Leviticus 8: 1 - 36
Straight Up
8 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, a bull as the sin offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; 3 and gather all the congregation together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” 4 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 5 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the LORD commanded to be done.” 6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. 7 And he put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him. 8 Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate. 9 And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10 Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to consecrate them. 12 And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him. 13 Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons and put tunics on them, girded them with sashes, and put hats on them, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 14 And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering, 15 and Moses killed it. Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make atonement for it. 16 Then he took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar. 17 But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 18 Then he brought the ram as the burnt offering. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 19 and Moses killed it. Then he sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 Then he washed the entrails and the legs in water. And Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 22 And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 23 and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he brought Aaron’s sons. And Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 25 Then he took the fat and the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; 26 and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh; 27 and he put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them as a wave offering before the LORD. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar, on the burnt offering. They were consecration offerings for a sweet aroma. That was an offering made by fire to the LORD. 29 And Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses’ part of the ram of consecration, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him. 31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32 What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire. 33 And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you. 34 As he has done this day, so the LORD has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35 Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.” 36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses.
I am going to tell you ‘straight up’. Say what? If you are from Philly then you know what I am talking about. It means that I am going to tell you the truth. I do not want to offend yet I will explain to you what is true without beating around the bush, sugar coating my words, or softening my words. Are you ready?
Our Holy Lord God Is not the author of confusion. If He tells us something than that is exactly His will. How dare anyone whether Jew or Christian make their own decisions to counter His instructions.
Let me first comment about Jewish people. Today you hear a lot about the rebuilding of a Temple. Straight up it will be built but is a new Temple what our Holy God wants? Our Holy God Is not endorsing that a new Temple be built. Since He knows all things, He Is just letting us know what is going to happen.
We read in the book of Daniel where in chapter 9 many teachers refer to the Antichrist stopping the sacrifices after the new Temple is built again. Is this correct? What does Scripture speak about this?
Daniel 9, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. the end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”
So let’s go over this and break It down straight up.
“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.’ The scripture actually speaks of ‘sevens’ not weeks. What is the number 7 referring to in scripture? The number seven is a number of completeness, divine perfection or something that is finished, as in the creation week in Genesis chapter one. So we are talking seventy sevens or periods of perfecting. It never said weeks.
25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.’ When we read the book of Nehemiah we find that this prophecy was fulfilled. “15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.”
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;’ After 62 sevens The Messiah our Lord and Savior is going to show up. His ministry was for 3 and 1/ 2 years and then He Was crucified and died for us [cut off from life].
“And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined…” We read a lot here about desolation. What does it mean? It means a state of complete emptiness or destruction, isolation, bleakness, darkness, barrenness, loneliness. We learn from the historian Josephus who was an actual witness of this destruction, ‘When the Romans did enter the city again, Titus led them (he had been away during the first attack), and he once again cut down those he met. Even women and infants were slaughtered in this sack, in revenge for the earlier defeat; nine thousand were killed or threw themselves from the walls into the ravine that bordered the town. Only two women survived. As final victory came closer, the Roman soldiers became increasingly uncontrollable. When Titus finally gave them permission to sack and burn the city, he was merely giving his official acceptance to what was going to happen anyway. When, after the destruction of the city, Titus paraded his army, decorating and promoting and rewarding with booty those who had distinguished themselves and thanking his soldiers in general for their courage and obedience, we may suspect more than a slight note of irony at the latter.
When the last resistance in the city failed, the Romans slaughtered until their arms grew weary: Now devouring fire and quenching blood fought their own battle for control of the streets. The total Josephus gives for the dead in the siege — 1.1 million, or nearly half the Jews in Judea — may be somewhat less unlikely than most such stratospheric figures that survive from antiquity. The siege of Jerusalem was probably the greatest single slaughter in ancient history. Not only was the city sacked and burned, but Titus gave directions that what remained should be wholly demolished, except for a stretch of wall and some high towers that were left as a symbol to the world of Roman strength — and as a warning to anyone who might again defy the fury of the Romans.’
27 Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week.” Now we go back to the Messiah not some future ruler. The ‘He’ is capitalized referring to The Holy Son of God. Please notice the words ‘confirm a covenant. It does not say ‘treaty’. The term treaty appears in the New Living translation The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”
The New Living Translation is an extensive revision of Ken Taylor's Living Bible (published by Tyndale House in 1971). It was designed to improve the accuracy of Taylor's paraphrase. in line with the recent trend in Bible and book publishing, the NLT carefully avoids the use of "male-oriented" language. In Bible translations this involves a suppression of the male-oriented language in the original text by means of various circumlocutions and paraphrases. In recent years many people associated with the Wycliffe Bible Translators and the American Bible Society has been talking about the need to translate the Bible into the 'heart language' of all peoples. Is there any to explain further on this heresy.
Then what does ‘confirm a covenant. The word ‘confirm’ means establish the truth or correctness of (something previously believed, suspected, or feared to be the case):To confirm a covenant means that the covenant has already existed.
Our Lord Jesus speaks about this covenant and is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 26, “28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. As the Lamb of God the book of Hebrews chapter 7 teaches us that 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” Now back to Titus as Josephus wrote of the devastation or desolation done to the Jewish residents of Jerusalem which we just covered.
Our Holy God speaks about the Temple being rebuilt but please understands that He Is not supporting the rebuilding. In fact when we come to the book of Revelation He sends two witnesses to testify that the newly implemented sacrifices and Temple are of no meaning to God for His Holy Son Jesus Christ has brought peace with God once and for all by His sacrifice on the cross. Who do you think these witnesses are speaking to? You might say the world which in a way is true because there are Jews scattered throughout the world.
Now what about Christians? We are going to study today the beginning of the God ordained Tabernacle. We will see The High Priest and priests anointed to perform the duties in His Tabernacle. All the fixtures were especially given to Moses to construct to the exact specification He laid out. The Temple was destroyed and the priesthood was ended. So, straight up there are no longer God ordained Christian ‘priests’, altar’s, and various ceremonies that somehow incorporate the ways of worshiping God as reflected in the operation of His Tabernacle. These additions were never sanctioned by our Great Master and Ruler. [Period!]
This chapter again, as with chapter 1, takes up from the last part of Exodus. It describes the anointing of Aaron as the first High Priest of Israel, to oversee the tabernacle. This was together with his sons who would be his deputies as ‘priests’, and one of whom would replace him when he died.
His responsibility was to look after the religious life of Israel, and to act as Israel’s representative before, and mediator with, God. As such he had to ensure the proper working of the other priests, to ensure that all was done rightly, and to ensure that the people knew the Law of God. He had to ensure that all the correct procedures were carried through with regard to the offering of sacrifices, that the daily and weekly ministrations were fulfilled, and that the people were made aware of the Law of God and what was required of them. And above all he was responsible for ensuring the successful celebration of the great Day of Atonement when all Israel’s sins were ‘atoned for’ for each year, for another year.
The importance of all this for us today is that we too have all been called to be priests under our own Great High Priest and in what happened to Aaron and his sons we can see something of our privileges in Christ. But like Jesus Himself our priesthood is not earthly, but heavenly. According to the Law no one, apart from the descendants of Aaron (Hebrews 8.4), can serve as a priest on earth, not even our Lord Jesus. As I have already mentioned their ministry has ceased both because invalidated by the offering up of Christ, and because of world events. Earthly sacrifices are therefore no longer acceptable, and can no longer be offered. Thus we do not serve on earth as an earthly priesthood; we serve in a heavenly priesthood (Hebrews 10.19-22). Through the work of Christ all earthly priesthood has lost both its function and its validity. They were but shadows and types of a reality to come (Hebrews 8.5; 10.1). Any man who claims to carry out priestly functions on earth on behalf of others, who is not descended from Aaron, is a fake. And anyone who does as a descendant of Aaron is out of date.
Our responsibilities and privilege are made clear in the New Testament. As His priests we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and to show forth the excellences of Him Who has called us out of darkness into His most marvelous light. This includes a constant presentation of our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service, in order that we might carry out His will, praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit for all God’s true people, offering up the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and ministering to God’s people and to the world. And we do this in the Name of the One Who offered up one final sacrifice for sins forever, a sacrifice never needing to be repeated. Thus the only offering and sacrifice that we can now make is the offering of ourselves to and through Him, as we are made one with Him in His sacrifice. And this is the basis on which we can read ourselves into these chapters. For like Aaron and his sons we too have been called to priesthood. And like them we must treat it as a serious business. Aaron is a type and shadow, partly of the High Priesthood of Christ, and partly of our position as priests under Christ’s High Priesthood.
8 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, a bull as the sin offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; 3 and gather all the congregation together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.”
Moses is first called on to bring Aaron and his sons into the court of the tabernacle at the door of the tent of meeting, and to gather the people and all the equipment that will be necessary for their consecration. The bull ox was for the purification for sin offering, one of the rams for a whole burnt offering and the other for the ‘consecration’ (the ‘filling’). Also brought are the unleavened bread and cakes in their basket. Then the people are to be gathered together.
We have in this a reminder of what Christ did for us in consecrating us to His service. He offered Himself up (as our purification for sin offering) that we might be purified, that He might set us apart to Himself and sanctify us in God’s eyes (as our whole burnt offering and ram of consecration), and that He might feed us with Himself as the bread of life (our unleavened bread)
4 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
Godly man as he was Moses did exactly as Yahweh had commanded him, with the result that all was soon ready and the whole of the people were gathered round the tabernacle in expectancy. It was a great day. Their leaders and important men would be pressed into the court of the tabernacle, while the people amassed round about, mainly outside the court, but facing the door of the tent of meeting.
5 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the LORD commanded to be done.”
Moses then explained why they were gathered. Moses’ first concern was that the people should be aware that what he was about to do was on Yahweh’s command.
6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
Moses first action with Aaron and his sons was to wash them with water. This was a ceremonial washing and indicated the preliminary removal from Aaron and his sons of the taint of earthiness. They were to be made outwardly as free of earthly taint. No earthly stains of life should remain on them. They were coming into the presence of the Holy One, the One Who was not of this earth. Nothing earthy must cling to them.
Like all ceremonial washing this had nothing to do with spiritual ‘cleansing’. Water did not ‘cleanse’ (unless mixed with sacrificial ashes as in the water of purification - Numbers 19). It washed off earthiness preparatory to cleansing. The constant refrain after ceremonial washing is ‘and shall not be clean until the evening’. Men were cleansed as they waited on God in their tents, (as Aaron and his sons would wait in the Sanctuary - verses 33-35) not by the washing of water. The point being made by the washing in water was that in order even to enter God’s presence they needed to leave ‘earthiness’ behind.
We too, when entering into the presence of God must learn to leave earthiness behind. We should ‘wash’ our hearts and our minds clear of earthly things (Isaiah 1.16-18) that in His presence our concentration may be on heavenly things, and on what is pleasing to God. And then we should seek cleansing through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1.7), and washing of water with the word (Ephesians 5.26), a ‘washing’ that goes deeper than the mere removal of earthiness. Bold we may be (Hebrews 10.19) but we should not enter God’s presence lightly.
Through loose interpretation some equate baptism with this washing in water. But washing is not the idea behind baptism. Baptism is symbolic of the rain, which watered the earth and resulted in the rivers and springs, which was life-giving and fruit-bearing as John the Baptist’s makes clear, and as is described vividly in the prophets. Peter in fact specifically points out that baptism is ‘not the removal of the filth of the flesh’ (1 Peter 3.21), but rather it is like the water that lifted up the Ark to bring deliverance and salvation. Paul talks of it as illustrating dying and living again. All speak of life and deliverance.
7 And he put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him.
Moses now carried out the process of arraying Aaron with the detailed clothing of The Priest, with all the robes that had been prepared under God’s guidance. These priestly garments were to be ‘for glory and for beauty’ (Exodus 28.2). They were unique and were to separate him off as holding an office of splendor, as being a reflection of God’s beauty, as being distinguished from all others in his being ‘sanctified’, which signified that he was ‘set apart as holy’, as belonging to God, as being God’s supreme representative to His people, as being God’s mediator between God and man. They were not intended for his glory. They were in order to reveal to the people a hint of Yahweh’s own glory and beauty, and that this one acted before God on their behalf, and that when he came from the tabernacle he came to them from God. He was to be a shadow of the Greater Who was yet to come.
So God was concerned that men should honor ‘the Priest’ as His representative and mediator, and through his clothing God intended to reveal some small hint of His own glory and beauty. In comparison with what they all wore in the wilderness he would be beautiful indeed. And the intention was that the outer clothing would also reflect the inner life. To wear the one and not do the other would be hypocritical indeed.
First he put on Aaron the undercoat, which was of patterned work. It was probably of fine linen. This covered him from head to toe and included sleeves that he might not be ‘naked’ before God. Then the first ‘belt’ or ‘girdle’ was put round him, possibly a sash, in order to hold the coat in, and this was then followed by his over-robe. This was an embroidered robe of blue-purple fine linen (Exodus 28.39) put on over the top. After this the ephod was put on him and belted on with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
The ephod was made of costly material embroidered in gold, blue-violet, purple-red and scarlet. To put it simply it consisted of front and back pieces which reached from below the shoulders to the hips and was held in place by two shoulder bands, and was tied round the waist. Two precious stones were on its shoulder pieces which bore the names of the children of Israel. Attached to it by gold fittings was the breast pouch of judgment.
We may see in the colors a connection with splendor and glory (the gold), Heaven itself (the blue), royalty (purple) and the blood (scarlet). They represented different aspects of the High Priest’s position. He was a figure of splendor, was to connect with Heaven, was to be royal in status and was to be the one who made atonement for men. They are a fitting picture of our Great High Priest our Lord Jesus Christ Who was Himself all this and more.
We too as Christians need to be clothed properly if we are to be servants of Jesus Christ and are to approach God as His priests. We need the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61.10; 2 Corinthians 5.21), and the belt of truth (Ephesians 6.14), the one provided by the righteousness of Christ being imputed to us, the other by being saturated in His word. Only those can serve Him who have received His covering righteousness and who love the truth.
8 Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate.
This Breast pouch of Judgment was so-called because it contained within it the Urim and the Thummim by which decisions were reached before Yahweh God. They probably gave two or three alternatives read from how they fell, possibly ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘no verdict’
Our Lord Jesus Christ did not need a Urim and Thummim, for He received communication directly from the Father God and thus knew all the Father’s will.
Today we do not look to the Urim and Thummim. Rather do we look to the Spirit of God to guide us as we come together to seek to determine His will. We are confident that if our hearts are truly open and willing He will direct us in the right way but as with the Urim and Thummim we may receive no answer. If this be so, and our hearts be truly right, then we can go forward confident that He will go before us to prepare the way. But if our hearts are not right, then like Saul we may be led astray (1 Samuel 28.6). Spiritual discernment is an important gift.
9 And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
It should be noted that the turban is secondary, only worthy of mention because of the plate or flower of gold which had on it HOLY TO YAHWEH which was to be on Aaron’s forehead. The turban is not itself anywhere described in any way, except to say that it is of fine linen. All eyes are to be on the golden plate/flower with its powerful declaration.
This plate/flower is remarkable. It sums up why Aaron can come before Yahweh as the representative of the people. It is because he has in his official capacity as ‘the Priest’ been made ‘holy to Yahweh’, set apart as ‘holy’, as belonging to Yahweh, through due process as His ‘set apart one’. He has an aura from God about him. It sums up the significance of his office.
The ‘flower’ shape may indicate the blossoming forth in new life of the priesthood from God in holiness, or it may be a reminder of mortality, that as the flower of the field he will die. The former seems more probable, but the latter ever a warning. Blossoming forth is often the symbol of new life (Isaiah 35.1; 58.11).
No one was more worthy of that head plate/flower than The Holy Son of God Jesus Christ. He was God’s blossoming forth (see Hebrews 1.2). And His whole life testified to the fact that He was ‘holy to Yahweh’. The High Priest bore it on his head in the temple, but Jesus bore it to the cross (unknowingly Pilate would spell it out on the cross as ‘this is the King of the Jews’, that is, the anointed one of God). That was why He suffered ‘outside the camp’ (Hebrews 13.12-13). As with the purification for sin offering for the High Priest and the nation, and on the Day of Atonement, He was too holy to be finally committed to God within the camp. On that day Jerusalem ceased to count. It was no longer worthy. The true sacrifice had been offered outside the gates. And from that day it was the true High Priest in Heaven who bore the title ‘holy to Yahweh’. He was the One Who could truly wear gold, and blue, and purple and scarlet, for He was truly the One Who enjoyed the glory of God, was welcome in Heaven, was of full royal status and was the complete sacrifice for sin.
10 Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.
Having clothed Aaron in his splendor before the spellbound crowd, Moses now moved on to the task of ‘making holy’ (sanctifying, setting apart to God) the tabernacle and all the furniture in it. This was done by use of the holy anointing oil. The oil, made with God’s own unique constituents and never to be used except in relation to the prescribed holy things, signified that this was all set apart to God’s holy service. From now on it was His. It was most holy. None must touch it except those whom He had appointed.
We can also understand that our Holy God Jesus as the tabernacle of God among was on His appointment also anointed, but in His case with the Holy Spirit Who came down from Heaven. Here was greater wonder and a better anointing, the real as against the shadow. He was supremely the Anointed One.
11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to consecrate them.
Moses sprinkles the anointing oil on the altar seven times thus is the altar anointed, then he anoints the vessels. The purpose again is to make them holy. The sevenfold anointing demonstrates the importance of the altar which needs divinely perfect dedication.
12 And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.
The anointing oil was then poured on Aaron’s head. The head was probably chosen because it was on the head that the crown would be placed which declared him ‘Holy to Yahweh’.
In the same way was our Lord Jesus anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism, as God’s great alternative High Priest, King and Prophet. He too could go where no other has gone, into Heaven itself (Hebrews 9.24).
13 Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons and put tunics on them, girded them with sashes, and put hats on them, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
The sons of Aaron, while not being clothed in quite the same splendor, were also clothed with their priestly garments. Their clothes too were ‘for glory and for beauty’. As priestly garments they covered their wearers, as it were, in the glory and beauty of God, depicting their status. Indeed white robes are regularly elsewhere depicted as the mark of the heavenly and the garb of angels and of the redeemed who have died.
We can see in these priests a picture of ourselves. We too are to be clothed with white, the righteousness of Christ; we too are to be girded with truth ready for service on Christ’s behalf. But our heads are to be uncovered because we are no longer under the Law, but share in Christ’s headship (1 Corinthians 11.4).
14 And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering,
Having sanctified the tabernacle and it contents, and having put the priestly garments on Aaron and his son’s, and having anointed Aaron with oil to inaugurate the priesthood, Moses now commenced the offerings and sacrifices to seal the occasion.
The first stage was the purification for sin offering. In order to be initiated all must first be purified from their sins. This is the first stage for all of us. And it was so for Aaron. If we would be become God’s priests, anointed to serve Him, we must commence with being purified, in our case through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 9.14; 10.10).
15 and Moses killed it. Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make atonement for it.
Moses then took the blood and with his finger applied it to the horns of the altar.
16 Then he took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.
The fat is the choice part of the offering, and the vital parts represent the soul of the animal, its vital life. All are offered to God in homage and worship.
17 but the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Then all that remains of the bull ox is taken outside the camp and burned in a clean place, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. All that Moses did was precisely as commanded by Yahweh. This was because these remains were so holy that they could not be burned on the altar, and could not be allowed to remain in the camp. They were passed on to God in His own place in the wilderness, in ‘a clean place’
Thus was Aaron, along with his sons, purified with the type and shadow that pointed forwards to the coming of Jesus Christ Who, as the holiest of the holy, came as God’s purification for sin offering, an offering made once-for-all for them and for the whole world, an offering so holy that He had to be offered outside Jerusalem. Without His first offering for sin, and our response to it by spiritually laying our hands on Him, we could not even begin to approach God.
Purification is thus foundational and central to the whole ceremony. It is ever so. If we would serve God we too must be purified, and be kept continually pure, and this purification is only possible through His blood. He offered Himself up as a sacrifice for our sins so that He might make purification for sins (Hebrews 1.3), and when we are open to Him and come to Him the blood of Christ through the eternal Spirit will purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9.14), and from then on as we continue walking in His light, the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, will go on cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1.7). But if we refuse His light there is nothing left but darkness.
18 Then he brought the ram as the burnt offering. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,
Moses then took the ram of the whole burnt offering, and called on Aaron and his sons to solemnly identify themselves with it by laying their hands on it. Without active participation and genuine response the whole ceremony would have been meaningless.
19 and Moses killed it. Then he sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 Then he washed the entrails and the legs in water. And Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
So were Aaron and his sons atoned for, and lifted up in dedication to God, in what was a shadow and type of the offering up of Jesus Christ as the perfectly obedient One, the One Whose dedication was total and complete. And so were they accepted for His sake. And we too, if we would serve Him must also be offered up in His dedicatory and atoning offering that we might be totally acceptable to God in His righteousness. We must be united with Him Who said, ‘Lo I come --- to do your will, O God’ (Hebrews 10.9). First we come to Him in humility and repentance as our purification for sin offering, and then we come to Him for reconciliation and atonement, that we may fully dedicate ourselves in Him and offer Him as our tribute to God, and offer ourselves in Him (we have nothing else that is worthy to be offered. It is all of grace).
In view of the fact that they all partake of this sacrifice it would appear to be a Peace Sacrifice. It represents Christ Who was made our Peace and our Wellbeing. By partaking of Him we find peace with God and are made spiritually whole.
22 And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,
The other ram to be offered is now brought forward. It is called the ram of consecration. The word for consecration is used only of this ceremony. It comes from a root meaning ‘to fill up’. Thus the thought here is of what Aaron and his sons receive by this consecration.
Through the offering of this ram they are being given a permanent privilege which will last through many generations, to be living representatives of God. And along with that go the tithes and offerings of the people, participation in a portion of many offerings and sacrifices, and in cities in which to dwell, and in rights to teach the Law. Their hands are being filled to overflowing, as symbolized by the offerings placed in their hands (verse 27), but all so that they may be available to be the servants of God. Their hands are being filled with blessings and with great responsibilities
It is through our Ram of Consecration The Lord Jesus Christ Himself that, having been purified and dedicated through Him as our purification for sin offering and our whole burnt offering, we can be raised to serve as His heavenly priests, ministering on earth with sacrifices of praise (Hebrews 13.15) and thanksgiving, offering ourselves up constantly as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12.1) and being a pleasing odor to Him and to others through our witness and testimony (2 Corinthians 2.14-15).
23 and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he brought Aaron’s sons. And Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar.
Aaron first act was then to put some of the blood on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. It was put on each extremity. The Priest had to be pure in ear and hand and foot. He had to have an ear to hear the voice of God, a hand to do the will of God and a foot to go in the way of God. Thus was he to be totally dedicated to the service of God.
So when a person comes to Christ Jesus for forgiveness is he set apart to God, and his ear, hand and foot are marked with the blood of Christ as from then on dedicated to the service of Christ. We are no longer our own, we are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6.19-20). From then on we are here only to hear His voice, to do His will and to walk in His way (John 10.27-29). Anything less falls short of true Christian conversion.
25 Then he took the fat and the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; 26 and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh; 27 and he put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them as a wave offering before the LORD.
It was also the first time that they had carried out this action which in future they would perform countless times. It was an initiatory act.
As His priests we also must offer the fat on the altar. All that is best, all that is surplus to our necessity should be offered and ‘burned up’ in the service of God as an offering to Him, that He might receive it to do with as He will, thereby laying up for ourselves treasure in Heaven where it can never fail (Matthew 5.19-21).
28 Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar, on the burnt offering. They were consecration offerings for a sweet aroma. That was an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Moses then took what they had waved before Yahweh and burnt them on the altar of burnt offering.
Thus what they had to offer up to Him included what was their right, as a token that what they would afterwards receive came from His hand. We have in this a reminder that all that we have comes from God, and that we too should offer it back to Him so that He may use it as He will. Such an offering, genuinely made, is a pleasing odor to Him.
29 And Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses’ part of the ram of consecration, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Moses then took the breast, and that he waved before Yahweh. Again it was being offered to Yahweh as belonging to Him to be utilized as He proposed.
30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.
Moses now took the anointing oil, together with some blood from off the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, and on his clothing, and on his sons, and on their clothing thereby ‘sanctifying’ (‘making holy and separate to God’ as the Sanctuary had been made holy and separate to God) both them and their clothing, as was necessary if they were to continually enter the Holy Place.
It should be a thing of great wonder to us that we too have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the anointing of the Holy Spirit so that as we walk on earth we may carry around something of the sanctity of Heaven. We have thereby been made citizens of Heaven, and in Him belong to Heaven and we should therefore carry Heaven with us wherever we go. Our responsibility too is great lest our behavior be a denial of the very sanctity of Heaven.
31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32 What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire. 33 And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you.
Aaron and his sons were now commanded to remain at the door of the tent of meeting for seven days. That is, they were not to leave the precincts of the Sanctuary. There they were to boil the flesh of the ram of consecration and eat of it in the presence of Yahweh, and also of the bread in the basket of consecration. After which all that remained not eaten must be burned with fire. They were holy to God, and may eat of God’s provision. And they must not leave the Sanctuary precinct for seven days. It was the period of their consecration.
How much more solemn then was that offering by which an altar was provided for us on which died the Savior of the world, so that through Him we might have continual atonement and access into the presence of God (Hebrews 13.10-12). And we too, once we are converted and become His through the sacrifice of the cross, should set aside special times that we might through His word and through prayer become more full sanctified as we wait in His presence. First we need to be weaned from the atmosphere of the world, and then we need to be weaned from ourselves and our own selfish living. As they did, we too must recognize that we carry a solemn responsibility towards those who are outside the Sanctuary. It will not lightly be fulfilled.
34 As he has done this day, so the LORD has commanded to do, to make atonement for you.
Surely all that had been done and would be done that day had been in order to make atonement for them so that they might become His priests, to make them ‘at one’ with God. The making of them holy could not be accomplished in a moment, or even in a swift ceremony. It was necessary that they recognize the barrier that sin made between man and God. And once atonement was made the remainder of their sanctification would lay in the hands of God. And it was all at the command of Yahweh. We should in fact pause to consider just how much it was so. God said it and it was done. All this was done in accordance with God’s direct command to Moses.
35 Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.”
So, the initial solemn celebration now being over as far as men were concerned, they could return to their homes, but Aaron and his sons were commanded to remain within the Sanctuary precincts for seven days. They were to be there for a taking part in further ritual ceremonies. including the atoning for and sanctifying of the altar each day. They were charged by Yahweh to remain there, and to keep His charge, lest they die. They were no longer free agents. If they did not do as He said they would die (which in those days was the natural end for anyone who refused to obey). They had voluntarily put themselves under His lordship, and now they must obey totally. It is a solemn thing to become a servant of the living God, and that is what they had done.
36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses.
We are told that Aaron and his sons obeyed God. They did all that God had commanded. We need to learn from Aaron and his sons lives that if only they had continued in such obedience what blessing would have been theirs and for that matter ours.
