Reflections on Leviticus 8

Leviticus 08 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The LORD said to Moses:
   
2. Send for Aaron and his sons, as well as their priestly clothes, the oil for ordination, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and a basket of bread made without yeast.
   
3. Then bring the whole community of Israel together at the entrance to the sacred tent.
   
4. Moses obeyed the LORD, and when everyone had come together,
   
5. he said, "We are here to follow the LORD's instructions."
   
6. After Moses told Aaron and his sons to step forward, he had them wash themselves.
   
7. He put the priestly shirt and robe on Aaron and wrapped the sash around his waist. Then he put the sacred vest on Aaron and fastened it with the finely woven belt.
   
8. Next, he put on Aaron the sacred breastpiece that was used in learning what the LORD wanted his people to do.
   
9. He placed the turban on Aaron's head, and on the front of the turban was the narrow strip of thin gold as a sign of his dedication to the LORD.
   
10. Moses then dedicated the sacred tent and everything in it to the LORD by sprinkling them with some of the oil for ordination.
    
11. He sprinkled the bronze altar seven times, and he sprinkled its equipment, as well as the large bronze bowl and its base.
    
12. He also poured some of the oil on Aaron's head to dedicate him to the LORD.
    
13. At last, Moses dressed Aaron's sons in their shirts, then tied sashes around them and put special caps on them, just as the LORD had commanded.
    
14. Moses led out the bull that was to be sacrificed for sin, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
    
15. After it was killed, Moses dipped a finger in the blood and smeared some of it on each of the four corners of the bronze altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the altar. This purified the altar and made it a fit place for offering the sacrifice for sin.
    
16. Moses then took the fat on the bull's insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and sent them up in smoke on the altar fire.
    
17. Finally, he took the skin and the flesh of the bull, together with the food still in its stomach, and burned them outside the camp, just as the LORD had commanded.
    
18. Moses led out the ram for the sacrifice to please the LORD. After Aaron and his sons had laid their hands on its head,
    
19. Moses killed the ram and splattered its blood against the four sides of the altar.
    
20. Moses had the animal cut up, and he washed its insides and hind legs. Then he laid the head, the fat, and the rest of the ram on the altar and sent them up in smoke with a smell that pleased the LORD. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded.
    
21. (SEE 8:20)
    
22. Moses led out the ram for the ceremony of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head,
    
23. and it was killed. Moses smeared some of its blood on Aaron's right earlobe, some on his right thumb, and some on the big toe of his right foot.
    
24. Moses did the same thing for Aaron's sons, before splattering the rest of the blood against the four sides of the altar.
    
25. He took the animal's fat tail, the fat on its insides, and the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and the right hind leg.
    
26. Then he took from a basket some of each of the three kinds of bread that had been made without yeast and had been dedicated to the LORD.
    
27. Moses placed the bread on top of the meat and gave it all to Aaron and his sons, who lifted it up to show that it was dedicated to the LORD.
    
28. After this, Moses placed it on the fires of the altar and sent it up in smoke with a smell that pleased the LORD. This was part of the ordination ceremony.
    
29. Moses lifted up the choice ribs of the ram to show that they were dedicated to the LORD. This was the part that the LORD had said Moses could have.
    
30. Finally, Moses sprinkled the priestly clothes of Aaron and his sons with some of the oil for ordination and with some of the blood from the altar. So Aaron and his sons, together with their priestly clothes, were dedicated to the LORD.
    
31. Moses said to Aaron and his sons: The LORD told me that you must boil this meat at the entrance to the sacred tent and eat it there with the bread.
    
32. Burn what is left over
    
33. and stay near the entrance to the sacred tent until the ordination ceremony ends seven days from now.
    
34. We have obeyed the LORD in everything that has been done today, so that your sins may be forgiven.
    
35. The LORD has told me that you must stay near the entrance to the tent for seven days and nights, or else you will die.
    
36. Aaron and his sons obeyed everything that the LORD had told Moses they must do.
    
    

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    The various sacrifices had been prescribed for the Israelites and now it was time to consecrate the priests so they could begin their function as mediator between the people and God in the offering of these sacrifices. The people could not approach God in worship without the offerings of the sacrifices, but their offerings could not be made without the mediation of the priests.
    
    Each section of these Levitical passages is introduced with the words, "The Lord spoke to Moses." This emphasizes that these instructions and ceremonies were not from Moses' imagination but from God as Moses served in his role as mediator of the covenant. These words introduce this section in chapter 8 as God instructed Moses to gather Aaron and his sons along with the whole community at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons were to take with them the priestly garments and the sacrifices for their consecration - a bull, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread. Those who served as priests were sinners as were the rest of the community. There must be atonement for their sin before they could approach God on behalf of the people.
    
    The ceremony at the entrance to the tent of meeting began with the consecration of the priests. This involved clothing the priests with the priestly garments and then anointing with oil all parts of the tabernacle to consecrate it and then to anoint the priests for their consecration. With this accomplished, it was time to atone for the sins of the priests. Since there was yet no functioning priest, Moses served in the role of offering the sacrifices. The procedure for offering the sacrifices was followed as prescribed in the handbook for sacrifices in the first seven chapters of Leviticus. However, there were some differences. For instance, with the offering of the second ram, Moses not only placed some of its blood on the horns of the altar but also on the right earlobes, right thumbs, and right big toes of Aaron and his sons.
    
    Another difference was with the wave offering. Whereas this normally involved the waving of the right thigh of the sacrificial animal, in this case Moses placed a cake of unleavened bread on the thigh along with a cake made with oil and a wafer. Then he handed the thigh with these items on it to Aaron to wave before the Lord. Once this was done the thigh and bread were burned on the altar as a "pleasing aroma" to the Lord.
    
    As the completion of their ordination, Aaron and his sons were to stay outside the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days. We are told in the final verse of the chapter that "Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses." (8:36)