before Jehovah, and the consuming expressed his delight in it.

"Those parts of the sin and public trespass offerings which were allowed to be eaten could only be partaken of by the priests (not their families) during their actual ministry, and within the temple walls. Their flesh had also to be eaten on the day of sacrifice, or the night following. In other offerings the permission extended to a second day. Whatever was left beyond the lawful time had to be burned.”*

* This and some other extracts in this chapter are taken from the Rev. Dr. Edersheim's admirable work, "The Temple: its Ministry and Services."

CHAPTER III.

THE BURNT OFFERING.

LEVITICUS i.

THE offerings may be divided into two classes, sweet savour offerings, and those that are not

sweet savour.

The burnt offering, meat offering, and peace offerings belong to the former class; the sin offering and trespass offering to the latter class.

The five offerings present us with five different aspects of Christ. In each one we see Christ meeting some special need in us.

In the burnt offering, which was wholly consumed on the brazen altar, we see Christ's entire devotedness to God—nothing being kept back. In the fire consuming it we see God's delight in this unreserved and perfect surrender of His beloved Son. This offering meets this deficiency in us. Our highest devotedness is full of imperfection, infirmity, and sin. Christ in the burnt offering meets this deficiency in our stead. In Him every believer's want of entire devotedness is fully met. In the meat offering, which was of fine flour mingled with oil and

frankincense, we are presented with a view of Christ's personal character. The fine flour had no unevenness. Our characters, at best, are full of unevenness—one grace predominating over another. His were all

equal and all perfect. The meat offering had the oil poured upon, and mingled with, every particle of the fine flour. In us the Holy Spirit pervades some of our actions and not others. The flesh mingles with everything. In the meat offering the frankincense so fragrant mingled with every particle of the fine flour. In Christ every thought, every word, every deed was sweet, because perfectly pure. All this unevenness in our Christian character is fully met in Christ as the meat offering, and met for us-in our stead.

In the peace offering we have Christ in another aspect. Our "carnal mind is enmity with God." There is warfare between us and Him. God's wrath hangs over us on account of sin. Man's enmity to God is intense. In the peace offering we see Christ as our Peace. "This man shall be our peace:" "having made peace through the blood of His cross: 99.66 the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." This want of peace is met by Jesus, in His person and in His work, as our peace offering.

In the sin offering and the trespass offering, we have two distinct aspects of Christ meeting two distinct and special wants in man. The former meets the sin of our nature; the latter the actual transgressions consequent upon that sinful nature. These are met by the righteousness of our Substitute

in His person and in His work. We have it expressed in the Psalms-"Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven,”—here is the trespass offering : "whose sin is covered,"-here is the sin offering. The former is "forgiven" "through the blood of the Lamb;" the latter "covered" by the spotlessness of the Lord Jesus, as our Substitute.

Thus the burnt offering is Christ meeting our want of entire devotedness.

The meat offering is Christ meeting the deficiencies in our character.

The peace offering presents us with Christ as our peace.

The sin offering is Christ meeting the want of righteousness and holiness in our nature.

The trespass offering is Christ by His precious blood meeting all our transgressions.

Let us now look at these offerings in detail, and first at the one immediately before us-the burnt offering.

It will be perceived that the word of God begins with the burnt offering and ends with the trespass offering. The first meets God's claim-full devotedness to Him; the second man's need-forgiveness. On entering the tabernacle-the meeting place between God and man-we might have expected to hear first about our sins. But no: the first thing we hear is about God's righteous claim to the unreserved surrender and entire devotedness of His people. This claim must first be met. In the burnt offering it is fully met. God must first be considered in everything. His claims must first be met. The burnt

offering and the trespass offering express the two extreme points between God and man. God is first met. But in our approaches to God the first thing which occupies our thoughts is not about our devoted ness. Transgression and sin so trouble the soul that these are its first needs to be met. Thus we have,

on the one side, God's approach to man; on the other, man's approach to God, fully met in the Lord Jesus in the burnt offering and the trespass offering.

As to the burnt offering, the Hebrew word is rendered in Greek "Holocaust," or whole burnt offering. (Psalm li. 19.) The word Olah means, properly, "that which ascends," so called because it all ascended to God from off the altar of burnt offering. In other offerings part of the sacrifice was sometimes given to the priest, sometimes to the offerer. But in the case of the burnt offering, it was all burned on the altar, it all (the skin only excepted) ascended to God in the flame of fire. "It symbolized the entire surrender unto God, whether of the individual or of the congregation, and his acceptance thereof. Hence also it could not be offered 'without shedding of blood.' Where other sacrifices were brought, it followed the sin offering but preceded the peace offering. In fact it meant general acceptance on the ground of previous special acceptance, and it has rightly been called the sacrificium latreuticum, or sacrifice of devotion and service. Thus day by day it formed the regular morning and evening service in the temple, while on Sabbaths, new moons, and festivals, additional burnt offerings followed the ordinary worship. There the covenant