Dave Burnette's Commentary

Leviticus Chapter 8

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Moses
Date Penned: (1445-1444 BC)
Overview: A Handbook for the Priests and Levites (c 1-27)
Theme: Worshipping a Holy God (c 1-17)
Message: Instructions for the Priest (v 1-36)

Leviticus 8 Commentary

(8:1) Moses Consecrates the Priests - Why did Aaron and his sons need to be cleansed and set apart? Although all the men from the tribe of Levi were dedicated for service to God, only Aaron's descendants could be priests. They alone had the honor and responsibility of performing the sacrifices. These priests had to cleanse and dedicate themselves before they could help the people do the same. The ceremony described in Leviticus 8 was their ordination ceremony. Aaron and his sons were washed with water (8;6) and clothed with special garments (8:7-9,13), and Aaron was anointed with oil (8:12). They placed their hands on a young bull as it was killed (8:14-15) and on two rams as they were killed (8:18-19, 22-23). This showed that holiness came from God alone, not from the priestly role. Similarly, we are not spiritually cleansed because we have religious positions, reputations, or titles. Spiritual cleansing comes only from God. No matter how high our positions or how long we have held them, we must depend on God for spiritual vitality.

(8:2-3) Priests in Israel - Why were priests needed in Israel? From the time of Adam's fall, sin has separated humans and God, and people have needed mediators to help them find forgiveness. At first, the patriarchs- heads of households, like Abraham and Job- were the priests of their houses or clans and made sacrifices for their families. When the Israelites left Egypt, the descendants of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi, were chosen to serve as priests for the nation. The priests stood in the gap between God and the people. They were the full-time spiritual leaders and the overseers of offerings. The priestly system was a concession to people's inability-because of sin- to approach and relate to God individually and corporately. In Christ, this imperfect system was transformed. Jesus Christ himself is our High Priest. Now all believers can come into God's very presence through him.

(8:8) The Urim & Thummim -  What were the Urim and Thummim? Little is known about them, but they were probably precious stones or flat objects that God used to give guidance to his people. The high priest kept them in his breastplate. Some think the rim may have been the no answer and the Thummim the yes answer. After a time of prayer for guidance, the priest would shake one of the stones out of the pouch, and God would cause the proper one to fall out. Another view is that the Urim and Thummim were small, flat objects, each with a yes side and a no side. The priest spilled both from his pouch. If both landed on the yes side, God's answer was positive. If both landed on the no side, the answer was negative. A yes and a no meant no reply. God had a specific purpose for using this method of guidance: He was teaching the nation the principles of following him. Our situation is not the same, however. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit and God's Word, the Bible, so we must not invent methods like this for seeking God's guidance.

(8:12) Aaron is Anointed - What was the significance of anointing Aaron as high priest? The high priest had special duties that no other priest had. Most importantly, he alone could enter the most holy place in the tabernacle on the annual Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of the nation. Therefore, he was in charge of all the other priests. The high priest was a picture of Jesus Christ, who is our High Priest (Hebrews.7:26-28).

(8:36) Doing All the Lord Asks - Aaron and his sons did "all things which the LORD commanded." Considering the many detailed lists of Leviticus, that was a remarkable feat. They knew what God wanted, how he wanted it done, and with what attitude it was to be carried out. This can serve as inspiration for how carefully we ought to obey God. God wants us to be thoroughly holy people, not a rough approximation of the way his followers should be.

 

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application

The Power of God

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Leviticus with Chapter 8 and in today's text we see a view in the book of Leviticus looking at the Priestly duties as we walk through the Bible Chapter by Chapter making application for our lives. In this book we see Instructions for the Priests given by the Lord through Moses. We see that the Aaron and his sons needed to be cleansed and set apart - dedicated for the service of God. They were washed with water - clothed with special garments - and anointed with oil. Then were they worthy to be showered with Holiness that came from God alone not their priestly office. In making application we who are saved are to be dedicated to the service of God. For us to have God work through us we too need to be washed with His Word - Clothed in Prayer - and Anointed or Filled with His Spirit. Then will we experience the Holiness of God as His Power will come through us as we do His Will.The Power is from God and to be used of Him we need to be dedicated and sanctified for the Masters use.  How about you? Have you experienced the Power of God in Your life? Let us take the steps to be dedicated and sanctified to God - learning  from today's text - so we will experience God's Power for His Will in our lives.   

 

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Leviticus 8

Leviticus 8

 1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

 2Take 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;

 3And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

 4And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

 5And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.

 6And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

 7And 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.

 8And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.

 9And 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.

 10And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.

 11And 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.

 12And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

 13And 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.

 14And 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.

 15And 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.

 16And 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.

 17But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as the LORD commanded Moses.

 18And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

 19And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.

 20And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat.

 21And 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.

 22And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

 23And 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.

 24And 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.

 25And 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:

 26And 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:

 27And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD.

 28And 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.

 29And 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.

 30And 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.

 31And 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.

 32And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire.

 33And 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.

 34As he hath done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you.

 35Therefore 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.

 36So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.