Leviticus 9
McGeeCHAPTER 9THEME: Aaron prepares to begin his service; Aaron offers the sin offering; Aaron offers the burnt offering; Aaron offers the meal and peace offerings; Aaron blesses the people and the glory of the Lord appearsThis chapter is intensely interesting, as it not only marks the initiation of Aaron and his sons into the service of the priesthood, but it gives in detail the daily ritual of the service of the priests. With the exception of the great Day of Atonement, very little detail is given in the remainder of Scripture relative to the daily ritual. This marks the time when the priest for the first time became a priest. Although one was born in Aaron’s line, he was not fully a priest until he was consecrated. The Hebrew word for consecration literally means “to fill the hand.” That means we come to God with empty hands. Consecration isn’t a promise to go out as a missionary or to do something else for the Lord. Consecration means to come to the Lord with empty hands and ask, “Lord, what will You have me to do?” He does the filling! That is consecration. Too many folk think they must bring something to God if they are to be consecrated. Some folk seem to think they are giving the Lord a whole lot if they give themselves. We’re not giving Him very much, friends. When He got me, all He got was just so much sin. That’s all. The Septuagint adopted the Greek word teleioo to express consecration. This expresses the same thought. Telos means “end,” and it means “the purpose,” meaning to accomplish what God wants you to accomplish. It means to fulfill the end for which you were born. We were born for the purpose of completing the body of Christ. And He was born for the purpose of coming down here to accomplish the will of God in order that He might bring us home to glory. “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).
You see, Jesus was consecrated. He had a purpose. “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). In this chapter it is the office of Jesus, not His character, which is in view. It is Jesus accomplishing the purpose, the God-given purpose, in His office.
Leviticus 9:1
AARON PREPARES TO BEGIN HIS SERVICEAll of this was done at the commandment of God. They had carried out the details of the seven days and now, on the eighth day, Aaron was to begin his service as the high priest. The eighth day is the first day of the week! That is the day that Jesus came back from the dead. Christ entered into His office as High Priest after His death and resurrection. Heb_8:4 and Heb_9:10-12 tell us that if Christ were on earth, He would not be a priest. It was after He ascended into heaven that He became High Priest in the tabernacle not made with hands, up in heaven. By His own blood He entered into the Holy Place. As Aaron entered into his office as high priest on the first day of the week, his four sons were there as witnesses. Likewise, we have four Gospels which bear witness to the fact of the death and resurrection of Christ. We today have a perfect and complete Priest. “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb_5:9). We obey Him when we believe Him and believe on Him. We obey Him, after we are believers, when we attempt to do His will. That is consecration, friends. We come to him empty; we hold out our empty hands and ask Christ to fill us. Aaron was not our great High Priest. He needed to make a sin offering for himself. The high priest on all great public occasions began by making an offering for himself. By this he was declaring that he was not the Christ but that there would be One who comes after him. He would be the great High Priest"Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself" (Heb_7:27).
Leviticus 9:3
Aaron was commanded to have the people bring all the offerings to God with the exception of the trespass offering. At the very beginning there was no need for the trespass offering because they had not had time to commit a trespass. They offered the regular kid of the goats for the sin offering; a double offering of a calf and a lamb for the burnt offering; a double offering of a bullock and a ram for the peace offering; and the regular meal offering. The glory of the Lord was to appear to them that day. This was to show that through the death of Christ, on to the resurrected High Priest at God’s right hand, is the way we approach God.
Leviticus 9:5
The people obey, and Moses assures them that the glory of the Lord will appear to them.
Leviticus 9:8
AARON OFFERS THE SIN OFFERINGThese verses describe how Aaron carried out the ritual of the sin offering in meticulous detail. The sin offering was made first. Why? When the offerings were first presented, the burnt offering was first and the sin offering came last. Well, you see, the offerings were first presented from God’s viewpoint. But now we are approaching God from man’s viewpoint. Man comes to God as a sinner. You and I, my friend, come as sinners. It is the sin question which must be settled first. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph_1:7).
Leviticus 9:12
AARON OFFERS THE BURNT OFFERINGThe ritual for the burnt offering was followed in meticulous detail. First Aaron offered for himself. The sin offering and the burnt offering for the people were then presented.
Leviticus 9:15
All of this is a picture of Christ. “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isa_53:10). “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2Co_5:21). The sin offering is made sin. Christ had the sin of the world pressed down upon Him as one great globe, a whole world, of sin.
Leviticus 9:17
AARON OFFERS THE MEAL AND PEACE OFFERINGSThe meal offering followed the regular ritual. The same is true for the peace offering. Aaron, as the representative for the nation, presents the sacrifices before the Lord through the shedding of the blood. The people are accepted. Blessing will follow.
Leviticus 9:22
AARON BLESSES THE PEOPLE AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD APPEARSBlessing follows the offering of the three offerings: the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. Then Moses and Aaron retired into the tabernacle. It is thought that at the time of the evening sacrifice they came forth to bless the people and then the glory of the Lord appeared. All is complete now. The people shout and fall on their faces in adoration and praise. Christ is now entered into the Holy Place, which is in heaven itself, to appear there for you and me today. Oh, my friend, lay hold of this living Christ. Fall before Him in adoration and praise.