Dressed for Office: The Consecration of the Priest Text: Leviticus 8:6-9
Introduction: The Grammar of Holiness
We live in an age that despises uniforms, definitions, and distinctions. Our culture is in a headlong rush to blur every line, erase every boundary, and flatten every hierarchy that God established in creation. We are told that what you wear is a matter of personal expression, that roles are fluid, and that authority is suspect. But when we come to the Scriptures, we find a very different world. We find a world where God is meticulously concerned with details, where clothing signifies office, and where consecration to a holy task is a solemn and glorious affair.
Leviticus is a book that many modern Christians, even many pastors, tend to skip over. It seems archaic, filled with bizarre rituals and detailed laws that feel disconnected from our lives in the new covenant. But this is a profound mistake. Leviticus is the grammar of holiness. It is the picture book God gave to His people to teach them the fundamental difference between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the common. If we do not understand the grammar of Leviticus, we will misunderstand the glory of the gospel. The book of Hebrews is unintelligible without Leviticus. The work of Christ as our Great High Priest is a bland abstraction if we do not first see the shadow He cast in the tabernacle.
In this chapter, we witness the formal consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. This is not just a job orientation. This is a setting apart, a hallowing, a declaration that these men now belong to God in a unique way for a unique task. They are to be the mediators between a holy God and a sinful people. And for such a high and dangerous calling, they must be prepared, cleansed, and clothed according to the exact specifications of God Himself. Every detail in this ceremony is dripping with theological significance. It is a living parable, a typological drama that points forward to the one who would be the final and perfect High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The modern world wants a casual relationship with God. It wants a God who is a buddy, a therapist, a life-coach. But the God of Leviticus is a consuming fire. To approach Him is a terrifying thing, and it can only be done on His terms. This passage shows us what those terms look like. It is a lesson in how a sinner is made fit to stand in the presence of Majesty, and it is therefore a lesson in the gospel.
The Text
Then Moses had Aaron and his sons come near and washed them with water. And he put the tunic on him and girded him with the sash and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod, with which he tied it to him. He then placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. He also placed the turban on his head, and on the turban, at its front, he placed the golden plate, the holy crown, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
(Leviticus 8:6-9 LSB)
The Necessary Cleansing (v. 6)
We begin with the first and most fundamental action:
"Then Moses had Aaron and his sons come near and washed them with water." (Leviticus 8:6)
Before any glorious garments are put on, before any authority is conferred, there must be a washing. Aaron, who is to be the high priest, cannot cleanse himself. He must be brought near and washed by the mediator, Moses. This is the first principle of the gospel. You cannot make yourself clean. You cannot climb into the presence of God on your own merits. You must be washed. This is not a ceremonial foot-washing; this is a complete bath, a symbol of total purification. It points to the reality that the priesthood, from the very beginning, is stained with the same sin as the people it represents.
This washing is a type of baptism. It signifies a death to an old way of life and a resurrection to a new one. Aaron, the man who stood by as Israel fashioned a golden calf, is washed. His past failure does not disqualify him, because the basis of his standing is not his own righteousness, but the gracious cleansing of God. This washing points forward to the regeneration that is necessary for every believer. As Paul says in Titus 3:5, He saved us, "not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." No one can serve God without first being washed by God. You cannot put on the robes of righteousness until you have been cleansed from the filth of sin.
Clothed in Layers of Glory (v. 7)
Once cleansed, Aaron is clothed. Notice the deliberate, step-by-step process. Each garment has a purpose.
"And he put the tunic on him and girded him with the sash and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod, with which he tied it to him." (Leviticus 8:7 LSB)
First comes the tunic of fine linen. This is the base layer, worn next to the skin. White linen in Scripture consistently represents righteousness. This is not Aaron's own righteousness, but a righteousness that is imputed, put upon him. It is the foundational covering that makes him acceptable. For us, this is the righteousness of Christ Himself, which we receive by faith. As Revelation 19:8 says of the Bride of Christ, "it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
He is then girded with a sash. A sash or belt signifies readiness for service. It gathers up the loose ends of the garment so that the priest can move and work without hindrance. This is a picture of a life gathered up in purpose, ready for action. Paul picks up this imagery in Ephesians 6, telling us to "gird your loins with truth." A priest must be a man of truth, prepared to serve God without distraction or impediment.
Over this is placed the robe, a seamless garment of blue. Blue is the color of the heavens, signifying the heavenly origin of the priest's ministry. His work is not earthly; it is a divine calling. The ephod, a skillful and ornate vest, is placed over the robe. This was the most glorious of the garments, woven with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads. It was the garment of office, signifying the dignity and glory of the high priest's role as the representative of the people before God. It was held in place by a skillfully woven band, signifying that this high office is held securely by God's own design.
Bearing the People and the Will of God (v. 8)
Next, the most significant pieces are added, representing the priest's mediatorial work.
"He then placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim." (Leviticus 8:8 LSB)
The breastpiece, or the breastplate of judgment, was a pouch that held twelve precious stones, each engraved with the name of one of the tribes of Israel. When Aaron went into the Holy Place, he bore the names of the people of Israel over his heart as a memorial before Yahweh. This is a stunning picture of intercession. The high priest carries his people on his heart, bringing them continually before the presence of God. This is a direct foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus, who, as Hebrews 7:25 tells us, "always lives to make intercession for" us. He knows His people by name, and He carries us on His heart before the Father.
Inside this breastpiece were the Urim and the Thummim. The names likely mean "lights" and "perfections." These were used to discern the will of God in critical matters for the nation. The high priest was not only to represent the people to God, but also to represent God's will to the people. He was the channel of divine guidance. This function is now fulfilled for us perfectly in Christ. He is the Word of God made flesh. We no longer need mysterious stones to discern God's will; we have His perfect revelation in the Scriptures and the guidance of His Holy Spirit. Jesus is our light and our perfection.
Crowned with Holiness (v. 9)
Finally, the priest's head is adorned, signifying the dedication of his mind and his ultimate allegiance.
"He also placed the turban on his head, and on the turban, at its front, he placed the golden plate, the holy crown, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses." (Leviticus 8:9 LSB)
The turban of fine linen again speaks of righteousness, but here it is applied to the head, to the thoughts and mind. The priest's mind must be consecrated to God. But the crowning piece is the golden plate, the holy crown, fastened to the front of the turban. Engraved upon this plate were the words, "HOLY TO YAHWEH."
This was the inscription that everyone would see. It was the public declaration of his identity and purpose. Everything about the high priest, from his inmost thoughts to his outward appearance, was to be dedicated to the holiness of God. This crown signified that he was set apart for God's exclusive use. It also served a crucial atoning function. Exodus 28:38 tells us this plate was so that Aaron "may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate." Even Israel's best religious efforts were tainted with sin and needed atonement. The high priest, with this crown, bore that iniquity away.
And here the typology finds its ultimate fulfillment. Jesus Christ is our crowned High Priest. But He is not just a priest; He is a priest-king, after the order of Melchizedek. He wears not just a priestly crown, but the crown of all creation. And on His head is not just an inscription, but the very essence of holiness. He does not simply bear our iniquity; He becomes sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. The verse concludes with that crucial refrain: "just as Yahweh had commanded Moses." This entire process is not man's idea. It is divine revelation. Salvation and access to God are on His terms, by His design, and according to His precise commands. There is no other way.
Conclusion: A Royal Priesthood
This entire ceremony of cleansing and clothing Aaron is a magnificent portrait of the work of Christ. He is the one truly washed, not with water, but with His own blood. He is the one clothed in perfect righteousness. He is the one who bears our names on His heart and who perfectly reveals the Father's will. He is the one crowned with holiness, who makes atonement for all our sinful worship.
But the story does not end there. Because of our union with Him, we too are made priests. The Apostle Peter tells us that we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession" (1 Peter 2:9). The consecration of Aaron is a picture of our own. We are brought near, not by Moses, but by Christ. We are washed, not in the laver, but in the blood of the Lamb.
And we too are clothed. We are given the white tunic of His imputed righteousness. We are girded with the sash of truth, ready for service. We are called to bear one another on our hearts in prayer, to be a people of the Word, discerning God's will. And we are crowned. We are called to have our minds set apart, to have "HOLY TO THE LORD" written across our foreheads in all that we think, say, and do. This is not a call to a special class of Christians. This is the calling of every believer. You have been washed, you have been clothed, and you have been consecrated. You are dressed for office. Now go and serve your King.