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Leviticus Chapter 8
- Leviticus 8:1 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying,
- 2 Take Aaron and his sons
with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock
for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened
bread;
- 3 And gather thou all the
congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation.
Now we see the divine appointment for the
Levitical office of the priesthood set in place by God until the
change in the priesthood from Levitical unto the unchangeable
eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Just as Christ was set apart and anointed as
priest and king forever, Aaron and his sons had to be set apart and
anointed for this holy office in which God had chosen them to
fulfill. They were to be ceremonially cleansed before
the whole congregation to show them who God had set over them as
spiritual leaders in that day.
This duty was nothing to take lightly and it
was a solemn, holy time of dedication and appointment for Aaron and
his sons.
The whole tribe of Levi gave up their own
inheritance to be the servants of God for the tabernacle and later
the temple. Their inheritance was the presence of the Lord in a very
special way. Once Christ changed this though, we should not
put it back. Through Christ all have access to the Father, all are
kings and priests, and there is no one to be a lord over another.
- Leviticus 8:4 And Moses did as
the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together
unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
- 5 And Moses said unto the
congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be
done.
- 6 And Moses brought Aaron
and his sons, and washed them with water.
This reminds us of the washing of the water
of the word. The word cleanses us as we read and understand.
- Leviticus 8:7 And he put upon
him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him
with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him
with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him
therewith.
Because of this holy office and that they
must not take it lightly, they had to dress differently than the
others in the congregation but only when they were doing the work of
the ministry and not their day by day living. This was
worn when they performing their duties of the tabernacle. This is
probably so that they can be recognized as such. They had to have a
breastplate upon them and to wear clean garments to minister at the
altar and the tabernacle. It was not to exalt them above anyone else
but to show that they had set apart themselves in service to the
Lord.
This was only a temporary priesthood until
the time of Jesus who brought in a change in the priesthood and the
priesthood of all believers. Now all are the same in Jesus Christ and He
is the intercessor between God and man. There is no need of a priest
to make intercession and sacrifices like they did in the Old
Testament.
Now we come boldly to the throne of grace
similar to what Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did before the coming of
the law. They did their own sacrifices and gave their own offerings.
That is what we do now except we do not need any blood sacrifices
since the blood of Jesus was the permanent blood sacrifice needed to
save all who believe in Him.
The Levitical priesthood was necessary to
show us the holiness and righteousness of God and to show us the
need for cleansing from sin. It was to show us that God had only one
way and that way was designed and set in order by Him. They could
not do things our own way and expect to be accepted by Him. All these ordinances and sacrifices pointed
toward the final plan of salvation God was bringing about to save
mankind from sin.
- Leviticus 8:8 And he put the
breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim
and the Thummim.
This Urim and Thummin may have represented
sound doctrine and divine insight and understanding of God's word.
- Leviticus 8:9 And he put the
miter upon his head; also upon the miter, even upon his
forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the
LORD commanded Moses.
Perhaps this represented the helmet of
salvation which we obtain when we come to Christ so we literally do
not have to wear miters and crowns at this point in time.
- Leviticus 8:10 And Moses took
the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was
therein, and sanctified them.
This we believe indicated the Holy Spirit
and the Holy Spirit's work in the life of a believer.
Before we receive the Holy Spirit, we have
to be sanctified and cleansed by the blood of Jesus for remission of
sins. We are cleansed also by the washing of the water of the word
as well as the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit.
- Leviticus 8:11 And he sprinkled
thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and
all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.
- 12 And he poured of the
anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify
him.
Only God can choose those that serve Him in
this capacity. He has to be anointed and set apart for service. Even
though all of us are called to share God's word in some way, some
are called to be pastors and teachers according to 1 Corinthians
12:28. This was not to exalt one over and another and create a
hierarchy system but to cause everyone to serve one another as God
has placed them in the body.
We are to work together in the same mind and
one accord in the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. We are
never to blindly follow any leadership without being watchful and
checking all things out to see if they preach the truth or not.
- Leviticus 8:13 And Moses
brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them
with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded
Moses.
- 14 And he brought the
bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their
hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering.
- 15 And he slew it; and
Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar
round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured
the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make
reconciliation upon it.
This we know reminds us that without the
shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Although this system
didn't remove sins and give the worshippers victory over sin, it did
temporarily atone for sin until the coming of Christ.
In Hebrews 10, we have further explanation
of the change in systems.
- Hebrews 10:1 For the law
having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image
of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they
offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto
perfect.
- 2 For then would
they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers
once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
- 3 But in those
sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every
year.
- 4 For it is not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away
sins.
- 5 Wherefore when he
cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou
wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
- 6 In burnt offerings
and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
- 7 Then said I, Lo, I
come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy
will, O God.
- 8 Above when he
said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering
for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which
are offered by the law;
- 9 Then said he, Lo,
I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he
may establish the second.
- 10 By the which will
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all.
- 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
- 12 But this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on
the right hand of God;
- 13 From henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
- 14 For by one
offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
- 15 Whereof the Holy
Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said
before,
- 16 This is the
covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the
Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds
will I write them;
- 17 And their sins
and iniquities will I remember no more.
- 18 Now where
remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
- 19 Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus,
We now can have victory over sin by this new
and living way through the power of the Holy Spirit given to all
those who obey God and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Leviticus 8:16 And he took all
the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver,
and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses burned it upon the
altar.
- 17 But the bullock, and
his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without
the camp; as the LORD commanded Moses.
- 18 And he brought the ram
for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands
upon the head of the ram.
19 And he killed it;
and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
- 20 And he cut the ram
into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the
fat.
- 21 And he washed the
inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram
upon the altar: it was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savor, and
an offering made by fire unto the LORD; as the LORD commanded
Moses.
- 22 And he brought the
other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid
their hands upon the head of the ram.
- 23 And he slew it; and
Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of
Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and
upon the great toe of his right foot.
- 24 And he brought Aaron's
sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right
ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the
great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood
upon the altar round about.
- 25 And he took the fat,
and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the
caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and
the right shoulder:
- 26 And out of the basket
of unleavened bread, that was before the LORD, he took one
unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and
put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder:
- 27 And he put all upon
Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a
wave offering before the LORD.
- 28 And Moses took them
from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt
offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savor: it is an
offering made by fire unto the LORD.
- 29 And Moses took the
breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD: for of
the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the LORD
commanded Moses.
- 30 And Moses took of the
anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and
sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his
sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified
Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments
with him.
- 31 And Moses said unto
Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread
that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying,
Aaron and his sons shall eat it.
- 32 And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with
fire.
- 33 And ye shall not go
out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven
days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for
seven days shall he consecrate you.
- 34 As he hath done this
day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for
you.
- 35 Therefore shall ye
abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and
night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die
not: for so I am commanded.
- 36 So Aaron and his sons
did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
We see by reading of this holy ordinance for
the consecrating of Aaron and his sons that they had to be cleansed
first before they could make sacrifices and offerings on behalf of
the rest of Israel.
By the same token, we today can't preach the
gospel unless we have received the gospel and live by the word of
God.
Before we can present the gospel that takes
away sins by faith in Jesus Christ, we must allow Jesus to cleanse
us of sin and we must walk in the light He has given to us and not
return to the old nature that we had before we come to Christ.
A new and living way is now provided to us
through the sacrifice of Jesus and our faith in that sacrifice. Our
faith in Christ to take away our sins counts only for those who
believe this. We are then justified by faith and not by doing
rituals and ordinances of the law. The law was fulfilled in Christ.
We are still under the moral law that teaches us not to sin but we
are not under the sacrificial or ceremonial law. Jesus fulfilled all
those requirements for us. We are forgiven of all sins and now can
walk and live by the spirit which is given to us.
There has been many who tried to get the new
believers in Christ to go back under the law and be in bondage. The
only commandments we now have to be concerned about are those
repeated in the New Testament. For example, thou shalt not kill is
still in effect. Love one another as Christ has loved us is in
effect.
The Levitical system of rituals, ceremonial
cleansing and even tithing are not in effect now for Christ
fulfilled the law of sacrifices and offerings ushering in a new
priesthood which is Himself as the only mediator between God and
man.
God gives us apostles, prophets, pastors and
teachers as helpers to give us understanding as they are led by the
Holy Spirit. They are never exalted higher than their brethren or
sisters in the Lord. They are servants and helpers. Yes we need to
support those who do not make a living any other way than by
pastoring for example and tithing may be a good way to do that but
it is not a New Testament commandment. That was changed by the law
of love whereby we give because we love God and love our brethren.
We are not under the Levitical curse mentioned by Malachi which was
directed toward the priests and Levites who were neglecting widows
and orphans and robbing God of tithes and offerings causing a curse
on the whole nation.
We are to do all things because we love God
and want to keep His commandments. It is actually fun to give if
done in joy and compassion.
DC
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