Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Leviticus 8:2-5
At Yahweh's Command The People Are Called Together And Informed That What They Are About To See Is Taking Place At The Command of Yahweh (Leviticus 8:2).
An epoch making moment was about to take place. It was therefore important that all should see that it was of God. On this day God would establish a priesthood that would have responsibility before God for the whole people of God over the next a thousand years and more, until they were finally replaced by Jesus Christ. Over that period they were to be His representatives on earth. It would be a great responsibility.
Some would bear it nobly and their lives would reveal something of the glory of God, and many would be blessed through their activity. We may consider such as Eleazar, who with Joshua led the people into Canaan, Samuel who restored the reputation of the priesthood, only for it to fail at the hands of his sons, and Joshua who with Zerubbabel helped to restore the nation after the Exile (Zechariah 3:1; Zechariah 6:11). And there were others too, many unknown, who laboured faithfully for God through the ages.
Note on the Priesthood.
On the death of Aaron, his son Eleazar succeeded to the office of ‘the Priest' and was inaugurated by Moses on Mount Hor alone with God (Numbers 20:28; compare Deuteronomy 10:6). He was already ‘prince of the princes of the Levites', and had had oversight of those who had charge of the Sanctuary (Numbers 3:32 compare Leviticus 4:16). He was clearly a figure of high authority, first with Moses (Numbers 26:1; Numbers 27:2; Numbers 27:19; Numbers 27:21; Numbers 31:12; Numbers 31:21; Numbers 31:13; Numbers 32:2; Numbers 32:28; Numbers 34:17) and then with Joshua (Numbers 27:21 where he was to use ‘the Urim' on Joshua's behalf; 34:17; Joshua 14:1; Joshua 17:4; Joshua 21:1 where he has precedence over Joshua). His death is recorded in Joshua 24:33.
In Joshua 22:30, Phinehas his son, who is usually called ‘the son of Eleazar the Priest', is called ‘the Priest', suggesting that he now acted in his father's place, his father being old, and in Judges 20:28 he is named as ‘the one who stood before the Ark of Yahweh' and he clearly used the Urim and Thummim. That someone had taken over comes out in what was almost certainly a use of the Urim and Thummim in Judges 1:1, and is confirmed by the fact that when Joshua died the people ‘served Yahweh' all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua (Judges 2:7). This required both a priesthood and a central Sanctuary. For an example of how the central Sanctuary still came into play see Judges 19-21, especially Judges 20:1; Judges 20:18; Judges 20:23 where the Urim and Thummim are used, Judges 20:26 where whole burnt offerings and peace offerings are offered before Yahweh, Judges 20:27 where Phinehas is clearly in authority and is ‘before the Ark of Yahweh' and uses the Urim and Thummim; Judges 21:4 where an altar was ‘built' at Mizpah, which seems to have been where the tabernacle was for a time, and probably signifies the making ready of the bronze altar of burnt offering, the building up of the fire on it, with that followed by the offering of whole burnt offerings and peace sacrifices on it.
The movements from place to place probably signify that the Ark was on the move (Mizpah (Judges 20:1; Judges 21:1); Bethel (Judges 20:18; Judges 20:26; Judges 21:2)) in order that Yahweh would be with them in battle (compare Numbers 10:35). Whether the tabernacle moved with it we are not told, but it was probably so.
But by the time of Eli the Sanctuary was at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3; 1 Samuel 1:7; 1 Samuel 4:4; Jeremiah 7:12), where it seems to have been permanently stationed until it was destroyed by the Philistines (Jeremiah 26:6). 1 Samuel 1:9 speaks of ‘the doorpost of the temple of Yahweh', but ‘doorpost' could mean tentpole (compare ‘the door of the tent of meeting'), and the tabernacle is elsewhere named a temple by David (2 Samuel 22:7; Psalms 5:7), at a time when the tabernacle is regularly spoken of. The ‘temple' (heycal - ‘a spacious, magnificent structure') of a god could be a tent, or could be a building. Thus here it is the magnificent tabernacle. And it may well also be that on the tabernacle's ‘permanent' site buildings to house the skins and the tithes had been erected, and even a defensive wall with a ‘door'.
Eli was informed by God that He had called his ‘father' Aaron by choosing him out of all of Israel to be His Priest, to go up to His altar, to burn incense and to wear the ephod (1 Samuel 2:28) with the inference that Eli now did the same. But he was to be replaced by one chosen by God (1 Samuel 2:35), which in context must, at least in the first place, indicate Samuel his adopted son, for Samuel interceded for Israel (1Sa 7:5; 1 Samuel 7:8;), offered sacrifices (1 Samuel 7:9; 1 Samuel 7:17), anointed those who would be king and wore a linen ephod (1 Samuel 2:18). Samuel is never named ‘the Priest', but he certainly acted as a priest, presumably through adoption (while Eli's grandsons were growing up?). A child by adoption was treated as a true son. Eli is not mentioned in the genealogies in 1 Chronicles, because, like Ahimelech and Abiathar after him, he was descended from Ithamar (1 Kings 2:27).
By the time of David Ahimelech, descended from Ithamar and of the house of Eli (1 Samuel 21:2; 1 Kings 2:27; 1 Chronicles 24:3), was ‘the Priest', and he was followed by Abiathar who bore the ephod and ‘the Ark of the Lord Yahweh' (1 Samuel 30:7; 1 Kings 2:26), who because of treachery was replaced by Zadok (1 Kings 2:35), of the house of Eleazar.
(End of note).
But this priesthood, which was intended to bind the nation together within the covenant and keep it in the truth, in the end proved unworthy, and while some sometimes genuinely sought to do so, only too often the priests as a whole would fail in their responsibility. They would become too taken up with other things, with politics, with seeking power and riches, and with the lure of false gods, so that the covenant and its significance ceased to be important. We see in the time of Jesus the faithful among the priests (Luke 1:5), but this did not tend to extend to the hierarchy (John 2:16; Mark 11:17). And none would fulfil it as it should be fulfilled until the One came Who would be God's perfect High Priest in things pertaining to God (Hebrews 2:17), Jesus Christ Himself.
However, at the time in which this was written all that was still in the future. This day was a day of great hope. Israel's future with God was being catered for in the light of their establishment as a nation.
‘Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull ox of the purification for sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, and assemble all the congregation at the door of the tent of meeting.'
Moses is first called on to bring Aaron and his sons into the court of the tabernacle at the door of the tent of meeting, and to gather the people and all the equipment that will be necessary for their consecration. The bull ox was for the purification for sin offering, one of the rams for a whole burnt offering and the other for the ‘consecration' (the ‘filling'). Also brought are the unleavened bread and cakes in their basket. Then the people are to be gathered together.
Note how the instruction assumes that full details have already been given. Thus the existence of the information in Exodus 29 is here assumed.
We have in this a reminder of what Christ did for us in consecrating us to His service. He offered Himself up (as our purification for sin offering) that we might be purified, that He might set us apart to Himself and sanctify us in God's eyes (as our whole burnt offering and ram of consecration), and that He might feed us with Himself as the bread of life (our unleavened bread)
‘And Moses did as Yahweh commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the door of the tent of meeting.'
Godly man as he was Moses did exactly as Yahweh had commanded him, with the result that all was soon ready and the whole of the people were gathered round the tabernacle in expectancy. It was a great day. Their leaders and important men would be pressed into the court of the tabernacle, while the people amassed round about, mainly outside the court, but facing the door of the tent of meeting.
‘And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded to be done.” '
Moses then explained why they were gathered. His explanation, received by the leaders would be conveyed to the wider crowds through messengers. Note that his first concern was that they should be aware that what he was about to do was on Yahweh's command. ‘Be sure to realise,' he kept repeating, ‘that this is the command of Yahweh' (Leviticus 8:4; Leviticus 8:9; Leviticus 8:13; Leviticus 8:17; Leviticus 8:21; Leviticus 8:29).
While the people constantly complained about Moses he was in the last analysis the one whom they trusted. And while Aaron had been with him throughout their adventures in Egypt it was Moses whom they had looked on as the prime figure. It was he who had divided the Reed Sea. It was he who had been with God in the Mount, who had brought them the Law, and who had previously acted as priest when it was necessary. It was he whom they had seen go into the old tent of meeting to meet with Yahweh. It was he who had organised the making and erection of the tabernacle. They might well have asked, why then should Aaron now supplant him? Others might simply have looked on it as Mosaic nepotism, a favouring of his own brother. So Moses wanted them to be sure that they were aware of the truth. That Aaron was being appointed at the command of God. That Aaron was appointed by none other than God to be their High Priest. (Inevitably, man being what he is, it would not be long before this was challenged - Numbers 16)