Leviticus 9

Seven days for the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests of the Lord were over. Now it was time for the eighth day. What would that eighth day bring for these men and for Israel?

Moses called together Aaron, Aaron's sons, and the elders of Israel. What would he say or do on this occasion? He told Aaron to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering before the Lord. He told him to instruct the people to bring a sin offering and a burnt offering for themselves, together with a grain offering. This was more than Moses simply calling Aaron to attend to his duties now as an ordained priest. It was coupled with an expectation: “Today the Lord will appear to you.”

The priests did what Moses commanded, and all of the congregation drew near with expectation. Moses spoke the words of living faith, that faith which obeys the word of God: “This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”

Then Aaron obeyed the word of his brother, the mediator of the covenant. He offered up to God burnt offerings and sin offerings for himself and for the people of Israel. He made atonement according to the ceremonies of the Law, as the Lord had commanded.

Aaron did what he could do. He killed the sin offering that was for his own sin. He did what he was supposed to with the blood. He burned the fat portions on the altar, and burned up the flesh and the skin outside the camp. He killed the burnt offering. He did what he was supposed to with the blood, and he burned the cut up pieces of the offering on the altar.

Then he offered the offerings for the people, a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a grain offering according to the Lord's word through Moses. Then he killed the peace offerings for the people, an ox and a ram. He did what he was supposed to with the blood, and he followed the Lord's commands concerning the fat portions. Then, he waved the priestly portions before the Lord, the breasts and the right thigh.

Then Aaron did a beautiful thing. He “lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them.” Up to this moment everything in Aaron's worship was going up to God. Now, through the hands of the ordained high priest of the Old Covenant, blessings were coming down from God upon the people.

From there Moses and Aaron went into the tent of the meeting beyond the view of the people. When they came out, a most extraordinary miracle occurred, one that marked the true beginning of Levitical worship for the Lord's people. God came down to them. When Moses and Aaron came out of the tent of meeting, they blessed the people, “and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.”

The fire of God's presence “came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar.” The people responded with the glory of reverence. They all saw what had taken place, and “they shouted and fell on their faces.”

This is what happened on the eighth day after the seven days of ordination. This was the way that the era of preparation for the Messiah through the Old Covenant ceremonial life actually began. But the time of preparation would not be forever. Another glorious beginning would be required at the inception of the New Covenant era of worship.

Before that new beginning of blessing could come down upon men, a perfect sacrifice had to be offered through the cross of Christ. The resurrection of Jesus on the third day was a divine assurance that the age of resurrection had come in Him. Yet this was not the moment of the beginning of the new life of worship. The disciples were told to wait for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, lifting up His hands in blessing upon the leaders of His church, was taken in clouds of glory into the heavenly sanctuary, beyond the sight of the church on earth. From that heavenly place, after a brief time of waiting, Jesus poured forth the Promise upon the worshipers, a new anointing better than the oil upon the head of Aaron.

Here, in the Pentecost gift, was a sign of blessing for all the people groups of the earth, a blessing that would go far beyond the borders of Israel. Those who received God's gift spoke by the Holy Spirit and were heard in the tongues of the world. This new life has come to us through a different Priest than Aaron. He gave a different offering, and has achieved a far superior and more lasting victory. He will not be satisfied until the whole earth is filled with His glory. His resurrection has assured us that this blessing will take place, for the Lord has appeared to His people.