The Bloody Uniform of a Priest Text: Leviticus 8:22-29
Introduction: The Messiness of Ministry
We live in an age that wants its religion to be neat, tidy, and above all, respectable. We want a faith that fits comfortably in a suburban living room, that doesn't make a mess on the carpet, and that smells vaguely of potpourri. But the biblical faith, particularly as it is laid out for us in the book of Leviticus, is anything but neat. It is a bloody business. It is full of smoke and fire, entrails and fat, and the constant reminder that sin is a deadly serious affair that requires a deadly serious remedy.
The ordination of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood is not a quiet, dignified ceremony with organ music and carefully worded platitudes. It is a graphic, visceral, and profoundly theological affair. It is a seven day process of being set apart, and the central element is blood. We cannot understand the New Testament, we cannot understand the work of Christ, and we cannot understand our own calling as a royal priesthood unless we first come to grips with what God is teaching us here. This is not just a historical curiosity; it is a picture of the gospel painted in crimson.
The modern evangelical mind often wants to skip over these passages, perhaps with a slight sense of embarrassment. We want to get to the Sermon on the Mount, to the nice bits about loving our neighbor. But you cannot have the peace of the New Covenant without the blood of the Old. You cannot understand the clean robes of the saints in Revelation without first understanding the blood-smeared garments of the priests in Leviticus. What we are witnessing here is the formal installation of the mediators between a holy God and a sinful people. And the first thing we must learn about this mediation is that it is established through a substitutionary death.
In this passage, we see the second ram, the "ram of ordination," brought forward. This is not just about giving Aaron and his sons a new job title. It is about fundamentally altering who they are. It is about consecrating their entire being, every part of them, for the service of God. And this consecration is applied through blood, signifying that their new life as priests is only possible because another life has been laid down in their place.
The Text
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
(Leviticus 8:22-29 LSB)
Identification and Substitution (v. 22-23a)
The ceremony begins with an act of profound identification.
"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. And Moses slaughtered it..." (Leviticus 8:22-23a)
The laying on of hands is a foundational biblical concept. It is a formal act of identification. When Aaron and his sons place their hands on the head of this ram, they are saying, in a deeply symbolic way, "This ram is us. It stands in our place." This is the heart of substitutionary atonement. The guilt, the sin, the unworthiness of the priests is being judicially transferred to this animal. The ram is now bearing their identity, and it will die the death they deserve. We cannot afford to be squeamish about this. Without substitution, there is no Christianity.
This is not simply a ritual for ritual's sake. It is a graphic sermon. Before these men can serve God, they must be represented by a substitute. Before they can offer sacrifices for others, a sacrifice must be offered for them. Their entire ministry is founded upon a grace that they did not earn. It is founded upon the death of another. This points us directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate ram of ordination. We, as the royal priesthood of believers, lay our hands on Him by faith. We identify with Him, and He has identified with us. God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Your entire Christian life, your entire service to God, is predicated on this great exchange.
The Consecration of the Whole Man (v. 23b-24)
What follows is one of the most vivid pictures of total consecration in all of Scripture.
"...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. 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." (Leviticus 8:23b-24)
This is not random. God is marking the extremities of the priests with the blood of the substitute. The right side signifies strength and prominence. The ear, the thumb, and the big toe represent the whole man in his service to God. The ear represents what he hears. The priest is to be consecrated to hear the Word of God and nothing else. His instructions, his counsel, his very thoughts are to be governed by what God has spoken. He is not to listen to the gossip of the camp or the wisdom of the world. His ear is marked by blood; it belongs to God.
The thumb of the right hand represents what he does. His work, his service, every action he takes is to be consecrated to God. The hands that will handle the holy things, that will offer the sacrifices, that will bless the people, must themselves be cleansed and set apart by blood. His labor is not his own.
The big toe of the right foot represents where he goes. His walk, his path, his entire way of life is to be consecrated to God. He is to walk in the statutes of the Lord, to stand in the holy place. He is not to wander down the paths of the ungodly. His feet are marked by blood; his journey is for God's glory.
This is a total claim. What you hear, what you do, and where you go, all of it is redeemed and claimed by the blood of the substitute. This is true for every believer. Your mind, your work, your walk, all of it has been purchased by Christ. You are not your own. You have been bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. After marking the priests, Moses throws the rest of the blood against the altar. The priests are consecrated, and the place of their service is consecrated. The man and his ministry are both covered by the blood.
The Best for God (v. 25-28)
Next, the choicest parts of the sacrifice are prepared as a special offering.
"And he took the fat...and the right thigh...From the basket of unleavened bread...he placed them on the portions of fat and on the right thigh. 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. Then Moses took them from their hands and offered them up in smoke on the altar...for a soothing aroma..." (Leviticus 8:25-28)
The fat portions and the right thigh were considered the best, most desirable parts of the animal. These are given to God. This signifies that God is not to be served with leftovers. He is worthy of our very best. The unleavened bread speaks of sincerity and truth, a life without the leaven of malice and wickedness.
Moses places all of this into the hands of the newly consecrated priests. Their hands, just marked with blood, are now filled with the best of the offering. This is the essence of their job: to receive what is God's and to offer it back to Him. This is then performed as a "wave offering." This ritual involved waving the offering before the Lord, symbolically presenting it to Him, and then in some cases, receiving it back as His provision. It is a picture of fellowship and communion. All that we have comes from God, and we present it back to Him in worship, and He, in turn, provides for us.
Then, these portions are burned on the altar. The text says it is an "ordination offering for a soothing aroma." This phrase, "soothing aroma," is crucial. It doesn't mean God has a physical nose that enjoys the smell of barbecue. It is an anthropomorphism that speaks of God's covenantal pleasure and acceptance. When God sees the sacrifice offered in faith and obedience, a sacrifice that points to the ultimate offering of His Son, He is satisfied. His justice is satisfied. The work of Christ is a soothing aroma to the Father because it perfectly accomplishes His will and glorifies His name.
The Mediator's Portion (v. 29)
Finally, we see a unique detail about the role of Moses.
"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." (Leviticus 8:29)
In this ordination ceremony, Moses is functioning as the priest to the priests. He is the mediator who consecrates the mediators. Aaron and his sons are being set apart for the priesthood, but Moses stands in a unique, prior role. He receives a portion of the sacrifice, the breast, signifying his authority and his role as God's representative in this entire affair. This points to the fact that all priesthoods are derivative. Aaron's priesthood is established through Moses.
And Moses' role itself is a type, a foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is our great High Priest, but He is also the one who establishes the new covenant priesthood of all believers. He is the ultimate mediator. Just as Moses received his portion, so Christ, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, and has now sat down at the right hand of God, having received the reward of His perfect, mediatorial work. He is the one who consecrates us, His priests, and He is the one who receives the glory.
Conclusion: Your Bloody Uniform
This is not just a dusty ritual from a bygone era. This is your story. If you are in Christ, you are part of a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). And your ordination, your consecration, looks exactly like this.
You were identified with the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who died in your place. His blood has been applied to you, consecrating your entire being to God. Your ear is marked, to hear His word. Your hand is marked, to do His work. Your foot is marked, to walk in His ways. You are not your own.
Your hands have been filled with a wave offering, the offering of your life, your praise, your service, to be presented back to the God who gave you everything. And when God looks at you, He doesn't see your sin and your failure. He sees the finished work of His Son, and He smells a soothing aroma. He is pleased with you, not because of your performance, but because of the perfect performance of your Substitute.
Do not try to make your faith neat and tidy. Do not be ashamed of the blood. Our faith is a bloody faith because we have a holy God and we are grievous sinners. But thanks be to God, we also have a great High Priest, one who was not consecrated with the blood of rams, but with His own precious blood. He has made us priests to His God and Father. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence, wearing the bloody uniform of our ordination, and offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.