In the foregoing message we pointed out that if we would be brought into oneness with God, we need to offer the sin offering. This offering is not actually food for God in a direct way. Rather, it solves the problem between us and God so that we may have fellowship with Him.
Exodus 29:35 and 36 say, “And thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all which I have commanded you; seven days you shall fill their hands. And every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for propitiation; and you shall purify the altar when you make propitiation upon it; and you shall anoint it to sanctify it.” The seven days mentioned in verse 35 signify a full course of time, that is, our entire life. Every day we need to offer Christ as our sin offering. According to verse 36, the bull as a sin offering was offered for propitiation. Here the emphasis is propitiation on the altar.
The altar is purified by having propitiation made upon it. The altar, we should remember, is a dining table. Whenever we are about to serve a meal, we first clean the table. We want to remove all dirt that is there and purify the table. The sin offering purifies our dining table, the altar, and makes it clean as a place for eating.
Verse 36 says that the altar was to be anointed in order to be sanctified. In this verse nothing is said concerning the blood. But in principle the matter of sanctification through the sprinkling of the blood is revealed elsewhere in the writings of Moses. There is no question that the altar is purified by the blood. Here, however, the altar is sanctified by the anointing oil. Blood signifies the death of Christ, and oil, the anointing of the Spirit. We have the blood to purify us and the Spirit to anoint us. Again, we may use the illustration of a dining table. When we clean a dining table, we like it to be bright and shining. The blood purifies us, and the oil causes us to shine. Therefore we need both the blood to make us pure and the Spirit to cause us to shine. This is to be sanctified.
We need to remember that to be sanctified is to be separated and marked out. All other tables may be unclean and dull. They are dirty, and they do not shine. But there is one table—the altar—that is purified and anointed. Thus, it is clean, and it is shining. As a result, this table is different from all other tables and separate from them.
Verse 37 says, “Seven days you shall make propitiation on the altar and sanctify it, and the altar shall become most holy; all that touches the altar shall be holy.” Here we see that propitiation was to be made on the altar every day. After the altar had been sanctified, it became most holy. Anyone who touched the altar became holy. This means that the altar on which propitiation has been accomplished and which has been anointed with oil has become most holy. As such, the altar itself is able to sanctify the one who touches it. Whoever touches the altar is sanctified, and whatever is put on the altar is likewise sanctified. Therefore, anything offered on the altar is spontaneously sanctified.
Every day we need to offer the sin offering. When we do this, we have a dining table that has been fully cleansed and anointed. Whatever is placed on this table will then be sanctified.
Every morning we need to offer Christ as the sin offering. This will cause us to have a good morning. People often greet one another with the words “good morning.” When we speak of a good morning, we should refer not to a greeting, but to having a good morning through offering the sin offering to God. If we present Christ as the sin offering to God in the morning, we shall have a good morning, a morning of propitiation. The result will be that we shall have a good day, for that good morning will sanctify the entire day.
In the foregoing message we used the illustration of man inviting God to dinner. When we offer Christ as the sin offering, there will be no problem between us, those who invite God to dinner, and God, the One who is invited. Instead of problems, we shall have the redeeming blood and the anointing oil signifying propitiation and sanctification. Now there is peace between the inviting one and the invited One, and we can proceed to serve God food for His satisfaction.
The matter of propitiation needs to be understood according to the background of the practice in ancient times. Especially among Jews, when two parties had a problem, there was the need of propitiation. After propitiation had been accomplished, the parties involved could eat together. Because propitiation had been made, they could be at peace. Then in peace they could enjoy a meal together. This is a picture, a type, of the relationship between us and God. Because of our sin, we have a problem with God. The source of this problem, this trouble, is Satan. He injected sin into us, and that sin has become a problem. But Christ came as the Lamb of God to take away sin. In this way He solved the problem and made propitiation. Therefore, whenever we offer Him to God as the sin offering, we may enjoy what He has done for us. In this way, because He has made propitiation with God on our behalf, we no longer have a problem with God. Instead, we have peace, and in peace we can feast with God.