Numbers 18:1. "And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou, and thy sons, and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary." This "iniquity of the Sanctuary" we have 15 learned was not its own properly, but the children of Israel's, God's own people's, which it had received from them.
And this transfer of iniquity from the people to their Sanctuary was not a mere casualty, incident on scenes of lawless rebellion, bloodshed or idolatry among themselves, not the devastation of an enemy; but it was according to the original arrangement and regular operation of this typical system.
For we must bear in mind that all the instructions were given to Moses and Aaron before the erection of the Sanctuary.
Provision was made to make atonement for sins committed in ignorance; but not till after they were known, Leviticus 4:14, 5:3-6, then of course they became sins of knowledge.
Then the individual bore his iniquity, Leviticus 5:1-17; 7:1-8, till he presented his offering to the priest and slew it, the priest made an atonement with the blood, Leviticus 17:11, and he was forgiven, then of course free from his iniquity.
Now at what point did he cease to bear his iniquity?
Evidently when he had presented his victim slain; he had then done his part.
Through what medium was his iniquity conveyed to the Sanctuary?
Through his victim, or rather its blood when the priest took and sprinkled it before the veil and on the altar.
Thus the iniquity was communicated to their Sanctuary.
The first thing done for the people on the tenth day of the seventh month was to cleanse it, thence by the same means, the application of blood.
This done, the high priest bore the "iniquity of the Sanctuary" for the people "to make atonement for them," Leviticus 10:17. "And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place (within the veil, verse 2) and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar (or when he hath cleansed the Sanctuary), he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions and all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of