Leviticus 9:1-24

Leviticus

*Worship the *LORD in the Beauty of *Holiness

Leviticus

Gordon Churchyard

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible, except for the words in brackets (…).

Chapter 9

The priests start their work

v1 On the 8^th day, Moses ordered Aaron, his sons and the leaders of *Israel to come.

v2 (Moses) said to Aaron, ‘Fetch a young *bull for your *sin offering and a *ram for your *whole offering. Both (animals) must be perfect. Offer them to the *LORD.

v3 Then say to the *Israelites, “Fetch a male goat for a *sin offering. Also, (fetch) a young *bull and a *lamb for a *whole offering. They must both be a year old and perfect.

v4 And (fetch) a cow and a *ram for the *peace offerings. You must offer them to the *LORD, together with a *corn offering (that you have) mixed with *oil. (Do this) because the *LORD will appear to you today.” ’

v5 So they brought everything that Moses had told them to bring. (They brought them) to the front of the *meeting tent. All the people came near and they stood in front of the *LORD.

v6 Then Moses said (this). ‘This is what the *LORD has ordered you to do. Now the *glory of the *LORD will appear to you.’

v7 Moses said to Aaron, ‘Come to the *altar. Kill your *sin offering and your *whole offering. Make *atonement for yourself and for your family. Kill the *offering that is for the people. (This will) make *atonement for them. This is what the *LORD has ordered you (to do).’

v8 So Aaron came to the *altar and he killed the young *bull as a *sin offering for himself.

v9 His sons brought (its) blood to him. (Aaron) put his finger into the blood and he put it on the *horns of the *altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the *altar.

v10 He burned the *fat on the *altar. (He also burned) the *kidneys and the *fat that covered the *liver. These all came from the *sin offering, as the *LORD had ordered Moses (to do).

v11 (Aaron) burned the meat and the skin (of the animal) outside the camp.

v12 Then Aaron killed the *whole offering. His sons gave (its) blood to him and he splashed it against all the sides of the *altar.

v13 (His sons) gave (Aaron) the pieces of the *whole offering, one at a time. They included the head (of the animal). (Aaron) burned them on the *altar.

v14 (Aaron) washed the inside parts and the legs (of the animal). He burned them on the top of the *whole offering on the *altar.

v15 Then Aaron brought the *offering that was for the people. He took the goat that was for the people’s *sin offering. He killed it and he offered it as a *sin offering. (This was) what he did with the first *sin offering.

v16 (Then Aaron) brought the *whole offering (for the people). He offered it as the rules told him (to do).

v17 Then he brought the *corn offering. He took some of it in his hand. He burned it on the *altar, as well as the morning’s *whole offering.

v18 (Aaron) killed the cow and the *ram for the people’s *peace offerings. His sons gave him the blood and he splashed it against all the sides of the *altar.

v19-20 But they laid the *fat parts of the cow and the *ram on the breasts (of the animals). (The *fat parts) were the *fat tail and the *fat on the *kidneys, *liver and inside parts (of the animal). Then Aaron burned the *fat on the *altar.

v21 And Aaron waved the breasts and the right upper leg in front of the *LORD. It was a *wave offering, as Moses had ordered him (to do).

v22 Then Aaron lifted his hands towards the people and he blessed them. Then he came down (from the *altar). (This was) after he had offered the *sin offering, the *whole offering and the *peace offerings (to the *LORD).

v23 Then Moses and Aaron went into the *meeting tent. When they came out (of the *meeting tent), they blessed the people. And then the *glory of the *LORD appeared to all the people.

v24 Fire came out from the place where the *LORD was. It burned the *whole offering and all the pieces of *fat that were on the *altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted. (This was because they were so happy.) And they all fell down with their faces to the ground.

Notes

Verse 1 This is the 8^th day after the 7 days in Leviticus chapter 8. Aaron was now the chief priest. On God’s behalf, Moses gave instructions to Aaron. The leaders were older people in the many families in *Israel. *Israel was the name of all the people; each person was an *Israelite. Aaron had 4 sons. 1 Chronicles 6:3 tells us their names.

Verse 2 Although the priests had not left the *meeting tent, there still had to be a *sin offering. The chief priest had to offer a *sin offering for himself on all these public occasions. Read the note about original *sin at the start of my notes on Leviticus chapter 4. Original *sin still affected the chief priest. So he had to make a *sin offering on his own behalf first. A *bull is a male cow and a *ram is a male sheep.

Verse 3 The *Israelites must also offer a *sin offering, as well as all the other *offerings. These *sacrifices took their place as *sinners. This was essential to prepare for the event that would happen in verse 23. God’s *glory would appear to all the *Israelites.

Verse 4 The *LORD sometimes appeared as a bright cloud. This happened in Exodus 33:9; Numbers 16:42; Matthew 17:5 and many other places. On this occasion, we know that they saw fire from heaven (verse 24). We do not know whether they saw something else. But they all saw God’s *glory (verse 23).

In the *Hebrew language, the words ‘will appear’ are actually in the perfect tense. Usually, this would mean that the event has already happened. But here, it means that the event will definitely happen. The *LORD will definitely appear to them.

Verse 5 ‘Stood in front of the *LORD’ means this. ‘Stood in front of the *meeting tent’. God was present at the *meeting tent in a special way.

Verse 6 We could translate this sentence as: ‘This is the word that the *LORD has ordered you to do.’ The *Hebrew word that we have translated ‘what’ really means ‘the word’. In English, we often say that words are not important. But in the Bible, ‘the word’ often means something that is very important. For Christians, ‘the word’ is a name for Jesus, John 1:1. Here, ‘the word’ means the command that the *LORD had given to the *Israelites.

The *Hebrew word for ‘*glory’ here means ‘weight’. Weight is something that ‘presses’ down. So the *glory is something that ‘impresses’ us. It is ‘impressive’.

Verse 7 Our translation says, ‘your family’. That is the meaning of the words in the *Greek Bible. And it is also the meaning of the *Hebrew words in Leviticus 16:6 and Leviticus 16:11. However, the words here in the *Hebrew Bible mean ‘the people’. ‘Your family’ (Aaron’s family) would mean the priests; but ‘the people’ would mean all the *Israelites.

Verse 9 The note on Leviticus 4:3-12 explains ‘the *horns of the *altar’.

Verses 8-11 Aaron here follows the rules in Leviticus 4:11-12.

Verses 12-14 Aaron here follows the rules in Leviticus 1:6-9.

Verses 15-21 Aaron here follows the rules in Leviticus Chapter s 1 to 5.

Verses 22-23 They probably used the words in Numbers 6:24-26 to bless the people. The *glory of the *LORD probably appeared as in Exodus 40:34. Here, the *glory appeared to show that the priests had authority from God to do their work.

Verse 24 The fire from God burned what Aaron’s fire had not burned. In the Bible, fire often tells us that God is doing something. Here, it showed that God had given authority to Aaron’s family to be the priests. He approved of them and he accepted their *sacrifices.

Another similar place where fire came from God was Acts 2:3. As God’s chief priest, Jesus had offered his own blood to God (Hebrews 9:12). And God accepted Jesus’ *sacrifice. So then, God showed his *glory to the first Christians. Fire came down and it rested on each of them.

Look at Something to do number 2 below for some other verses about fire.

Something to do

1. Read some of the verses where God appears as a bright cloud. The verses include Exodus 33:9; Numbers 16:42 and Matthew 17:5.

2. Read these verses about how God works by means of fire. Deuteronomy 4:24; Psalms 18:8-14; Ezekiel 1:4; Malachi 3:2; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15; Revelation 1:14.

3. Leviticus chapter 9 can confuse us easily! Study it with the use of this table (arrangement of boxes).

	*Offerings for the priests		*Offerings for the people
Verse 1		Moses tells Aaron and the people what to do.
Verse 2	Aaron must fetch his *sin and *whole offerings.
Verses 3-4			The people must fetch their *sin, *whole, *peace and *corn offerings.
		Moses promises that the *LORD will appear.
Verse 5	Aaron brings the animals for his *offerings.		The people bring the animals for their *offerings.
Verse 6		Moses again promises that the *LORD will appear.
Verse 7		Moses again promises that the *LORD will appear.
Verses 8-11	Aaron offers the *sin offering for himself and his family.
Verses 12-14	Aaron offers the *whole offering for himself and his family.
Verse 15			Aaron offers the people’s *sin offering.
Verse 16			Aaron offers the people’s *whole offering.
Verse 17			Aaron offers the people’s *peace offering.
Verses 18-21			Aaron offers the people’s *corn offering.
Verses 22-24		Moses and Aaron bless the people.
		The *glory of the *LORD appears.

Notice two important things.

• Both Aaron and the people offer *whole and *sin offerings. The *sin offering is for *atonement. This means that God will forgive their *sin. The *whole offering is for *fellowship. It means that Aaron and the people can come near to God as his friends.

• When Aaron and the people obey the rules for the *offerings, the *glory of the *LORD appears.

Christians offer Jesus as their *offering. And when they obey him, The *glory of the *LORD appears in their lives.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
holiness ~ the quality of somebody who is holy, or very, very good.

holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy. Or, a description of something that belongs to God.
Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
bull ~ the male animal of the same kind as a cow.
sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
ram ~ a male sheep.'whole offering ~ an offering that the priests burned completely on the altar. See the explanation in the note called ‘The 5 sacrifices’ near the beginning of this commentary.

offering ~ gift.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.
lamb ~ a young sheep.
peace ~ absence of war. Or, the calm and content attitude that one receives because of a right relationship with God and with other people.'corn offering ~ a gift of grain to the LORD. See the explanation in the note called ‘The 5 sacrifices’ near the beginning of this commentary.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
oil ~ a type of oil that comes from an oily fruit called the olive. People used this oil in their food and they burnt it in lamps.'meeting tent ~ the special tent where God met with Moses. The priests could enter it to worship; they burnt sacrifices on the altar in front of it.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
glory ~ the beauty of God’s most wonderful character. The Bible often describes it as a bright light.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
atonement ~ another word for what happens when God forgives us. After God forgives us, we are ‘at one’ with him. In other words, we are united as friends (or have friendly relations) with him.
offering ~ gift.
horn ~ hard material that grows on the heads of some animals like cows and goats. Or, the points that were on the corners of the altars.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
fat ~ part of an animal’s body that is not red meat, nor skin, nor bone. Fat is an oily substance.
kidney ~ an important inner part of an animal’s body.
liver ~ an important inner part of an animal’s body.'wave offering ~ a gift that the priest waves in front of the LORD.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
sinner ~ a person who sins.

sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
Greek ~ the language of the people who live in Greece.
offering ~ gift.
fellowship ~ a special type of friendship between God and his people. Or, the special type of friendship that God’s people have with each other.