Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"The Lord said to Moses, "Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast, and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting." Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Moses said to the assembly, "This is what the Lord has commanded to be done." Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also tied the ephod to him by its skillfully woven waistband; so it was fastened on him. He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece. Then he placed the turban on Aaron's head and set the gold plate, the sacred diadem, on the front of it, as the Lord commanded Moses. Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him. Then he brought Aaron's sons forward, put tunics on them, tied sashes around them and put headbands on them, as the Lord commanded Moses. He then presented the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood, and with his finger he put it on all the horns of the altar to purify the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. So he consecrated it to make atonement for it. Moses also took all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it on the altar. But the bull with its hide and its flesh and its offal he burned up outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses. He then presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. Then Moses slaughtered the ram and sprinkled the blood against the altar on all sides. He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces and the fat. He washed the inner parts and the legs with water and burned the whole ram on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire, as the Lord commanded Moses. He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Moses also brought Aaron's sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood against the altar on all sides. He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, both kidneys and their fat and the right thigh. Then from the basket of bread made without yeast, which was before the Lord, he took a cake of bread, and one made with oil, and a wafer; he put these on the fat portions and on the right thigh. He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the Lord as a wave offering. Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering as an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. He also took the breast—Moses' share of the ordination ram—and waved it before the Lord as a wave offering, as the Lord commanded Moses. Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments. Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, "Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons are to eat it.' Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread. Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days. What has been done today was commanded by the Lord to make atonement for you. You must stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and do what the Lord requires, so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded." So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses." Leviticus 8
The first seven chapters of Leviticus provided instruction on all the offerings expected by the Lord. As we enter Chapter 8, the time has come to ordain the high priest and his aides…in this case, Aaron and his sons.
In our scripture, we see where Moses is the one who presides over and carries out the ordination process. He is directed by the Lord to "Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast, and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting." Once there Moses begins to prepare Aaron and his sons for the holy work they were soon to do. He first washes them to cleanse and purify them before dressing them in the clothes made by the people in accordance with God’s guidance. Moses first dresses Aaron and turns toward the tabernacle and, specifically, the altar.
At the altar, we read where Moses "took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them." The altar was to be made holy before the sacrifices could be offered. So was Aaron as Moses also poured some of the anointing oil on his head.
Next, Moses had to ensure Aaron’s sons were prepped properly. Already having been washed, Moses "put tunics on them, tied sashes around them and put headbands on them, as the Lord commanded."
A series of offerings would follow…with the bull’s blood poured on the altar to purify it before the offering was burned. Note that there were parts of the bull that weren’t to be burned inside the tabernacle because God had commanded. Moses took these parts ("the hide and its flesh and its offal") and burned them outside the camp. After the bull came the ram. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head, passing their sins to the animal before it was slain as an atonement. Moses then killed the ram, spreading its blood on the altar before burning it. Another ram followed…the one designated as the ordination ram. Once again, Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram before it was slain. Then Moses "took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." He would do likewise with Aaron’s sons before spreading the ram’s blood on the altar. Next, the "fat, the fat tail, all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, both kidneys and their fat and the right thigh" along with "a cake of bread…and a wafer" taken from a "basket of bread made without yeast" were put into "the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the Lord as a wave offering" before "Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering as an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire." We’re further told that "the breast" was "Moses' share of the ordination ram" and he "waved it before the Lord as a wave offering" before taking "some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar" and sprinkling "Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments", thus consecrating them. The ceremony was soon coming to a close but Aaron and his sons were to stay on station at "the entrance to the Tent of Meeting" and not leave "for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed" and they were to remain obedient to the command so they would not die. That’s a pretty fair reason to obey.
So what is the common theme throughout this lengthy ordination process? It can be summed up with a single word: preparation. The Lord wanted His worship leaders and the instruments that would be used for worship to be consecrated and purified. They had to be ready to enter into His presence and seek atonement for the people and for themselves through the prescribed sacrifices.
How does this apply to us today? Well, it still comes down to a single word: preparation. For the Lord today is just as interested in how we prepare ourselves to come before Him as He was back in the days of Moses. He expects us to come before Him with the proper mind…the proper heart…and the proper spirit. And what is proper? A heart, mind and spirit that is reverent, humble, repentant, obedient and respectful. Consider these words from the 24th Psalm:
"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord ? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior." Psalm 24:3-5
Truly friends, we should echo the request of David when he asked the Lord to "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow…Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:7, 9-12) And when we do, we can see the following proverb come to life in us: "He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend." Proverbs 22:11 And there isn't any better friend to have then the King of Kings. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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