Leviticus 9:1-24
The Priestly Ministry Begins
1 It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3 And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, 4 also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you.’”
5 So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of meeting. And all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6 Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded you to do, and the glory of the LORD will appear to you.” 7 And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.”
8 Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him. And he dipped his finger in the blood, put it on the horns of the altar, and poured the blood at the base of the altar. 10 But the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe from the liver of the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11 The flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp.
12 And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar. 13 Then they presented the burnt offering to him, with its pieces and head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.
15 Then he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one. 16 And he brought the burnt offering and offered it according to the prescribed manner. 17 Then he brought the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the burnt sacrifice of the morning.
18 He also killed the bull and the ram as sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people. And Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar, 19 and the fat from the bull and the ram—the fatty tail, what covers the entrails and the kidneys, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver; 20 and they put the fat on the breasts. Then he burned the fat on the altar; 21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded.
22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, 24 and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
When the priests offered the sacrifices of the sin and grain offerings, they also presented the burnt offering to the LORD to atone for the people and prepare to see the LORD come to them. He did not appear face to face so they could live and not die, for as Exodus 33:20 says, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” Instead He appeared as fire consuming the burnt offering on the holy altar as His glory shone all around them. The congregation had been told to offer these sacrifices commanded by God in the manner communicated to them by the mediator Moses and then that God would show them His glory in this way, enough to bring fearful awe and humbling worship as they fell to the ground in His presence. Moses commanded Aaron who offered these sacrifices to atone for the sins of the himself and the people, for all needed reconciliation with the LORD, both priest and commoner, not just the people of Israel. When they diligently prepared and presented these offerings to God, afterwards Moses and Aaron blessed the congregation. Then God revealed His glory in front of them and sent His consuming fire to finish the offering of sacrifice Himself for their sakes. Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest offered Himself as the perfect sacrificial lamb and we saw His glory (John 1:14, 1 Timothy 3:16) as of the LORD Himself in our presence in the final sacrifice for us all. Do we therefore also join these in Moses’s time to shout His praise and our confession of sins as we fall in worship (Revelation 4:10-11) on our faces before Him in thankful adoration for His priestly sacrifice for our atonement that we may see His face through the lifted veil? Our God is a consuming fire as Hebrews 12:28-29 reminds us, that we may worship Him in the beauty of holiness, that we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear because of His great sacrifice for us on the altar of grace.
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