Hello and welcome to today’s exciting Bible study on Leviticus 8-9. In these two chapters, we will read and study how Aaron and his sons were consecrated and the beginning of the priestly ministry. According to biblical scholars, the events of Leviticus 8-9 occurred around 1445 B.C.
As usual, I encourage you to turn to Leviticus 8 and 9 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study these chapters with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
Backstory on Leviticus 1-7
In Leviticus 1-7, we read about the various sacrifices and the laws concerning the burnt offering, sin offering, trespass offering, peace offering, grain offering and so on. There were specific rituals to be followed for each of the offering.
Now, without any further delay, let us study together and learn what Leviticus 8-9 is about, shall we?
Leviticus 8-9 Summary
The Lord instructed Moses to take Aaron and his sons, along with specific offerings and items for consecration, and gather the congregation. Moses followed these commands, washing Aaron and his sons and dressing them in the sacred garments. He anointed the tabernacle and its furnishings, consecrating them with oil, and performed various offerings, including a bull for sin offering, a ram for burnt offering, and another ram for consecration.
Moses placed the blood of the ram of consecration offering on Aaron’s right ear, thumb, and big toe, as well as on his sons, symbolizing their dedication to the service of the Lord. He waved portions of the offerings before the Lord and burnt the rest on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Moses instructed Aaron and his sons to eat the flesh and bread from the offerings at the tabernacle and required them to remain there for seven days to complete their consecration, emphasizing their commitment to the Lord’s service. Aaron and his sons carried out all the commands given by the Lord.
Moses summoned Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel to offer sacrifices before the Lord. Aaron was instructed to take a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as burnt offering for himself, and the people were to provide a young goat, a calf, a lamb as burnt offering and a bull, and a ram as peace offering. The congregation gathered near the tabernacle, and Moses emphasized that the glory of the Lord would appear to them.
Aaron proceeded to carry out the offerings as commanded: he killed the sin offering for himself and sprinkled its blood on the altar. He then performed the burnt offerings and presented the people’s offerings, including a goat for the sin offering and additional peace offerings. Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle and emerged to bless the people. Subsequently, the glory of the Lord manifested, and fire of God consumed the offerings on the altar, leading the people to shout and fall on their faces in awe.
Leviticus 8-9 Commentary
1. Leviticus 8:1-5
It was God’s idea to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests unto Him. They represented the people before God and performed the sacrifices on behalf of the people and also on behalf of themselves. Moses was only the spokesperson. He didn’t decide all these matters. He simply executed the Lord’s instructions. It was God who chose the tribe of Levi as the priestly tribe and not man.
2. Leviticus 8:22-23
Moses was responsible for killing the animals for the burnt offering, sin offering, and consecration, rather than Aaron, because he was the one consecrating the priests for their ministry. He applied the blood from the ram of the consecration to the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of both Aaron and his sons. Aaron served as the high priest, and his sons were also priests.
The application of the ram’s blood signifies their consecration to the Lord. The right ear, hand, and big toe of the right foot represent dominance, as most people have their right side as the dominant one.
3. Leviticus 8:30-31
Aaron and his sons, along with their garments, were marked by blood and anointing oil, setting them apart for service to the Lord. Their clothes were sprinkled with blood. At the Tabernacle of Meeting, Aaron and his sons were required to eat the boiled flesh of the consecrated ram along with the bread from the basket of the consecration offering. By consuming the offering, Aaron and his sons became one with it (the consecration), as whatever you eat is assimilated into your body. They were also to partake of the bread from the basket of the consecration offering.
Jesus is referred to as the Bread of Life, and He himself is our High Priest and the offering made on our behalf. That is why He said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have life (John 6:53). And, we do that symbolically by taking Communion. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and when you are baptised with His Holy Spirit you are already one with Him. The wages of sin is death. And we can have life only through Jesus Christ. We as believers, just like Aaron and his sons in Leviticus 8, are marked by the blood of Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
4. Leviticus 9:2-4
Aaron was responsible for offering the burnt and sin offerings on his own behalf. This time, unlike Leviticus 8, it was Aaron, and not Moses, who killed the offering. Aaron was tasked with making atonement for both himself and the people as they brought their offerings to him because he was now consecrated by Moses as High Priest before the Lord. This marks the beginning of the priestly ministry in the Old Testament.
5. Leviticus 9:22-24
Aaron lifted his hand toward the people and blessed them as the High Priest. His role as a High Priest was priestly intercession on behalf of the people and himself before God. Moses and Aaron then entered the tabernacle, and when they came out, they blessed the people again. Then the glory of the Lord appeared, and He consumed the sacrifices with fire. No human lit the fire; it was the fire of God Himself that burned the sacrifices, demonstrating His acceptance of the atonement for the people’s sins through the offerings presented by the high priest, Aaron.
Leviticus 8-9 Lessons/Revelations
What can we learn from Leviticus 8-9?
1. Aaron was a foreshadow of Jesus, our High Priest
Aaron served as a foreshadow of the soon-to-come eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ. During Aaron’s time and until Jesus arrived, animal sacrifices were required for the atonement of sin, as the wages of sin is death. When a person sins, blood must be shed to pay the price for that sin. This is why animals were sacrificed instead of allowing the sinners themselves to die.
However, Jesus came as the eternal sacrifice. He was the Lamb of sacrifice and also our High Priest, offering His own blood on God’s mercy seat. Aaron had to atone for his own sins as well as the sins of the people because they were not born again of the Spirit of God. At that time, Jesus had not yet come, died, and risen again. All people were born into Adam’s transgression, just as every human being is today.
Once a person becomes born again, the price for their sins has already been paid because of what Jesus accomplished 2,000 years ago. In contrast, a person who is not born again must bear the consequences of their own sins.
2. We are kings and priests unto God
We are part of a priestly kingdom and operate under divine authority. A priest carries out God’s will on Earth. As ambassadors of God on earth, we execute the authority given to us by Jesus Christ. Jesus, as our High Priest, has made us kings and priests unto God, similar to Aaron and his sons, where Aaron served as the High Priest and his sons were priests.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we are adopted as God’s sons and daughters in His Kingdom. Our duty, like that of Aaron’s sons – the priests, is to minister to the Lord day and night. But what does it mean to minister to the Lord? It involves worshiping and adoring Him with praise and thanksgiving, and understanding the will of the Father and executing it. That is the essence of priestly ministry.
Jesus, our High Priest, intercedes for us just as Aaron interceded for the Israelites through sacrifices and offerings, which were accepted by God when His fire consumed them. People could not bring animals to sacrifice and burn them on their own; it was the responsibility of the High Priest. Today, we bring our requests to God through our High Priest Jesus Christ. It is He who intercedes for us and He Himself is the atonement for our sins. This is why we pray in Jesus’s name—not only because He is the name above all names but also because He is our High Priest who has already paid the price for our sins.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study on Leviticus 8-9. I hope you enjoyed this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, share your thoughts and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Leviticus 8-9. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!