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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
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
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we saw in yesterday’s message from the first seven chapters of Leviticus, God provided specific instructions on how to conduct the different offerings He expected. You’ll recall that there were five main offerings, three optional *burnt, grain, and fellowship) and two mandatory (the sin and guilt offerings).
With the directions for all these offerings established in the law, we come to chapter eight and see where it was time to ordain Aaron, the high priest, and his sons as well as consecrate the tabernacle for use. We read in our scripture passage where it was Moses who presided over these processes, beginning with this guidance from the Lord:
"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, the scriptures tell us that Moses prepared Aaron and his sons for the holy work they were soon to do. First, he washed them, ensuring they were cleansed and purified before they were dressed in their priestly attire, attire that made in chapter 39 of the Book of Exodus. Following the ceremonial washing we see where Moses dresses Aaron first before turning his attention to the tabernacle and specifically the bronze altar of burnt offering in the courtyard.
Aaron and turns toward the tabernacle and, specifically, the altar.
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.
Here, we find Moses sanctifying the bronze altar and “all its utensils and the basin with its stand” before any sacrifices happened. We read where Moses also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, 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 oil on his brother’s head to anoint him as the high priest.
Next, Moses ensured that Aaron’s sons were prepared properly so to carry out their priestly duties in assistance to their father. Already having been washed, Moses "put tunics on them, tied sashes around them and put headbands on them, as the Lord commanded."
The scriptures tell us that this was followed by a series of offerings which followed these instructions from God found in Exodus, chapter 29:
“This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. And from the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil. Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams. Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred emblem to the turban. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. Then you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”
“Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar. Then take all the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. But burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its intestines outside the camp. It is a sin offering.”
“Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. Cut the ram into pieces and wash the internal organs and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.”
“Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then splash blood against the sides of the altar. And take some blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.”
“Take from this ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This is the ram for the ordination.) From the basket of bread made without yeast, which is before the Lord, take one round loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf. Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them wave them before the Lord as a wave offering. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a food offering presented to the Lord. After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron’s ordination, wave it before the Lord as a wave offering, and it will be your share.”
“Consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons: the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. This is always to be the perpetual share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the Lord from their fellowship offerings.”
“Aaron’s sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days.”
“Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat them, because they are sacred. And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning, burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.”
“Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.” Vv.1-37
Go back through this passage from Leviticus, chapter 8, and you will see confirmation of the final verse:
So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.
So with all this, what is the common theme throughout this lengthy ordination process?
It can be summed up with a single word: preparation.
You see, through His Word, the Lord wants us to see that He wanted His worship leaders, as well as the instruments they would use for worship, to be consecrated and purified. In regard to the priests, it was critically important that they were cleansed and consecrated, properly ready to enter into His presence and seek atonement for themselves and for the people of Israel through the prescribed sacrifices.
Friends, this principle still applies today. For while we aren’t offering up animal sacrifices to God on bronze altars, He still expects us to intentionally prepare ourselves before we come before Him, expecting us to enter His presence with a proper, consecrated mind, a proper, consecrated heart, and a proper, consecrated spirit.
What would be considered proper?
We find the answers in the twenty-fourth Psalm where we find David writing this:
"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
How can we become spiritually clean?
Again, we turn to these words of David from the fifty-first Psalm:
“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
“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.” Vv. 7, 10-12
Here we find the source of the only way we can properly prepare ourselves to come before the Lord for any occasion.
For only He can cleanse us, forgiving our sins and washing us so that we are whiter than snow.
Only He can create a pure heart within us.
And only He can renew a steadfast spirit through the power of His Holy Spirit, a spirit that remains faithful and trusting, no matter what life brings.
Friends, when we do that, when we allow the Lord to make us holy as He is holy, then we will always celebrate with the joy that comes from our salvation and the sure hope of abiding with our God for all eternity, all as we are sustained through the Holy Spirit in this life. Further, we can experience this proverb come alive:
"He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend." Proverbs 22:11
Certainly, there isn't any better friend to have then the King of Kings, right?
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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