The Holy & the Profane

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Wednesday 06/20/18 

Message – The Holy & the Profane

Series: Thru the Bible

Podcast: Download (179.0MB)

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***Video is HERE***

 

Chapter 8

 

Vs. 1-28 Consecration and anointing of Priests into office

  • Material list:
    • Priestly garments
    • Anointing oil
    • Bull for sin offering
    • Two rams
    • A basket of unleavened bread
  • EVERYONE was to attend.
    • This almost certainly meant “representatives of each tribe” were to attend – MOST LIKELY in the persons of the representative elders and heads of each tribe.
    • Women were almost certainly not present – this was for propriety as much as anything else, because those becoming priests were going to be stripped and clothed rather publicly so…you figure it out!
    • They were present – in order that all in Israel might know and honor those God had chosen – being present when God accepted them into office.
    • Youth Pastor experience.
  • Washed with water (probably from the laver) – ceremonially clean.

 

First was Aaron as the High Priest:

  • He was clothed in priestly garb
  • Anointed…
    • Tabernacle and everything in it
    • Sprinkle 7x at the altar
    • Anointed altar and all utensils
    • Anointed laver and it’s base thus consecrating them
    • Then anointed Aaron by pouring on his head.

 

Second Aaron’s sons – the priests:

  • Clothed in priestly garb

 

Offerings for inauguration:

Bull for sin offering

  • Aaron and sons laying their hands upon the bull
  • Moses killed it
  • Blood on  horns all around to purify altar.
  • Poured remained at its base.
  • Took the fat (on entrails, tail,liver with the kidneys and attached fat) burned upon the altar.
  • The bull, it’s skin, meat and dung were burned outside the camp.

 

The 1st Ram for burnt offering

  • One ram brought in
  • Aaron and sons laying their hands upon the ram
  • Moses killed it
  • Blood on  horns all around to purify altar.
  • Poured remained at its base.
  • Divided it into pieces
  • Burned head, pieces and fat.
  • Washed entrails and legs in water and burned the whole ram.

 

The 2nd ram for consecration

  • Aaron and sons laying their hands upon the ram
  • Moses killed it
  • Blood on Aaron’s and his son’s right ears, thumbs and big toes.
  • Sprinkled around altar
  • Moses then took the …
    • fat tail
    • fat on entrails
    • fatty lobe on liver
    • the 2 kidneys with their fat
    • and the right thigh
    • One unleavened cake from the basket, a cake of bread anointed with oil, one wafer and put them on the fat and the right thigh
    • ALL THIS was placed into the hands of Aaron and his sons to be waved before the Lord
  • Moses then took them back and burnt them on the altar before the Lord.
  • Moses then took the breast and waved it as a wave offering to the Lord.
    • This was Moses’ portion
  • Moses then took some of the anointing oil and blood from the altar and sprinkled it on
    • Aaron and his garments
    • Aaron’s sons and their garments
    • In order to consecration them and their garments to the Lord

 

7 days of Consecration (setting into office – like a jewel in a ring)

 

Then Moses said,

Lev. 8:31-36, “(31) And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ (32) What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire. (33) And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you. (34) As he has done this day, so the LORD has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. (35) Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.” (36) So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses.”

The word “flesh” is NOT specifically talking about the skin of an animal, but the animal itself – those portions which were considered edible.

Days of consecration end with a sin offering and a burnt sacrifice…

Lev. 9:1-6, NKJV “(1) It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. (2) And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. (3) And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, (4) also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you.’ ” (5) So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of meeting. And all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. (6) Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded you to do, and the glory of the LORD will appear to you.”

  • Here God is instituting a new thing – as is signified by the the 7 days and the glory of the eighth day.
  • Aaron and sons were to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for THEMSELVES.
    • Sin Offering – Even though they had spent an entire week before the Lord at the tabernacle, they still sinned and therefore required further sacrifice.
    • Burnt Offering – Even though they had spent an entire week separated from the rest of the world in the presence of God – there was need for an awareness that dedication, devotion and consecration was a continual and ongoing process.
  • Israel too had sinned and lagged in diligence in their devotion to the Lord during the past week and needed their newly appointed priests to begin their lifelong work of aiding them in sacrifice to God and God in appropriating mercy and forgiveness to them.
    • They were to offer the sin offering for their sin.
    • The burnt offering as a outward sign of keeping of the 1st and greatest commandment (Love the Lord your God above all else and with all that you are allowing no rivals to His supremacy within your heart.)
    • The grain offering as a demonstration of keeping the first and greatest commandment – offering Him the first and best of everything.
    • The peace offering as an outward sign of gratitude to Him for His deliverance from bondage, His goodness and provision and in THIS case specifically for the promise of revealing to them His Own glory.

 

Offerings for the Priesthood

Lev. 9:7-14, NKJV “(7) And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.” (8) Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. (9) Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him. And he dipped his finger in the blood, put it on the horns of the altar, and poured the blood at the base of the altar. (10) But the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe from the liver of the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the LORD had commanded Moses. (11) The flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp. (12) And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar. (13) Then they presented the burnt offering to him, with its pieces and head, and he burned them on the altar. (14) And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.”

 

Offerings for the people

Lev. 9:15-22, NKJV “(15) Then he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one. (16) And he brought the burnt offering and offered it according to the prescribed manner. (17) Then he brought the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the burnt sacrifice of the morning. (18) He also killed the bull and the ram as sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people. And Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar, (19) and the fat from the bull and the ram–the fatty tail, what covers the entrails and the kidneys, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver; (20) and they put the fat on the breasts. Then he burned the fat on the altar; (21) but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded. (22) Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings.”

 

God shows up! (manifests Himself in His glory)

Lev. 9:23-24, NKJV “(23) And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, (24) and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”

  • The word bless means to bow, salute, kneel or greet. At any rate it was an act of humility of service FOR not a condescending nod to those lower and less important than themselves.
    • I get the picture of those we call “heros” in modern movies. When I was a child, Superman and Batman “served” the people, shied away from praise and recognition and acknowledged that their giftedness was given them to protect and serve – not to garner personal glory. IN STARK CONTRAST – today, you have arrogant characters like Ironman who thrives on the praise of others and acts as if it is due him for being so great. Consequently this is the difference between the modern “superstar” Christian minister and the Moses’ and Aaron’s of the past.
    • This is fitting for those who have truly met God. Such an encounter does not puff up, but it deflates the ego to it’s proper portion and fills the soul with overwhelming lowliness and deep, abiding gratitude.
    • Num. 12:3, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”
  • God showed His Glory
  • God shot fire (presumably from the tabernacle) and consumed all the sacrifices.
  • The people shouted – means they sang and shouted for joy – exalting God.
  • Fell prostrate on the ground – in wonder, awe and gratitude.
    • In wonder of God’s power and goodness.
    • In awe of His majesty and might
    • In gratitude at His acceptance of their sacrifice and thus, of themselves by such an amazing God.

 

All Who approach me MUST regard Me as HOLY!

Lev. 10:1-11, NKJV “(1) Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. (2) So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. (3) And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace. (4) Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.” (5) So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said. (6) And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled. (7) You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses. (8) Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying: (9) “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, (10) that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, (11) and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

  • This is what God had already told them and warned them LONG before this incident…
    • Exod. 30:8-9, NKJV “(8) And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. (9) You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.”
    • Exod. 19:20-25, NKJV “(20) Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. (21) And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish. (22) Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.” (23) But Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” (24) Then the LORD said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them.” (25) So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.”
  • Fellow Levites are called upon to minister to the minister
    • Aaron’s Uncle was Kohath – father of the Kohathites and brother to Aaron’s father Amram. Uzziel was Aaron’s Uncle Kohath’s son. So these two boys, Moses called upon to remove the bodies of Aaron’s sons were first cousins to Aaron.
  • Then Moses tells Aaron and his remaining sons – “Do NOT grieve!” – which was what uncovering their heads and tearing their clothes would have symbolized.
    • This was because to grieve would be to show more respect of heart for the two who had held God in low regard than for God Who had been disregarded. It would have been a breaking of the 1st and greatest commandment.
    • Breaking that commandment would have brought judgement upon themselves in that he would have been partaking of Nadab and Abihu’s sin of disrespect with them – and so they would have been consumed as well.
    • Also, if the these priests who represented the people before God – sinned in this way – all of Israel would be represented in their sin and God’s wrath would have to come upon them as well.
      • We need to understand the lessons of this!
        • 1st God is NOT heartless – nor does He lack understanding. It is HE Who gave us children and our affections for them – but, for us to regard the creature as more important than the Creator is a living lie and CANNOT be sustained!
        • 2nd Delegated authority is NOT symbolic but REAL and ALL authority belongs to God. For someone who has been delegated the authority from God to represent Himself before man and man before Him – to honor man BEFORE Him, would be an egregious sin! Though FAR less an example it would be like a Trustee or a fiduciary robbing from their employer those goods entrusted to their keep and spend it on themselves as though it belonged to them. Only the “goods” you would be stealing is the very authority of God and the supreme Honor due to Him. It would be a sin of the highest magnitude!
        • 3rd – representation does not just go one way. Even as the people had to depend upon the priests to represent them before God and therefore their very lives were in their hands – so the people this day would represent the Priest’s broken hearts for them and grieve their loss in a way that would be acceptable before God rather than dishonoring of Him.
        • They were to do these things because the “mantle” of the priesthood in the person of the Holy Spirit was upon them represented by the “oil” upon their heads. To sin thus, would be to symbolically make the Spirit of God party to their sin and represent a schism within the Godhead. We just do not KNOW what was truly going on here and how imperative this was!
        • THESE THINGS ARE REAL!!!!! If they had not been and if they had not been treated as such – then the representation of ALL humanity in Christ’s life, death and resurrection would not have been real and actual either! You cannot have it both ways! God Himself had to take pleasure in the sacrifice of the Living Word as a Human sacrifice and bruise His precious Son as if He were His enemy – not sparing Him – lest all perish! God asks NOTHING of us that He does not do Himself!
        • Aaron and his remaining sons – held their peace!
          • This was certainly not easy, but FROM THEIR HEARTS they had to regard God as more important than even kin, if they disregarded His holiness!
        • To add to the difficulty they had to listen to and obey the commands of Moses AND God – even while the loss of their sons and brothers was fresh upon their hearts.
          • Moses commanded them to stay at the every spot where the two had died at the door of the tabernacle.
          • God then told them not to drink alcohol before entering the Tabernacle or ministering the holy things before the Lord – so that they may be clear headed and therefore side-step further tragedy by clearly distinguishing between the holy and the unholy.
            • This MAY have been God’s way of explaining what had happened with his two sons in the first place. It is quite possible that Nadab and Abihu had gotten intoxicated and in their stupor failed to distinguish between the holy and the unholy!
            • This was also so that they – by word and by example might teach their brethren all the statutes of the Lord.
            • Sometimes just having an answer and a reason can go a long way in settling grief in the heart.

 

Their duties are NOT suspended – even those which required joy

Lev. 10:12-15, NKJV “(12) And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: “Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made by fire to the LORD, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy. (13) You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, of the sacrifices made by fire to the LORD; for so I have been commanded. (14) The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your daughters with you; for they are your due and your sons’ due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. (15) The thigh of the heave offering and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the offerings of fat made by fire, to offer as a wave offering before the LORD. And it shall be yours and your sons’ with you, by a statute forever, as the LORD has commanded.”

  • You MUST eat it without leaven beside the altar – it is MOST holy.
  • Then you must take of the breast of the wave offering and eat it with your family in a ceremonially clean place with ALL your family.
  • But the thigh of the heave offering must be eaten by you and your sons.
  • This meat of the sin offering was to symbolize them as priests and therefore as representative of Christ – to bear their guilt within them by the eating.

 

Moses follows up on their obedience

  • They had offered the offerings, but on the same day Aaron’s sons and their brothers had perished and though they could not grieve neither could they eat and have a light heart in the eating nor could they muster a merry heart, so they did what they believed was honorable and offered the remains as if it were a burnt offering before the Lord. For no one but the priests could eat of it, and they could not eat of it so rather than let it spoil and rot they offered it up.
  • This reasoning appeased Moses and he let the issue go.
  • This evidently became a bit of a tradition – that an high priest may offer, being a mourner, but not eat; but a common priest may neither offer nor eat if mourning – pointing to this passage, because Aaron offered and did not eat, but his sons did neither.

 

Next week I will teach on the next few chapters of Leviticus.

There is more information in the audio/video of the actual message. I hope you listen, learn and enjoy!

…Blessings! 

 

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

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Blessings!

 

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!