UNROLL
At first light before the tent’s embroidered entrance curtain, folded priestly garments, a horn of oil and a flat basket of unleavened bread laid out together on a woven mat.

The Book of

Leviticus 8

What God told Moses on the mountain is now done at the tent door, in front of the whole nation. Aaron and his sons become priests.

36 verses≈ 7 min2 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–7The offeringsHow sinners draw near
  2. 8–10The priestsOrdained, and a warningChapter 8
  3. 11–15Clean and uncleanLife before a holy God
  4. 16The Day of AtonementSins carried away
  5. 17–27A holy peopleBe holy, for I am holy

Moses Consecrates Aaron and His Sons

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”

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So Moses did as the LORD had commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And Moses said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.”

Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.

In profile, golden olive oil poured from a small clay jug onto the bowed head of an old man in priestly garments, running down into his gray beard.

He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.

Then Moses presented Aaron’s sons, put tunics on them, wrapped sashes around them, and tied headbands on them, just as the LORD had commanded him.

Courtyard · 100 × 50 cubitsNGate · EastTent of MeetingBronze altarBasinThe tent, enlarged · 30 × 10 cubitsArkTableLampstandIncense altarVeilScreenMost Holy PlaceHoly Place

Plan to scale in cubits · north at the top

Where it happened

At the tent door

The whole chapter happens between the court’s gate and the tent’s entrance. The people gather at the gate. Moses anoints the tent, the altar and the basin, offers the sacrifices on the altar, and burns the bull far outside the camp. Then Aaron and his sons stay at the door of the tent: “You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days.”

Reflect

Made ready in front of everyone

Aaron did not wash himself, dress himself or anoint himself. Moses did it all, at the tent door, with the whole nation watching, “just as the LORD had commanded him.” The priests were made for the people, and the people saw it done. In Christ, God washes, clothes and sets apart His people too, and He does it openly, by His word. What has God given you that you did not earn? Write it down.

The Priests’ Sin Offering

Close on the hands of several men in white linen resting together on the broad head of a calm young bull at the entrance of the tent.

As the LORD commanded

The sin offering for the priests

  1. Hands on the bull’s head

    Moses then brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.

  2. Blood on the horns and at the base

    Moses slaughtered the bull, took some of the blood, and applied it with his finger to all four horns of the altar, purifying the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that atonement could be made on it.

  3. The fat burned on the altar

    Moses also took all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it all on the altar.

  4. The rest burned outside the camp

    But the bull with its hide, flesh, and dung he burned outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded him.

Dusk beyond the edge of the camp: past the last dark goat-hair tents, a fire burns low on bare ground, its smoke drifting into an amber sky.

The Priests’ Burnt Offering

The bronze altar of the tabernacle court at evening, seen low across the sand, its smoke rising straight and high into a deep blue sky, the dark tent behind.

Then Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. Moses slaughtered the ram and splattered the blood on all sides of the altar. He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. He washed the entrails and legs with water and burned the entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

0:27

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Pray

Wholly given

The ram was burned whole on the altar, nothing kept back, “a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.” Jesus gave Himself up for us completely, and God was pleased. Thank Him for that. Then ask Him to take your whole day, nothing held back.

The Ram of Ordination

Against the morning sky at the tent’s entrance, the open hands of men in white linen lift a round unleavened cake, an oil cake and a thin wafer, an old man’s hands beneath theirs.

As the LORD commanded

The ram of ordination

  1. Ordination

    Hands on the second ram

    After that, Moses presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.

  2. Ear, hand, foot

    Aaron’s ear, thumb and toe

    Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

  3. The same for his sons

    Moses also presented Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splattered the blood on all sides of the altar.

  4. Wave offering

    Fat, thigh and bread waved

    And Moses took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with their fat—as well as the right thigh. And from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and he placed them on the fat portions and on the right thigh. He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the LORD as a wave offering.

  5. Burned with the burnt offering

    Then Moses took these from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

  6. The breast: Moses’ portion

    He also took the breast—Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination—and waved it before the LORD as a wave offering, as the LORD had commanded him.

  7. Consecrated

    Oil and blood on priests and garments

    Next, Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well as Aaron’s sons and their garments.

And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ Then you must burn up the remainder of the meat and bread.

You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are complete; for it will take seven days to ordain you.

What has been done today has been commanded by the LORD in order to make atonement on your behalf.

Leviticus 8:34

You must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the LORD’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.”

So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.

Leviticus 8:36

Question

Quick question

The ram of ordination marked the priests in an unusual way.

Where did Moses put the blood of the ram of ordination on Aaron?

Made priests

Washedwith water atthe door (8:6)Clothedthe holygarments(8:7–9, 13)Anointedoil on hishead (8:12)Sinofferingthe bull:cleansed(8:14–17)Burntofferinga ram whollygiven(8:18–21)Ear,thumb,toethe ram ofordination(8:22–24)Seven daysat the door, day andnight (8:33–35)

Whiteboard

Step by step, “as the LORD had commanded”: Aaron and his sons washed, clothed and anointed; a bull for their own sin; a ram burned whole; the ram of ordination, its blood on ear, thumb and toe; then seven days at the tent door. Aaron needed a sacrifice for himself before he could offer for anyone else. Hebrews says Jesus needed none: He had no sin of His own, and He offered Himself once for all (Hebrews 7:26–27).

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Leviticus 8

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A verse to carry with you

What has been done today has been commanded by the LORD in order to make atonement on your behalf.

Leviticus 8:34

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