Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20080227.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Leviticus: Fellowship With A Holy God
Part III: Acceptable Living Before A Holy God, Leviticus 11:1-27:34
E. The Believer's Need To Value God's Unmerited Favor In Handling Sin
(Leviticus 16:1-34)
  1. Introduction
    1. The believer always faces the temptation to become complacent about the dreadfulness of his sin in God's eyes, and just as equally to fail to appreciate the depth of God's unmerited favor toward him in handling it.
    2. This complacency leads to a lack of reverence and so to ungodly living versus what Titus 2:11-15 directs.
    3. The Leviticus 16 Day of Atonement was instituted in view of the complacency that led Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, to perform a dreadful act of sin before God, a complacency that resulted in their being immediately slain by the Lord. We thus view the Day of Atonement rituals to learn of our need to value God's immense grace in view of our awful sin that we live reverently and righteously:
  2. The Believer's Need To Value God's Unmerited Favor In Handling Sin, Leviticus 16:1-34.
    1. The Day of Atonement was instituted in clear and stated contrast to the irreverent ritual performed by Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, whom God immediately killed for offering an unbiblical offering of their own initiative unto God, Lev. 16:1; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 196.
    2. Thus, the rituals of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:2-34 reveal man's need fervently to respect the awfulness of his sin before God, and the corresponding immensity of God's grace in handling to forgive it so that man never becomes complacent in relating to God as had Nadab and Abihu (as follows):
      1. One part of the Day of Atonement rituals emphasized the gravity of man's sin against God:
        1. First, Aaron the High Priest was to bring an offering for his own sin and the sins of his house, the priests, comprising a bullock, the most expensive sin offering sacrifice, Leviticus 16:3a, 6.
        2. In so doing, unique to the Day of Atonement, he was to put aside his usual multicolored robes, and done white clothes plainer than what even the other priests would wear, Leviticus 16:4, Ibid.
        3. Thus very humbly clothed, using a censor that dispersed incense, Aaron was to produce a cloud of incense with the fire of hot coals from the altar in the Holiest of Holies to obscure the mercy seat in reverence for God, Lev. 16:12-13. Then, he was to sprinkle the blood of his bullock sin offering on the mercy seat and around the ark's base to atone for himself and for the other priests, Lev. 16:14.
        4. For the people, two goats would be taken, and lots would be cast to see which goat God wanted to be the scapegoat, and which one was to be slain as a sin offering for the people, Lev. 16:5, 7-8.
        5. The sin offering goat was then slain, and its blood brought into the Holiest of Holies for Aaron to use to sprinkle the mercy seat and around the ark to atone for the people's sins, Leviticus 16:9, 15.
        6. Having thus cleansed the tabernacle (Leviticus 16:16-17, Aaron then was to anoint blood from his sin offering and the people's sin offering on the courtyard altar to atone for it, Leviticus 16:18-20.
        7. After all this, the carcasses of both sin offerings were to be burned outside the camp, requiring the man who burned them to wash his clothes before returning to the congregation, Leviticus 16:27-28.
      2. The other part of the Day of Atonement rituals emphasized God's great grace in forgiving man's sin:
        1. Aaron would lay his hand on the head of the scapegoat, confessing Israel's sins, and the goat was led to the wilderness to be abandoned, signifying God's gracious removal of Israel's sins, Lev. 16:20-22.
        2. With the sins gone, Aaron would remove his lowly garments, wash, put on his usual attire, and offer burnt offerings for the priests and people of consecration to God, and burn the fat of the sin offerings that would now be acceptable to God, signifying fellowship with Him, Lev. 16:23-24, 25.
    3. To emphasize the very serious way the people of Israel were to view this Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16:29-34 directed them to express personal somber self-affliction each year that this event was observed to reflect an appreciation of God's great grace in forgiving their dreadful sin!
Lesson: To avoid Nadab and Abihu's COMPLACENCY toward God that leads to various evils, the Day of Atonement highlighted how AWFUL was EVERY man's SINS, EVEN those of the HIGH PRIEST, but how WONDERFUL was God's GRACE in TOTALLY FORGIVING them!

Application: May we RECALL how AWFUL are our SINS unto God, but how GREAT is His GRACE!