“You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull.” (Exod 29:10)

“Note that Moses, and not Aaron nor his sons provided the bullock for this occasion, the consecration of the priesthood. The animal here used for a sin-offering was a bullock, since the bullock represents perfect humanity, we may gather from the type that neither the Logos (our Lord in his pre-human existence) nor the church possessed it; but that God here typified by Moses supplied it for the specific purpose of sacrifice.”

“For Jesus he prepared a perfect body; “A body you have prepared for me…” (Heb 10:5). For the church he did not prepare perfect bodies, but he did prepare the church to be THE “body” (Eph 1:23) of Christ, through the imputation of the righteousness of their head. This provision of God and this alone enables the church to make up, as it were, “that which remains of the afflictions of Christ for the body’s sake…” (Col 1:24) Is it not significant that in the type both Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock?” Lev 8:14

“The bullock for the sin-offering was brought, ‘and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head’ of it, thus saying, this sacrifice represents us. From that moment, all that happened to the bullock represented what was to be done to Jesus and his body, and the church as human beings. The bullock was delivered up to the ‘law’ (represented by Moses), to meet its demands against Israel typical of mankind in general. To meet the demands of the law it had to be slain, ‘and Moses slew it’.” (T 41)

“And eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a perfect man [Jesus] for a perfect man [Adam].” Deut 19:21

In the type, it will be observed, it was Moses who brought the bullock for both Aaron and his sons to lay their hands upon the head of it, as if to say, we accept this bullock from your hands, Moses, and in this ritual, it is to represent us. Like all the animals in this `consecration’ ritual, the bullock was slain by Moses.

“As only those believers who make consecration to the utmost—`even unto death’—are begotten of the holy Spirit and counted members of the Great High Priest, so the types illustrated; for the Levites in general did not receive of the holy anointing oil, typical of the holy Spirit, but only the sacrificers, the priests (As we had mentioned in our previous post).

These were all sprinkled with the oil mixed with blood, to show that the Holy Spirit granted to the members of Christ is theirs only by virtue of the shedding of blood: (1) the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on their behalf, justifying them; and (2) their pledge to joint-sacrifice with Christ—laying down their lives in his service. (Exod 29:21).” F 131

Thus God supplies for the Church the human perfection of Christ Jesus, her Head; accounting to her the human perfection which would be hers in the end of the millennial age, were each of her individual members merely sharing earthly restitution. The life-rights then possessed would not be those lost in Father Adam, but rather those laid down by the man Christ Jesus.

Such an accounting or imputation of the merit of Christ does not make the Church actually perfect, but in the matter of her consecration makes her acceptable “in the beloved.” (Eph 1:6) Her true condition, as far as her humanity is concerned, is more particularly set forth in the goat of the sin-offering of the Atonement Day; or maybe in the burnt-offerings whereof the head, unwashed (representing Jesus) having been laid upon the altar, the legs and inwards (body members, representing the Church) were first washed ere they could be laid as pieces unto the head. (Lev 8:20, 21)

Let it be noted that nothing is ever said about washing either head or body of the bullock. Undoubtedly this is because the bullock represents perfect humanity, implying also a sinlessness requiring no justification. Here it is clearly set forth that if we are `in Christ’—one with him, we are already justified. That this justification took place before we became worthy of oneness with Christ, is shown in the type, we believe, by the washing which the priesthood underwent ere any of the animals were slain. It is implied in the reaching forth of their hands and placing them upon the `head’ of the bullock. Surely, our justification is based upon the fact that we have accepted the perfect humanity of Christ Jesus as our own. If we have appropriated to ourselves his righteousness, made available by way of his ransom sacrifice on our behalf, our own righteousness (unrighteousness) must have passed away, and if so, our standing before God is now in Christ’s righteousness, and in his alone. Such indeed, is our justification.

“Then you shall kill the bull before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the base of the altar.” (Exod 29:11, 12)

“The “finger” of the “law” thus pointed out that the altar of earthly sacrifices was acceptable to God by reason of the shed blood (the life given), and that all who realize the power of the altar (the horns are a symbol of power) must first recognize the blood which sanctifies it. The blood poured at the base the altar showed that through the blood of the sacrifice (life given) even the earth was purchased back from the curse, “Unto the redemption of the purchased possession.” See Eph 1:14 (T 41)

“And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. But the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin-offering.” (Exod 29:13, 14)

“And Moses took the bullock his hide, flesh, and etc., and burnt them with fire outside the “camp”. Thus the humanity of Christ complete, head and body is made “a sin-offering”, suffering the destruction to which the world was doomed, and from which by this sacrifice it will ultimately be delivered- the merit being in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, we his ‘brethren’, being privileged to fill up a measure of his sufferings, as ‘members of his body’.” (Col 1:24) But while the humanity of the Royal Priesthood is destroyed, as a vile thing in the eyes of the world, as represented by the burning of the bullock outside the camp, God accepts the heart devotion which prompts the sacrifice, which says, ‘Lo I come to do thy will, O God’, I delight to do thy will, O my God.’ This was represented by the offering on the altar of the fat and parts of the inward life producing organism, as a ‘sweet savor’ unto the Lord.” (T 42)

The blood having been applied to the horns of the altar and poured at its base, seems to point out “that the altar of earthly sacrifices was acceptable to God by reason of the shed blood, (the life given), and that all who realize the power of the Altar, must first recognize the blood which sanctifies it” and that “even the earth was purchased back from the curse.” (T 42) Horns are symbols of power, probably because those creatures bearing them often manifest their power by means of them.

This consecration of the altar was in addition to that accomplished with the holy anointing oil at the time of God’s formal acceptance of the Tabernacle as his dwelling place. (Exod 40:10) The altar, in this instance, does not specifically represent the ransom sacrifice as the basis upon which all other sacrifices should be acceptable, though this is of course implied. In this type it seems to represent more particularly the earthly altar, i.e. the earth itself is made acceptable as an altar, by way of the shed blood which in this age sanctifies it again—at the incoming age! (N.O.T.T. Pages 504-506)

Continued with next post.