Leviticus 7

The perpetual burning of the sacrificial fire, therefore, was to represent the perpetual anger of God against sin; and the daily sacrifices all pointed to that one atonement, which alone could “‘make an end of sin.” ((Daniel 9:24).) Chap. VI. Ver. 1—38. The law of the trespass-offering.— This being little more than a repetition of the directions in (Leviticus 5), and the directions respecting “the peace-offerings” a repetition of (Leviticus 3), we refer to the exposition and notes of those chapters. These repetitions may serve to show how carefully and minutely the Jews preserved every fragment of the divine law, in which many things might be important to them, of which we cannot see the use, nor, perhaps, the meaning.

What is said of the wave-offering, and the heave-offering, will be found anticipated in (Exodus 29:27). Chap. VII. Ver. 1—36. Consecration of Aaron.—Surely this was intended to lead the people to expect a nobler priesthood, better sacrifices, and a more effectual atonement and intercession: and we must be blind indeed, yea, willingly ignorant, if it do not teach us, that nothing can atone for sin, or render a sinner accepted of God, but the righteousness, blood, and intercession of the holy Jesus, our great High-Priest; which are always accompanied with his sanctifying grace poured into every believer’s heart.—Doubtless, when Aaron offered his sin-offering, he would remember, with mixed humiliation, admiration, and gratitude, his recent transgression in making the golden calf, and the Lord’s forgiveness of it; and acknowledge that he deserved himself to be made a sacrifice to offended justice with those who perished, instead of being appointed to so honourable an office.

This would teach him lowliness of mind, and compassion and tenderness to other poor sinners, seeing “he himself was so compassed with infirmity.” Thus was “boasting excluded;” the whole glory given to God, and a preparation made for Aaron’s properly bearing the honour of the priesthood, and performing its duties. In like manner, our God prepares his true ministers for their office: he teaches them the knowledge of him and of themselves; he convinces them of their guilt and sinfulness, and brings them to a simple dependence on Christ for every thing.

Notes on the verses

Chap. VII. Ver. 2. In fellowship.—Margin, “lifting the hand”—giving the hand lect. to consecrate or redeem the putting the hand; i.e. we conceive, “in place of honour, no person being at hand to witness it.”

Ver. 5. In the principal.—(The property itself, if still remaining, or its full value, to compensate the owner for the loss he had sustained by being deprived of the use of his goods. He must also bring a trespass-offering to the Lord; which was intended to show that those crimes which are injurious to man, and that disobedience to God is the great evil, even of the greatest trespass to man, and that repentance, and even restitution, though needful in order to his trespass forgiveness, cannot atone for sin.

—Bagster.— In the day ‘In the day of being found guilty.’ (Origin.) Hebrew: ‘of his trespass;’ or, says the margin, ‘Ver. res Fire cover burn.—(The perpetual fire of the Magi and modern Parsees, the eternal fire, as it was called at Rome, kept perpetually burning by the vestal virgins, and the inextinguishable fire of the Greeks at Athens.)—Bagster.

Ver. 16. With unleavened bread.—More literally, “unleavened bread is eaten.” So the LXX.; i.e. no leaven shall be put in it.

Ver. 18. Every one that toucheth them shall be holy.—That is, no person must touch them that is not “holy;” meaning, pure from any ceremonial defilement. The LXX. here, and elsewhere, render it, “Whosoever toucheth them, shall be sanctified;” i.e. if defiled, says Chazkuni, “He shall purify himself before he touch them.”—Ainsworth.

Ver. 20. Offering of Aaron.—(This oblation, which the Jews call a mincha initiation, seems to have been required of the high priest alone “on the day in which he was anointed,” and from that time, every morning and evening, as long as he continued in office, and then in like manner of his successor; for, by “the sons of Aaron,” may be understood his descendants and successors in the high priesthood, in their generations.—Bagster.

Ver. 23. Wholly burnt.—[The meat-offering of the people was eaten by the priests who typically bore and expiated their sins; but as no priest, being a sinner, could make atonement for himself, his meat-offering must not be eaten, but wholly burnt on the altar, which was a typical transfer of his guilt to the great antetype who actually bore and expiated it.—Bagster.]

Chap. VII. Ver. 8. The priest shall have the skin.—(All the flesh of the burnt-offerings being consumed, as well as the fat, upon the altar, there could nothing fall to the share of the priest but the skin; which must have been very valuable, as they were used as mattresses (ch. xv. 17.) and probably as carpets to sit upon in the day, as they are still used by some of the inhabitants and dervishes of the East. (Harmer, Observat.) It seems probable, as Bp. Patrick remarks, that Adam himself offered the first sacrifice, and had the skin given him by God, to make garments for him and his wife: in conformity with which, the priests ever after had the skin of the whole burnt-offerings for their portion.

The same custom prevailed in after times among the Gentiles, whose priests employed them to a superstitious purpose, by lying upon them in their temples, in hopes of having future things revealed to them in their dreams. ‘The same superstition prevails to the present day in the Highlands of Scotland.—Bagster.)

Ver. 15. Until morning.—[Because, in such a hot country, it was apt to putrify; and, as it was considered as holy, it would have been very improper to expose it to putrefaction. Harmer supposes, that this law rather refers to the custom of drying flesh, that had been devoted to a religious purpose, which is practised among the Mohammedans at the bee day, on their pilgrimage to Mecca. “It would not have suited,”

he observes, “the genius of the Mosaic dispensation, to have allowed them to have dried the flesh of their peace-offerings, whether in thanksgiving, in consequence of a vow, or merely voluntary, and have afterwards eaten the flesh very commonly in a sparing manner, or communicated only some small portion of it to their particular friends; their peace-offerings were to be eaten, on the contrary, with festivity, communicated to their friends with liberality, and bestowed on the poor with great generosity, that they might partake with them on these sacred repasts with joy before the Lord.”—Bagster.)

Ver. 21. Uncleanness of man, is here put for “man of uncleanness.”—Ainsworth.— Unclean beast.—Perhaps the meaning is, any man or beast with unclean sores, as leprosy, &c.

Ver. 23. Fat of ox, &c.—(Any other fat they might eat; but the fat of these was sacred, because they were the only animals which were offered in sacrifice, though many others ranked among the clean animals as well as these. But it is probable, that this prohibition is to be understood of these animals when offered in sacrifice, and then only in reference to the inward fat, described in v. 4. Of the fat in any other circumstances, it cannot be intended, as it was one of the especial blessings which God gave to his people.—“Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,” was the provision which he graciously bestowed on his followers. (See (Deuteronomy 32:12-14).)

Ver. 26. Eat no manner of blood.—(The prohibition of the fat or suet, which was restricted to animals offered in sacrifice, taught reverence to the altar and ordinances of God; but that of blood, which was extended to all land animals, had especial respect to the atoning blood of the sacrifice, and of the great antetype which the sacrifice prefigured.—Bagster.)

Ver. 27. Shall cut off, &c.—[Shall be excommunicated or cut off from the people of God, and so deprived of any part of their inheritance or of their blessings.—Bagster.]

Chap. VII. Ver. 2. Take Aaron and his sons.—The directions for this consecration were given (Exodus 28)and xxix. and are there commented on. This chapter relates the fulfilment of what was there enjoined. Calmet remarks, that the high priest among the Romans was consecrated with many of the same ceremonies; only, instead of touching various parts of his body with blood, he was placed under a floor of peas pierced with holes. On these planks a bullock was killed, and the blood ran through, until he was completely covered with it; and then, ascending to the people, he was hailed as the Pontifex Maximus, or great high priest. The whole was poetically described by Aurelius Prudentius, in the fourth century. Hp Dr. Clarke.