SCRIPTURE: LEVITICUS 8
THE ORDINATION OF AARON AND HIS SONS (vs. 1-36)
The Lord told Moses to bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for sin offering, the 2 rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast and gather them to enter into the assembly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
ORDINATION PROCESS:
- Aaron and his sons are washed with water.
- Aaron put on the tunic, tied the sash around him, clothed with robe and with the ephod.
- Breastpiece with Urim and Thummim be placed on Aaron.
- Turban placed on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred diadem in front.
- Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it to consecrate them.
- Moses sprinkled oil on the altar seven times to anoint the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand to consecrate them.
- Moses poured some of the anointing oil Aaron’s head.
- Moses brought Aaron’s son forward, put tunic on the tied ashes around them and put headband on them.
- Moses presented the bull for sin offering and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
- Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood and put on all the horns of the altar to purify the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
- Moses took the fat and burned it on the altar. But the bull with its hide, flesh and offal were burned up outside the camp.
- Aaron was presented for the burnt offering, its blood sprinkled against the altar on all sides. Then the ram was burned upon the altar as burnt offering.
- Another ram was presented for ordination. It was slaughtered and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron and his sons’ right ear, on the thumb of right hand and on the big toe of right foot.
- From the basket of bread made without yeast, Moses took a cake of bread and one made with oil and a wafer and put them in the hands of Aaron and his son as wave offering.
- Moses took them from Aaron and his sons’ hands and burned them on the altar as ordination offering.
- Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his sons’ garments to consecrate it.
- Moses told Aaron and his son to cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it together with the bread from the basket of ordination offering while the rest of the meat and bread had to be burned out.
- Aaron and his son should stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days and nights until the days of ordination are completed.
THOUGHTS:
WHAT MADE THE PRIESTS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD:
- Water – we have been washed
- Oil – we have been anointed by the Spirit
- Blood – we have been redeemed by Christ’s blood.
- Garments – we have been dressed in His righteousness
God used Urim and Thummim to give guidance to His people. The priest would shake the Urim and Thummim and God would cause the proper one to fall out. It was either a yes or no. Today, we use prayer to guide and see God’s will