Leviticus 8:1-5

God's Appointed Priests, Publicly Ordained Text: Leviticus 8:1-5

Introduction: The Scandal of the Particular

We live in an age that despises particularity and authority. Our democratic sensibilities want every man to be his own priest, every man to define his own worship, and every man to approach God on his own terms. The modern spirit wants a God who is an abstract, benevolent force, accessible to all in any way they see fit. But the God of the Bible is not an abstract force. He is the living God, and He does not leave the terms of our approach up to us. He is a God who chooses, who appoints, and who commands.

Leviticus is a book that many modern Christians skip over. It seems filled with arcane rituals, bloody sacrifices, and bewildering laws. But to skip Leviticus is to attempt to understand the cross without understanding the altar. It is to try to appreciate the substance while despising the shadow. Here in Leviticus 8, we find the formal institution of the Aaronic priesthood. This is not a dry, historical account of an ancient ceremony. This is the formal establishment of the office of mediator. Without a mediator, sinful man cannot approach a holy God and live.

This chapter is a direct assault on our egalitarian assumptions. God does not say, "Whoever feels called, let him come." He says, "Take Aaron and his sons." God does not say, "Bring whatever you think is appropriate." He specifies the garments, the oil, the bull, the rams, and the bread. And He does not say, "Do this in a private corner." He says, "Assemble all the congregation at the doorway." This is a public, covenantal, and divinely commanded act. It establishes the pattern for all legitimate ministry: it is God's initiative, it is publicly recognized, and it is done according to His Word.

This is not just about Aaron. This entire ceremony is a magnificent, full-color portrait of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aaron is the rough sketch; Christ is the finished masterpiece. To understand what God is doing here is to understand the foundation of our access to God Himself.


The Text

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread, and assemble all the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting." So Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him. Then the congregation was assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Moses said to the congregation, "This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded to do."
(Leviticus 8:1-5 LSB)

The Divine Summons (v. 1-2)

The entire action begins where all true ministry must begin, with the voice of God.

"Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 'Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread...'" (Leviticus 8:1-2)

Notice the first four words: "Then Yahweh spoke to Moses." This ordination is not a human idea. It is not the result of a committee meeting or a congregational vote. Aaron did not run for office. This is a sovereign appointment. The call to ministry comes from outside of us. God is the one who initiates, and He is the one who qualifies. This is a fundamental principle. The writer to the Hebrews says it plainly: "And no one takes this honor to himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was" (Hebrews 5:4). Any ministry that originates in human ambition is a false ministry from the start.

God's command to Moses is specific and detailed. He is to bring the men, Aaron and his sons, and the materials for their consecration. Each item is dripping with theological significance. These are not arbitrary props. They are symbols that teach essential truths about what it means to stand before God and minister on behalf of men.

God provides everything necessary for the priest to be set apart. The priest does not provide his own righteousness, his own cleansing, or his own authority. It is all of grace, all a gift from God, all according to God's specific design.


The Public Assembly (v. 3-4)

This sacred act is not to be done in secret. It is a public spectacle.

"...and assemble all the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting." So Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him. Then the congregation was assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting." (Leviticus 8:3-4 LSB)

Why must the entire congregation be there? Because the priesthood is a public office for the public good. Aaron and his sons are being set apart for the sake of the people. The people must witness their ordination so that they know who their authorized mediators are. This establishes a clear line of authority and accountability. There is no room for spiritual freelancers or self-appointed gurus in God's economy. The church is a visible, public, and ordered body.

This is a powerful rebuke to the privatized, individualistic "spirituality" of our day. We think of faith as a personal journey, a private relationship between "me and Jesus." But biblical faith is inescapably corporate. We are saved as individuals, but we are saved into a body, a congregation, a visible covenant community. The ordination of leaders is the business of the entire church.

And in the middle of this grand assembly, we see the simple, beautiful faithfulness of Moses. "So Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him." He is the faithful servant, the obedient mediator of the old covenant. He does not add his own flair. He does not subtract what seems inconvenient. He simply obeys. This is the heart of all true service to God. God gives the commands, and His faithful servants carry them out precisely. The congregation, in turn, also obeys. When Moses summons them, they assemble. This is a picture of a covenant people in good working order: God commands, the leadership implements, and the people obey.


The Divine Mandate (v. 5)

With the people gathered and the elements prepared, Moses makes the foundational declaration.

"and Moses said to the congregation, 'This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded to do.'" (Leviticus 8:5 LSB)

This is the bedrock of all true worship and all legitimate church order. Moses deflects all attention from himself and from Aaron. He does not say, "This is what I have decided is best," or "This is a ceremony we have designed to be meaningful." He says, in effect, "This is not my plan. This is not your plan. This is the Lord's plan."

This principle, that we are to do what God has commanded in worship, is what theologians call the regulative principle of worship. It is the simple assertion that God alone determines the terms of how He is to be approached. We are not at liberty to invent new forms of worship or new church offices based on our own wisdom or cultural trends. Our task is to look to the Word and ask, "What has the Lord commanded?" And then, like Moses, we are to do it.

This is a liberating truth. It frees the church from the endless and exhausting treadmill of trying to be innovative, relevant, and entertaining. It anchors us to the timeless, unchanging Word of God. The authority of the ceremony, and the authority of the priesthood it establishes, rests entirely on the fact that it is "the thing which Yahweh has commanded to do."


Our Great High Priest

As we look at this scene, we must see through it to the reality it represents. This entire ceremony is a magnificent prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Aaron was called by God from among men; Christ was called by God as His only begotten Son. Aaron was dressed in glorious garments provided by God; Christ is clothed in His own inherent glory and righteousness. Aaron was anointed with a measure of oil; Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34). Aaron had to offer a bull for his own sin, acknowledging his weakness; Christ, our High Priest, was "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners" and had no need to offer any sacrifice for Himself (Hebrews 7:26-27).

Aaron's ordination was a public event before the congregation of Israel. Christ's ministry was publicly inaugurated at His baptism, when the Spirit descended like a dove and the Father's voice thundered from heaven, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased" (Matthew 3:17). The entire nation was, in effect, assembled at the Jordan to witness the presentation of their true High Priest.

Moses declared, "This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded." At the transfiguration, the Father declared of Jesus, "This is My beloved Son... listen to Him!" (Matthew 17:5). The authority of the old priesthood was based on God's command through Moses. The authority of Christ's priesthood is based on the direct command of the Father. He is the final and perfect Mediator.

Because of this ancient ceremony and its perfect fulfillment in Jesus, we do not have to wonder how to approach God. We do not have to assemble our own sacrifices or design our own rituals. God has done it. He has provided the Priest, Jesus Christ. He has provided the sacrifice, Jesus Christ. He has provided the way into the true Holy of Holies, which is through Jesus Christ. The command to us is not to bring a bull or a ram, but to come to this Priest in faith, trusting in the one perfect sacrifice He made, once for all. This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded us to do.