Read Leviticus from God’s perspective NOT ours!
Chapter 8:
The consecration ceremonies involved many of the sacrifices just described. The priesthood constituted the fulfillment of God’s commands recorded in Exodus 28—29 and 40. Almost every verse in chapter 8 is a quotation given in Exodus 29. Chapter 9 restates less detailed summaries of the laws in Leviticus 1—7. If you have time go back and look for the pattern: Underline the phrase:
“as the Lord commanded him” occurs 16 times in this read!
Until now, Israel followed the custom common in the ancient Near East that the father of a family functioned as the priest for his family (we saw this at the beginning of Job, and through the Patriarchs). The Levites as a tribe now assumed this role for the families of Israel, under the leadership of Aaron and his sons. The nation as a whole lost the privilege of being a “kingdom of priests” at Mt. Sinai when they worshiped the golden calf. The main function of the priests in Israel was to guard and protect the holiness of God.
God specified certain garments for Aaron that distinguished him from everyone else.
The “anointing” of the tabernacle and the priests signified their sanctification, whereby God set them apart for holy purposes.
The number seven is referenced in the ritual. Seven is the Covenant number meaning “complete” beginning with the seven days of creation. The consecration/ordination lasted “seven days.” During this time, the priests were not to leave the tabernacle courtyard for 7 days and nights. Their role during their seven-day ordination was that of worshipers rather than priests.
When a sacrifice was made to the Lord, it was a “Heave” offering. It means to be “lifted up”. It is to God. A “Wave” offering was motioned horizontally. It was a “fellowship” offering usually followed by the eating of the sacrifice. As Emily said yesterday, the communal aspect of the offerings. This made me reflect on the 10 Commandments a little more. The commandments just like the sacrifices reinforce not just how important our relationship to God is but to each other as well.
Nadab and Abihu!
The Bible did not explain Nadab and Abihu’s exact offense. However, the “unauthorized fire” violated God’s will. It may have involved assuming the role of the high priest or an offering contrary to God’s commands ( most likely to included an “incense” offering because it involved the censers) The incident took place on the eighth day. The fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu was directly from the Lord. Notice they were already dead and then fire came out of the presence of the Lord and consumed them! NOW when you look at these genealogies they make sense. 
Aaron and his surviving sons were not to demonstrate any dissatisfaction with God’s judgment, but God permitted the people to mourn. Eleazar and Ithamar replaced their older brothers. Click here if you want to print the below.
Here are my reflections:
- As I read this year, I am going to take a closer look each time someone makes a sacrifice. What kind is it, why are they doing it, is it a waive or a heave. I think it will give me another layer of the text this year.
- Will ANY priest nail it? We can see already the answer is NO. No human (priest) is going to hit the mark perfectly. This will make the book of Hebrews highlighted in my eyes this year. The ONLY priest that will rock this job will be Jesus.
Graveyard? Nope. Chapter 16 will be the climax of the book. You can make it…just gonna be a long week 😁.
Feb 13: Lev 1-4
Feb 14: Lev 5-7
Feb 15: Lev 8-10
Feb 16: Lev 11-13
Feb 17: Lev 14-15
Feb 18: Lev 16-18
Feb 19: Lev 19-21
Feb 20: Lev 22-23
Feb 21: Lev 24-25
Feb 22: Lev 26-27
Why did they name the popular denim pants Levi Jeans? (this is where my brain goes?.
Reading the Bible - 2021 