Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Leviticus
Book: Leviticus
Chapter: 16
Overview:
The great
Day of Atonement.
(1-14) The sacrifices
On it, The
scape-
Goat.
(15-34)
1-14 Without entering into particulars of the sacrifices
On the
great
Day of Atonement, we may notice that it was to be a
statute for ever, till that
Dispensation be at an
End. As long
as we are continually sinning, we continually need the
Atonement. The
Law of afflicting our souls for
Sin, is a statue
which will continue in force till we arrive where all tears,
even those of
Repentance, will be wiped from our eyes. The
Apostle observes it as a proof that the sacrifices could not
take away
Sin, and cleanse the
Conscience from it, that in them
there was a remembrance made of
Sin every
Year, upon the
Day of
Atonement, Heb 10:1,3. The repeating the sacrifices, showed
there was in them but a feeble effort toward making
Atonement;
this could be done only
By Offering up the body of
Christ once
for all; and that
Sacrifice needed not to be repeated.
15-34 Here are typified the two great
Gospel privileges, of the
remission of
Sin, and access to
God, both of which we owe to our
Lord Jesus. See the
Expiation of guilt.
Christ is both the Maker
and the Matter of the
Atonement; for he is the
Priest, the High
Priest, that makes reconciliation for the sins of the people.
And as
Christ is the High
Priest,
So he is the
Sacrifice with
which
Atonement is made; for he is all in all in our
reconciliation to
God. Thus he was figured
By the two goats. The
slain
Goat was a
Type of
Christ dying for our sins; the
scape-
Goat a
Type of
Christ rising again for our
Justification.
The
Atonement is said to be completed
By putting the sins of
Israel upon the head of the
Goat, which was sent away into a
Wilderness, a land not inhabited; and the sending away of the
Goat represented the free and full remission of their sins. He
shall
Bear upon him all their iniquities. Thus
Christ, the
Lamb
of
God, takes away the
Sin of the world,
By taking it upon
himself, Joh 1:29. The entrance into
Heaven, which
Christ made
for us, was typified
By the high
Priest's entrance into the most
Holy place. See Heb 9:7. The high
Priest was to come out
again; but our
Lord Jesus ever lives, making intercession, and
always appears in the presence of
God for us. Here are typified
the two great
Gospel duties of
Faith and
Repentance.
By Faith we
Put our hands upon the head of the
Offering; relying
On Christ
as the
Lord our
Righteousness, pleading his satisfaction, as
that which alone is able to atone for our sins, and procure us a
Pardon.
By Repentance we afflict our souls; not only fasting for
a time from the delights of the body, but inwardly sorrowing for
Sin, and living a
Life of self-denial, assuring ourselves, that
if we confess our sins,
God is
Faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
By the
Atonement we obtain
Rest for our souls, and all the glorious
liberties of the children of
God. Sinner, get the
Blood of
Christ effectually applied to thy soul, or else thou canst never
look
God in the
Face with any comfort or acceptance. Take this
Blood of
Christ, apply it
By Faith, and see how it atones with
God.