Deeper Commentary
Lev 9:1 It happened on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and
his sons, and the elders of Israel-
The sequence of sin offering, burnt offering and peace offering had
been gone through before the seven days of inauguration (Lev. 8:35), as
described in Lev. 8. But now they are repeated. Such was the importance of
grasping the lessons involved; see on :2.
Lev 9:2 and he said to Aaron, Take a calf from the herd for a sin
offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them
before Yahweh-
This repeats the usual progression from sin offering to burnt
offering to peace offering, although in this case the equivalent of the
peace offering was fire coming from Heaven in response to the sin and
burnt offering. Conviction of sin leads to a desire to make complete
dedication to God, which results in the peace with God celebrated in the
peace offering. So the priests were being convicted of their sin, so that
their dedication to Yahweh's service was no mere ritual, but a from the
heart desire to serve Him from gratitude for the forgiveness of sin.
Lev 9:3 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Take a male
goat for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both a year old, without
blemish, for a burnt offering-
No animal actually is without blemish. God recognizes that we will not
attain perfection in this life, but we are to do our best towards it; and
His love imputes righteousness to us, counting us as unblemished because
of our status in Christ. For only Christ was the sacrifice totally without
moral blemish (1 Pet. 1:19).
This looked ahead to the unblemished character of the Lord Jesus. The offering of sacrifices "without blemish" uses a word which is used about Abraham and Noah being "without blemish" (AV "perfect") before God (Gen. 6:9; 17:1). Although the word is used about the sacrifices, it is really more appropriate to persons- "you shall be perfect with Yahweh your God" (Dt. 18:13), "serve Him in sincerity (s.w. "without blemish")" (Josh. 24:14). The idea, therefore, was that the offerer was invited to see the animal as representative of himself. Our lives too are to be as "living sacrifices" (Rom. 12:1). And yet in practical terms, no animal is without blemish. They were to give the best they could, and God would count it as without blemish; as He does with us. David frequently uses the term in the Psalms about himself and the "upright", even though he was far from unblemished in moral terms.
This was to remind them that the Passover deliverance through the lamb was effectively ongoing. The Passover lamb was likewise to be a year old (Ex. 12:5). We too are to live constantly under the impression of the Lord's sacrifice and redemption of us. Israel were asked to use a lamb of the first year to record various times when they should be thankful for God's redemption of them in the events which comprise life (Lev. 9:3; 12:6; 23:12,18,19; Num. 6:12,14; 7:15,17,21; 28:3,9,11,19; 29:2,8,13). This was to continually recall to them the events of their great redemption through the Red Sea. And the essence of our redemption, our baptism and salvation through the blood of the lamb, must likewise be brought ever before us.
Lev 9:4 and a bull and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before
Yahweh; and a grain offering mixed with oil-
The peace offerings are nearly always mentioned as coming after the
sin offerings. The peace which they commemorate is spiritual peace with
God due to forgiveness. See on :18. God has "tempered" the whole body
together (1 Cor. 12:24). This is alluding to the way in which the
unleavened cakes of flour were "mingled" or "tempered" with the oil (cp.
the Spirit) in order to be an acceptable offering (Lev. 2:4,5; 7:10; 9:4
etc.). Paul has already likened his Corinthian ecclesia to a lump of
unleavened flour (1 Cor. 5:7); he is now saying that they have been
"tempered" together by the oil of God's Spirit. If we break apart from our
brethren, we are breaking apart, or denying, that "tempering" of the body
which God has made.
Lev 9:5 They brought what Moses commanded before the Tent of Meeting: and
all the congregation drew near and stood before Yahweh-
"Come near before Yahweh" is usually translated "offer [sacrifice]
before Yahweh", and is translated that way multiple times. Although rarely
(Ex. 16:9; Lev. 9:5) it is used of the congregation coming near before
Yahweh. But the congregation didn't generally want to come before Yahweh,
and so He chose just the Levites to come before Yahweh (Num. 8:10; 16:9
s.w.). It was God's intention that all Israel should be His servants, a
nation of priests. But He changed and ammended His approach, and chose
just the Levites for this. We see here how open God is to change, so that
by all means He may have relationship with His people. Under the new
covenant, all believers are part of a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5) as He
initially intended even under the old covenant. And yet there is always
the tendency to leave the priestly work to specialists rather than
perceiving our personal call to do it.
Lev 9:6 Moses said, This is the thing which Yahweh commanded that you
should do: and the glory of Yahweh shall appear to you-
The appearing of Yahweh's glory was conditional upon the recognition
of sin which is being underlined in :7 and the subsequent rituals. We
cannot perceive the wonder of His glory without conviction of our own
sinfulness. For His glory is supremely seen in His forgiveness and grace
to sinners.
Lev 9:7 Moses said to Aaron, Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin
offering, and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself, and
for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make atonement
for them as Yahweh commanded-
We sense a reticence within Aaron to accept the calling to priesthood
and to make the sin offering. Perhaps he felt so much guilt over the sin
of the golden calf; see on :8. Or perhaps the alcohol abuse of his sons we
will meet in Lev. 10 was in fact known to him ahead of time. And we can identify with this reserve and
struggle to really believe we have been forgiven and can move on in Divine
service. Or perhaps he still clung to the idea that his sin with the
golden calf was not really his fault and that he had been manipulated by
the people.
Lev 9:8 So Aaron drew near to the altar, and killed the calf of the sin
offering, which was for himself-
"For himself" suggests the calf was offered in recognition of his sin
with the golden calf. See in :8. It is in my view mistaken to assume that
Aaron's offering for himself somehow points forward to the Lord Jesus
gaining forgiveness for His own nature. This isn't taught in the Bible.
The Lord Jesus was perfect, harmless and undefiled- and yet He had human
nature. All we posit about human nature we say about the Lord Jesus. It is
no sin to be alive, to be human. It is actual, committed sin, in
thought and action, which is the barrier between God and man. The
character and person of the Lord Jesus is an endless challenge to us as to
what is possible within human nature and for humanity.
Lev 9:9 The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him; and he dipped his
finger in the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar, and poured out
the blood at the base of the altar-
The sin offering involved putting the blood on the horns of the altar
of incense in the holy place (Lev. 4:7,16-18) but it seems Aaron could not
yet have access there, as Moses was still priest. Aaron could only be in
the outer court, where the altar of burnt offering was, until he was fully
ordained as high priest.
Lev 9:10 but the fat, and the kidneys, and the cover from the liver of the
sin offering, he burned upon the altar; as Yahweh commanded Moses-
These internal organs were not to be eaten by the
priests, but were to be wholly offered to God. For our inner things are to
be wholly His. David came to understand that all the Mosaic emphasis upon
the "kidneys" was because they represented the inner heart or mind. He
often uses the word to describe his innermost thoughts (Ps. 7:9; 16:7;
26:2; 73:21; 139:13). Jeremiah likewise (Jer. 11:20; 12:2; 17:10; 20:12).
The Hebrew for "kidneys" is a form of the word for "jewel"; for the
innermost core thoughts of a person are so precious to God. Likewise
the Hebrew for "liver" is literally 'that which he heaviest / most
valuable'. For the innermost thoughts are the weighty things to God. We
see here the supreme importance of being spiritually minded.
Lev 9:11 The flesh and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp-
The Lord Jesus suffered and died, shedding the blood of atonement,
"outside the camp" (Heb. 13:13). We are bidden go forth to the Lord Jesus
"outside the camp", just as those who "sought Yahweh" did when there was
no tabernacle (Ex. 33:7). The people watching Moses as he walked out to
it, without the camp, therefore looks ahead to a faithless Israel lining
the via Dolorosa and watching the Lord walk out to His place of
crucifixion. And we are to get behind Him and follow Him there, stepping
out from the mass of Israel. As the Lord Jesus suffered "outside the
camp", so various parts of the Mosaic sacrifices were to be burnt there
(Lev. 4:12,21; 8:17; 9:11; 16:27); and yet it was the blood of those
sacrifices which achieved atonement (Heb. 13:11; Num. 19:3,9). "Outside
the camp" was the place of excluded, condemned sinners (Lev. 13:46; 24:14;
Num. 5:3,4; 15:35,36; 31:13,19), and it was here that the Lord Jesus died,
in identification with us.
Lev 9:12 He killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons delivered the
blood to him, and he sprinkled it around on the altar-
To sprinkle
blood upon something didn't necessarily mean the object was forgiven.
For an inanimate altar didn't need forgiving. The blood of the covenant
was sprinkled (s.w.) upon the people as a sign of their involvement with
the covenant process of salvation, rather than as a statement of their
forgiveness (Ex. 24:8). Likewise with the sprinkling of the blood of the
Passover lamb (2 Chron. 35:11). This was an act of identification rather
than forgiveness of sin. The function of the altar was valid before God,
or efficacious, because of its association with the blood of Christ; for
the blood of the animals slain upon it couldn't bring salvation of itself,
but only through God's way of looking at that blood is looking ahead to
that of His Son (Heb. 10:4). And so the altar was associated with the
blood which represented His blood.
Lev 9:13 They delivered the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the
head: and he burned them upon the altar-
Lev 9:14 He washed the inward parts and the legs, and burned them on the
burnt offering on the altar-
See on :10. The Mosaic idea of washing the priests and inner parts of
the sacrifices is alluded to in Eph. 5:26; the Lord died that "he might
sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word".
The Lord's death provided the water which cleanses and sanctifies; and
that water which came from His death refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit
(Jn. 4:14; 7:39). This was the significance of the water flowing from His
side when He was crucified.
There is huge emphasis upon the “inward parts” in the
regulations about sacrifices. Our inward parts and thoughts of the heart
are laid open before God and should be offered to Him, not just the
externalities which men see (Heb. 4:12). The same word is used of Sarah's
laughing "within herself" (Gen. 18:12). The sacrifice of Christ was so
perfect because His innermost thoughts were offered to God.
Lev 9:15 He presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin
offering which was for the people, and killed it, and offered it for sin,
like the first-
Jesus spoke of the righteous as sheep and the sinners
as goats (Mt. 25:33). A goat rather than a sheep was required because the
goat was the representative of the sinful people; it was killed as a
recognition by them that their sin deserved death. In baptism we make the
same recognition- that I should die, and I identify myself with the dead
body of Christ, and come alive again in Him.
Lev 9:16 He presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the
regulation-
Conviction of sin, taught by the sin offering, leads to a desire to
make complete dedication to God, which results in the peace with God
celebrated in the peace offering.
Lev 9:17 He presented the grain offering, and filled his hand from there,
and burned it upon the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning-
The stress upon "he presented" (:16,17) suggests that now
Aaron is taking over from Moses as the high priest. We note that the daily
burnt offering was never overlooked even when there were additional
sacrifices required on that day. Likewise our basic daily devotions to God
must never be allowed to slip regardless of whatever other work we are
doing for the Lord.
Lev 9:18 He also killed the bull and the ram, the sacrifice of peace
offerings, which was for the people; and Aaron’s sons delivered to him the
blood, which he sprinkled around on the altar-
The peace offerings are nearly always mentioned as coming after the
sin offerings. The peace which they commemorate is spiritual peace with
God due to forgiveness. The Law always lists the sacrifices in a specific
order: sin offering, burnt offering, peace offering (e.g. Lev. 9:2-4).
This may foreshadow the New Testament trio: "Grace, mercy and peace". Thus
the peace offering is a result of having received mercy. Therefore we keep
our peace offering, the memorial meeting, to recall the mercy which we
have received. We do not specifically come there to find mercy. We do not
need to break bread in order to be forgiven. Ps. 100:4,5 seems to allude
to the peace offerings: "Enter into his gates (the peace offering was to
be offered at the gate of the tabernacle) with thanksgiving, and into his
courts with praise: be thankful unto Him... for the Lord is good; his
mercy is everlasting". The peace offering was "the sacrifice of
thanksgiving, and in practice it was offered in thanks and praise of God's
mercy towards human sin. In similar vein, Ps. 107:17- 21 exults in the
wonder of God's mercy in forgiving men. The spirit told Israel to respond
by making voluntary peace offerings: "Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of
thanksgiving" (v.22), i.e. peace offerings (Lev. 7:12).
Lev 9:19 and the fat of the bull and of the ram, the fat tail, and that
which covers the inward parts, and the kidneys, and the cover of the
liver-
The idea is as in LXX "the fact [even] the fat tail" (as Lev. 3:9;
7:3). There were species of sheep with a large fatty tail, which was
considered in their culture to be a great delicacy. We see here how the
law of Moses was limited in application to an immediate context, and was
simply not intended to be a global law for all time. But the take away
lesson is that we are to give to God whatever is for us, in our culture
and worldview, the best and most desirous.
Lev 9:20 and they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burned the fat on
the altar-
The fire which burned up the fat came down from God in :24. So we
have here an example of a situation being presented which is a summary of
future events. The picture is given, and then we later read the
explanation of how it came about. This is typical of so much Biblical
writing.
Lev 9:21 and the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave
offering before Yahweh, as Moses commanded-
The portion to be waved was placed on the priests hands (Ex. 29:25),
and then 'waved' or 'swung' towards the altar and then back- not from
right to left. The idea was that the offerings were first given to God,
recognizing they should be consumed on the altar to God; but then given
back to the priest by God. So they ate them having first recognized that
their food was really God's, all was of Him, and He had given it back to
them to eat. This should be our spirit in partaking of any food, as we are
the new priesthood. Our prayers of thanks for daily food should include
this feature. All things are God's and anything we 'offer' to Him is only
giving Him what He has given to us (1 Chron. 29:14,16).
Lev 9:22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them-
When the offerings are spoken of together, they are
always in this order- sin offering, then burnt offering and then peace
offering. Firstly we must deal with our sin; then dedicate ourselves to
God, as spoken of in the burnt offering. Only then can we have peace with
God and fellowship freely with Him, as exemplified in the peace offering.
Lev 9:23 Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out, and
blessed the people; and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people-
Blessing is often associated with forgiveness and
acceptance with God. The blessings promised to Abraham and his seed
likewise (Acts 3:25,26). If we are Abraham’s seed by baptism (Gal.
3:27-29) then we are to be a blessing to the world in that we offer them
the way to God’s forgiveness and fellowship with Him.
Lev 9:24 There came forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed the burnt
offering and the fat upon the altar; and when all the people saw it, they
shouted, and fell on their faces-
Jewish tradition has it that the fire which came down from Heaven in
Lev. 9:24 remained burning; and this fire was preserved burning all night
and day. Hence the need for "fire pans" (Ex. 27:3) to keep the fire
burning whilst the altar was being cleaned or the remains of sacrifices
removed from it.
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