Daily Scripture Reading Leviticus 8:14-30

Community Church was a small congregation with a talented preacher who attracted many people to the church. As the church grew, there were many needs that had to be addressed. The gathering was blessed with many talented people who saw needs and filled them without being asked. However, the ministries of the church felt informal, and the talented people who did the ministry began to feel unsupported. When differences of opinion arose, very few people had any real authority that gave them the power to make decisions. Chaos and division ensued.

Organizations need clear lines of authority. That is true of churches today. It was true of the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. Yahweh gave the Israelites a clear procedure for identifying who was in charge of the tabernacle sacrificial system. Likewise, there is a procedure identified in the New Testament for giving authority to those who do ministry in our churches today.

The first seven chapters of Leviticus recount the instructions Yahweh gave Moses regarding how to bring offerings to the tabernacle. The rules listed the different types of sacrifices and the unique procedures to be followed for each one.

Then Moses assembled the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He brought Aaron and his sons near, dressed them in the priestly robes, and began the process of ordaining them as the priests.

Lev. 8:14 ¶ Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering.

Notice the words “laid their hands on the head”. This expression will occur multiple times in this passage. Laying their hands on the head of the animal being sacrificed was the act that made it clear the animal was being offered on behalf of Aaron and his sons. Moses was the one bringing the animal, but by laying their hands on the head of the animal, Aaron and his sons were given approval and assent to the process.

Lev. 8:15 Next Moses slaughtered it and took the blood and with his finger put some of it around on the horns of the altar and purified the altar. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and set it apart as holy, to make atonement for it.

Take note of the use of the blood. This was a sin offering. Blood was shed as part of the sin offering.

Lev. 8:16 He also took all the fat that was on the entrails, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat; and Moses offered it up in smoke on the altar.

Lev. 8:17 But the bull and its hide and its flesh and its refuse he burned in the fire outside the camp, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Just as the sin offering was burned outside the camp, so too Jesus was crucified outside the city (see Hebrews 13:11-13).

Lev. 8:18 ¶ Then he brought near the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

Lev. 8:19 Then Moses slaughtered it and splashed the blood around on the altar.

Lev. 8:20 And he cut the ram into its pieces. Then Moses offered up the head and the pieces and the suet in smoke.

Lev. 8:21 And he washed the entrails and the legs with water. Then Moses offered up the whole ram in smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a soothing aroma; it was an offering by fire to Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Lev. 8:22 ¶ Then he brought near the second ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

Notice the word “ordination”. Ordination is the act of installing a person in a particular office. The Hebrew word that is translated “ordination” is a word that means “fill”. In other words, ordination is the act of filling an office.

Lev. 8:23 And Moses slaughtered it and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

Lev. 8:24 He also brought Aaron’s sons near; and Moses put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. Moses then splashed the rest of the blood around on the altar.

Lev. 8:25 And he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the entrails, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh.

Lev. 8:26 From the basket of unleavened bread that was before Yahweh, he took one unleavened cake and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer, and he placed them on the portions of fat and on the right thigh.

Lev. 8:27 He then put all these on the hands of Aaron and on the hands of his sons, and waved them as a wave offering before Yahweh.

Lev. 8:28 Then Moses took them from their hands and offered them up in smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. They were an ordination offering for a soothing aroma; it was an offering by fire to Yahweh.

Once again we see the word “ordination”.

Lev. 8:29 Moses also took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before Yahweh; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

This is the third time we see the word “ordination”.

Lev. 8:30 ¶ So Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he set Aaron apart as holy, his garments and his sons and the garments of his sons with him.

Don’t miss the words “set Aaron apart as holy”. This process publicly installed Aaron as the priest. As the high priest, he filled the highest religious office. He was unique because he was the only high priest. His sole occupation was to serve in the tabernacle.

Organizations need clear lines of authority. That was true of the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. It is true of churches today. Just as the Israelites had a process to install a man as the high priest so that everyone in the congregation knew who served in that role, so too the New Testament church has a process for setting men apart to serve.

Acts 6 tells us the apostles needed help serving tables, so seven men were chosen to fill that role, and their time of service began when the apostles laid their hands on the seven men. Acts 13 records the day when the church in Antioch laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul. This set them apart to travel to other areas and proclaim the good news about Jesus. Then in Acts 14 we see that in every city where they had converts, Paul and Barnabas appointed elders to lead the new church and installed them as elders by laying hands on them.

What does your church do to make it clear who has authority to lead ministries and make decisions?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”