Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Once again we hit the specific rules for specific sacrifice. In this case trespass and peace.

Trespass offerings. They were to be killed in the same place as the burnt offering, and the blood sprinkled around the altar. The fat was to be completely consumed. As for the rest, a priest could eat of it if he was consecrated and ate it in the holy place because it was holy. Not just any priest, but the one doing the offering. Also, the skin of the animals from the burnt offerings the priest could keep. It was part of his upkeep and portion. The same was true of the grain offering. Whether baked, on a pan, or a covered pan; whether oiled or dry; the priests got a portion. It was also holy.

Next was thanksgiving offerings, given of FREE WILL with peace offerings. One cake of grain from each offering was for the priest. The flesh of the peace offering could be eaten on the day it was offered, but NOT left until the morning. BUT if the sacrifice was a vow or a voluntary offering (thanksgiving, not peace), then on the next day the remainder could be eaten – BUT not the THIRD day. Third day eating was an abomination and you’d bear the iniquity. Perhaps this was so strict because it was a shadow of Jesus’ sacrifice and He rose on the third day (Ephesians 2:13-14).

If ANY meat for sacrifice touched an unclean thing, it was not to be eaten – remember it was holy. If it touched an unclean thing, it was now unclean and was to be burnt entirely. If it was fine but YOU touched something unclean then you would no longer be holy and it was not acceptable. This was so serious you were killed if you violated this principle (Leviticus 7:20).

God spoke to Moses and made a statute: no eating any fat whether of ox or sheep or goat. If an animal died naturally (not a sacrifice) or was killed by a wild animal, you could USE the fat for other purposes (not the sacrifices, that fat was to be burnt) but at no time were they to eat fat period. If you ate of the fat of sacrifice, you were to be killed. Again, serious stuff. A second statute was no eating blood. Not of birds or beasts. No blood. If you did, you were killed. Period. These are commandments to set the people of Israel apart from the rest of the world. To remind them DAILY of their nature as people of God. They were DIFFERENT and needed to remember that.

The next section made clear which portions of the sacrifices were for the altar (the Lord, to be burnt up) and which portions were for the priests for their upkeep. These were consecrated portions for them. There were rules to follow as to what they could and couldn’t touch (later, some priests violated this and came to a bad end).

God summed up by saying all these things (from Leviticus 1 to the end of 7) were the laws of burnt offering, grain offering, sin offering, trespass offering, the consecrations to the priests for their portion, and the sacrifice of the peace offering – including the voluntary thanksgiving offering. They were the rules given to Moses on Mt Sinai and written down so there was no confusion EVER of what was and was not acceptable in the system God chose to get across our need for blood payment and the restoration of relationship with Him.

“Then Moses said to the community, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded to be done.”” (Leviticus 8:5).

Next is the ordination of the priests. It is not entirely in order of happening, but it all falls into place by the end of Chapter 9. This ordination overlaps the events of the end of the book of Exodus (Chapter 40).

The congregation was assembled in front of the tabernacle. Moses washed Aaron and his sons (he had four sons), and put on all the clothing for the chief priests and regular priests. He anointed them and everything in the tabernacle. The oil he poured over their heads (Psalm 133:1-3).

Moses brought a bull for the sin offering, Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the bull, and Moses killed it. He put blood on the horns of the altar and poured blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it. All the fat was burnt up completely, but the bull itself (with the hide, flesh, and offal) was burnt outside the camp.

Next was a ram for a burnt offering. Again the hands went on the head and Moses killed it. The blood was sprinkled around the altar. Moses cut the ram into pieces. He burnt the head, the pieces, and the fat on the altar. He washed the entrails and the legs, then burnt them on the altar. The whole animal was burnt.

He brought a second one, the lamb of consecration. Hands went on its head, and Moses killed it. Moses took some of the blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe on his right foot – this was the same anointing that was done in the case of leprosy to cleanse the leper (although with oil in that case, not blood). Aaron’s sons were anointed with blood in the same way and the rest was sprinkled all around on the altar.

All the fat was collected. Moses took a cake of unleavened bread, a cake anointed with oil, and a wafer, and put them on the fat and the right thigh. This was all put in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved as a wave offering before the Lord. Then Moses took them back and burnt them completely. The breast of this ram Moses took and waved it before the Lord – it was his portion (Exodus 29:26). He took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron, his garments, Aaron’s sons, and their garments and consecrated them all.

The flesh of the ram was to be boiled at the door of the tabernacle and eaten there with the bread in the basket of consecration offerings. The remains of the flesh and the bread were to be burnt with fire. Then they were to go outside the door of the tabernacle for seven days. Seven days was the period of their consecration – day and night they had to stay there. If they failed to do this they would NOT be consecrated and they would die when they went to serve the Lord.

And so Aaron and his sons did all the things they were commanded to do.

Summary

Key Players: Moses, Aaron, Aaron’s Four Sons

Key Themes: Consecration

Key Verse(s): Leviticus 7:8-10; 8:1-5, 31-36