레위기 Chapter 8

Translation: ESV

1

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

The priesthood is based not on human choice or tradition but on God's direct appointment and command.

▸Leviticus 8 records the ordination of Aaron and his sons.

Leviticus 8 records the ordination of Aaron and his sons. By documenting the official installation of the priests who would execute the sacrificial regulations of Leviticus 1–7, this chapter marks an important turning point where theoretical regulations are realized as actual institutions. This ordination beginning with God's command emphasizes that the priesthood derives from God's appointment, not human choice.

Related Verses

And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
2

"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.

Key Message

Preparation for God's ministry must be thorough and complete; it is important to prepare in advance everything that is needed.

▸Everything needed for the ordination is specified: persons (Aaron and his sons), clothing (priestly vestments), oil (anointing oil), sacrifices (sin offering and burnt offering), and food (unleavened bread) all had to be prepared.

3

and assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting."

Key Message

The appointment of God's ministers happens publicly before the community, and the community has a shared role of supporting and being accountable for that ministry.

▸The priestly ordination was a public event witnessed by the entire congregation.

4

And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

Key Message

Precise obedience to God's instructions is the foundation of successful ministry; faithful obedience comes before creative modification.

▸The expression 'as the LORD commanded him' appears repeatedly throughout this chapter, emphasizing Moses's complete obedience.

5

And Moses said to the congregation, "This is the thing that the LORD has commanded to be done."

Key Message

It is a leader's duty to make clear before the community that all ministry derives from God's authority.

▸Moses first declares to the congregation that what he is doing is what God has commanded.

6

And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

Key Message

Being cleansed first is necessary before beginning God's ministry; this is a foreshadowing of Christ's blood cleansing us.

▸The first step of the ordination is the purification ritual of washing with water.

7

And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band.

Key Message

The high priest is one who goes before God as representative of the entire community; Jesus Christ is the eternal high priest who represents all of us before God.

▸Each part of the high priestly vestments is put on Aaron in order.

8

And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim.

Key Message

The high priest's role is to communicate God's will to the community; Jesus Christ is the one who fully revealed God's will.

▸Placing the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece is an act conferring the high priest's special function—inquiring and communicating God's will.

9

And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Key Message

A life completely set apart for God is the Christian's identity; we are royal priests called to be 'Holy to the LORD.'

▸The golden plate on the turban had engraved on it 'Holy to the LORD' (Exod 28:36).

10

Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.

Key Message

Spaces and tools used for God's ministry must be consecrated; everything fulfills its purpose when dedicated to God.

▸Anointing was performed not only on people but also on the tabernacle and all its furnishings.

11

And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.

Key Message

Everything used in God's ministry must be completely consecrated; we too must be completely set apart as instruments of God.

▸Sprinkling oil on the altar seven times symbolizes the complete consecration of the altar.

12

And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him.

Key Message

Anointing signifies the work of the Holy Spirit and the consecration of office; Jesus as the Messiah who was anointed fulfills the offices of king, priest, and prophet.

▸The anointing of pouring the consecrating oil on High Priest Aaron's head is the core ceremony of the ordination.

13

And Moses brought Aaron's sons and clothed them with coats and tied sashes around their waists and bound caps on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Key Message

There are various offices and roles in God's ministry; what matters is being faithful to one's own calling.

▸Aaron's sons also wore similar though different vestments from the high priest.

14

Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering.

Key Message

The humble acknowledgment of one's own sins and seeking atonement before beginning God's ministry is the start of true service.

▸Even in the priestly ordination ceremony, a sin offering was brought first.

15

And he killed it, and Moses took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it and purified the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it to make atonement for it.

Key Message

Christ's blood purifies not only people but also heavenly things; all areas of our lives and places of worship are made holy through his blood.

▸A ceremony is performed to purify the altar itself with the blood of the sin offering.

16

And he took all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.

Key Message

God's established principles do not change even in special situations; consistent application of those principles guarantees the genuineness of worship.

▸The procedure of burning the fatty portions of the sin offering on the altar proceeds identically to the regular sin offering.

17

But the bull and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Key Message

Jesus was rejected outside the holy city for us; this is the fulfillment of complete atonement that bore all our sins.

▸The high priest's ordination sin offering was burned outside the camp.

18

Then he presented the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

Key Message

After forgiveness of sin, dedicating oneself completely to God is the sequence of the Christian life.

▸After the sin offering, a burnt offering ram was presented.

19

And he killed it, and Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.

Key Message

In any situation, Christ's blood is the only core of salvation; this truth does not change.

▸The blood of the burnt offering was also thrown against the sides of the altar.

20

Moses cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burned the head and the pieces and the fat.

Key Message

A minister's ordination involves dedication of one's entire life to God; true ministry is impossible without complete dedication.

▸The procedure of cutting the burnt offering ram into pieces and burning it on the altar proceeds identically to the burnt offering regulations in Leviticus 1:8–9.

21

and Moses washed the entrails and the legs with water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Key Message

A life completely dedicated to God becomes a pleasing aroma to him; our dedication brings joy to God.

▸The entire burnt offering is accepted by God as 'a pleasing aroma,' and 'as the LORD commanded' is confirmed again.

22

Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

Key Message

There is special dedication for a special office; a minister of God is one whose entire personhood is set apart for God.

▸The third offering, the 'ram of ordination,' appears.

23

And he killed it, and Moses 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.

Key Message

Our entire personhood—hearing, doing, and walking—must be set apart by Christ's blood.

▸The ceremony of applying blood to the right ear, hand, and foot symbolizes that the priest's entire personhood is set apart for God.

24

Then he presented Aaron's sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.

Key Message

All Christians are equally royal priests set apart by Christ's blood; on this equal foundation there are various roles and offices.

▸The same blood-applying ceremony was performed on Aaron's sons as well.

25

Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat and the right thigh,

Key Message

On the day of beginning ministry, complete dedication of everything to God is the starting point of true ministry.

▸The fatty portions and right thigh of the ordination ram are separated.

26

and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD he took one unleavened loaf and one loaf of bread with oil and one wafer and placed them on the pieces of fat and on the right thigh.

Key Message

The office of serving God is both a duty and a privilege and joy; enjoying this joy together with God is the essence of ministry.

▸Various kinds of bread from the unleavened bread basket are taken and placed on top of the fat and thigh.

27

And he put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering before the LORD.

Key Message

Priests personally perform the mediating role between God and the people with their own hands; this foreshadows that all of us in Christ can directly approach God as royal priests.

▸Aaron and his sons waved the offerings before the LORD with their own hands as a wave offering.

28

Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

Key Message

Our dedication and service offered to God becomes a pleasing aroma to him; God joyfully accepts sincere dedication.

▸The ordination offerings are burned on the altar and presented to God as a pleasing aroma.

29

And Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses' portion of the ram of ordination, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Key Message

One who faithfully serves in God's ministry receives his appropriate portion from that ministry; this is God's just principle.

▸Moses receives the breast as his own portion in the ordination ceremony.

30

Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and his sons' garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons' garments with him.

Key Message

Christ's blood and the Holy Spirit's anointing together make us holy; these two are the source that sets the Christian life apart for God.

▸Combining the anointing oil with the blood from the altar and sprinkling it on Aaron and his sons and their garments is the final step of the ordination.

31

And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons shall eat it.'

Key Message

The relationship with God includes not just duty-performance but intimate fellowship and the joy of eating together; the Lord's Supper is the New Testament completion of this covenant meal.

▸Some of the ordination offering had to be boiled and eaten by Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

32

And what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn up with fire.

Key Message

What has been set apart as holy must be handled as holy to the end; it is important to maintain the boundary that prevents secularization.

▸What remained from the ordination meal had to be burned.

33

And you shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you.

Key Message

When beginning new ministry, sufficient time for preparation and dedication is needed; establishing one's identity in God's presence is the foundation of ministry.

▸The ordination ceremony continued for seven days.

34

As has been done today, the LORD has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.

Key Message

The ultimate purpose of all sacrificial ceremonies is atonement; Jesus Christ is the perfect high priest who accomplished once-for-all eternal atonement.

▸It is declared that the seven-day ordination is for the purpose of atonement.

35

At the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the LORD has charged, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded."

Key Message

Being unfaithful in serving God or ignoring God's way brings serious consequences; serving with reverence is the way to preserve life.

▸A severe warning is given that the priests must remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night and keep the LORD's command, or they will die.

36

And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD commanded by Moses.

Key Message

Complete obedience is the foundation of complete worship; doing all that God has commanded is the goal of the life of faith.

▸Leviticus 8 concludes with the declaration that Aaron and his sons 'did all the things that the LORD commanded.