Part 8.1- The Consectration of Aaron and His Sons
CHAPTER VIII. THE CONSECRATION OF AARON AND HIS SONS. IN the previous chapters we have God’s ordinances of the offerings, showing the way of access and the place of His presence. "There I will meet with the children of Israel" (Exodus 29:43). In the order of those offerings we had, first, the burnt-offering, showing in itself complete acceptance the privilege of access and worship.
Next, the meat offering, indicating participation, feeding upon that which is pure and acceptable.
Then, the peace offering, exhibiting peace as the result of the other two. Then come the sin and trespass offering. And these as being necessary are not, like the former offerings, voluntary, their need and occasion being known. In God’s order these come last; in our need they come first.
God knows the Church as " chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). But our entrance into and enjoyment of that knowledge is by the saying, faithful and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).
Thus, too, in our order of these ordinances the peace-offering comes last of all, for it expresses the result of all the others. The ordinances of the offerings being concluded, that which follows in natural course is their actual use and application. And for this priests are needed. The offerings were the way of approach to God, the tabernacle was the place, and the priests were the persons by whom the access could be obtained. But both the place and the persons were defiled, and needed cleansing; and the cleansing virtue was in the blood of the offering. The separation of Aaron and his sons from the mass of the congregation, as specially chosen of God, marks God’s principle of election to this special office and privilege. "And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron " (Hebrews 5:4).
Leviticus 8:1. Moses is commanded to take Aaron and his sons with all that is needed for their consecration, and to bring them with the whole congregation to the door of the tabernacle. This was what the Lord commanded to be done. He never put His people by command under law; but He commands His own purposes of grace. The position of the congregation with the priests shows the need " all" have for the exercise of the priestly office, and that it is to be exercised alike for " all." The things that were brought with Aaron were those which were needed, which God had commanded, and which the whole congregation saw as appertaining to priestly consecration.
1.) The garments, directions for making which had been previously given in all particulars (Exodus 28:1-43).
They were the robes of glory and beauty in which he should minister to the Lord.
(2.) The anointing oil. Directions for making this were given in Exodus 30:22. It was not to be put upon order that He might bring us to partake of His own service as a priest. And so we know in ourselves the heavy burden of sin, and the blessing of sin put away, in order that we may exercise the priestly office of bearing one another’s burdens and of interceding one for another.
Leviticus 8:14. The bullock is then brought forward to be offered according to the ordinance of the sin offering for the priest (Leviticus 4:3-12), and Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon its head. In this case the blood is not brought into the holy place, but is put upon the altar, and poured out at the bottom of it, to purify, sanctify, and expiate it. For the sinful nature of the priests defiled it even while they were officiating. But the fact that blood is needed in the holy place, and must be sprinkled there also, is not at present mentioned. It had been noticed in the ordinance for the sin offering; but would be best learnt and known in the course and experience of priestly service.
Moreover, it is afterwards revealed that the blood must be sprinkled in the holiest of all; for even there would the presence of the priest cause defilement. And it is worthy of notice that this last ordinance of sprinkling is introduced soon after the death of Nadab and Abihu, and when the surviving priests had just been reprimanded, because they had omitted to eat the flesh of a sin offering whose blood had not been carried into the tabernacle (compare Leviticus 10:1-20 with Leviticus 16:1-34). Aaron was thus reminded of the necessity of observing, in every particular, whatsoever the Lord had commanded, and was taught that his shortcomings, even in the holy services, required continual atonement.
Hence we may learn how fully and completely all our need has been met, and every barrier removed, so that we may draw nigh to God in Christ; but only in Him.
Leviticus 8:18. Then follows the offering of the ram for the burnt offering. The sin offering is a bullock, the more perfect animal; the burnt offering a ram. If we are to be priests, our understanding of sin must be complete, as of that which separates for ever from God. So, too, ought our apprehension of the offering once made for sin to be clear and decided, as of that which has altogether put it away.
Otherwise we can have no power for service. But the sense of acceptance, and of access in worship, may be more or less defective, and is of progressive attainment. A large, but not a full, apprehension of this belongs to the priest; and hence it is represented, not by the bullock, but by the ram.
Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the ram and identify themselves with it, as with the sin offering; and the sacrifice is then offered according to the usual ordinance for the burnt offering. The question of sin put away and acceptance with God having been thus settled for Aaron and his sons, their consecration to the office for which they were clothed follows, and the proper offering, the other ram, is brought.
Leviticus 8:22. " The ram of consecration." The animals for the consecration and the burnt offering are of the same kind. And our understanding of the character and value of our priesthood will exactly equal our sense of blessing in acceptance and worship.
According to the usual procedure, Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the offering, which is immediately afterwards slain. The blood is then " put upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot." Afterwards it is applied in like manner to his sons; and then sprinkled upon the altar round about, to consecrate the place of sacrifice and priestly service. But the blood was put upon Aaron first, that he might be a type of Him Who, though made like unto His brethren, yet had in all things the pre-eminence. For He, after taking upon Himself our nature, and in it offering the sacrifice, becomes a priest, and thus brings us into a blessed participation of access to God, the Father, making us priests together with Himself. Therefore we are able to draw nigh, within the vail, our hearts being sprinkled from an evil conscience, because sin is put away, and our bodies washed with pure water, cleansed for daily priestly service. The blood is put first " on the ear." This is the consecration to God of the avenue by which truth finds access to our minds. Therefore it is said, " Let every man be swift to hear;" for "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." And the Lord Jesus shows us His own perfect consecration in this respect when He says, "Mine ears hast thou opened." " I speak not of myself." "As My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things." The ear is first consecrated as that by which we receive the wisdom and understanding which are to be the directory of our hands and feet in doing the work of the Lord, and walking in His ways. And thus the application of the blood to ear, hand, and foot, shortly comprehends the whole of our priestly work, which is, to hear from God, and to carry out what we hear in our daily walk and service. The eye is not consecrated; nothing that is the object of sight forms any part of our portion, or a subject of priestly ministration. Neither experience nor observation are to be a guide; but the commandments of God. The Lord Jesus alone can tell us of what He has seen: we hear it from Him. Nor is the tongue touched with the blood: for the consecration of the ear contains all that is necessary.
Let that organ be opened to God, so that the heart may be filled with what is heard from Him, and the right result must follow; for " out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." But we should be " slow to speak," and careful, when we do open our mouths, to "speak as the oracles of God."
Then follows the application of the blood to the hand-that which should, in service, take hold of the holy things of God, the vessels of ministry, and the blood of sprinkling; and to the foot, which treads the holy sanctuary of God’s presence.
Leviticus 8:25. And now the portion of the animal set apart for the altar of burnt offering is taken, together with one cake of each kind from the basket of unleavened bread for a memorial, according to the ordinance of the meat offering. The Lord Jesus was not only acceptable in the sight of God in His own person, as in the burnt offering, but also in all His actions, and among them in His consecration of His people as priests. This latter point is marked by the offering of the memorial from the unleavened bread. And not only so, but our participation in the knowledge and understanding of Christ’s work is also well pleasing to God, and this is indicated by the participation of Aaron and his sons in the unleavened purity of the meat offering. In the case of the ram of consecration, in addition to the parts usually appointed to be burnt upon the altar, there is added the shoulder, the place of bearing burdens, the place of strength. For this is a consecration to priesthood; and priests are appointed for men. This sets forth both Christ as the great Burden-bearer, and ourselves as the bearers of each other’s burdens. The bread was laid on the fat and on the shoulder. And so the meat offering in which we participate, the fat which is always God’s portion, and the place of strength on which they were borne, were all put upon Aaron’s hands, and upon his sons’ hands, and waved for a wave offering before the Lord. This is the first, and, as it were, initiatory priestly act. But as yet the priests are not left entirely to themselves ; for though consecrated, they are not yet sanctified. The wave offering is, however, the preparation for their anointing; the elements, so to speak, of their consecration were presented on their own hands before the Lord, and when the fire of the altar of burnt offering had marked God’s approval of what was there, then the consecration was complete, and the anointing with oil followed.
Aaron and his sons are now standing before the Lord clothed in their priestly garments ; the sin offering and the burnt offering have been offered, as also the ram of consecration; the blood of the consecration has been put upon the priests ; the memorial for burnt offering of the ram, and the unleavened bread of the meat offering, have been lifted up in their hands and waved before the Lord; and the answer of God from the fire of burnt offering is, that it is a " sweet savour, an offering by fire unto the Lord." But yet, before the anointing, Moses takes the breast and waves it before the Lord as his own part. And this tells us of the love of Him Who bears the names upon His heart, as the origin of all blessing. And this is His part; He " loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." But, as we see in the directions for this consecration (Exodus 29:1-46), the wave breast, as well as the wave shoulder, was to be set apart from the offerings as the portion of Aaron and his sons, who were to partake of it . And here our own calling is shown forth; for it is on the ground of Christ’s first love to us that we are called upon to love Him and one another, and to bear one another’s burdens as He has borne them all.
Leviticus 8:30. Then the anointing takes place, and the oil and the blood are sprinkled upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments, thereby, as it is said, sanctifying both their persons and their apparel. And this completes the ceremonies. The blood marks the cleansing and consecration both of their persons and their garments, the holy spiritual character of themselves and their ministry. (The tabernacle and vessels had been previously anointed.) The oil is the spiritual power for communion and service in spiritual things ; not the intrinsic worthiness of Christ, which was shown before, but His perfect identification with us, seeing that He, too, was " taken from among men." The garments for glory and beauty were upon Aaron and his sons alike, though his were superior, and his investiture had taken place long before theirs.
Leviticus 8:31. When Aaron and his sons had been thus endowed with the power of service, Moses gave them further directions. They were commanded to boil the flesh of the ram of consecration at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and there to eat it with the unleavened bread. This was practically identifying themselves with what they had been made, realizing what had been done for them and to them, feeding upon it. This was to be done daily ; the bread and flesh left were to be burnt, not to remain until the morning. And for seven days the offerings were to be repeated, during which time the priests were not to go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Day and night were they to keep the charge of the Lord until the seven days were ended. So is our place of service, and our service itself, as yet a hidden thing; on the eighth day, at the first resurrection, it will be manifested. The seven days of sojourning on earth are days of consecration, and must be exactly observed, that " ye die not." The conclusion is that Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.
They were now perfectly constituted priests, ready to execute their office on the behalf of others in things pertaining to God, and to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.