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Leviticus 8

Life Application Study BibleLeviticusChapter 8

Leviticus 8

New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 168, 169, 170

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8Leviticus 8

Ordination of the Priests

1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Bring Aaron and his sons, along with their sacred gar- — 38:1 ments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made without yeast, 3and call the entire community of Israel together at the entrance of the Tabernacle.*” 4So Moses followed the LORD’s instructions, and the whole community assembled at the Tabernacle entrance. Moses announced to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded us to do!” 6Then he presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. 7He put the official tunic on Aaron and tied the sash around his waist. He dressed him in the robe, 2 I 58-30-31 placed the ephod on him, and attached the ephod securely with its decorative sash. 8Then Ezra 2:63 Moses placed the chestpiece on Aaron and put the Urim and the Thummim inside it. 9He placed the turban on Aaron’s head and attached the gold medallion—the badge of holiness—to the front of the turban, just as the LORD had commanded him. 10Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and everything in it, making them holy. ‘He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven times, anointing it and all its utensils, as well as the washbasin and its stand, making them holy. 12Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, anointing him and making him holy for his work. 13Next Moses presented Aaron’s sons. He clothed them in their tunics, tied their sashes around them, and put their special head coverings on them, just as the LORD had commanded him. ©. 14Then Moses presented the bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the bull’s head, ‘Sand Moses slaughtered it. Moses took some of the blood, and with his finger he put it on the four horns of the altar to purify it. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Through this process, he made the altar holy by purifying it.* **Then Moses took all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, and he burned it all on the altar. 17He took the rest of the bull, including its hide, meat, and dung, and burned it on a fire outside the camp, just as the LORD had commanded him. 18Then Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram’s head, 19and Moses slaughtered it. Then Moses took the ram’s blood and splattered it against all sides of the altar. 20Then he cut the ram into pieces, and he burned the head, some of its pieces, and the fat on the altar. 21After washing the internal organs and the legs with water, Moses burned the entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering. It was a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him. 22Then Moses presented the other ram, which was the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram’s head, 2%and Moses slaughtered it. Then Moses took some of its blood and applied it to the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. 24Next Moses presented Aaron's sons and applied some of the blood to the lobes of their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet. He then splattered the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. 25Next Moses took the fat, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, along with the right thigh. 26On top of these he placed a thin cake of bread made without yeast, a cake of bread mixed with olive oil, and a wafer spread with olive oil. All these were taken from the basket of bread made without yeast that was placed in the LORD’s presence. 2’He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and he lifted them up as a special offering to the LORD. 28Moses then took all the offerings back from them and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. This was the ordination offering. It was a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the LORD. 2?Then Moses took the breast and lifted it up as a special offering to the LORD. This was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, just as the LORD had. commanded him. 30Next Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, and he sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. In this way, he made Aaron and his sons and their garments holy. 31Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the remaining meat of the offerings at the Tabernacle entrance, and eat it there, along with the bread that is in the basket of offerings for the ordination, just as commanded when I said, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat it.’ 32Any meat or bread that is left over must then be burned up. 97You must not leave the Tabernacle entrance for seven days, for that is when the ordination ceremony will be completed. 34Everything we have done today was commanded by the LORD in order to purify you, making you right with him.* $5Now stay at the entrance of the Tabernacle day and night for seven days, and do everything the LORD requires. If you fail to do this, you will die, for this is what the LORD has commanded.” 36So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.

Textual footnotes

  1. 7:28-30 God told the people of Israel to bring their peace offer- clothed with special garments (8:7-9, 13), and anointed with oil
  2. ings personally, with their own hands. They were to take time (8:12). They placed their hands on a young bull as it was killed
  3. and effort to express thanks to God. You are the best person to (8:14, 15), and on two rams as they were killed (8:18, 19, 22, 23).
  4. express your thankfulness to God and to others. Do you Jeave it This showed that holiness came from God alone, not from the
  5. to others to express thanks to someone who has been helpful? priestly role. Similarly, we are not spiritually cleansed because we
  6. Do you rely on the one leading in prayer to thank God for you? have a religious position, reputation, or title. Spiritual cleansing
  7. Take time to communicate your personal gratitude both to God comes only from God. No matter how high our position or how
  8. and to others who have helped and blessed you. long we have held it, we must depend on God for spiritual vitality.
  9. 8:6
  10. Exod 29:3-4
  11. 7:31-36 Part of the offering was designated for the priests. 8:2, 3 Why were priests needed in Israel? In Exodus 19:6, the
  12. This food helped to care for the priests, who cared for God's Israelites were instructed to be a kingdom of priests; ideally they
  13. house. The New Testament teaches that ministers should be would all be holy and relate to God. But from the time of Adam’s
  14. paid by the people they serve (1 Corinthians 9:14). We should fall, sin has separated humans and God, and people have needed
  15. give generously to those who minister to us. mediators to help them find forgiveness. At first, the patriarchs—
  16. house or clan and made sacrifices for the family. When the Israel-
  17. ites left Egypt, the descendants of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi,
  18. were chosen to serve as priests for the nation. The priests stood
  19. in the gap between Gad and people. They were the full-time spiri-
  20. tual leaders and overseers of offerings. The priestly system was
  21. a concession to people's inability, because of sin, to confront and
  22. relate to God individually and corporately. In Christ, this imperfect
  23. system was transformed. Jesus Christ himself is our High Priest.
  24. ceremony when priests were inducted into office (8:22).
  25. follow. All the rituals in Leviticus were meant to teach the people
  26. valuable lessons. But over time, the people became indifferent
  27. to the meanings of these rituals, and they began to lose touch
  28. with God. When your church appears to be conducting dry,
  29. meaningless rituals, instead of criticizing or becoming discour-
  30. aged, try rediscovering the origina! meaning and purpose behind
  31. each. Your worship will be revitalized. Now all believers can approach God through him.
  32. apart? Although all the men from the tribe of Levi were dedicated them, but they were probably precious stones or flat objects that
  33. tor service to God, only Aaron’s descendants could be priests. God used to give guidance to his people. The high priest kept
  34. They alone had the honor and responsibility of performing the them in a pocket attached to his chestpiece. Some scholars think
  35. sacrifices. These priests had to cleanse and dedicate themselves the Urim may have been the no answer and the Thummim the
  36. before they could help the people do the same. yes answer. Atter a time of prayer for guidance, the priest would
  37. The ceremony described in Leviticus 8 and 9 was their ordina- _ shake the stones and God would cause the proper one to fall
  38. tion ceremony. Aaron and his sons were washed with water (8:6), out. Another view is that the Urim and Thummim were small flat
  39. 8:3 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 8:4, 31, 33, 35.
  40. 8:11f Why did Aaron and his sons need to be cleansed and set 8:8 What were the Urim and Thummim? Little is known about
  41. 8:15 Or by making atonement for it: or that offerings for purification might be made on it.
  42. 8:34 Or to make atonement for you.

Life Application Notes 2 notes

8:12What was the significance of anointing Aaron as high priest? The high priest had special duties that no other priest had. He alone could enter the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle on the annual Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of the nation. Therefore, he was in charge of all the other priests. The high priest was a picture of Jesus Christ, who is our High Priest (Hebrews 7:26-28).

8:36Aaron and his sons did “everything the LORD had com- Mmanded.” Considering the many detailed lists of Leviticus, that was a remarkable feat. They knew what God wanted, how he wanted it done, and with what attitude it was to be carried out. This can serve as a model for how carefully we ought to obey God. God wants us to be thoroughly holy people, not a rough approximation of the way his followers should be.

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