Under the Old Covenant the high priest was taken away from among men and had infirmities.He had to offer sacrifices for himself& his house & for the sins of the people as sin offerings.(Heb.5:1-3;Lev.16:3)On the Day of Atonement,
the high priest had to offer a young bullock as sin offering for himself & for his house.(Lev.16:6,11,14).Then a goat had to be slain for the sins of the people.(Lev.16:15)The blood of the bullock & that of the goat had been taken separately into the Most Holy Place by the high priest & sprinkled on the Mercy seat & before the Mercy Seat.(Lev.16:14,15).
Here is a mystery.In Heb.9:11,we had seen that Christ is an High Priest of good things to come.He is the Son of God.He has entered the greater & more perfect tabernacle,not made with hands.As Jesus is sinless,no offering has to be made for Himself.The sacrifice for the sins of the people of the world was Jesus Himself.John the baptist has said,”Behold,the Lamb of God,who takes away the sin of the world.”(John 1:29).So Jesus was both the high Priest & the offering.It is wonderful indeed!
The First Covenant was dedicated by blood.(Heb.9:18).It is the blood that makes atonement for soul.(Lev.17:11)Without shedding of blood,there is no remission of sins.(Heb.9;14,22)Read Eph.1:7;Col.1:14;1 Pet.1:19;Rev.1:5;
Rev.5:9)
The plan of salvation was demonstrated to Adam &Eve in the garden of Eden after they had fallen into sin because of disobedience.God had made coats of skins for them.Blood had been shed.One or more animals might have been killed to take the skins for the coat.The blood that had been shed points to the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(Rev.13:8)
On the day of deliverance from Egypt,Passover was instituted for the Israelites.The Passover Lamb had been slain & the blood had been applied by hyssop on the lintel& door posts of every house of the people of Israel to avoid the destroyer from coming into their houses to smite them.Ex.12:21-28.
The Passover Lamb points to Jesus Christ.Christ ,our Passover, is sacrificed for us.(1 Cor.5:7)
On the Day of Atonement the blood of the animals which had been sprinkled on the mercy Seat points to Jesus Christ.
The plan of salvation is that Jesus Christ has to come into the world in the flesh to offer Himself as sacrifice for the sins of the people of the world.(Is.53:7;Ps.40:6-8;Heb.10:3-9).
Under the Old Covenant,animal sacrifices had to be offered every year on the Day of Atonement.They did not take away the sins of the people.(Heb.10:3,4).
The repetition of the sacrifices to be made speaks of the inadequacy &
inefficaciousness of the sacrifices.Under the new Covenant better sacrifice has been offered.Jesus has obtained eternal redemption by His precious blood.Read 1 Pet.1:18,19).There is no need of any other sacrifices.Heb.10:18
There is no necessity for Jesus to enter again into the heavenly tabernacle with any kind of sacrifice.Jesus has fulfilled the demands of the law & the work on His part has been completed regarding redemption.After Jesus had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever,He sat down on the right hand of God.(Heb.10:12)

Commentary by Alexander
Posted on: 6/27/2008 01:57 am