Leviticus 8
- The Priests as Mediators. Chapter 8 - 10.
a. The Consecration of the Priests 8:1-36.
We are greatly impressed by the solemnity of the consecration and installation of the priest which is described in this chapter. The Lord gives the command to Moses to preside over the ceremony in the presence of the whole Israelite community. This is not stated specifically, but it is probable that women and children were excluded. Probably, only adult men attended.
The unity of Aaron and his sons and the people, as is demonstrated in this chapter, is important. After all, the priesthood consists of a two-sided relationship: to God and to the people.
The first and second verses give us an inventory of what was needed for the installation of the priesthood. The first is the Word of God: "The LORD said to Moses." Second is man: "Bring Aaron and his sons" and then the garments which were both a covering for man and an indication of the ministry. The oil was a symbol of the working of the Holy Spirit. Finally, there were the sacrifices by which the people were to be brought into fellowship with God. The place, too, is important: "the entrance of the Tent of Meeting." The consecration was done at the place of God's choosing, not men's.
When all were gathered at the entrance of the Tent, Aaron and his sons were washed and clothed. This meant that those men must first have stood naked before God. That nakedness before the Lord became an experience of shame as Adam and Eve had felt ashamed before God because they were naked. In contrast, nakedness can be an expression of an intimate and loving relationship. Love is naked, not only sexually, but also in the spiritual and emotional sense. The ritual washing symbolized, of course, the cleansing of the life of man who enters into fellowship with God. We should never forget that God, not man, takes the initiative for the installation of the priesthood.
The metamorphosis from naked man to priest in full pontifical is described in detail. It is as if we see it happening before our eyes. We can see a reference to the resurrection in this ritual. Jesus became High Priest on the day of his resurrection. From the nakedness of the cross, He was clothed with glory and honor.
We could also see in the washing a symbol of regeneration. Paul uses this symbol: "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit."[ 1 ] In the present dispensation baptism is a symbol of identification with the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aaron's consecration pointed, in the first place, to the real High Priesthood and to an identification with the real sacrifice.
. There is no better symbol for purification and sanctification than the washing which is a reminder of the impurity that clings to man. God chose Aaron and his sons to become His priests.[ 2 ] They became God's property and, as such, they were purified; this is reminder that God does not use polluted instruments.
We must see the garments Aaron and his sons were to wear according to Exodus.[ 3 ] All the garments, from the underwear to the turban, were masterpieces of weaving and braiding. The tunic worn on top of the linen undergarments, had a pattern woven into it. The waistband and the robe were colorful pieces of woven cloth embroidered with gold. The breastpiece and head plate were made of gold embellished with precious stones. Aaron, the best dressed man of his time, enjoyed all the honor and glory that came with his office. The priesthood unto the Lord was honorable and glorious. "The fine coat makes the fine gentleman," this in anticipation of the day that "the fine gentleman makes the fine coat," when our inward glory makes our clothing glow and glitter. This happened at Jesus' transfiguration when: "His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them."[ 4 ] At this time Aaron is, symbolically, clothed with the glory of God.
We hardly know anything about the ephod and the Urim and Thummim. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the ephod: "a vest worn by the HIGH PRIEST when he presided at the altar <Ex. 28:4-14; 39:2-7>. Worn over a blue robe <Ex. 28:31-35>, the ephod was made of fine linen interwoven with some threads of pure gold and other threads that were blue, purple, and scarlet in color. The ephod consisted of two pieces joined at the shoulders and bound together at the bottom by a woven band of the same material as the ephod. This band perhaps served as a girdle. Upon the shoulders of the ephod, in settings of gold, were two onyx stones. Upon these stones were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The front of the vest, or the breastplate, was fastened to the shoulder straps by two golden chains <Ex. 28:14> and by a blue cord <Ex. 28:28>. In later years, ephods were worn by associate priests as well as the high priest <1 Sam. 22:18>. Even the boy Samuel, dedicated to serve in the Shiloh temple, wore an ephod <1 Sam. 2:18>. David, although not a priest, wore an ephod when he brought the ark to Jerusalem <2 Sam. 6:14; 1 Chr. 15:27>.
Since Christ is our great High Priest <Heb. 8:1-6>, the symbols in the ephod may be applied to Him. White linen speaks of His absolute righteousness. Scarlet (the color of blood) symbolizes His atoning work on the cross; purple, His royalty; gold, His divinity. Blue, the color of the sky, signifies Christ's origin with God the Father in heaven."
Regarding the Urim and Thummim Nelson's Dictionary records the following: "(lights and perfections)-- gems or stones carried by the high priest and used by him to determine God's will in certain matters. Many scholars believe these gems were cast, much as dice are thrown, to aid the high priest in making important decisions. The Urim and Thummim were either on, by, or in the high priest's breastplate. For this reason the breastplate is often called the breastplate of judgment, or decision. In the instructions for making the breastplate, the linen was to be doubled to form a square <Ex. 28:16>. If the top edge was not stitched together, the breastplate would be an envelope or pouch. Many scholars believe the Urim and Thummim were kept in this pouch and were stones or gems with engraved symbols that signified yes no or true-false. By these the high priest reached a decision, according to this theory. The Jewish historian Josephus (A. D. 37-100?), a contemporary of the apostle John, believed that the Urim and Thummim had to do with the flashing of the precious stones in the breastplate. Later Jewish writers believed that the letters in the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved on the stones stood out or flashed in succession to spell out God's answer. This theory does imply that the Urim and Thummim could produce answers to questions which called for more than a mere yes or no reply. Another theory is that by staring at the glow of the Urim and Thummim, the high priest went into a state of ecstasy or trance during which God spoke to him. The student or Bible teacher should bear in mind that all of these theories are pure guesswork. No one knows the exact nature of the Urim and Thummim or precisely how they were used. There are few allusions to the Urim and Thummim in the Bible. They are first mentioned in the description of the breastplate of judgment <Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8>. When Joshua succeeded Moses, he was to have answers from the Urim through Eleazar the priest <Num. 27:21>. They are next mentioned in Moses' dying blessing upon Levi <Deut. 33:8>. There are places in the Bible where Urim and Thummim may be implied but are not named <Josh. 7:14-18; 1 Sam. 14:37-45; 2 Sam. 21:1>. Saul sought direction from the witch of En-dor when he could receive no answer from the Lord, 'either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets' <1 Sam. 28:6>. Another interesting reference to the Urim and Thummim occurred during the period after the return of the Jewish people from their years in captivity by the Babylonians. The Persian governor of Jerusalem denied the people permission to observe some of their ancient Jewish food laws until 'a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim' <Ezra 2:63>."
The ephod, on which also the stones with the names of the tribes of Israel were connected, symbolized both intercession and searching for the will of God. The turban was adorned with the golden diadem with the inscription "Holy to the LORD." So Aaron stands in full pontifical before the Lord.
I have to think of Zechariah's vision, where Joshua, the High Priest, stands before the Lord in filthy clothes and Satan stands on the side accusing him.[ 5 ] Seen in the light of ch. 8, Zechariah's vision gains in depth. Zechariah puts special emphasis on the turban, on which, as we know, the diadem with the inscription "Holy to the LORD" would have been tied. The angel of the Lord called Joshua's new garments "festal robes."[ 6 ] Being priest before the Lord was an honor and required a feast. The glory and the joy of God emanated from the one who occupied the office of the High Priest.
After the priests were dressed, the anointing took place. First the tabernacle was anointed. The heaviest stress in this ritual is on the burnt offering altar. The same oil that is used for this ceremony is poured out upon the head of Aaron. In this anointing ceremony God, the Holy Spirit, places His hand upon the house and the priest. This means that the Spirit of God fills this house and the priest, which accentuates the unity between the two. It is this anointing that sanctifies; that is the Holy Spirit sets people aside for God. This sanctification or setting apart is at the same time a cleansing.
In this context we should read the psalm that says: "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes."[ 7 ] Aaron's anointing is an image of the love and unity of the body of Christ. In this way is Aaron's anointing not only a foreshadowing of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but also of Pentecost.
Aaron and his sons, however, were descendants of Adam; that is, they were sinful human beings. Without the sacrifice of Jesus their ministry would have no significance whatsoever. The presentation of the bull for the sin offering in vs. 14 is a reminder of their sinful nature. In their laying on of their hands on the bull's head, they confessed this fact. This sin offering differed from all the other sin offerings that have to be made in behalf of the priest in that the blood was not taken into the tabernacle to be sprinkled in front of the curtain. After the altar has been sanctified this blood is poured out at the foot of it. Since, up to this time, there had not been an official priesthood, it would have been impossible to sprinkle the blood in front of the curtain.
After the burning of the fat, all that remained of the bull was brought outside the camp in the same way that the animals, whose blood had been brought into the sanctuary, were disposed off.
After the problem of the priest's sinful nature had been dealt with, the emphasis of the action was put upon the purpose of all sacrifices, that is, surrender to God and love for Him, as this was expressed in the burnt offering or holocaust. As we have already seen, the burnt offering exemplified the love of the Son for the Father. This sacrifice emphasized the heavenly aspect, from which all other sacrifices derive their meaning. Without this sacrifice the altar would be nothing but an abattoir for animals. God must have had this burnt offering in mind with every other sacrifice that was brought to Him. This sacrifice and what it expressed was the central meaning of the priesthood. Everything else was either preparation or after-meditation. The bringing of this sacrifice is described in vs. 18-21. There is no difference from what we read about this sacrifice in ch. 1. It was the first burnt sacrifice brought in that dispensation, and it was offered up by Moses in behalf of his brother and nephews.
The next sacrifice was the ram for the ordination. The extraordinary feature of this sacrifice was in what happened to the blood of the animal. Some of its blood was put on the right earlobe of Aaron and his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. The symbolism is clear. The earlobe stands for hearing and obeying the voice of God. All misery in this world began when man paid attention to the devil's insinuation: "Did God really say ...?" This fundamental act of disobedience had to be atoned for before fellowship with God could be renewed. Priesthood would have been impossible without obedience.
The thumb symbolized man's acting, and it played an important part in the process that led from the attitude of disobedience to the sinful act. It would have been difficult for Eve to pick the fruit without using her thumb. It was the act of picking the fruit that made sin irrevocable. This act was atoned for in the application of the blood to the thumb. The thumb with the hand to which it is attached was given back to God who created both and who, consequently, had a right to both.
The big toe governs man's walk, and man must walk in God's way. If the thumb stands for man's acts, the big toe stands for his habits. Man does not commit sin as a series of unrelated acts; he walks in the path of iniquity, and that makes him act sinfully.
We now can see a parallel between the hand and the foot as just discussed here, and the sin offering and the guilt offering, as also described. Both are related to our walk in life, to the acts of sin we commit, and to our sinful nature. Later, in ch. 14:14, we shall see that the same ceremony was performed at the cleansing of a leper who was healed from his sickness.
The same blood that was applied to the vital parts of the priest's body was also sprinkled around the altar. Under the new covenant, no renewal of our obedience and of our walk in life is possible without the cross of Christ. We observe that the renewal took place after the oil had been poured out over Aaron's head. Renewal of life is, also, not possible without the presence of the Holy Spirit, who woos us and nudges us to surrender our body to God.
The fat of this ordination sacrifice was burned upon the altar together with the grain offering. Moses was the first one to receive the breast of the sacrifice. This institution elevated Moses to the position of the priest who received the portion, but this was only applicable the first time.
After this, Aaron and his sons were sanctified by the sprinkling on their clothing of a mixture of blood and oil. It seems a pity to us that those precious garments were "spoiled" in this way with drops of blood and oil, but without the blood of atonement and the oil of the Holy Spirit the most expensive clothing would be nothing but a heap of rags. As Isaiah says: "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."[ 8 ]
This sacrifice provides for the physical needs of Aaron and his sons. The meat has to be cooked and eaten together with the bread of the grain offering. In this way their sanctification becomes their satisfaction. The fact that nothing of this sacrifice is to be kept till the next day makes this a "Thank Offering," according to ch. 7:12-15. This dedication ceremony lasts for seven days. Every day the ritual is repeated in the same way.
In conclusion, we can say that this dedication involved many areas and duties: his approaching God, his wearing the priestly garments, the anointing of that which was holy, the preparing of the three kinds of sacrifices, the applying of the oil and the blood to the organs that were of vital importance for this ministry, the sprinkling of the mixture of blood and oil on the garments, and the eating of the meal. All this happened in public. The priests-to-be had to remain at the entrance of the tent, in the presence of the Lord. "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" (vs. 35). This "so you will not die" was not an empty threat. In fact the priest performed duties that endangered his life as a man who works with live wires. Chapter 10 confirms that the smallest mistake could cost him his life.
[ 1 ]
Titus 3:5
[ 2 ]
See Ex. 28:1
[ 3 ]
See Ex. 28
[ 4 ]
Mark 9:3
[ 5 ]
Zech. 3:3-5
[ 6 ]
Zech 3:4 (NAS)
[ 7 ]
Ps. 133:1,2
[ 8 ]
Isa. 64:6
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