Consecration of Priests
Notes
Transcript
Reading:
27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Introduction:
In the last 2 weeks we have gone over “skimmed” the Tabernacle, all it’s furniture and we hopefully see the connections to the New Testament.
The Tabernacle, according to Hebrews is the small scale replica of the heavenly court.
The court where God sits as Judge, and Jury.
The Furniture provides a function for use.
The Priestly dress attire, clothes the Priests before God’s presence while they perform, by obedience, their duties.
The connections from the Tabernacle, the Furniture, and the Priests are these:
There’s only one way to worship God.
The location provides access to God for the people.
To be set apart from everyone else.
The only way to worship God is by spirit and truth; but it can only be accomplished through Christ.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, we need to be covered in His blood, cleansed through; only then is worship possible.
The passage in John tells us He is the only worthy atonement God accepts.
Remember it is His rules not ours.
Nadab and Abihu learned that lesson.
Because of faith God’s accessible to us; just like He was accessible to Israel in Exodus.
Our faith consecrates us from everyone else.
We’re set apart and dedicated to His holiness, which He work’s out in us and through us.
Today, understanding more of the tabernacle, the furniture, and the priests dress attire in relation to God in our lives.
We can find chapter 29 teaches about the consecration of the priests.
They’ve already been called by name and lineage.
Now the presentation of the priests to the congregation is necessary.
Consecration means:
“The act or ceremony of separating from a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God, by certain rites or solemnities. consecration does not make a person or thing really holy, but declares it to be sacred, that is, devoted to God or to divine service;” - Noah Webster
Notice that it is the act or ceremony to devote or dedicate to the service or worship of God.
It makes the statement; but the rest are the choices following and pursuing the call!
The consecration ceremony is where we will find the proper way to publicly dedicate Aaron and his lineage to the priesthood.
The thing we hear of first is:
The preparations (1-4)
The preparations (1-4)
1 “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish,
2 and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.
3 You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams.
4 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
We hear that the animals were to be prepared.
A bull and two rams without blemish.
Unleavened bread, cakes with oil, and unleavened wafers covered in oil.
Placed in a basket all brought together in the tent of meeting.
The items are prepared for the ceremony.
Illustration:
Have you ever been to a ceremony where there is food prepared for you, and while everyone is waiting you can smell the food.
It creates anticipation for what is about to happen.
Your attention is now on what’s happening.
The Priests are being prepared.
5 Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
6 And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.
All is in place.
The animals, the food in the basket and the topper for all to see.
The priests are dressed differently than everyone else, set apart for their calling.
Have you ever noticed that the anticipation is much more exciting than what actually happens?
Illustration:
Katie and I watched a movie in the theatre once that we should’ve walked out of.
Not because of inappropriateness; but because of boredom and nothing happening.
Why didn’t we?
We believed the lie that our anticipation was telling us something exciting is going to happen and it will get better. It never did; then they made a second one of the same movie; we didn’t watch it.
I can only imagine the anticipation to this grand ceremony.
It would be something the people would remember forever, even pass along to their children and grandchildren.
A first person testimony so all would know the truth.
The truth that Aaron’s lineage were consecrated as the only priests called between man God.
7 You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.
8 Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them,
9 and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
Anointing is the act of smearing with oil for the consecration.
The public presentation through a custom that was understood where the anointed are for a sacred and holy purpose.
Not much different than us being consecrated through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
God has anointed us to a sacred purpose through faith by the Holy Spirit.
He's consecrated each and every believer to His purpose.
But again it isn’t just the statement, it now becomes a lifestyle of Holiness which we live according to obedience because we believe in His truth’s. (That’s the hard part isn’t it?)
God requires sacrifices for the priests.
10 “Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
The placement of the hand on the animal represents the transference of sin to the animal.
That creates a “substitutionary sacrifice” for sin.
The priest transferred their sin onto the animal then spilled it’s blood.
Now the requirement for us to sacrifice is our will.
We trade our will for His.
This is a daily sacrifice which fulfills Romans 12.
It is also fulfilling the position of disciple.
Our lives are not our own because Jesus bought them with a price.
That transferring in the tabernacle is the temporary removal of sin and the sacrifice is the dealing with sin.
This was the requirement for worshipping God every year.
Through faith we transferred all our sin on Jesus, once for all.
Grace gives the perfect substitution to make atonement.
This is what Exodus calls the sin offering.
11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting,
12 and shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar.
13 And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.
14 But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
The picture of sacrifice wasn’t pleasant.
Which points to that constant reminder of the severity of sin and the disgustingness to it.
The sin offering was to be taken outside the camp and offered to God.
Jesus did this and fulfilled the sin offering.
Where was He sacrificed?
Golgotha.
Golgotha was outside the camp.
Jesus fulfilled even the smallest details for a proper sacrifice for sin.
11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.
12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood.
13 Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured.
By faith we approach Him outside the camp.
Anything the blood touched, as in the altar, the base of the altar is all cleansed through the covering by the blood.
The altar would make the atonement for Aaron through the cleansing because blood was shed and covering it.
Verse 15 provides the proper procedure for a Burnt Offering.
It enters a section for the:
Public preparation (15-28)
Public preparation (15-28)
15 “Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,
16 and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar.
17 Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head,
18 and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
19 “You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,
20 and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.
21 Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
22 “You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination),
23 and one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord.
24 You shall put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.
25 Then you shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the Lord. It is a food offering to the Lord.
26 “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion.
27 And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests’ portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron’s and his sons’.
28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.
This whole process is disgusting and a lot of people couldn’t watch this being done without getting sick.
What would this picture do to you the first time you saw it?
It would probably sear into your mind and heart the violence that needs to be done to an innocent animal to pay for your sin.
I’m willing to bet that we believe that it would be disgusting every time we saw it.
Have you ever recognized that we can become de-sensitized to things?
If you were to see something like this every day or every year, at some point you could become less grossed out by the process.
Having to watch this every year, I think God wants us to remember how terrible sin is and the price for it.
In our New Testament dealing with sin, we have never witnessed the severity of payment for our sins.
In some ways we need to understand and remember how an blameless, perfect man was willingly beaten, whipped, stripped of His flesh, wearing a crown of thorns shoved on His head:
Atoned for our sins (past, present, and future).
Jesus’ death provided an sweet aroma on behalf of us.
Even though we stand before the Lord and smell worse than the breeze on a hot summer day coming from dump, God only smells the worthy burnt offering instead of us.
Ceremony continues:
The priests are to have blood placed on specific spots on their bodies.
20 and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.
What in the world is this teaching?
Its the picture that an entire being is wholly consecrated to the Lord.
The right hand expresses the need to do the work of God
The right thumb is included with the working.
The foot is to express the necessity to walk in the ways of God.
The ear expresses the need to hear the word of God.
This is the High Priest’s equivalent to the Romans 12 passages to be wholly given to the Lord.
There was a term introduced: wave offering.
What is that?
This is a priestly technical term that designates an offering presented to Yahweh.
An act that signifies an object that is raised is not the property of the person raising it; possession has passed onto the one they are waving it to.
In this case it’s a portion given to God.
This is the moment where the Priests are vicariously representing the people to God.
Another part in verse 26 speaks of another waver offering.
This portion is the priest’s meal portion for their work officiating between man and God.
It is supposed that the direction of their waving indicated who’s it was.
Up and down was the Lord’s portion.
Side to Side was for the Priest’s.
Typically the priests would get the thigh.
Moses would get the breast of the Ram.
Connection:
Something to understand.
The priests weren’t to have any other job than the temple services.
Their life's were sustained through a portion from the people as instructed.
Without people’s obedience the tribe of Levi couldn’t live, not to mention the laws were not being obeyed.
Pastors and their families are reliant on the portions that people provide, also from those provisions were able to continue ministries.
27 And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests’ portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron’s and his sons’.
28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.
29 “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them.
30 The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, shall wear them seven days.
31 “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.
32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
33 They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy.
34 And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remain until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
The left-overs, because it was offered to the Lord and is holy should be burned.
(No leftovers!! HA HA.)
Atonement must consistently be made and consecration will be continually performed.
God established an:
Everlasting priesthood. (35-46)
Everlasting priesthood. (35-46)
35 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through seven days shall you ordain them,
36 and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it.
37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.
38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly.
39 One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.
40 And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering.
41 The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
42 It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.
The sacrifices will last 7 days.
A sacrifice to begin the day and a sacrifice to end the day.
The first sacrifice will be the sign that God is there and accessible and the closing sacrifice is thanks for being accessible.
Conclusion:
Verses 43-46: God summarizes what He did.
43 There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.
44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.
45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.
46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.
God reminds them that He fulfilled the promise to free them from slavery and be their God.
He reminds them when they obey His words as He instructs: Worship is possible through sacrifice.
He is present and they have access to Him.
No different is it to our relationship with Him.
The perfect sacrifice for sin was given in Jesus according to Hebrews 9:26
26 for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
But what if I sin after I accept the grace extended to me?
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Go directly to God since He is accessible.
God freed us from the slavery of sin and made it possible for us to worship Him in spirit and truth.
He is ever present in our lives just as He was to Israel through the tabernacle.
Worship Jesus since He made it possible to come to Him clean and know and believe that He is always present and is available to you as your Father in heaven.
Dig into His word and get to know your heavenly Father
Ask Him where you can serve Him and in what capacity.
Be the church He has called you to be.
-Pray!
