Exodus 29:31-34

EATING OF THE SACRIFICES (Exodus 29:31-34):

"And thou shalt take the ram of consecration, and boil its flesh in a holy place. And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting. And they shall eat those things wherewith atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. And if aught of the flesh of the consecration, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy."

Despite the fact of "atonement" in a sense having been provided by the sacrifices mentioned in this chapter, all such "atonements" under the Old Covenant were tentative, secondary, incomplete, and ineffectual for achieving any actual forgiveness of sins. Unger's discernment of this was excellent:

"At the root of the Hebrew term for atonement is the idea of "covering." Mosaic sacrifices covered sin from God's sight in view of Christ's future redemptive work. Thus, the sinner's forgiveness was secured by God's passing over sin (Romans 3:25). Not until Christ died was sin finally `put away' (Hebrews 9:15) and actual atonement was made between God and man."[25]