June 29, 2015.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 7-9.

Background: Leviticus 4-6.

Concepts and Connections.

Chapter 7

The law of the guilt offering: Chapter seven wraps up a three chapter section on the laws for guilt offerings that were to be made by the people, typically on the occasion of an unintentional sin, and further concludes the larger section that deals with the law of the burnt offering, grain offering, sin offering, guilt offering, ordination offering and peace offering. This section is perhaps more directed at the priest who would be carrying out the offerings, outlining what portion to burn on the altar, who was to receive the offering and how long they could take to eat it. There is also an interesting discussion about uncleanliness here, in which it is said that any flesh that touches something unclean could not be eaten, but rather was to be burned. This would have better protected the children of Israel from spoiled food, showing the foresight of the Lord. It is also reiterated here that the burnt offerings were to be carried out by the house of Aaron perpetually throughout their generations.

Chapter 8
The consecration of Aaron and his sons: After all the laws for the burnt offering had been laid out, it was time to take Aaron and his sons and consecrate them before the Lord. The guidelines for this consecration are laid out in Exodus 29, which Moses followed for this inaugural consecration. As the Lord commanded Moses, so he did, taking the clothing that the priests were to wear and each sacrifice that was to be made at the consecration of a priest, and preforming it all before the Lord. After all was done, Aaron and his sons were not to go out of the tent of meeting for seven days, as it would take seven days for their ordination process to be completed. Note the attention to detail and ceremony, as laid out by the Lord earlier, that is emphasized here.

Chapter 9

The Lord’s acceptance of Aaron’s offerings: After the seven days of ordination were complete, Moses again gathered the congregation together as Aaron and his sons offered the sin offering and the burnt offering, completing his ordination as priest. Aaron offered the sin offering, burning the flesh and skin outside the camp, and the burnt offering before the people as was instructed by the Lord. He also presented the people’s burnt offering, the grain offering and a wave offering before the Lord. Then Aaron blessed the people, came down and went into the tent of meeting. When they came back out of the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared and fire came and consumed all the offerings that were made before the Lord in a sign of acceptance of the offerings that Aaron had made for himself and for the people before the Lord.

Tomorrow’s Reading: I Kings 19-22.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

-Walter