Exodus 29:1-6; Leviticus 8:1-9
"And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shalt put the miter upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the miter."-Ex. 29:1-6
"And the Lord spake unto Moses. saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. And he put the miter. upon his head; also upon the miter, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses."-Lev. 8: 1-9
It is interesting to observe that seven different things were necessary for the consecration of the priests.
Aaron and his sons were to be
Taken,
Brought,
Washed,
Clothed,
Anointed,
Their hands filled,
And they were to be sanctified.
" Taken.' " Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel." Ex. 28:1. Take Aaron and his sons with him." Lev. 8:2. Allusion is probably made to this in Heb. 5:1, " every high priest taken from among men.
Aaron was thus " called of God" unto the priesthood. He did not take this honor unto himself, or assume it out of his own fancy or self-will. " So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest." Heb. 5:5. He was God's servant, His elect in whom His soul delighted. He was the called of Jehovah. " I the Lord have called thee in righteousness." " The Lord hath called me from the womb." Isa. 42:1, 6 Isa. 49:1. And finally God raised him from the dead, saying unto Him, " thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee "and, " thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedeck "-thus taking Him from among the dead, and giving Him His call in resurrection, " called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedeck." Heb. 5:10.
What was true of Aaron was also true of his sons; they were also " taken," or called unto the priesthood. And the Lord severely judged the sin of Korah, when he endeavored to assume the priesthood, although he had apparently a nearer title to it than any of the other tribes, seeing he was of Levi.
And what is true of Christ as the High Priest is also true of all His priestly house-They are called of God. " We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called." Rom. 8:28-30. " Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession Christ Jesus." Heb. 3:1.
Sonship afresh declared in resurrection was joined with God's oath calling the Lord Jesus to be a Priest. So also, Christ's own house of priests are children of God, "of one" with Him that sanctifieth them, so that He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Of one life, of one Father, of one resurrection; of one family with Him who is the Head. If the Lord so judged the sin of Korah for attempting to intrude upon the earthly priesthood, what will be His solemn sentence against those who assume to be of the heavenly priesthood, taking their authority from mere human appointment, but who are still of the world, unconverted lost sinners-ignorant of God and of Christ, and leading into the ditch the blind, having their own eyes darkened.
" Brought." " Aaron and his sons, thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." "Moses brought Aaron and his sons." Ex. 29:4 Ex. 40:12; Lev. 8:6. Having been selected from the rest of Israel, and from the tribe of Levi, Aaron and his sons were brought before the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, where already the assembly was gathered together. The whole ceremony of their consecration was conducted in the presence of the Lord, and in the presence of the people, The objects for which they were sanctified as priests, were twofold first, that they might be brought near to God, and secondly, that they might use the access which was given to them, for the benefit and blessing of the people The Lord Jesus was brought again from the dead as the great shepherd of the sheep, and the High Priest of His people. "He is now in the presence of God for us." " He ever liveth to make intercession for us." His interests, His affections, His intercourse with God, are all in full ceaseless exercise on behalf of His own. His thoughts, His heart are with us here.
Ourselves being priests brought nigh to God, children of God, and of the household of Christ, we should have our interests, our affections occupied in the work and service of God on behalf of His saints. There is now no assembly distinct from the priestly house; but all who compose the assembly of God are kings and priests alike. In this respect therefore, there is a contrast between the scene in Lev. 8, where, Aaron and his sons, were distinct from the congregation; and the church of God, which is composed of the saints of the Most High, all alike loved by the Father, and by Christ-all alike washed in His precious blood-all children of God, and " kings and priests unto His God and Father."
Resurrection is, we may say, the new standing which God has given all that are His. It is a calling above the heavens, super-heavenly. The believer begins his existence as raised from among the dead-receiving a life in union with the risen Christ, " quickened together with him," brought nigh to God in Christ Jesus, by the blood of Christ; partaker of a super-heavenly calling, which has left the flesh and the world, and death, far, far behind; separated off forever to God in Christ; a calling of which Christ Himself in glory is the pattern; a profession of which He is the apostle, instructing the saints in all its blessings and glories; and of which He is the High Priest, ministering the power of such a wondrous calling, and sustaining the believer unceasingly in its height and glory.
" Washed." " And shall wash them with water." " And washed them with water." Ex. 29:4 Ex. 11:12 Lev. 8:6. This was the only time when Aaron and his sons were washed by another with water. Other washings they had constantly to observe, such as washing their hands and feet, but on this occasion they were washed all over. It is very interesting to remark here, that although in the Hebrew the same word (rah-ghatz) is used for both bathing or washing the whole of the body in water, and for washing the hands and feet; yet, in the Septuagint two words are employed; the one (louo) for the washing the whole body: (Ex. 29:4 Ex. 40:12; Lev. 8:6) and the word (nipzo, in later Greek nipto,) for the washing the hands and feet. Ex. 30:18,19,20,21 Ex. 40:30, 31, 32.
The use of the two words appears to be kept very distinct in John 13 where the Lord employs them both. When he speaks of washing the disciples' feet, He uses the word " niplo;" but when He alludes to their having been altogether washed from their sins, and being personally clean, He uses the word " louo." John 13:10; " he that is washed " louo " (or that has been perfectly washed all over,) needeth not save to wash his feet, " niplo," but is clean every whit; and ye are clean but not all." They were all personally clean except Judas, for they had all in truth believed on the Lord Jesus, with the exception of that false professor-and subsequently when he was gone out, the Lord could say of them all, without an exception, " ye are clean." John 15:3. So the believer at the present time has been once for all washed, and is clean. But he contracts daily defilements, which need to be washed off through the constant intercession of Christ, and ceaseless cleansing power of the blood-although he never again has to be rewashed all over, but is every whit clean, and made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.
This washing of the priests is evidently a figure of the complete cleansing, through which the sinner passes when he is saved, the washing of regeneration. It is the blood of Christ applied to the person by the Lord Himself, through the word, and by the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. Thus in Rev, 1:5, it is said, "Unto Him that loveth us and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Here the precious blood is the bath in which we have been washed from our sins, by the Lord Jesus. In Eph. 5:25,26, it is written, " Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word." In this passage, the same word is employed for washing as that in Titus 3:5, " the washing of regeneration." The word of God is here designated as the bath of water in which the church is cleansed: the Scriptures of truth revealing the death of Christ, and when received by faith, cleansing the sinner, and being also the incorruptible seed of life.
In John 3 the Lord Jesus says to Nicodemus, " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Here the new birth is effected by that which cleanses, and by the power of the Holy Ghost. The blood of Christ revealed in the Word of God and applied by the power of the Holy Ghost, regenerates the soul. Subsequently in the same chapter the Lord explains the mystery, by stating that the Son of Man must be lifted up upon the cross, and that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Christ crucified, gazed upon by faith, becomes thus the source of life to the sinner perishing in his sins.
In 1 Cor. 6:9-11, the apostle describes a variety of fearful uncleannesses and sins, which shut out those that commit them from the kingdom of God; and then adds, " Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." In this beautiful passage we have the threefold condition of the saved sinner: washed, made holy, and made righteous; and all through the power of the name of Christ, applied by the Spirit of God. The consecration of priests which we are considering presents also three aspects of the work of Christ.
They were washed, Lev. 8:6; they were sanctified, 5.30: and clothed with the linen garments, 5, 13, emblems of righteousness.
The most direct reference to this washing is in Heb. 10:22. " Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
In this chapter the sinner is through the one offering of Christ, forever sanctified and perfected for priesthood. A striking contrast is instituted between the outward sprinkling of the blood upon the persons and garments of the priests in Leviticus, and the inward sprinkling of the blood by the Spirit of God, upon the hearts of believers; cleansing them not only from sin, but from an evil conscience, which would otherwise keep them at a distance from God. Their bodies also are said to be washed with pure water, like the priests in Lev. 8 The word " pure" being added in order to distinguish the cleansing water of the New Testament from the mere typical water of the Old Testament.
The precious blood of Christ, the true Laver of regeneration, not only cleanses, so as to free us from wrath and judgment, but makes us altogether personally clean, in order that we may with confidence draw near to God. Ours is not a mere salvation from sins, and the penalty due to them; but it is a salvation of our whole persons; so that our bodies are the Lord's, and we are redeemed to God by the blood. It is this perfect fitness to stand in the presence of God which is here represented by the bodies washed with pure water. All distance between ourselves and the Most High has been abolished; we are made nigh by the blood of Christ, and it is our responsibility to know and use this nearness of approach, in the full assurance of faith.
" Clothed." Aaron and his sons were all washed together. In this perhaps there was a shadow of the resurrection of Christ and the Church, accomplished in the sight of God at the same time. Aaron was however "clothed" separately and before his sons. Ex. 29:5,6 Ex. 40:13 Lev. 8:7-9.
It is interesting to observe the order in which the garments were placed upon Aaron by Moses. The words in the Hebrew also are varied. First, he put upon him, (or literally, gave to him,) the coat. This is the embroidered coat described in Ex. 28:39, and already referred to in page 281 of this work.
Next, " he girded him with the girdle." The girdle of needle-work. Ex. 28:39; and 39:29,
(page 289) these were the two innermost garments. Then " he clothed him with the robe," " the robe of the ephod," Ex. 28:31-35, (page 256:) and put the ephod upon him, (literally gave to him, the ephod;) and girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod-or, the ephod-belt-and bound it unto him therewith: (literally ephodized him therewith.) Ex. 28:6-8. (pages 198, 200.)
And he put the breastplate upon him, (literally placed;) also he put in (or gave to) the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. Ex. 28:15-30, (page 203.)
And he put (or placed) the miter upon his head: also upon the miter upon his forehead did he put (placed) the golden plate, the holy crown. Ex. 28;36;38. (page 266.)
Thus Aaron was fully clothed in the garments for glory and beauty: and here is marked the first division of the chapter we are considering, by the words, " as the Lord commanded Moses."
This seems again to be an intimation of the separate glorious standing of the High Priest in his representative capacity on behalf of others; and may also dimly intimate the fact of the Lord Jesus, being raised as the Great High Priest for His people, previous to their being actually raised, as they will be at His second coming. Before that great day of manifestation arrives, we already by faith see Jesus at the right hand of God, " crowned with glory and honor.'