Leviticus 9

The Priestly Ministry Inaugurated

1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel.

2 He said to Aaron, "Take a young bull for a sin^[a] offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and present [them] before the Lord.

3 And tell the Israelites:^[b] 'Take a male goat for a sin offering; a calf and a lamb, male yearlings without blemish, for a burnt offering;

4 an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord is going to appear to you.' "^[c]

5 They brought what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord.

6 Moses said, "This is what the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you."^[d]

7 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering; make atonement for yourself and the people.^[e] Sacrifice the people's offering and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded."^[f]

8 So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself.

9 Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar.

10 He burned the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver from the sin offering on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

11 He burned up the flesh and the hide outside the camp.^[g]

12 Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.

13 They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, along with the head, and he burned [them] on the altar.

14 He washed the entrails and the shanks and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

15 Aaron presented the people's offering. He took the male goat for the people's sin offering, slaughtered it, and made a sin offering with it as he did before.

16 He presented the burnt offering and sacrificed it according to the regulation.

17 Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering.^[h]

18 Finally, he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people's fellowship sacrifice. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.

19 They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram-the fat tail, the [fat] surrounding [the entrails], the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver-

20 and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar,

21 but he waved the breasts and the right thigh as a presentation offering before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.^[i]

22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them.^[j] He came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering.

23 Moses and Aaron then entered the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.^[k]

24 Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell facedown [on the ground].^[l]

Leviticus 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

The first offerings of Aaron for himself and the people. (1-21) Moses and Aaron bless the people, Fire cometh upon the altar from the Lord. (22-24)

Verses 1-21 These many sacrifices, which were all done away by the death of Christ, teach us that our best services need washing in his blood, and that the guilt of our best sacrifices needs to be done away by one more pure and more noble than they. Let us be thankful that we have such a High Priest. The priests had not a day's respite from service allowed. God's spiritual priests have constant work, which the duty of every day requires; they that would give up their account with joy, must redeem time. The glory of God appeared in the sight of the people, and owned what they had done. We are not now to expect such appearances, but God draws nigh to those who draw nigh to him, and the offerings of faith are acceptable to him; though the sacrifices being spiritual, the tokens of the acceptance are spiritual likewise. When Aaron had done all that was to be done about the sacrifices, he lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them. Aaron could but crave a blessing, God alone can command it.

Verses 22-24 When the solemnity was finished, and the blessing pronounced, God testified his acceptance. There came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed the sacrifice. This fire might justly have fastened upon the people, and have consumed them for their sins; but its consuming the sacrifice signified God's acceptance of it, as an atonement for the sinner. This also was a figure of good things to come. The Spirit descended upon the apostles in fire. And the descent of this holy fire into our souls, to kindle in them pious and devout affections toward God, and such a holy zeal as burns up the flesh and the lusts of it, is a certain token of God's gracious acceptance of our persons and performances. Nothing goes to God, but what comes from him. We must have grace, that holy fire, from the God of grace, else we cannot serve him acceptably, ( Hebrews 12:28 ) . The people were affected with this discovery of God's glory and grace. They received it with the highest joy; triumphing in the assurance given them that they had God nigh unto them. And with the lowest reverence; humbly adoring the majesty of that God, who vouchsafed thus to manifest himself to them. That is a sinful fear of God, which drives us from him; a gracious fear makes us bow before him.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or purification
• [b]. Sam, LXX read elders of Israel
• [c]. Ex 24:11,17
• [d]. Ex 16:7,10; 24:16-17
• [e]. LXX reads and your household
• [f]. Heb 5:1-3; 7:26-27
• [g]. Lv 4:8-10,12,21; 16:27; Ex 29:14
• [h]. Lv 2:2; Ex 29:38-42
• [i]. Some Hb mss, LXX, Sam read as the Lord commanded Moses
• [j]. Nm 6:24-26
• [k]. Lv 9:6; Ex 24:15-18; 40:35
• [l]. 1 Kg 18:38-39; 2 Ch 7:1-3; Ezr 3:12

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 9

Aaron and his sons, being consecrated to and invested with the priest's office, are called upon to the exercise of it, to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for themselves, and all sorts of offerings, a sin offering, a burnt offering, peace offerings, and a meat offering, for the people; and a promise is made for their encouragement, that the glory of the Lord would appear to them, Le 9:1-7 and which were in their course accordingly offered; first, Aaron's sin offering for himself, Le 9:8-11 then his burnt offering, Le 9:12-14 after that the several offerings of the people before mentioned, Le 9:15-21 when Aaron and Moses blessed the people, the one as soon as he had done offering, and both together when they came out of the tabernacle, Le 9:22,23 upon which a fire came forth from the Lord, and consumed the burnt offering upon the altar, Le 9:24.