Levítico 8
F.B. Meyer · Citado em PreceptAustin
Levítico 8
Meyer has an interesting thought - In the concluding verses of Leviticus 8:1-36 we read of Aaron and his sons feeding together on the flesh of the consecration-offering; and that for seven days, during which time they were not permitted to leave the Tabernacle-a striking figure of the present position of our Lord and His own, during this dispensation, shut in with God, and awaiting the manifestation of His glory. May not this eighth day, on which the glory of the Lord appeared, be an emblem of that bright millennial morning when the congregation of Israel shall behold the true Priest issuing from the sanctuary, where He is now hidden from the eyes of men; and with Him, when He is manifested, we shall be manifested also, “the companions of His retirement, and the happy participators of His glory?” Oh, that none of us may miss that share in His epiphany, and that now our life may be hidden with Christ in glory! See Colossians 3:1-4. Leviticus 8:36 Thus Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD had commanded through Moses. Leviticus 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Ps 84:1 For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. HOW lovely are Thy dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Thus Aaron and his sons did all - Complete obedience. Unhesitating obedience. Obedience always brings God's blessing. And yet Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu seem to have so quickly forgotten the solemn nature of this consecration ceremony. Indeed, they sinned presumptuously almost immediately after this time of hallowing and setting apart to God and for God! God help us not do the same! O beloved, how fickle is our flesh and how fast it is to fall into sin! Harrison adds - Obedience is at the heart of both the old and the new covenant, and this, rather than love, is God’s prime demand of his followers. The Christian is urged to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ (2Cor 10:5-note), and to see obedience as one mark of a sanctified personality (1Pe 1:2-note). At this stage Aaron and the priests are united in a willingness to follow divine instructions, and to initiate the long and sometimes turbulent history of priestly service to the nation. Gane - If Christians had solved their questions of leadership by following God’s leading and guidelines (including Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus) during the past couple of millennia, imagine how much trouble and bloodshed would have been avoided. By turning sacred offices into positions of political domination rather than humble spiritual leadership, Christianity has suffered disunity, loss of real spiritual power and divine protection, and disenfranchisement of many believers as God’s “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). (Ibid) Andrew
Levítico 8
Meyer - Ye shall not go out. - For seven days Aaron and his sons, newly consecrated by the blood and oil, waited together in the Holy Place. They were prohibited from going beyond the door, but fed on the consecrated food till the eighth day summoned them to begin their priestly duties. Similarly we are shut in with our Great Aaron, the High Priest of our profession. We are in Christ in the purposes of God, for we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. We are in Him, as Noah was in the ark, and as the child is in the home; as the member is in the body, and the branch in the vine; as the sponge in the ocean, or the jewel in the sunbeam. We are in Him as a strong enclosure, through which the malice and strength of our foes cannot break — a fortress, a strong tower, a castle keep. We are in Him, as a banqueting-hall, a Tabernacle with its spew-bread, an upper room with its descending fire. It is highly necessary that we should maintain our walk and experience on this blessed elevation. The great enemy of our souls is perpetually tempting us to leave our abiding-place, and to try issues with him in the plains beneath. What is temptation but his subtle solicitation to come out from the secret place of the Most High. Beware! the bait may be very attractive, but the end is death. Keep the charge of the Lord, and abide day and night in the company of the Great High Priest. “He shall dwell among them.” On what viands do such happy souls feast with Christ! A table is provided before them by the Lord Himself, and they feast on all that pertains to Him in blessed partnership. “Son, thou art ever with Me, and all that I have is thine.” Leviticus 8:34 "The LORD has commanded to do as has been done this day, to make atonement on your behalf. Heb 7:16,27 10:11,12 Leviticus 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Rooker comments on the fact that the priests needed atonement - At the very commencement of the priestly activity there was to be a reminder of the status of the priests as sinners in need of atonement to carry out their sacred responsibilities. God must use imperfect people to serve as leaders of his people. He does not demand perfection from those who are willing to serve him. God’s grace is particularly evident in Aaron’s appointment to the high priesthood, for the very one who had been the chief sinner (Ex 32:1-5) now became the chief mediator for the people of God. Servants of God in all ages are in desperate need of the cleansing provided by God to be available and useful in his service. Believer-priests can still serve God today provided they be cleansed by means of the Holy Spirit and the Word (John 13:10; Eph 5:26; Titus 3:5; Heb 10:22). The contrast between the sinful lives of the high priests and the life and work of the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, to which these priests pointed, was not lost to the writer of the Hebrews (Heb 9:7–14). (Ibid) Make atonement (03722)(kapar) means to make reconciliation (to reconcile), to purge, to make propitiation (to propitiate), to pacify, to cancel. There are two main ideas regarding the meaning of kapar - (1) Kapar means to cover over sin (2) A number of resources however favor the idea that kapar means to wipe away. These ideas are discussed more below. Vine writes that "Most uses of kapar involve the theological meaning of “covering over,” often with the blood of a sacrifice, in order to atone for some sin. It is not clear whether this means that the “covering over” hides the sin from God’s sight or implies that the sin is wiped away in this process." Richards adds that "It is often said that the idea expressed (in kapar) is one found in a possibly related Arabic root that means “to cover or conceal.” Atonement would then denote a covering that conceals a person’s sin and makes it possible for him to approach God. Although this relationship is possible, the language link is not at all certain. What is certain is the role that atonement played in the religion of Israel—a role given to atonement by God to carry a vital message about our faith." The NET Bible Note states that the primary sense of the kapar is "to wipe [something off (or on)]" (see esp. the goal of the sin offering, Lev 4, "to purge" the tabernacle from impurities), but in some cases it refers metaphorically to "wiping away" anything that might stand in the way of good relations by bringing a gift (see, e.g., Ge 32:20, "to appease; to pacify" as an illustration of this). The translation "make atonement" has been retained in Leviticus 1:4-note because, ultimately, the goal of either purging or appeasing was to maintain a proper relationship between the LORD (Who dwelt in the tabernacle) and Israelites in whose midst the tabernacle was pitched." (Leviticus 1 Note) Today in the Word (Moody Bible Institute) - The classic hymn, “Take My Life,” by Frances Havergal, begins: “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.” The following verses invite God to take every part of a person: “Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love; Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. . . . Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King; Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.” This idea of dedicating every part of our person to the Lord’s service finds a vivid parallel in today’s reading. During the ordination ceremony consecrating Aaron and his sons to ministry, Moses anointed their right ears, thumbs, and toes with blood (Lev 8:12, 24). This likely signified that their whole persons were now specially dedicated to the Lord for service, and that in all they did from now on they should be mindful of their holy station. God had previously given instructions for this ordination ceremony (Ex 28-29, 39-40). The priests wore special garments, including a plate on the high priest’s turban inscribed, “Holy to the Lord.” He carried the Urim and the Thummim, sacred lots for inquiring about God’s will. As Moses enacted special ceremonies, including washing the priests with water, anointing them and the tabernacle items with oil, and offering the sacrifices. In fact, this was the first official run-through of all God’s instructions for the sacrifices, so Moses was modeling how to do it, both for the priests and for the benefit of the nation. A great deal of work had gone into constructing the tabernacle following God’s design, and everyone present was committed to getting everything off to a good start. No wonder the consecration process took an entire week! TODAY ALONG THE WAY - As an interesting follow-up to today’s reading, why not investigate the rules for ordination at your church or in your denomination? What qualifications are required? How can candidates fulfill them? Once a person is approved for ordination, what does the service look like? When people become ordained, does that change their status or duties? Can they ever be “unordained”-how and why? TODAY IN THE WORD - What has been done today was commanded by the Lord to make atonement for you. - Leviticus 8:34 - The classic hymn, “Take My Life,” by Frances Havergal, begins: “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.” The following verses invite God to take every part of a person: “Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love; Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. . . . Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King; Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.” This idea of dedicating every part of our person to the Lord’s service finds a vivid parallel in today’s reading. During the ordination ceremony consecrating Aaron and his sons to ministry, Moses anointed their right ears, thumbs, and toes with blood (Lev 8:12, 24). This likely signified that their whole persons were now specially dedicated to the Lord for service, and that in all they did from now on they should be mindful of their holy station. God had previously given instructions for this ordination ceremony (Ex 28-29, 39-40). The priests wore special garments, including a plate on the high priest’s turban inscribed, “Holy to the Lord.” He carried the Urim and the Thummim, sacred lots for inquiring about God’s will. As Moses enacted special ceremonies, including washing the priests with water, anointing them and the tabernacle items with oil, and offering the sacrifices. In fact, this was the first official run-through of all God’s instructions for the sacrifices, so Moses was modeling how to do it, both for the priests and for the benefit of the nation. A great deal of work had gone into constructing the tabernacle following God’s design, and everyone present was committed to getting everything off to a good start. No wonder the consecration process took an entire week! TODAY ALONG THE WAY - As an interesting follow-up to today’s reading, why not investigate the rules for ordination at your church or in your denomination? What qualifications are required? How can candidates fulfill them? Once a person is approved for ordination, what does the service look like? When people become ordained, does that change their status or duties? Can they ever be “unordained”-how and why? Leviticus 8:35 "At the doorway of the tent of meeting, moreover, you shall remain day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you will not die, for so I have been commanded." Tent of meeting: Lev 14:8 Ex 29:35 Nu 19:12 Eze 43:25 2Co 7:1 Col 2:9,10 Heb 7:28 Heb 9:23,24 keep: Lev 8:30 10:1 Nu 3:7 9:19 Dt 11:1 1Ki 2:3 1Ti 1:3,4,18 1Ti 5:21 1Ti 6:13,17,20 2Ti 4:1 Leviticus 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Seven days - From Exodus we learn that Moses was to repeat the bull offering (sin offering) each of the seven days. Nothing is stated about repeating the offering of the rams. Ex 29:35 And thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days. 36 And each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it to consecrate it. Take a moment to ponder the sobering effect of seven days of repeated sin offerings and ample time for reflection on the sacred significance of what God was inaugurating. So that you will not die - How serious was God in these instructions regarding the consecration of the OT priests? Clearly "deadly serious!" As NT believer-priests we do well to meditate on this truth. We all deserve to die, but in His great mercy and compassion, God has chosen to save us. May the Father grant that His Spirit burn into our hearts a solemn, high view of our "so great a salvation" in Christ Jesus. Amen.