 |  |
A | 27-. And as.
B | -27-. The men die once.
C | -27. Judgment.
A | 28-. So also.
B | -28-. Christ was offered once.
C | -28. Salvation.
Judgment and Salvation.
In Judges 2: 16-19 we have the close connection established between the judge and
deliverance:
"And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and
delivered (saved) them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge . . . . .
when the judge was dead, they returned (turned back) . . . . ." (Judges 2: 18, 19).
The judges of Israel were first of all saviours. This is seen in the judgeship of Othniel
and Ehud "The Lord raised up a saviour to the children of Israel" (Judg. 3: 9-15). The
reader will doubtless call to mind the many passages where the poor, the needy and the
righteous call upon God to "judge" them, and such passages as Psa. 1: 5 where the
ungodly are excluded from "judgment". It is this Old Testament conception of judgment
and the particular exercise of it seen in Numb. 35: that must be kept to the fore as we
read Heb. 9: 27.
No.41.
One Sacrifice for sins for ever (9: 23 - 10: 18).
pp. 21 - 27
We continue our study of the nature of the "one sacrifice" which the Saviour offered
once for all, by considering,
The Day of Atonement.
The type of the city of refuge is now dropped and the great Day of Atonement is in
view. The return of the Lord "the second time" is to be understood in the light of
the action of the high priest on the Day of Atonement. There in the holiest of all the
high priest appeared in the presence of God for the people (Lev. 16: 23, 24); then
putting on his gorgeous robes he came out to bless the waiting congregation. The apostle
could hardly find a grander and more impressive moment in the whole Levitical ritual
with which to impress a Jew than this. He, however, refers to it but to draw attention
even here to the surpassing excellence of Christ. When the high priest came out from the
presence of God, he made a fresh atonement for himself and for the people (Lev. 16: 24).
This shows once more the failure of the type, for when Christ, the true High Priest,
appears the second time it will be "apart from a sin offering"--"Christ . . . . . dieth no
more".