According to vv. 3-9, the sacrifices were to be offered to God only at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before Jehovah, and their blood was to be shed on the altar. This signifies that our applying the Lord Jesus as our sacrifices offered to God and our participating in His redeeming blood must be at the entrance of God’s dwelling place (the church) on earth and must be through the cross. In our worship of God, Christ as the unique sacrifice should be applied according to God’s desire and economy, within the regulations, restrictions, and limitations set by Him. To apply Christ outside the church, i.e., in a place according to our preference and choice (cf. Deut. 12:5-6), is to abuse Christ.

To be cut off from one’s people (vv. 4, 9-10, 14) signifies to be removed from the fellowship of God’s people (cf. 1 Cor. 5:13).

The expiation in ch. 16 involved four of the five basic offerings: the sin offering, the trespass offering (implied in the sin offering — Lev. 5:6), the burnt offering, and the meal offering. The issue of these offerings is the peace offering, with the result that God’s people enjoy peace with God and with one another. See note Lev. 7:37².

The sprinkling of the blood on the altar signifies that Christ’s blood was shed on the cross. Burning the fat for a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah signifies that Christ’s excellencies are offered up to God through God’s holy fire for a fragrance to satisfy God.

No longer sacrificing to goat demons signifies no longer having fellowship with demons so as to commit spiritual fornication (1 Cor. 10:20-21).

The word prostitute here indicates that for an Israelite (a believer) to abuse the sacrifices (Christ) by offering them in the place of his choice (outside the church) was to make himself a prostitute. This is a matter of spiritual prostitution, of spiritual fornication. See note Lev. 17:4¹.

On not eating blood (vv. 10, 12), see note Lev. 3:17^1a.

This signifies that all the blood that man can obtain other than the blood of the Lord Jesus cannot redeem us from our sins and should be buried, i.e., given up, abandoned, rejected.

Lit., with its life.

The blood of that which dies of itself signifies the blood of one who sacrifices himself for the good of others, which blood cannot redeem us from our sins. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, whom God bruised on the cross (Isa. 53:10), can cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

The blood of that which is torn by beasts signifies the blood of one who is martyred by wild people, who are like beasts, which blood also is unable to redeem us from our sins. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, whom God judged on the cross (Isa. 53:8), is able to wash us from our sins (Rev. 1:5).

This signifies that the one who takes any blood other than the blood of the Lord Jesus should deal with his former behavior and with what he was in the past concerning religion and should purge himself. Otherwise, he will be condemned.

To eat different bloods is equivalent to forming different religions based on beliefs in different persons. The one blood ordained by God is the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross (John 6:53-55; 1 Cor. 10:16, 21a), and the one belief is the belief in the Christ who died on the cross for us (see note Rom. 1:5^3a).

Being unclean until the evening signifies that the one who takes any blood, i.e., any belief, other than the blood of the Lord Jesus is unclean until the matter is cleared up and brought to a complete ending.

Lit., flesh.