I’m currently studying through Leviticus. Wait! What? Yes, that’s right, I actually took it upon myself to do a Bible study in Leviticus. It’s really the second time I’ve done this. Don’t leave me yet. I promise this is not painful. The first round through was a couple decades ago home schooling my children. That study involved a paper model of the tabernacle and basic study comparing tabernacle worship with coming to Christ.

The study tools I am using are Leviticus by Jay Sklar and The Reformation Heritage Study Bible published by Reformation Heritage Books. I am especially fond of this Bible because every chapter has follow up questions for individual or family study and every chapter has notes pointing to Christ.

So, I’m now starting chapter 9. What about the first eight chapters? Hopefully I’ll get to them, but I was so inspired by my reading today that I just had to share this with you.

Brief review of the main point of the first eight chapters: God is holy, holy, holy. We are not, but He loves us and calls us to belong to Him and His holiness. The tabernacle is His royal throne room on earth and He calls us to enter , but we are sinners and need someone or something to take the wrath for us.  According to Sklar the animal sacrifices are a bit like God accepting a check we have written for the future because we don’t have the cash to pay for our sins.  God Himself eventually covers all of the payment in the person of christ. 

O.k. chapter 9: Aaron and his three sons have just spent the last seven days in the doorway of the tabernacle. They haven’t been sanctified yet so they can’t even get all the way in. Oh, and they are told not to leave the doorway. This brings up the question of personal needs. the Bible does not tell us how they took care of that. There were several suggestions on various internet sites but we really don’t know.

Anyway, over the seven days they repeat a series of sacrifices for their own atonement. They are not holy and need sanctification. They will never have the holiness of God and will need to offer daily sacrifices for themselves in order to intercede for the people. Christ, as the last sacrifice, takes care of that. (Hebrews ch 10).

The Reformation Heritage Study Bible has this for thoughts for Personal/family worship from Exodus 29 to which I was directed for the first four verses of Leviticus ch 9:

1. How does God make sinners like us into priests? Priests must be washed, clothed, and anointed. These three ideas appear in the three sacrifices. The bull of the sin offering (Ex 29:10-14) took the sinner’s guilt and punishment so that he would be forgiven (Lev 4). The ram of the burnt offering, while making propitiation, also presented God with total self-dedication so that God would be pleased with the sinner (Lev 1). The blood of the ram of consecration was put on the ear, thumb, and toe like the cleansing of the healed leper, and its meat was eaten like a peace offering as a sign of fellowship with God. Therefore, God makes sinners into priests by washing away their guilt, clothing them with imputed righteousness, and by anointing them for holy fellowship with Him – all by sacrifice.
2. How do Christians act as priests? By faith in Christ (1Peter 2:4-6) they offer to God spiritual sacrifices – themselves, their praise and thanksgiving, and their financial gifts and intercessory prayers (Rom 12:1, Heb 13:15-16). How can you offer spiritual sacrifices to God?

Turning back to Leviticus 9, verses three and four let us know that the people also need to offer sacrifices for themselves. They can’t just depend on a holy priesthood.

The next several verses give details about the sacrifices and then in verse 22 it is Aaron who lifts up his hand toward the people and blesses them. Aaron is now the high priest and he pronounces benediction over God’s people. Moses and Aaron go into the tabernacle and come out again and again bless the people. At this time the glory of the LORD appears to all the people and a fire comes down from “before the LORD” (v 24) and consumes the sacrifice.

This last part of ch 9 is a beautiful reminder of the resurrected Christ lifting His hands and blessing the disciples (Luke 24:50). The people respond to the appearance of God with them by shouting and falling on their faces. They can rejoice and worship because their creator and redeemer now dwells in their midst. Sklar notes ” The Lord’s desire for us to know him as our King shines through all the more clearly when Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, comes to dwell in our midst, revealing to us afresh the glory of God (John 1:14; 2:11), and providing a way for us to enter into relationship with Him (John 1:12; 14:16)…. When we keep the Lord’s awesome power and majesty clearly before us, we are quick to obey him, holding fast to his life-giving paths as we bow in reverential worship before our heavenly King (cf. 2 Cor 7:1).

If you are looking for further reflection on the awesome presence of God with us in Christ I suggest John chapter 17, the book of Hebrews and Romans 12:1,2. The group Psallos also has an album following the book of Hebrews. https://www.psallos.com/hebrews I have listened to this album many times.  It offers a wide variety of music genres lifts up the loving and perfect once for all sacrifice of Christ.