Leviticus 8

CHAPTER 8THEME: Calling of the congregation to witness the ritual of consecration of the priests; cleansing of Aaron and his sons; clothing of the high priest; consecration of the high priest; clothing and cleansing of the priests and Aaron; commandments given to Aaron and his sonsWe come now to an altogether new section concerning the consecration of the priests. The consecration of the priests is important because it will throw a great deal of light on what is called consecration today in our churches. May I say that much of what we call consecration today is a pretty sorry substitute for the real article. “For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore” (Heb_7:28). Our attention is now directed to the priests and not the sacrifices. We leave the brazen altar now and turn to the brazen laver. It was at the brazen altar that God dealt with the sin question for the sinner once and for all. But that doesn’t mean that the saved sinner was perfect. He still sinned, unfortunately; so God must take him to the brazen laver where He washed him and kept him clean. God still washes us and keeps us clean at the brazen laver. Jesus Christ is still girded with that towel of service and He washes us in the brazen laver of His blood and that keeps on cleansing us from all sin. Israel had a priesthood and this was written for them. In fact, the Book of Leviticus really is written for the Levites. It was God’s original intention to make the entire nation of Israel a kingdom of priests. “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation …” (Exo_19:6). Their sin in the matter of the golden calf prevented this. Instead, only one tribe was taken, the tribe of Levi. Out of this tribe only one man was chosen as the high priest and that was Aaron. The church today is a priesthood, and Christ is the great High Priest. " …We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (Heb_8:1). “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Pe_2:9). “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev_5:10). “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev_1:6). “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle” (Heb_13:10). That altar today is in heaven. It is at the throne of grace. In the future, after the church is gone, I believe that the nation Israel will be the priests on the earth during the Millennium. The definition of a priest was not left to man’s invention but is explained in the Scripture. “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Heb_5:1). Priesthood in the Scriptures bears no similarity to any order of priests in any religion at the present time. A priest is one who represents man before God. He goes in to God on behalf of man. He is the opposite of a prophet. A prophet comes out from God, to speak for God, to man. A priest comes out from man and goes to God, to speak for man to God, and to represent man. You can see that the Lord Jesus is both Prophet and Priest. He came out from God and spoke for God to man. He reveals God to man. Now He has gone from man back to God and is our great High Priest. He represents us there. In fact, we are in Him! My friend, if you are not in Him, then you are not up there. You and I could never get there on our own. A knowledge of the tabernacle is essential to an understanding of the Book of Leviticus and especially of the priesthood. The typology of the tabernacle and of the priesthood is so rich in meaning and detail that there is a danger of emphasizing one facet to the exclusion of another and thereby giving a wrong inference. I do think we need to note that the outer court of the tabernacle represents the world down here. This is where Christ bled and died. The Holy Place is the unseen to which our great High Priest has gone. Actually, this is what happened when the Lord Jesus died on the Cross and then went back up to heaven. He took the tabernacle and the meaning of it, which was horizontal here on the earth, and He made it perpendicular. That is, the altar is down herethis is where He died on the Cross. The Holy Place is up there, and He is even now in the Holy of Holies. Listen to these passages which explain this. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession” (Heb_4:14). “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building” (Heb_9:11). “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: we have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Heb_8:1-2). “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb_9:23-24). He is up yonder today. I wish we could bring this reality into our faith. We attend church and go through a little ritual and often the realities of our faith are forgotten. He is up yonder, friend, right now. You are to approach God through Him. We are told to come with boldness. He appears now in the presence of God for us. My friend, you are not alone down here. There is availability with God through Christ. The tabernacle is now perpendicular and the Holy of Holies is in heaven. Twelve times in this chapter it is stated that the Lord commanded Moses. The final clincher is the last verse, “So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses” (Lev_8:36). These are the things which God commanded. Consecration must be the way He says it is to be done! Some people believe in a late dating of the Book of Leviticus as the invention of the priesthood. Yet it says here that this was all done as God commanded it. Do you believe in the inspired Word of God? Then you cannot accept the late dating of Leviticus, but believe the inerrancy of Scripture and that this was done at the command of God.

Leviticus 8:1

CALLING OF THE CONGREGATION TO WITNESS THE RITUALMoses is commanded to bring Aaron and his sons, with all the articles which are to be used in the consecration of the priests, to the door of the tabernacle. This sounds somewhat like a grocery list, but every item it mentions is very important. Then he is to gather the congregation together to witness the ritual of consecrating the priests. This is to be a very impressive service. They will see that God takes feeble men and sets them aside for His service. I feel like saying a hallelujah to that because He will do that for you and for me. “For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore” (Heb_7:28). Christ was really consecrated. In a sense no one else is really consecrated. But the marvelous thing is that God will accept men with infirmities. If He demanded perfection, we would all be left out. Thank God, He takes them as they are, infirm.

Leviticus 8:4

Moses does what he is commanded to do. The people likewise obey and come together for this service. Moses gives a word of explanation that he is following the instructions of the Lord in all that he does.

Leviticus 8:6

CLEANSING OF AARON AND HIS SONSMoses brings Aaron and his sons to the laver for washing. He gives them a bath, if you please. This signifies that they are to be holy, pure, and clean if they are to serve the Lord. They have already been to the altar for forgiveness, but they need cleansing. A great many people today say that they are qualified for service because they are saved. Now it is true that salvation is the prime requisite, but for service one must also be cleansed. You must be cleansed to be used! Listen to these verses from Scripture: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit_3:5). “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb_10:22). “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph_5:26). “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all” (Joh_13:10). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn_1:9). The Holy Ghost renews us as we go along, but we need a washing from the Lord. With what does He wash us? What is the cleansing agent? It is the Word of God. That is what cleanses us. The Lord said that His disciples needed to be washed because their feet were dirty. They all had a bath; that is, they all had been saved (except Judas), but they still needed their feet washed so that they might have fellowship with Him. This cleansing is for service. How do we get that washing? It is by confession that we are forgiven and cleansed. Do you want to be used of God? Then go confess your sins, dear Christian. That is the first step. This is God’s way. This is His command. We either must do it His way or we cannot be of service. He has His way of doing things and we need to learn and obey His ways.

Leviticus 8:7

CLOTHING OF THE HIGH PRIESTThe clothing of the high priest is a picture of our great High Priest in all His extraordinary graces and glory. Each article of clothing was symbolic. There were eight articles worn by the high priest. Four were the same or similar to those worn by all the priests. Four were peculiar to him, and separated him from the other priests. They were garments for glory and for beauty. The four which were common to all the priests were as follows: the coat, the girdle, the turban or mitre or bonnet, and the breeches. These were all made of white linen, with the exception of the turban. The white linen speaks of righteousness. Every believer is clothed in the righteousness of Christ. It is essential for service to be thus clothed, and to be girded is necessary for active obedience. The coat and girdle mentioned in this verse were the basic garments which all the priests wore. These garments are described in detail in Exodus 28.

Leviticus 8:8

The breastplate is also described in Exodus 28. The Urim and Thummim were placed in the breastplate. Urim means “light” and Thummim means “perfections,” so these were the lights and perfections. I do not know exactly how they functioned. Some think that they had to do with the Law and that possibly the Law was written on stones. In Psalms 19 there is a reference to this. “The law of the LORD is perfect, [perfectionsThummim], converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psa_19:7). “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes [lightUrim]” (Psa_19:8).

Apparently the Urim and Thummin had something to do with determining the will of God. There is a spiritual application for us. We need the Word of God today, and we need the leading of God to determine the will of God in our lives.

Leviticus 8:9

The mitre of the high priest had put upon it the golden crown described in Exodus 28. Remember that graven upon it was HOLINESS TO THE LORD. These garments distinguished the high priest from the other priests. They set forth the glories and beauties of our great High Priest who died down here to save us and lives at God’s right hand to keep us saved. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom_5:10). “…because I live, ye shall live also” (Joh_14:19). The sons of Aaron were at his side clothed in simple linen. This is a picture of our great High Priest with His many sons who are being gathered with Him and who are clothed in His righteousness. “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb_2:10). We come to Christ as lost sinners and He covers us with His righteousness. The priest carried stones on each shoulder with six of the names of the twelve tribes on each shoulder. The twelve stones on the breastplate had a name of each of the tribes on each, one tribe on each stone. The great high priest carried the nation of Israel on his shoulder and upon his heart. The shoulder speaks of strength and the heart speaks of love.

Leviticus 8:10

CONSECRATION OF THE HIGH PRIESTThe tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry had been sprinkled with blood (Heb_9:21). Now they are anointed with oil. They were already redeemed and cleansed by the blood. Now they are anointed with the oil which symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit is free to move and work in the worship and service of the tabernacle. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (Joh_4:24).

Leviticus 8:11

The act of sprinkling the oil speaks of sanctification. All was now ready for use, having been set apart for the service of God. Aaron was not sprinkled but anointed with the oil. He was just covered with oil! “It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments” (Psa_133:2). Just so the Holy Spirit (of whom oil is the symbol) was poured out upon Christ at His baptism. It is distinctly stated that “…God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (Joh_3:34). In other words, God gives the Holy Spirit to His Son without measure. It must be noted that the oil was poured on Aaron before the priests had the blood applied to them. Our High Priest needed no offering for sin. We do; He did not. “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Heb_1:9).

Leviticus 8:13

CLOTHING OF THE PRIESTSWe are told again that this was all done according to the commandment of the Lord. This reminds us once more that we must stand clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Leviticus 8:14

CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS AND AARONThe bullock was the sin offering for the high priest. The four sons of Aaron could claim it as their offering, too. Their sins are transferred to the victim. That is understood by the laying on of hands. God wrote indelibly in their souls and burned it into their hearts that they were sinners, even though they were in the service of God. You will find as you go through the Word of God that God’s men have always been conscious of the fact that they are sinners. “For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me” (Psa_40:12). Friend, do you feel that you are that kind of a sinner? God can do something for you if you are like that. After all, if you don’t get sick enough to go to the doctor, you won’t go to him. If you aren’t sure that you are a real sinner, you are not apt to go to Christ. “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (Psa_38:4). Friends, if you have a load that is too heavy for you, get someone else to carry it for you. There is Someone who says, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. I’ll take your burdens.” And don’t try to fool God. He knows all about you; so you might just as well tell Him the whole story.

Leviticus 8:15

This ritual is meaningless until we understand the spiritual lesson. They follow the ritual of the sin offering with the exception that the blood is put on the horns of the brazen altar rather than on the golden altar. Even the altar which is used for the bloody sacrifices must be dedicated with blood. This is to remind us that there is no merit in the wood of the cross. There are a lot of people today who feel there is some merit in the cross itself. There is no merit in the cross! The merit is in the One who shed His blood for us there. Though He became sin for us, He was not polluted with sin. He was not stained with sin. He was “made sin” and yet He was “separate from sinners.” Again, we notice that all this was done at the commandment of God.

Leviticus 8:18

They now go through the ritual of the burnt offering. The burnt offering followed the sin offering. It is impossible to comprehend the beauties and merits of Christ until the sin question has been dealt with in a manner satisfactory to God. The sin offering represents what Christ did for us on the Cross. The burnt offering represents who He is. You can never really know Him until you come to Him first to save you and you accept Him as your substitute for sin. He paid the penalty for your sin. That is of prime importance to know. Actually, fellowship in the New Testament means to share the things of Christ. Only those who are the blood-bought believers can share the things of Christ. The priests had to go inside the holy place to see the beauties of that place. The outside was not very pretty. Just so, the unbelieving world does not see the beauty of Christ and rejects Him, but the child of God is finding new beauties and glories in Him every day.

Leviticus 8:22

The ram of consecration was actually a trespass offering. No peace offerings were made. Why not? Because the priests were already in the sanctuary, the place of fellowship and communion. The blood-tipped ear symbolizes the ear that will hear the voice of God. Without that, friend, you are not going to hear Him. The natural man does not receive the things of Christ. The blood-tipped hand was essential for service. It is impossible to serve the Lord before one is saved. The blood-tipped foot was essential for the walk before God. All of this is symbolic of the fact that the total personality must be presented to God.

Leviticus 8:25

These verses tell that they took parts from all the offerings and put them together and placed them in the hands of Aaron and his sons. They then waved them before the Lord. This was total commitment to God on the basis of the value of one offering. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb_9:28).

Leviticus 8:30

Now the priests together with Aaron are consecrated with blood and oil. Blood is for the forgiveness of sins, the work of Christ; the oil is for the anointing of the Spirit of God. (The instructions for this were given in Exo_29:21.) This speaks of the Lord Jesus who said, “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth” (Joh_17:19). This should also remind us that believers are to walk before the world as the blood-bought children of God. This is what Jude meant: “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jud_1:23). You see, we can go through consecration services and make promises of consecration, but the real question is what your neighbors think about you. What do the folk where you go to school think of you? Do the people with whom you work think that you are serving God? Do they think you are consecrated? I heard a wonderful thing about a Christian the other day. An unsaved man said, “I don’t know much about that fellow’s religion, but if I ever get religion, I want his kind.” I’m afraid that too often what the world sees of the Christian is not really very appealing. Our life should be so that it would attract the man out in the world to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Leviticus 8:31

COMMANDMENTS GIVEN TO AARON AND HIS SONSI told you at the beginning of this section that this sounds like a grocery list, and this is how this section on consecration ends. They are to eat the food that is left. This typifies the fact that believers are now to feed upon the finished work of Christ. Peace and satisfaction are the portion of the believers only in ratio to the measure in which they feed on Christ. Nothing is to be left. All must be consumed or burnt with fire. Nothing is to be left to spoil or waste. Oh, how God’s people need to feed upon Him!

Leviticus 8:33

There were to be seven days of consecration and meditation. They were to remain continually on duty at the door of the tabernacle. So it is with our great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for His own. You may wake up at 2:00 A.M., and He is right up there for you. You may be out in a difficult and dark place, but He is right up there for you. He is always available! All this was done at the commandment of God. This is emphasized, as it is repeated in each of the last three verses of this chapter. The reason for this will be made clear in the next chapter.