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Texts -- Leviticus 8:1-23 (NET)

Context
Ordination of the Priests
8:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses : 8:2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments , the anointing oil , the sin offering bull , the two rams , and the basket of unleavened bread , 8:3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the Meeting Tent .” 8:4 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation assembled at the entrance of the Meeting Tent . 8:5 Then Moses said to the congregation : “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done .”
Clothing Aaron
8:6 So Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water . 8:7 Then he put the tunic on Aaron, wrapped the sash around him, and clothed him with the robe . Next he put the ephod on him and placed on him the decorated band of the ephod, and fastened the ephod closely to him with the band. 8:8 He then set the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim into the breastpiece . 8:9 Finally, he set the turban on his head and attached the gold plate , the holy diadem , to the front of the turban just as the Lord had commanded Moses .
Anointing the Tabernacle and Aaron, and Clothing Aaron’s Sons
8:10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. 8:11 Next he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and so anointed the altar , all its vessels , and the wash basin and its stand to consecrate them. 8:12 He then poured some of the anointing oil on the head of Aaron and anointed him to consecrate him. 8:13 Moses also brought forward Aaron’s sons , clothed them with tunics , wrapped sashes around them, and wrapped headbands on them just as the Lord had commanded Moses .
Consecration Offerings
8:14 Then he brought near the sin offering bull and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the sin offering bull , 8:15 and he slaughtered it. Moses then took the blood and put it all around on the horns of the altar with his finger and decontaminated the altar , and he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and so consecrated it to make atonement on it. 8:16 Then he took all the fat on the entrails , the protruding lobe of the liver , and the two kidneys and their fat , and Moses offered it all up in smoke on the altar , 8:17 but the rest of the bull – its hide , its flesh , and its dung – he completely burned up outside the camp just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 8:18 Then he presented the burnt offering ram and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram , 8:19 and he slaughtered it. Moses then splashed the blood against the altar’s sides . 8:20 Then he cut the ram into parts , and Moses offered the head , the parts , and the suet up in smoke, 8:21 but the entrails and the legs he washed with water , and Moses offered the whole ram up in smoke on the altar – it was a burnt offering for a soothing aroma , a gift to the Lord , just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 8:22 Then he presented the second ram , the ram of ordination , and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram 8:23 and he slaughtered it. Moses then took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe , on the thumb of his right hand , and on the big toe of his right foot .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The extent to which these curtains were visible from inside the tabernacle is not clear in the text and has been the subject of debate by commentators. They were of four colors that some writers have interpreted as having sym...
  • The Israelites carried out the instructions given here later. The record of this seven-day ritual appears in Leviticus 8. I shall defer comment since Moses explained the offerings and procedures specified in this chapter more...
  • "At first sight the book of Leviticus might appear to be a haphazard, even repetitious arrangement of enactments involving the future life in Canaan of the Israelite people. Closer examination will reveal, however, that quite...
  • Leviticus continues revelation concerning the second of three elements necessary for any nation to exist, namely, a people (Gen. 12:10--Exod. 19), their law (Exod. 20--Num. 10:10), and their land (Num. 10:11--Josh. 24).Leviti...
  • God designed the offerings to teach the Israelites as well as to enable them to worship Him. They taught the people what was necessary to maintain and restore the believer's communion with God."The servant, therefore, had to ...
  • The account of the consecration of the priests and the priesthood (chs. 8-10) follows the regulations concerning offerings. We have a change in literary genre here from legal to narrative material. The legal material in chapt...
  • God gave a double command to Moses (vv. 1-3), which Moses obeyed (vv. 4-30). Then Moses gave Aaron a command (vv. 31-35), which Aaron obeyed (v. 36). Within the first section (vv. 1-30) there is a chiastic structure. God comm...
  • God specified certain garments for Aaron that distinguished him from everyone else. A uniform draws attention to a person's office or function and plays down his or her individual personality. Physical washing (v. 6) was symb...
  • The anointing of the tabernacle and the priests with oil (vv. 10-12) signified their sanctification whereby God set them apart to holy purposes and filled them with the power of His Spirit.79The significance of the sevenfold ...
  • Moses as the mediator of the covenant performed the sacrificial ceremony recorded in these verses. He presented three offerings.1. He offered a young ox as a sin (purification) offering (vv. 14-17).2. He offered a ram as a bu...
  • This chapter explains how the priests carried out the duties associated with their induction into their office. The events recorded took place on the eighth day (v. 1), the day after the seven days of consecration. After a we...
  • One of the remarkable features of chapters 8 and 9 is the obedience of Moses and Aaron to God's commands (cf. 8:4, 9, 13, 17, 21, 29, 36; 9:5, 7, 10, 21). In chapter 10 there is a notable absence of these references. The care...
  • Following the judgment on Nadab and Abihu, Moses instructed Aaron and his other sons to finish eating the rest of their portion of the sacrifices that they had offered for the nation."When the P [Priestly] code prescribed tha...
  • The sacrifices and offerings that Moses described thus far in the law were not sufficient to cleanse all the defilement that the sins of the people created. Much sinfulness still needed covering. Therefore God appointed a yea...
  • This is another narrative section of Leviticus (cf. chs. 8-10). Its position in the book must mean that it took place after God had given Moses the instructions about the holy lamps and showbread (24:1-9). This fact underline...
  • Genesis reveals how people can have a relationship with God. This comes through trust in God and obedience to Him. Faith is the key word in Genesis. God proves Himself faithful in this book.Exodus reveals that God is also sov...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell, The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pelican Archaeology series. H...
  • The presentation this chapter records took place at the time the Israelites dedicated the tabernacle (vv. 1-2; cf. Lev. 8:10)."The purpose of this section of narrative is to show that as the people had been generous in giving...
  • The consecration of the priests had taken place earlier (cf. Lev. 8). Then the people only looked on (Lev. 8:3-4). On the present occasion God set apart to His service the whole tribe of Levi that He had taken in place of the...
  • "It is not only the action of the men of Gibeah which reveals the abysmally low moral standards of the age; the indifference of the Levite who prepared to depart in the morning without any apparent concern to ascertain the fa...
  • It was common in the ancient Near East for creditors to enslave the children of debtors who could not pay. The Mosaic Law also permitted this practice (Exod. 21:2-4, Lev. 25:39). However servitude in Israel was to end on the ...
  • In this verse David described God as a host rather than as a shepherd. As a gracious host God provides hospitality for His people. He supplies us with what we need and desire lavishly, and He does so not by removing us from t...
  • 133:2 The writer compared brotherly unity to the oil that Moses poured over Aaron's head when he anointed him as Israel's first high priest (Lev. 8:12). That oil flowed down over his head and beard, down onto the robe and bre...
  • 52:13 "Behold, My Servant"marks a new section in the development of Isaiah's argument, but it also calls the reader to fix his or her attention carefully on the Servant (cf. 42:1). The Servant would prosper in the sense of fu...
  • 43:18 The Lord told Ezekiel what to do when the construction of the altar was complete.538The purpose of this altar was to receive the burnt offerings that people would bring to the Lord and to receive the blood of those anim...
  • 3:1 Zechariah's guiding angel next showed the prophet, in his vision, Joshua (lit. Yahweh saves), Israel's current high priest (6:11; Ezra 5:2; Neh. 7:7; Hag. 1:1), standing before the angel of the Lord (1:11-12). "The accuse...
  • The writer proceeded to explain what the community of Christians that he addressed should do to rectify its dangerous condition.6:1 Since they needed stretching mentally they should with the writer "press on to maturity."That...
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