Leviticus 8:1-36
1 And the LORD spake 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.
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.
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.
8 And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
9 And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.
10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.
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.
13 And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnetsa 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.
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 savour, 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 savour: 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.
Leviticus 8:2. The garments. See Exodus 28. where these are described. In after times the ten tribes substituted a teraphim for the ephod.
Leviticus 8:6. Moses washed them with water. Moses acts in this instance in the double capacity of priest and king. He consecrates Aaron and his four sons to the Lord, by a continual purification for seven days. He first washes them with water, then sprinkles them with the blood of the sin-offering, and afterwards anoints them with the holy oil. This action is celebrated in Psalms 99:6, where Moses and Aaron are said to be among the Lord's priests.
Leviticus 8:31. Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle. The Septuagint reads, Boil the flesh in the court of the tabernacle. This appears the true reading, as Aaron and his sons could not go out of the court for seven days. The caldron probably stood near the door.
REFLECTIONS.
The Lord having provided a gradation of burnt-offerings for sin, and peace-offerings for plenty, next sanctified the men he had chosen for the service of the sanctuary; and in this priesthood we see the mediatorial glory of the Son of God. His humanity was without spot or blemish; his church and people he washes, and makes them whiter than snow; and being called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, he betroths them in righteousness. See him crowned with glory and honour. See his ephod, or girdle of strength and beauty. See him arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. See his breastplate, with the Urim and Thummim of judgment, joined with the brightness of his countenance, filling all heaven with ineffable glory, and transporting its blessed inhabitants with unutterable delight. May I fall, with all my sins and unworthiness, at the feet of this merciful and faithful Highpriest.
Christian ministers especially may learn instruction from the priesthood of Aaron. They must be divinely called of God to their work, and washed from every spot of sin. The head, the hand, the foot must be touched with the atoning blood, which takes away our sins. The ear, that they may listen to the law; their right hand, that they may maintain it; their right foot, that they may walk according to it. If they are maimed in conduct and character, all the people will look at their defects, instead of admiring the beauty of the Lord.
They must be arrayed in fine linen, must make their garments white in the blood of the Lamb. The breastplate of righteousness, the Urim of wisdom must characterize their functions. They must also be anointed with oil, as well as washed in the regeneration, and sprinkled with blood. This anointing is no other than the Holy Ghost enlightening their minds, sanctifying their affections, and crowning their private studies and public labours with the unction and odour of God. No man can act for God without this unction. When this is enjoyed, the word reaches the hearts of his hearers; the anointing descends to the skirts of his garments, till the whole assembly is perfumed with cassia and myrrh. But the gospel freezes on the lips of an unregenerate man.
The consecration was to be in the presence of the whole congregation; the elders, heads of houses, and others. The priests were to be their ministers; and the consent and prayers of the people were a great addition of glory to the work. The ordaining of men in secret, without the approbation and good wishes of the people, has never been found a safe way for the church.
Their consecration was preseded by seven days of retirement and recollection. And it really requires some time for a young man to reflect, whether sincerely believing in God and the world to come, as promised by Christ, he can devote his whole life to the glory and service of the sanctuary.
The whole of these particulars the priests were to observe, lest they should be struck dead; as was presently the case with Nadab and Abihu. Christ has died for sinners; and all sin worketh death; consequently no men are in more danger of losing their souls, than those who do the work of the Lord deceitfully. And all believers being called in some sort to be a nation of kings and priests unto God, what manner of persons should they be in all holy conversation and godliness!