(15) And he brought the people's offering.--Being reconciled to God by the atoning sacrifice which he offered for his own share in the sin, Aaron was now qualified to offer the sin offering of the people.
As the first.--The ritual in this sacrifice Aaron conducted in the same manner as in the foregoing one offered for himself. (See Leviticus 9:8.) He accordingly burnt the flesh without the camp, for which he was reproved by Moses.
Verses 15-21. - The people's sin offering, burnt off, ring, meat offering, and peace offerings follow. The meat offering is said to have been burnt upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning. It is probable that, on this occasion, the people's burnt offering, which consisted of a calf and a lamb, took the place of the ordinary morning sacrifice of a lamb (Exodus 29:38). Aaron is said to have offered the burnt offering according to the manner, or, as it is given in the margin, ordinance, that is, he burnt the flesh on the altar (Leviticus 1:7-9); he also burnt the handful of the meat offering, and he burnt the fat of the peace offering, upon the altar. He had previously burnt the fat of his own sin offering, and the flesh of his burnt offering. Fire, therefore, was present upon the altar, and was used by Aaron, as by Moses, for sacrificial purposes before the fire came out from the Lord as described in verse 24.
9:1-21 These many sacrifices, which were all done away by the death of Christ, teach us that our best services need washing in his blood, and that the guilt of our best sacrifices needs to be done away by one more pure and more noble than they. Let us be thankful that we have such a High Priest. The priests had not a day's respite from service allowed. God's spiritual priests have constant work, which the duty of every day requires; they that would give up their account with joy, must redeem time. The glory of God appeared in the sight of the people, and owned what they had done. We are not now to expect such appearances, but God draws nigh to those who draw nigh to him, and the offerings of faith are acceptable to him; though the sacrifices being spiritual, the tokens of the acceptance are spiritual likewise. When Aaron had done all that was to be done about the sacrifices, he lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them. Aaron could but crave a blessing, God alone can command it.
As the first.--The ritual in this sacrifice Aaron conducted in the same manner as in the foregoing one offered for himself. (See Leviticus 9:8.) He accordingly burnt the flesh without the camp, for which he was reproved by Moses.
and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it; where he had slain his own:
and offered it for sin, as the first: the first offering he offered for himself, which was of the same sort.