Leviticus 9
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CHAPTER 9
The Priests Begin Their Ministry(9:1–24)
1–7 On the eighth day (verse 1)—after seven days of ordination (Leviticus8:33)—Moses instructed Aaron to lead the people in bringing various offerings to the Lord, after which the Lord would appear to the people (verse 4). The offerings fell into two groups: those to make atonement for Aaron himself (verses 8–12), and those to make atonement for the people (verses 15–20). The four offerings mentioned in verses 2–4—the sin offering, the burnt offering, the fellowship offering, and the grain offering—are fully described in Leviticus Chapters 1–4.
The offerings called for in this special celebration were not ends in themselves but rather the means by which the people could honor the Lord and experience His GLORY in their midst (verse 5). Indeed, this is the main purpose of all worship: to honor God and to enjoy His presence; this was true for the Israelites of the Old Testament and it is true for us today who believe in Jesus.
8–14 Notice that, first of all, Aaron needed to atone for his own sins (verse8). Before a priest or pastor can minister to the people, he first must be cleansed of sin himself. There was only one Priest who never had to atone for His own sins and that was Jesus Christ, who was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
Following the sin offering, Aaron then offered a burnt offering to atone for his sinful nature and to dedicate himself wholly to the Lord (verse 12).
15–20 After that, Aaron led the people in their offerings.22 Notice again the order of the offerings: first, the sin offering; second, the burnt offering; third, the grain offering; and fourth, the fellowship offering (verses 16–18). This order points to the correct priorities in worship: cleansing, atonement, thanksgiving, and fellowship. We can have fellowship with God only after we have taken the other three steps.
The order of the offerings also reflects the stages of our Christian lives. First of all, we can only approach God through Jesus Christ, our sin offering. Then, when our sin has been cleansed and forgiven, we are invited to commit ourselves totally to the Lord; the burnt offering, because it was totally consumed, symbolized this total commitment. With cleansing and commitment comes thanksgiving to the Lord for His grace and mercy; this thanksgiving is symbolized by the grain offering. Finally, as we commit ourselves more and more to the Lord with thankful hearts, we begin to enjoy ever deeper and more intimate fellowship with Him, symbolized by the fellowship offering. Our Christian lives should not simply stop at the sin offering—our initial SALVATION—but they should progress onward through total commitment and thanksgiving to a rich and joyful fellowship with God.
Herein lies a major reason why so many Christians lack power and joy in their lives: after initially believing in Christ, they have not progressed to a deeper level of commitment and obedience. They are happy to call Jesus their Savior but they are not prepared to obey Him as Lord. If we would enjoy the full blessings of the Christian life, we must offer ourselves totally to Christ and follow Him without reservation wherever He leads (see Genesis 22:15–19 and comment).
21 After the fellowship offering was sacrificed, Aaron took the priest’s share of the meat—the breast and right thigh—and waved it before the Lord (see Leviticus 7:28–36 and comment).
22–24 When all the sacrifices had been offered, Aaron blessed the people. Aaron’s blessing was probably similar to the formal blessing recorded in Numbers 6:22–27.
Then, after a second blessing of the people by Moses and Aaron, the glory of the LORD appeared (verse 23). Exactly how the Lord’s glory appeared is not described; previously His glory had settled on Mount Sinai and on the just completed tabernacle23 as fire or cloud (Exodus 24:15–17; 40:34–35). Here fire was certainly part of God’s appearance because, according to verse 24, fire shot out from God’s presence and instantly consumed the remains of the offerings still burning on the altar.24 But surely this manifestation of God’s glory was more than just cloud and fire; it must have included a sense of God’s goodness (Exodus 33:18–19)—that is, His love, faithfulness, power and holiness. Whatever form it took, the display of God’s glory caused the people not only to shout for joy but also to fall facedown in awe and wonder (verse 24).
Does God’s glory still appear to Christians today? Yes, it does, and in many different ways. First and most important,God’s glory is constantly present with believers; indeed, in the person of the HOLY SPIRIT, God actually dwells within us (1 Corinthians 6:19). The fruit of the Holy Spirit is manifested in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23). In addition, God’s glory—His presence and goodness—touchesus through His divine guidance, through dreams and visions, through spiritual gifts, and through answers to prayer.
Yet, having said that, Christians must not be preoccupied with looking for special manifestations of God’s glory, for signs and —wonders. These are wonderful gifts of God, which come to us at His discretion; but Christians must not depend on these visible signs. We live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).