1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 2"Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bullock of the sin-offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened things, 3and all the company assemble thou unto the opening of the tent of meeting." 4And Moses doth as Jehovah hath commanded him, and the company is assembled unto the opening of the tent of meeting, 5and Moses saith unto the company, "This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded to do." 6And Moses bringeth near Aaron and his sons, and doth bathe them with water, 7and doth put on him the coat, and doth gird him with the girdle, and doth clothe him with the upper robe, and doth put on him the ephod, and doth gird him with the girdle of the ephod, and doth bind it to him with it, 8and doth put on him the breastplate, and doth put unto the breastplate the Lights and the Perfections, 9and doth put the mitre on his head, and doth put on the mitre, over-against its front, the golden flower of the holy crown, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 10And Moses taketh the anointing oil, and anointeth the tabernacle, and all that is in it, and sanctifieth them; 11and he sprinkleth of it on the altar seven times, and anointeth the altar, and all its vessels, and the laver, and its base, to sanctify them; 12and he poureth of the anointing oil on the head of Aaron, and anointeth him to sanctify him. 13And Moses bringeth near the sons of Aaron, and doth clothe them with coats, and girdeth them with girdles, and bindeth for them turbans, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 14And he bringeth nigh the bullock of the sin-offering, and Aaron layeth -- his sons also -- their hands on the head of the bullock of the sin-offering, 15and one slaughtereth, and Moses taketh the blood, and putteth on the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and cleanseth the altar, and the blood he hath poured out at the foundation of the altar, and sanctifieth it, to make atonement upon it. 16And he taketh all the fat that is on the inwards, and the redundance above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses maketh Perfume on the altar, 17and the bullock, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung, he hath burnt with fire, at the outside of the camp, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 18And he bringeth near the ram of the burnt-offering, and Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the ram, 19and one slaughtereth, and Moses sprinkleth the blood on the altar round about; 20and the ram he hath cut into its pieces, and Moses maketh perfume with the head, and the pieces, and the fat, 21and the inwards and the legs he hath washed with water, and Moses maketh perfume with the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt-offering, for sweet fragrance; it is a fire-offering to Jehovah, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 22And he bringeth near the second ram, a ram of the consecrations, and Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the ram, 23and one slaughtereth, and Moses taketh of its blood, and putteth on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot; 24and he bringeth near the sons of Aaron, and Moses putteth of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot. And Moses sprinkleth the blood on the altar round about, 25and taketh the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that is on the inwards, and the redundance above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right leg; 26and out of the basket of unleavened things, which is before Jehovah, he hath taken one unleavened cake, and one cake of oiled bread, and one thin cake, and putteth them on the fat, and on the right leg; 27and putteth the whole on the hands of Aaron, and on the hands of his sons, and waveth them -- a wave-offering before Jehovah. 28And Moses taketh them from off their hands, and maketh perfume on the altar, on the burnt-offering, they are consecrations for sweet fragrance; it is a fire-offering to Jehovah; 29and Moses taketh the breast, and waveth it -- a wave-offering before Jehovah; of the ram of the consecrations it hath been to Moses for a portion, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 30And Moses taketh of the anointing oil, and of the blood which is on the altar, and sprinkleth on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him, and he sanctifieth Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and the garments of his sons with him. 31And Moses saith unto Aaron, and unto his sons, "Boil ye the flesh at the opening of the tent of meeting, and there ye do eat it and the bread which is in the basket of the consecrations, as I have commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons do eat it. 32"And the remnant of the flesh and of the bread with fire ye burn; 33and from the opening of the tent of meeting ye go not out seven days, till the day of the fulness, the days of your consecration -- for seven days he doth consecrate your hand; 34as he hath done on this day, Jehovah hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you; 35and at the opening of the tent of meeting ye abide, by day and by night seven days, and ye have kept the charge of Jehovah, and die not, for so I have been commanded." 36And Aaron doth -- his sons also -- all the things which Jehovah hath commanded by the hand of Moses.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 God had given Moses orders to consecrate Aaron and his sons to the priests' office, when he was with him the first time upon mount Sinai, Ex. 28 and
Exod 29:1, where we have also the particular instructions he had how to do it. Now here we have,
I. The orders repeated. What was there commanded to be done is here commanded to be done
now, Lev 8:2,
Lev 8:3. The tabernacle was newly set up, which, without the priests, would be as a candlestick without a candle; the law concerning sacrifices was newly given, but could not be observed without priests; for, though Aaron and his sons had been nominated to the office, they could not officiate, till they were consecrated, which yet must not be done till the place of their ministration was prepared, and the ordinances were instituted, that they might apply themselves to work as soon as ever they were consecrated, and might know that they were ordained, not only to the honour and profit, but to the business of the priesthood. Aaron and his sons were near relations to Moses, and therefore he would not consecrate them till he had further orders, lest he should seem too forward to bring honour into his family.
II. The congregation called together,
at the door, that is, in the court
of the tabernacle, Lev 8:4. The elders and principal men of the congregation, who represented the body of the people, were summoned to attend; for the court would hold but a few of the many thousands of Israel. It was done thus publicly, 1. Because it was a solemn transaction between God and Israel; the priests were to be
ordained for men in things pertaining to God, for the maintaining of a settled correspondence, and the negotiating of all affairs between the people and God; and therefore it was fit that both sides should appear, to own the appointment, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 2. The spectators of the solemnity could not but be possessed, by the sight of it, with a great veneration for the priests and their office, which was necessary among a people so wretchedly prone as these were to envy and discontent. It was strange that any of those who were witnesses of what was here done should afterwards say, as some of them did,
You take too much upon you, you sons of Levi; but what would they have said if it had been done clandestinely? Note, It is very fit, and of good use, that ministers should be ordained publicly,
plebe praesente -
in the presence of the common people, according to the usage of the primitive church.
III. The commission read,
Lev 8:5. Moses, who was God's representative in this solemnity, produced his orders before the congregation:
This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. Though God had crowned him king in Jeshurun, when he made his face to shine in the sight of all Israel, yet he did not institute or appoint any thing in God's worship but what God himself had commanded. The priesthood he delivered to them was that which he had received from the Lord. Note, All that minister about holy things must have an eye to God's command as their rule and warrant; for it is only in the observance of this that they can expect to be owned and accepted of God. Thus we must be able to say, in all acts of religious worship,
This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. IV. The ceremony performed according to the divine ritual. 1. Aaron and his sons were
washed with water (
Lev 8:6), to signify that they ought now to purify themselves from all sinful dispositions and inclinations, and ever after to keep themselves pure. Christ washes those from their sins in his own blood whom he makes to our God kings and priests (
Revel 1:5,
Revel 1:6); and those that draw near to God must be washed in pure water,
Hebre 10:22. Though they were ever so clean before and no filth was to be seen upon them, yet they must be washed, to signify their purification from sin, with which their souls were polluted, how clean soever their bodies were. 2. They were clothed with the holy garments, Aaron with his (
Lev 8:7-
Lev 8:9), which typified the dignity of Christ our great high priest, and his sons with theirs (
Lev 8:13), which typified the decency of Christians, who are spiritual priests. Christ wears the breast-plate of judgment and the holy crown; for the church's high priest is her prophet and king. All believers are clothed with the robe of righteousness, and girt with the girdle of truth, resolution, and close application; and their heads are
bound, as the word here is, with the bonnet or diadem of beauty, the beauty of holiness. 3. The high priest was anointed, and, it should seem, the holy things were anointed at the same time; some think that they were anointed before, but that the anointing of them is mentioned here because Aaron was anointed with the same oil with which they were anointed; but the manner of relating it here makes it more than probable that it was done at the same time, and that the seven days employed in consecrating the altar were coincident with the seven days of the priests' consecration. The tabernacle, and all its utensils, had some of the anointing oil put upon them with Moses's finger (
Lev 8:10), so had the altar (
Lev 8:11); these were to sanctify the gold and the gift (
Matt 23:17-
Matt 23:19), and therefore must themselves be thus sanctified; but he poured it out more plentifully upon the head of Aaron (
Lev 8:12), so that it ran down to the
skirts of his garments, because his unction was to typify the anointing of Christ with the Spirit, which was not given by measure to him. Yet all believers also have received the anointing, which puts an indelible character upon them,
1John 2:27.
14 The covenant of priesthood must be made by sacrifice, as well as other covenants,
Pss 50:5. And thus Christ was consecrated by the sacrifice of himself, once for all. Sacrifices of each kind must be offered for the priests, that they might with the more tenderness and concern offer the gifts and sacrifices of the people, with compassion on the ignorant, and on
those that were out of the way, not insulting over those for whom sacrifices were offered, remembering that they themselves had had sacrifices offered for them, being
compassed with infirmity. 1. A bullock, the largest sacrifice, was offered for a sin-offering (
Lev 8:14), that hereby atonement might be made, and they might not bring any of the guilt of the sins of their former state into the new character they were now to put on. When Isaiah was sent to be a prophet, he was told to his comfort,
Thy iniquity is taken away, Isa 6:7. Ministers, that are to declare the remission of sins to others, should give diligence to get it made sure to themselves in the first place that their own sins are pardoned. Those to whom is
committed the ministry of reconciliation must first be reconciled to God themselves, that they may deal for the souls of others as for their own. 2. A ram was offered for a burnt-offering,
Lev 8:18-
Lev 8:21. By this they gave to God the glory of this great honour which was now put upon them, and returned him praise for it, as Paul thanked Christ Jesus for
putting him into the ministry, 1Tim 1:12. They also signified the devoting of themselves and all their services to the honour of God. 3. Another ram, called the
ram of consecration, was offered for a peace-offering,
Lev 8:22, etc. The blood of it was part put on the priests, on their ears, thumbs, and toes, and part sprinkled upon the altar; and thus he did (as it were) marry them to the altar, upon which they must all their days give attendance. All the ceremonies about this offering, as those before, were appointed by the express command of God; and, if we compare this chapter with Ex. 29, we shall find that the performance of the solemnity exactly agrees with the precept there, and in nothing varies. Here, therefore, as in the account we had of the tabernacle and its vessels, it is again and again repeated,
As the Lord commanded Moses. And thus Christ, when he sanctified himself with his own blood, had an eye to his Father's will in it.
As the Father gave me commandment so I do, John 14:31;
John 10:18;
John 6:38.
31 Moses, having done his part of the ceremony, now leaves Aaron and his sons to do theirs.
I. They must boil the flesh of their peace-offering, and eat it in the court of the tabernacle, and what remained they must burn with fire,
Lev 8:31,
Lev 8:32. This signified their thankful consent to the consecration: when God gave Ezekiel his commission, he told him to eat the roll,
Ezek 3:1,
Ezek 3:2.
II. They must not stir out of the court of the tabernacle for seven days,
Lev 8:33. The priesthood being a good warfare, they must thus learn to endure hardness, and to disentangle themselves from the affairs of this life,
2Tim 2:3,
2Tim 2:4. Being consecrated to their service, they must
give themselves wholly to it, and
attend continually to this very thing. Thus Christ's apostles were appointed to
wait for the promise of the Father, Acts 1:4. During this time appointed for their consecration, they were daily to repeat the same sacrifices which were offered the first day,
Lev 8:34. This shows the imperfection of the legal sacrifices, which, because they could not take away sin, were often repeated (
Hebre 10:1,
Hebre 10:2), but were here repeated seven times (a number of perfection), because they typified that
one offering, which perfected for ever those that were sanctified. The work lasted seven days; for it was a kind of creation: and this time was appointed in honour of the sabbath, which, probably, was the last day of the seven, for which they were to prepare during the six days. Thus the time of our life, like the six days, must be our preparation for the perfection of our consecration to God in the everlasting sabbath: they attended
day and night (
Lev 8:35), and so constant should we be in our meditation on God's law,
Pss 1:2. They attended to
keep the charge of the Lord: we have every one of us a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, needful duty to be done, our generation to serve; and it must be our daily care to keep this charge, for it is the charge of the Lord our Master, who will shortly call us to an account about it, and it is at our utmost peril if we neglect it. Keep it
that you die not; it is death, eternal death, to betray the trust we are charged with; by the consideration of this we must be kept in awe.
Lastly, We are told (
Lev 8:36) that
Aaron and his sons did all that was commanded. Thus their consecration was completed; and thus they set an example before the people of an exact obedience to the laws of sacrifices now newly given, and then they could with the better grace teach them. Thus the
covenant of peace (
Num 25:12),
of life and peace (
Mal 2:5), was made with Aaron and his sons; but after all the ceremonies that were used in their consecration there was one point of ratification which was reserved to be the honour and establishment of Christ's priesthood, which was this, that they were
made priests without an oath, but Christ with an oath (
Hebre 7:21), for neither such priests nor their priesthood could continue, but Christ's is a perpetual and unchangeable priesthood.
Gospel ministers are compared to those who served at the altar, for they
minister about holy things (
1Cor 9:13), they are God's mouth to the people and the people's to God, the pastors and teachers Christ has appointed to continue in the church to the end of the world: they seem to be meant in that promise which points at gospel times (
Isa 66:21),
I will take of them for priests and for Levites. No man may take this honour to himself, but he who upon trial is found to be clothed and anointed by the Spirit of God with gifts and graces to qualify him for it, and who with purpose of heart devotes himself entirely to the service, and is then by the
word and prayer (for so every thing is sanctified), and the imposition of the hands of those that
give themselves to the word and prayer, set apart to the office, and recommended to Christ as a servant and to the church as a steward and guide. And those that are thus solemnly dedicated to God ought not to depart from his service, but faithfully to abide in it all their days; and those that do so, and continue
labouring in the word and doctrine, are to be accounted
worthy of double honour, double to that of the Old Testament priests.