(3) Regulations concerning priests

 

(3) Regulations concerning priests

 

Leviticus chapters 8-10 are about the holiness of the priests. Chapter 8 contains regulations regarding the ordination of priests, Chapter 9 contains information regarding the sacrifices offered by priests, and Chapter 10 contains warnings for when the priestly office is performed incorrectly.

Hebrews 5:4 states, "No one takes this honor of his own accord, but only those called by God, like Aaron."

Aaron was the first high priest. Aaron's sons succeeded him as priests. The Bible states that being commissioned into the priesthood is an honorable thing. It is to serve as a mediator between God and man. In the New Testament era, the priests are those who are in Christ. That is why the saints are called the priesthood of all believers.

We must examine the requirements God demanded when ordaining a priest. They must wash with water, put on holy new garments, and be anointed. Washing with water signifies death rather than a ritual of purification. This is because the priest is not an individual being, but a being used by God. During the baptismal ritual, entering the water signifies being dead. Therefore, it is a rebirth into a spiritual body through the power of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual body is represented by white garments. Being anointed signifies that the Holy Spirit is with one another.

In Exodus 29:4, it says, "Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tabernacle and wash them with water." They wash their hands in the laver. It is similar to the baptismal ritual of entering and coming out of the water. When a priest has sinned against God, he washes his hands and feet.

Leviticus 8:7-9: “And put the undergarment on Aaron, and the girdle on him, and the outer robe on him, and put the girdle of the ephod on him, and fastened the ephod on his body, and put on the breastplate, and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate, and put a crown on his head, and put gold plates on the front of the crown, which is a holy crown, as the LORD commanded Moses.”

When a priest was ordained, he had to wear garments. They wore a vest called the ephod, which was adorned with twelve precious stones symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel. Additionally, they placed large stones called the Urim and Thummim in their breastplates, and God answered the people of Israel through the colors of these stones when they faced difficulties. These priestly garments were designed to cover all the priest's sins and enable him to stand before God. Just as the priestly garments covered his sins, the garment of Jesus Christ covers the sins of the saint. By dying with Jesus on the cross and having their sins washed away by His precious blood, they are able to stand before God.

"And a crown was placed on his head, and on the front of the crown a gold plate was attached, which is the holy crown." Placing a crown on the head signifies not a sinner, but a royal priest. It means becoming righteous by resurrecting with Christ.

In 1 Peter 2:5, it says, "You also, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." The spiritual house refers to a spiritual body that is born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. The living stone is Christ. Therefore, the saint, clothed in a spiritual body, comes to worship God directly.

Leviticus 8:10-13: “Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that is in it to consecrate it. He sprinkled the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, the laver and its stand to consecrate it. He poured the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate it. Moses also took Aaron’s sons and clothed them with robes, girded them with belts, and placed crowns on their heads, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.”

In the ordination of priests, the anointing with oil is the third step. Oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. This is analogous to the Holy Spirit sealing the saints. Aaron did not stop at merely putting on the priestly garments; he could only function as a priest after being anointed with oil. In the New Testament era, the anointing with oil symbolizes the descent of the Holy Spirit. Aaron is a model symbolizing Jesus, who came as the High Priest of all mankind.

However, Aaron and his sons could not immediately offer sacrifices just because they had put on the priestly garments and been anointed. This was because they, too, were nothing more than sinners before God, and they had to offer sacrifices to receive forgiveness for their own sins before offering sacrifices for others.

Leviticus 8:14-17 “Then Moses brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering. Moses killed it and took the blood and put it with his finger on the four horns of the altar, and cleansed the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar and made the altar holy. Then Moses took all the fat covering the entrails, the liver membrane, the two kidneys, and the fat, and burned them on the altar. And the bull—its skin, its flesh, and its dung—was burned outside the camp, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.”

The first of the three sacrifices was the sin offering. A priest who had been cleansed himself by offering the sin offering could offer sacrifices for the sins of others. The fat of the intestines, liver, and kidneys was burned on the altar inside the camp, and the fat symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit. The fire of the Holy Spirit symbolizes the renewing resurrection.

The entrails, liver, kidney skin, meat, and excrement were burned outside the camp. Leviticus 6:11 states, "You shall take off your clothes and put on new clothes, and carry the ashes to a clean place outside the camp." In the morning, the ashes of these items had to be discarded, and when discarding the ashes, one had to change into different clothes. At this time, the priest threw the ashes into a clean place outside the camp. Jesus died for sin. Burning outside the camp signifies the death on the cross.

Leviticus 8:18-21: “Then the ram was offered for a burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, and Moses killed it and sprinkled the blood on all four sides of the altar. Then the ram was cut into pieces, and Moses burned the head, the cut pieces, and the fat. Then he washed the entrails and the shanks with water. Then Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

The second sacrifice to be offered was the burnt offering. The burnt offering involves burning everything of the offering without leaving a single thing behind. The Hebrew word for burnt offering is *olah* (עֹלָ֤ה), which means "to ascend." It signifies burning the offering to offer its fragrance up to God. This carries the meaning of offering oneself completely to God, indicating that this sacrificial ritual was an act of worship. Through the burnt offering, the priest becomes one who lives solely for God and is dead to the world.

The sinner lays his hands on the sacrificial offering, kills it, skins it, and cuts the flesh into pieces. This was to receive forgiveness of sins through the offering and to approach God. Bringing the best, unblemished male calf to kill and cut into pieces creates an experience akin to one's own death. It signifies that the dead offering is none other than oneself.

"Wash his entrails (kerev) and shins with water." Kerev is used to describe the "entrails," "inside," or "intestines" of a person or animal. This word conveys the meaning of "what is inside," and the entrails (7130) and shins (3767) refer to the old self residing deep within the human being. God commands that the old self, deeply rooted within the human being, and the attempt to achieve righteousness on one's own, be burned away. In other words, it is a command to deny oneself.

The shin (ּכְרָעָ֖ kera) (3767) refers to one who walks by his own strength without relying on God. It is to show off one's own righteousness like the Nephilim.

"You shall wash with water." In Ephesians 5:25-26, it says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her by washing with water and cleansing her by the word." Washing with water signifies dying in water. Being born of heaven through water and the Spirit is a confession that one is one who died in water and one who was burned to death by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it signifies being born of heaven (resurrection). It means that the old self and one's own righteousness all die with Jesus Christ.