Commentary - Leviticus 8:22-29

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Leviticus 8, we are not watching a mere historical reenactment. We are witnessing the formal setting apart of God's priests, a detailed picture of what it means to be consecrated for holy work. This is not just about Aaron and his sons; it is a rich, typological portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, and by extension, it is a portrait of the Church, which is a kingdom of priests. The central theme here is total consecration. Every part of this ceremony, from the laying on of hands to the application of blood to the wave offering, is designed by God to communicate what it means to be entirely His. The blood touches the extremities of the priests, signifying that their hearing, their work, and their walk are all to be redeemed and governed by the sacrifice. The choicest parts of the animal, along with the bread, are offered up, teaching us that our best, our strength, and our sustenance all belong to God. This is a picture of ordination, which is another way of saying it is a picture of the gospel applied to those who will minister the gospel.

We must not read this as a dry set of instructions that has been superseded and is therefore irrelevant. Rather, because Christ has fulfilled all of this for us, we are now in a position to understand it more deeply than Aaron ever could. He saw the shadows; we see the reality to which those shadows pointed. The entire ritual is a tangible sermon on what God requires of those who would draw near to Him: a life wholly given over, marked by blood, empowered by His provision, and offered up for His glory. This is the essence of priestly service, both then and now.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

Leviticus 8 is the historical fulfillment of the commands given by God in Exodus 29. After the construction of the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God among His people, the next logical and necessary step is the consecration of the men who will serve within it. The worship of God is not a casual affair; it is structured, ordered, and holy, because God Himself is holy. This chapter details the seven-day ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons, setting them apart from the rest of Israel for the specific task of priestly mediation. The passage we are examining, verses 22 through 29, focuses on the second ram, the "ram of ordination," which is the climactic sacrifice of this ceremony. It follows the sin offering and the burnt offering, which dealt with the guilt and the need for complete devotion respectively. This ordination offering, also called the ram of "filling," is about equipping and installing the priests into their office. It is a tangible transfer of authority and holiness, all accomplished through blood and fire.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 22 Then he brought near the second ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

The first thing to notice is the sequence. A sin offering has already been made, cleansing the priests from their defilement. A burnt offering, an ascension offering, has been made, signifying their total dedication to God. Now comes this second ram, specifically designated the "ram of ordination." The Hebrew word for ordination is literally "fillings," as in filling the hand. It is the act of commissioning, of equipping, of filling them with the authority and sanctity of their office. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the ram's head, an act we have seen before. This is the principle of identification. They are identifying with this animal; it is their substitute. Its destiny will be their destiny. By this act, they are saying, "This ram is us. Its consecration is our consecration." This is foundational. Ministry does not begin with our strength or our resume, but with our identification with the sacrifice God has provided.

v. 23 And Moses slaughtered it and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

Here we have one of the most vivid pictures in all of Scripture. Moses, acting as the mediator of this covenant ceremony, takes the blood of the ordination ram and applies it to the extremities of the high priest. Why these specific places? It is a picture of total consecration in the priest's service. The blood on the right ear lobe signifies that the priest's hearing is now consecrated to God. He is to listen to the commands of God, the Word of God, and the needs of the people of God. His ear is redeemed. The blood on the right thumb signifies that the work of his hands is consecrated. Everything he does, every sacrifice he offers, every blessing he pronounces, is to be done under the authority of this shed blood. His work is redeemed. The blood on the right big toe signifies that his walk, his path, his entire way of life, is consecrated. Where he goes and how he gets there is now to be governed by God. His walk is redeemed. It is all on the right side, the side of strength and prominence. This is a comprehensive, top-to-bottom setting apart of the whole man for God's service, all of it based on the blood of the sacrifice.

v. 24 He also brought Aaron’s sons near; and Moses put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. Moses then splashed the rest of the blood around on the altar.

What was done for the high priest is now done for his sons. The nature of their consecration is the same. There is not a different standard of holiness for them. They too must have their hearing, their work, and their walk redeemed by blood. This establishes the corporate nature of the priesthood. They serve together under the same covenant, marked by the same blood. After the priests are marked, the remainder of the blood is thrown against the sides of the altar. This is crucial. The blood that consecrates the priests is the very same blood that makes atonement at the altar. Their cleansing and God's satisfaction come from the same source. The priests do not have a private, personal blood supply. Their holiness is tied directly to the public work of atonement at the center of worship. Their lives are now bound to the altar.

v. 25 And he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the entrails, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh.

Following the application of blood, Moses dissects the ram and gathers specific portions. The fat represents the best, the richest, the energy of the animal. In the sacrificial system, the fat almost always belongs exclusively to God. The fat tail was a delicacy in that part of the world. The kidneys and the lobe of the liver were considered vital, internal organs, representing the seat of the will and emotions. And then there is the right thigh, which represents strength and forward movement. All these pieces together represent the very best of the animal, its energy, its inward affections, and its strength. These are the portions that will be "filled" into the hands of the priests, signifying that the best of their lives, their deepest desires, and all their strength now belong to Yahweh.

v. 26 From the basket of unleavened bread that was before Yahweh, he took one unleavened cake and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer, and he placed them on the portions of fat and on the right thigh.

To the choicest portions of the animal, Moses adds the grain offering. This is not just a meat offering; it is a meal. The unleavened bread represents a life free from the corrupting influence of sin, a life of sincerity and truth. The cake mixed with oil speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit, as oil is a consistent type of the Spirit. The wafer, thin and delicate, perhaps speaks of the fragility of the priest's own life offered in service. These three elements, representing purity, the Spirit's anointing, and humble service, are placed on top of the fat and the thigh. This is a complete picture of the consecrated life: the best of our natural strength (the thigh and fat) combined with the fruit of our labor (the bread), all offered in purity and dependence on the Spirit.

v. 27 He then put all these on the hands of Aaron and on the hands of his sons, and waved them as a wave offering before Yahweh.

This is the central act of "filling." Moses takes this entire collection of meat and bread and places it into the hands of Aaron and his sons. Their hands are literally filled with the offering. Then, they perform a wave offering. This was a specific motion, likely a horizontal movement toward the altar and back, and perhaps side to side. It was a way of presenting the offering to God, who is present everywhere, and then receiving it back from Him. It is a symbolic acknowledgment that everything we have comes from God, and we are presenting it back to Him for His use. For the priests, this act signifies that their hands are now full of the work God has given them. They are not to come before God with empty hands, but with hands filled with the sacrifices He has appointed.

v. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and offered them up in smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. They were an ordination offering for a soothing aroma; it was an offering by fire to Yahweh.

After the presentation, Moses takes the offering from their hands and burns it on the altar. This is the act of surrendering it completely to God. The priests present it, but it is ultimately consumed by God's holy fire. It ascends to God as a "soothing aroma." This phrase indicates God's pleasure and acceptance. He is pleased with this picture of total consecration. Notice that it is offered "with the burnt offering." The act of ordination is layered upon the foundation of total devotion. You cannot be equipped for ministry (ordination) if you are not first given over entirely to God (burnt offering). This is all an "offering by fire," reminding us that drawing near to God is a serious, all-consuming business. He is a consuming fire, and He requires all of us.

v. 29 Moses also took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before Yahweh; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

One part of the ram is not burned on the altar: the breast. This portion is waved before Yahweh and then given to Moses. In future peace offerings, the breast would belong to the priests. But here, Moses is the officiating minister, the mediator of this ordination. This is his portion, his payment, his meal. This shows us that God provides for his ministers out of the sacrifice itself. Those who minister the gospel are to live of the gospel. But it also shows us the unique role of Moses. Before Aaron's priesthood is fully established, Moses acts in that capacity. More importantly, it points us to the true Mediator, the Lord Jesus. He is both the priest and the sacrifice, but He also partakes of the fruit of His work. He sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied. The breast, representing the heart or affections, belongs to the mediator who carries out God's work with love for God and His people.

Application

So what does this ancient, bloody ritual have to do with us? Everything. We who are in Christ have been made a "royal priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:9). This ceremony is a picture of our own consecration.

First, our entire lives must be marked by the blood of Christ. Our ears, that we might hear His word and tune out the world's siren songs. Our hands, that the work we do, whether changing diapers or preaching sermons, would be done for His glory. Our feet, that our walk through this world would be on the path of righteousness He lays out for us. We are not our own; we were bought with a price. That price was the blood of the Lamb, and it claims every part of us.

Second, we are to offer our best to God. Not our leftovers, not our spare time, but our fat portions, our strength, the very core of our being. This offering is not just our raw talent, but also the fruit of our lives, offered in purity (unleavened bread) and in the power of the Holy Spirit (oil). Our hands are to be filled with this work, constantly presenting our lives back to the God who gave them to us.

Finally, we must remember that this is all a soothing aroma to God because of Christ. Our consecration is only acceptable because His was perfect. He was the great High Priest whose ears, hands, and feet were perfectly devoted to the Father. He is the perfect sacrifice whose offering of Himself was once for all. And because we are united to Him by faith, our fumbling attempts at holiness are received by the Father as a pleasing scent. We are ordained, set apart, and filled for service, not on the basis of our own performance, but on the basis of His.