In this article we transition from studying the patterns of Leviticus and the Tabernacle to explore their fulfillment in the gospel of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. The first five articles of this series have reviewed:
- the layout of the Tabernacle, which is repeated seven times in the book of Exodus;
- the analogies between the awesome theophany on Mount Sinai and the Tabernacle, which represents a portable continuation of the Lord’s presence with the children of Israel;
- the parallels between Creation and the building of the Tabernacle, both of which are manifestations of God dwelling in the earth;
- and the alignment of the literary structure of the book of Leviticus and the Tabernacle, which provides a spatial mnemonic to help us remember the principles of God’s law.
A shadow of future realities
These wonderful concepts are an important part of our training in the ways of our heavenly Father, but they are merely a shadow of good things that were and are to come, the things that belong to Christ. That this should be the case is implicit in the law itself:
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it… And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount” (Exod 25:8-9, 40; see also Exod 26:30; 27:8; Num 8:4).
The Lord wanted us to know that the Tabernacle and its rituals were a mere reflection of what He had shown Moses on the mount.
Hebrews emphasizes the implications of this inference, arguing that the Tabernacle and its rituals were but a shadow of true heavenly realities and the good things to come:
“We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount” (Heb 8:1-5).
“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb 10:1).
The same idea occurs in Galatians and Colossians. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:24-25). “Schoolmaster” is from a Greek word that gives us the English word “pedagogue”. Thayer’s Lexicon describes this role: “a tutor… a guide and guardian of boys. Among the Greeks and the Romans the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them before arriving at the age of manhood… The name carries with it an idea of severity (as of a stern censor and enforcer of morals)” (p. 472).
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Col 2:16-17). Here the word “body” means “substance” or “reality”, in contrast to its shadow. The Amplified Bible paraphrases: “the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what was foreshadowed, the body of it)”.1
A picture language
Robert Roberts summarizes the situation:
“On the first day of the first month of the second year after Israel’s departure out of Egypt was the Tabernacle set up and furnished with all its appurtenances… They show the terrible majesty and holiness of God, and the impossibility of man saving himself except by strict and reverential and loving conformity to His appointments. These things are revealed in the Gospel; but they become more striking when contemplated over again in the pictures and symbols of the Mosaic example and shadow of heavenly things… God proclaims to us by the Mosaic parable that He should be first in our knowledge, in our love, in our service, in prayer and hope and continual confidence” (The Law of Moses, 1979, pp. 96-97, 108; emphasis added).
John Carter explains:
“In describing this forgiveness and the means whereby it had become possible, Paul and the other apostles use a wide range of terms and employ a variety of figures of speech. This variety of expression was made possible by the preparatory work of the law of God as a code of instruction to Israel. The ritual law used a wide vocabulary in describing various offerings and enjoined quite a range of words in the confessions that were required… The ritual, being typical and part of the preparation for Christ’s coming, inevitably gave the form of the vocabulary by which the offering of Christ was described. In recognizing this we must guard against the thought that since the language was borrowed from the types, it does not describe real facts when used of Jesus. The work of Jesus is explained in the terms of the law because the law was given to instruct the people of God concerning the principles which govern man’s relationship to God — principles which must be recognized as the condition of man’s return to God’s favour” (The Letter to Galatians: An Exposition, 1965, pp. 23-24, on Gal 1:4, emphasis added).
Another writer captures the idea in thought-provoking terms:
“The Old Testament cultus [rituals], we are told, had ‘but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities’ ([Heb] 10:1). The priesthood had all the outward trappings of true priesthood, but not the essential quality of enabling men to draw near to God. The sacrifices had the appearance of true sacrifice, but not the power to purify the conscience from dead works. What then is the permanent significance of these outworn institutions? ‘Hebrews describes the sacrifice of Christ in language borrowed from Levitical use… They were shadows which pass away and leave nothing but a picturesque language behind then.’ A picturesque language! A picture of an unknown fruit resembles the real thing in all except reality: it will not satisfy your hunger, but it may help you to recognize the real fruit if you should come across it. Similarly, the Old Testament priesthood and sacrifices were only shadow pictures of reality, but they prepared men to appreciate the reality when it appeared in Jesus Christ. God spoke to the fathers in the cultus in order that they might become familiar with a picture language without which they could neither apprehend nor convey the full scope of his later word of salvation.”2
To this end, we now turn our attention to the substance behind the shadows we have been studying. Having a strong foundation in the language and principles of Leviticus and the Tabernacle will help us to recognize the truth in Christ.
The Courtyard (Leviticus 1-17)
We start in the Courtyard of the Tabernacle, with lessons from the altar offerings.
Without blemish or spot. The altar offerings were “without blemish” and “without spot”3which foreshadow the sinlessness of our Lord Jesus Christ:
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:14).
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Pet 1:18-19).
In particular, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).
In Christ, the saints will also be presented without spot:
“That he [Christ] might present it [the church] to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:27).
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Col 1:21-22).
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2Pet 3:14).
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 24-25; we sing this prayer in Hymn 106).
Put your hand upon its head. For the burnt offering (1:4), the peace offering (3:2, 8, 13), and the sin offering (4:4, 24, 29, 33), you put your hand on the head of the animal as you killed it, indicating a strong identification between you and the sacrifice that represents you. This lesson is fulfilled by Christ who identified himself with sinners. Throughout his ministry, Jesus is willing to be seen with sinners and to touch those who were unclean (e.g., the leper, the woman with an issue of blood, and the multiple dead folks who he raised up). He has compassion on those who were suffering (Matt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34; Mark 1:31; 5:19; etc.). Hebrews describes Jesus as our representative, sharing our nature and tasting death for us:
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren… Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:9-11, 14; cf. 5:1-9).
Similarly, we identify ourselves with Christ through baptism (Rom 6:1-14) and the breaking of bread (1Cor 10:16-17; 11:26). We are supposed to further reflect Jesus in our lives, sharing in the fellowship of his suffering (1Pet 4:13). Paul speaks for each of us:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
Christ a sacrifice for us. Christ gave himself as an offering for us:
“And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:27-28 || Mark 10:44-45).
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Eph 5:2; 5:25).
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1Tim 2:5-6).
The language of sacrifice in Leviticus includes “blood” (78, 9, 0)4and ideas related to the “death” and “body” of the offering. This picture prepares us to recognize Jesus as our true sacrifice; the Spirit makes it hard to miss the connection:
- his “blood” (Matt 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; John 6:53-56; Acts 20:28; Rom 3:25; 5:9; 1Cor 10:16; 11:25, 27; Eph 1:7; 2:13; Col 1:14, 20; Heb 9:12, 14; 10:19; 13:12; 1Pet 1:2, 19; 1John 1:7; Rev 1:5; 7:14; 12:11);
- his “death” (Matt 20:18; Mark 10:33; Rom 5:10; 6:3, 5; 1Cor 11:26; Phil 3:10; 2:8; Heb 2:9, 14; 9:15-17);
- his “body” (Rom 7:4; 1Cor 10:16; 11:24, 27, 29; 12:27; Eph 2:16; 4:12, 16; Col 1:22, Heb 10:5, 10; 1Pet 2:24).
Present your bodies a living sacrifice. The disciples of Jesus Christ are exhorted to follow the example of their Lord:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom 12:1-2; cf. Heb 13:15-16; 1Pet 2:4-5).
Christ is our sin offering. The sin and trespass offerings were to make atonement for sins and provided forgiveness (Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:6, 10, 13, 16, 18; 6:8). This foreshadows the sacrifice of Christ, whose blood was shed for the remission of our sins. Isaiah uses the language of Leviticus to describe Christ’s offering for sin:
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all… Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isa 53:4-6, 10-12).
This principle — that Jesus is a sin offering for us — is found throughout the New Testament. When the fullness of time was come, the angel says to Mary’s husband Joseph: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). Seeing Jesus coming to him, John the Baptist says: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus explains that the wine represents the sacrificial blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the forgiveness of sins:“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt 26:28; cf. Jer 31:31-34; Heb 10:14-18). Beyond the gospels, this first principle is a common theme of the letters:
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Rom 5:6-11; cf. 1Cor 15:3).
“In whom [Jesus Christ, the beloved] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph 1:7; cf. Col 1:14).
“God… Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son… when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high… now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself… But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb 1:1-3; 9:26; 10:12).
- English translations of the Greek word <4983 soma> here in Colossians 2:17 reflect the same point: “body” (KJV, RV, YLT, Jewish NT); “substance” (NKJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV, Message); “reality” (JBPhillips, TEV, REB, NIV, Jerusalem Bible).
- George B. Caird, “The Exegetical Method of the Epistle to the Hebrews,” Canadian Journal of Theology, Vol. V, 1959, No. 1, pp. 49-50, which cites A. Nairne, The Epistle of Priesthood, p. 181; emphasis added.
- “without blemish” (Exod 12:5; 29:1; Lev 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6; 4:3, 23, 28, 32; 5:15, 18; 6:6; 9:2, 3; 14:10; 22:19; 23:12, 18; Num 6:13(3); 19:3; 28:19, 31; 29:2, 8, 13, 20, 23, 29, 32, 36; Ezek 43:22, 23(2), 25; 45:18, 23; 46:4(2), 6, 13); “without spot” (Num 19:2; 28:3, 9, 11; 29:17, 26).
- As defined in the previous articles, the notation (x, y, z) indicates that a word or phrase occurs x times in Leviticus 1-17, y times in Leviticus 18-24, and z times in Leviticus 25-27.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One