Rest

I’ll be taking a break this week from posting on Leviticus as I’m heading south with some of our EC staff and leaders for a conference. We’ll be resuming it next week!

 

The Priests’ Role

First Read Leviticus 6:8–30

Leviticus 6:8-7:38 will deal with the role of the priests in the offerings we’ve read about up to this point. There will also be an extra offering that is given just for the priests. Whereas Leviticus 1:1-6:7 dealt with the worshipper’s experience of the offerings, in 6:8-7:38 specific instructions are given to the priests as to what they must do including who (God, priests, worshipper) is entitled to eat what part of the offering. The order of the offerings are arranged differently in this section with the frequency of the offering determining where it is laid out. The most frequent offerings are given first to the least frequent.

6:8-9 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command Aaron and his sons…” Before the phrase was to tell the Israelites something, now it is specifically to the priests.

6:9 … ‘”This is the law for the burnt offering: the burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth on the altar all night until morning, and the fire that is on the altar is to be kept burning on it.” Three times (6:9, 12, 13)God will state the fire is to be kept burning and should never go out. It is a fire that God Himself starts in Leviticus 9:24. God will also start the fire again at the temple dedication in 2 Chronicles 7:1.

6:10-11 The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall put on undergarments next to his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.” – Having a lot of burnt offerings on a perpetual fire would have created a ton of ash. Thus, God even gives directives on how to remove the ash properly. Note the holy must be kept holy, therefore a change in clothing is required.

6:16 What is left of it Aaron and his sons are to eat. It shall be eating as unleavened cakes in a holy place; they are to eat it in the court of the tent of meeting.  – The priest are allowed to eat the left overs, but they must be consumed in a holy place.

6:20-23 This is the offering which Aaron and his sons are to present to the LORD on the day when he is anointed; the tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle. When it is well stirred, you shall bring it. You shall present the grain offering in baked pieces as a soothing aroma to the LORD. The anointed priest who will be in his place among his sons shall offer it. By a permanent ordinance it shall be entirely offered up in smoke to the LORD. So every grain offering of the priest shall be burned entirely. It shall not be eaten.  – This is the first mention of the priest’s grain offering. It is specific just to priests. Josephus notes that it was a daily offering from the time a priest was anointed. Notice the great care also that must be taken by the priests for it to be a soothing aroma.

Ministers must assure worshipers that God accepts sincere dedication – not only by how they receive the acts of dedication, but also by how they themselves live dedicated lives. – Ross.

Unlike the grain offering of the laity, none of the priestly offering is to be consumed by the priest. God consumes all of it.

6:27 Anyone who touches its flesh will become consecrated; and when any of its blood splashes on a garment, in a holy place you shall wash what was splashed on. Blood in a sacrifice is a holy thing and purifies/makes holy what it touches. There is power in the blood.

6:28 Also the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water. Again the holy and the common must not be confused.

6:30 But no sin offering of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place shall be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. This was in relationship to sin by the anointed priest or by the entire people. Those offerings must be completely consumed by God, for there was no spiritually higher power to share the food with.

This section teaches us that God greatly cares how His ministers and spiritual leaders act and lead people in worshipping Him. It is not to be done half-heartedly, but with great attention to detail making sure that they correctly lead people to worship Him how He asks them to.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US: 

• Spiritual Leaders must take great care in leading people in worship. God cares how His people worship Him. In the context of the local church, the leaders are responsible for making sure that gets carried out. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word… be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – 2 Tim. 4:1, 5
• Obedience & Details matter. Both were expected by God for the worshipper and the priest each. Anything less was unacceptable to God. In today’s church, those who serve ought to do so with, obedience and attention to details. God is not a God of disorder, but of order. But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner. – 1 Cor. 14:40
• Leaders lead by demonstrating. Faithful adherence by the leaders gives the people a person to watch and imitate. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. – 1 Cor 4:16

 

Thanks for stopping by

Thanks for stopping by. I just took down all of my old postings and will be putting up new ones starting in the next couple days. I invite you to check back and enter the dialogue.

Thanks!

Eric