Leviticus 8:1–12

The earlier chapters have set out the offerings and sacrifices with their laws in full. So it was fitting that the priesthood should now be shown to us and duly established. We shall see that in these pictures, as in the earlier ones, the inspiring Spirit of God had the Lord Jesus in view. There is divine order here and nothing random — random only to eyes that judge by appearance, and Scripture says that is not righteous judgment.

Priesthood was what God proposed to Israel — what He had in mind in connection with redemption. "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself; now therefore, if you will obey My voice... you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." This was His original thought for them, and He held to it all the way through, though it could not be carried out then. In Christianity the redeemed really are priests. "I brought you to Myself," fully realised, is priesthood in at least one of its essential features: the ability to draw near to God.

In these chapters three things stand out: the authority of the word, the value of the blood, and the power of the Spirit. Take the authority of the word first. Both the consecration of the priests and the whole range of the sacrifices put us at once under the authority of the word of God. "And Moses said to the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done." ... He did not say, "This is the thing which is convenient, agreeable, or suitable." Nor did he say, "This is what the fathers arranged, or the elders decreed, or the scholars think." Moses knew nothing of such sources of authority. For him there was one holy, supreme source of authority: the word of the Lord. He would bring every member of the assembly into direct contact with that blessed source. ... The Lord had spoken. All that was needed was to hear what He had said, and obey.

Aaron and his sons had not chosen the priesthood. God had called them to it. The last verse of this chapter reads, "So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD commanded by Moses." The cause of all failure, whether in Israel or in the church, is departing from what the Lord has commanded.

All Israel gathered to witness their installation. That gathering marked how immense and how personal the importance of the priesthood was. The priests carried on the dealings of the Israelite with the Lord in the sanctuary, and the high priest carried on its most solemn part in the holiest place. ... It concerned deeply both the Lord and His people, every one of them.

All of this was required for their proper installation into the priesthood, and all of it spoke of Him who is God's High Priest, whether of His death or of His life here below.

In the consecration of Aaron and his sons, first came the bathing all over (verse 6), a picture of the new birth. Then came the blood of the sacrifice, applied to them (verses 23 and 24), a picture of the redeeming blood of Christ. Then came the oil (verse 30), a picture of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today no one becomes a priest unless a work has taken place in them — the new birth. They must also know the power of the blood of Christ, shed for them, and have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

There is special grace shown here. The whole assembly is called together at the entrance of the tent of meeting. The purpose was that all might have the privilege of seeing the one who was about to be entrusted with the care of their most important interests. Exodus 28 and 29 teach the same general truth about the clothing and sacrifices of the priestly office. In Leviticus, though, the congregation is brought in, and allowed to look on at every movement of the service of consecration. Each one, the lowest as well as the highest, was allowed to look at the person of the high priest, at the sacrifice he offered, and at the robes he wore. Each one had his own need, and the God of Israel wanted each one to see and know that his need was fully met by the many qualifications of the high priest who stood before him.

The consecration of Aaron and his sons is a picture. It shows what is involved in establishing all believers as priests in this present day of grace.

The garments were the coat and its belt, the robe and ephod with its skilfully woven band to fasten both firmly, the breastpiece with the Urim and the Thummim, and the turban with the golden plate. They were not the Day of Atonement garments, made of linen only. They were "for glory and for beauty." They express what Christ is and does for us as the great High Priest before God. In this way He represents His own.

The testimony to Christ in this opening scene is very striking, and it rests on two things. First, so far we have no shedding or sprinkling of blood, as we do where sinfulness comes before us in the cleansing of the leper (Lev. 14). Second, the anointing oil is used freely in verses 10-12... The absence of blood in the verses before us is the witness to Christ's excellency.

These three offerings present different aspects and effects of the death of Christ. The bull was for a sin offering. One ram was for a burnt offering and the other ram for consecration. The sin offering shows the death of Christ removing all that we were and all we had done in our fallen state and guilt... The burnt offering, on the other hand, shows the death of Christ bringing into acceptance all that is for the pleasure of God in man. The ram of consecration has the character of a peace offering, and here the thought is fellowship.

"Unleavened bread" — His sinless, spotless manhood. "Mixed with oil" — His body conceived by the Holy Spirit. "Anointed with oil" — His public anointing by the Holy Spirit at the Jordan... everything in that basket is brought along with the bull and the two rams, so we must not separate His life from His death... It was His perfect Manhood and spotless Life that gave His death all its power.

In the consecration of Aaron and his sons there was the bathing all over (verse 6), a picture of the new birth. Then came the blood of sacrifice (verses 23 and 24), a picture of the redeeming blood of Christ. Then came the oil (verse 30), a picture of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today no one becomes a priest without all three. The new birth must be worked in them. They must know the power of the blood of Christ, shed for them. And they must have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

All Israel gathered to watch the priests installed, and that showed the immense and personal importance of the priesthood. The priests made the Israelite's contact with Jehovah in the sanctuary possible, and the high priest carried out its most solemn part in the holiest place... the whole assembly had to gather at the entrance of the tent of meeting to see the great sight (1-5). It concerned both Jehovah and His people deeply, every single one.

There is special grace shown here. The whole assembly is called together at the door of the tent of meeting, so that all could have the privilege of seeing the man who was about to be trusted with their most important interests... The humblest member of the assembly had his own place. Each one, the lowest as well as the highest, was allowed to look at the high priest himself, at the sacrifice he offered, and at the robes he wore. Each one had his own particular need, and the God of Israel wanted each to see and know that the many qualifications of the high priest standing before him met that need in full.

"Before the door of the tent of meeting" has a most important meaning in these ordinances. Inside the tabernacle, in the holiest place of all, Jehovah spoke directly with Moses. Outside, yet still joined to the tabernacle, was the place where He met the people. There God came out — not to reveal Himself, but to send messages from Himself to the people — and there the people had access to Him.

Critics have attacked this statement severely. They reject the report as untrustworthy, since a congregation of several million could hardly have gathered at the door of the tabernacle. For this reason they have branded the account as legendary... But the words do not have to mean that every single person was present at the door of the tabernacle, and that everyone stayed there for the whole seven days of the ceremony. Perhaps only the representatives of the tribes were called to watch everything that was done; these appointed leaders stood for the whole assembly of Israel. Everything was carried out according to God's command. Chapter eight states this fact at least twelve times.

All the congregation of Israel gathered at the door of the tabernacle to watch the priests being consecrated. God wanted all His people to understand how important the priests' place of privilege was, and all that was needed for them to enter their holy office. Aaron and his sons had not chosen the priesthood; God had called them to it... All failure, whether in Israel or in the church, comes from one thing: departing from what the Lord has commanded.

Aaron and his sons had not earned this privilege. It came to them by pure grace. Hebrews 5:4 states plainly that "no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was." So the privilege of priestly status and service comes by God's appointment.

Aaron and his sons, together, represent Christ and His priestly house. Aaron alone represents Christ in His sacrificial and intercessory functions. Moses and Aaron, together, represent Christ as King and Priest. "The eighth day" represents the day of resurrection-glory.

Leviticus 8 records how Moses himself acted in complete obedience to God's command when he came to the setting apart of Aaron and his sons. Exodus 29 showed us how it was all to be done. Now we are allowed to see how carefully Moses obeyed. Soon afterwards God gave him this commendation: "My servant Moses ... is faithful in all My house" (Numbers 12:7).

Everything was carried out according to God's command. Chapter 8 points to this fact at least twelve times. It was all by God's appointment. God called Aaron to this office, and in this he was a picture of Christ in His work as priest.

All Israel gathered to watch the priests take office, and that showed how great and how personal the importance of the priesthood was. The priests carried on the Israelite's dealings with the LORD in the sanctuary, and the high priest carried on the most solemn part of it in the holiest place... the whole assembly had to gather at the entrance of the tent of meeting to see the great sight. It concerned both the LORD and His people deeply, every one of them.

Special grace is opened up here. The whole assembly is called together at the door of the tent of meeting, so that everyone could have the privilege of seeing the man who was about to be trusted with their most important interests... here the congregation is brought in and allowed to watch every movement of this solemn and moving service of consecration. The humblest member of the assembly had his own place. Each one, the lowest as well as the highest, was allowed to look at the high priest himself, at the sacrifice he offered, and at the robes he wore.

But the words need not mean that every single person stood at the door of the tent, or that they all stayed there for the whole seven days of the ceremony. Perhaps only the representatives of the tribes were called to witness all that was done. These appointed leaders stood for the whole assembly of Israel.

The setting apart of Aaron and his sons is a picture of what is involved in making all believers priests in this present day of grace... The whole congregation of Israel was to be gathered for this event (vv. 3-4) at the entrance of the tabernacle.

So the believer can look with the eye of faith at his great High Priest in heaven, and see in Him the divine realities that Aaron's robes were only shadows of. The Lord Jesus Christ is the holy One, the anointed One, the One who wears the turban and the belt. He is all this, not because of outer garments that can be put on and taken off, but because of the divine and eternal graces of His Person, the unchanging power of His work, and the lasting worth of His sacred offices.

Look at the authority of the word here. It is deeply interesting that the consecration of the priests brings us at once under the authority of the word of God. So does the whole range of the sacrifices... "This is the thing that the LORD has commanded." He did not say, "This is the thing that is convenient, agreeable, or suitable." Nor did He say, "This is what the voice of the fathers, the decree of the elders, or the opinion of the teachers has arranged." Moses knew nothing of such sources of authority. For him there was one holy, high, supreme source of authority: the word of the Lord. And he wanted to bring every member of the assembly into direct contact with that blessed source. This gave the heart assurance, and settled every thought.

Here we see special grace. Moses gathered the whole assembly at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So everyone had the privilege of seeing the man about to be trusted with their most important interests. Exodus teaches the same general truth about the robes and sacrifices of the priestly office. But Leviticus brings the congregation in and lets them watch every movement of this solemn, impressive service. Each one, the lowest as well as the highest, could look at the high priest himself, at the sacrifice he offered, and at the robes he wore.

All Israel gathered to watch the priests begin their work. That gathering marked how great and how personal the importance of the priesthood was. For the priests carried on the Israelite's dealings with the Lord in the sanctuary. The high priest carried on the most solemn part of it, in the Most Holy Place.

But the words need not mean that every single person stood at the entrance of the tent. Nor need they mean that all of them stayed there for the whole seven days of the ceremony. Perhaps only the representatives of the tribes were called to watch all that was done; these appointed leaders stood for the whole assembly of Israel. Everything was carried out according to the divine command. The eighth chapter points to that fact at least twelve times. It was all according to divine appointment. Aaron was called by God to this office, and in this he was a picture of Christ in His work as priest.

Aaron and his sons had not chosen the priesthood; God had called them to it... The cause of all failure, whether in Israel or in the church, is simply departing from what the Lord has commanded.

In the consecration of Aaron and his sons there was first the washing all over (verse 6). That is a picture of the new birth. Then came the applying of the blood of the sacrifice (verses 23 and 24), a picture of the redeeming blood of Christ. Then came the applying of the oil (verse 30), a picture of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

I write in earnest affection, and with a deep sense of my responsibility to my reader. So I urge him to pay careful attention to one thing: holding close to the word of God — I had almost said severely close — and bowing to it with reverence. Let him test everything by that standard, and reject all that does not come up to it. Let him weigh everything in that balance, and throw out all that is not full weight. Let him measure everything by that rule, and refuse every departure from it.

Leviticus 8 records how Moses obeyed God's command exactly when he came to the consecration of Aaron and his sons... So their consecration began with the bathing all over (verse 6), which pictures the new birth. Then came the blood of the sacrifice (verses 23 and 24), which pictures the redeeming blood of Christ. Then came the oil (verse 30), which pictures the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today no one becomes a priest unless God has done a work in them — the new birth. They must also know the value of the blood of Christ, shed for them, and have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

First Aaron and his sons were washed with water. This pictures "the washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5). Compare also John 13:10. It is not cleansing by blood. Blood cleansing has to do with the death of Christ satisfying God's justice for us. The washing or bathing in water pictures something else: God's cleansing work within us. That is the new birth, and it makes a difference in our character and actions. So a priest must be born again by God. Of course this is not true of the Lord Jesus, in whom there is no sin, and who always had the nature of God. But the washing of Aaron reminds us that Christ, being Himself "separated from sinners," has identified Himself in grace with all those who share the divine nature.

This work took place "at the entrance of the tent of meeting," which suggests it looks toward going in to God in the place where He dwells... Scripture mentions both sprinkling and washing. We are the subjects of this twofold work, and that is why we have boldness to enter. The heart "sprinkled clean from an evil conscience" gives us "full assurance of faith." The body "washed with pure water" gives us "a true heart." The sprinkling is by blood. The washing is by water, as we have here in the picture. The first has meant a judicial cleansing for us, dealing with our guilt. The second has meant a moral cleansing, dealing with our unclean state.

Moses washed Aaron with water. Seen on his own, Aaron becomes a figure of the absolute purity of Christ. Christ was without spot in Himself. Aaron only pictures that purity, through the Word applied to him... Take Aaron together with his sons, and the washing pictures another truth. Only those who are born again, set apart to God by the Word applied to their souls, can take the place of priests and enjoy the privilege of "ministering" in the holiest. No man can make a priest. To pretend otherwise ignores the plainest and most basic teaching of the Scriptures.

First, Moses washed Aaron and his sons with water. That pictures Christ and His people as God saw them in His eternal plan — set apart together, in purpose. (Lev. 8:6)

The Lord's words in John 13:10 throw more light on this. He used two words for wash, and the first means to wash all over, or bathe. So He said that the one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. He was pointing to the twofold washing of the priests: the bathing at their consecration (Lev. 8:6), which was once for all, and the frequent later washings of hands and feet every time they entered the sanctuary (Ex. 30:19).

Exodus 28 describes each item, and Exodus 39 confirms that God's directions for the High Priest's garments of glory and beauty were carried out. Leviticus 8 sets Aaron before the reader as Moses dresses him in his priestly clothes. So if Exodus 28 reminds us more of the workroom, Leviticus 8 takes us into the robing room.

The garments were not those of the atonement day, which were of linen only. They were "for glory and beauty": the coat and its sash, the robe, and the ephod with its skilfully woven band to fasten both firmly. Then came the breastplate with the Urim and the Thummim, and the turban with the golden plate. They express what Christ is and does for us as the great High Priest before God. This is how He represents His own.

To be dressed, Aaron first had to put on the coat and tie a sash round it. These were of white linen. As the garment worn under all the rest, the coat surely stands for the spotless purity of the One whom Aaron pictured. Over the white linen coat came the robe, and its colour was blue.

Under the ephod was the long robe, "all of blue." Blue is the colour here most characteristic of Christ. Faith could say of Him even while He was on earth, "the Son of Man who is in heaven" (John 3:13, older translations). How much more certainly now, when He has passed through the heavens and entered once for all into the holy places, having secured an eternal redemption! So "blue" runs through these pictures, even where other glories appear. But the purple and the scarlet did not fade, because the blue prevailed. He is the King and King of kings, though He is acting in other relationships for now.

In the ephod we have first, gold — God's righteousness, suitability for His presence according to His holy character. The other beautiful materials were worked with the gold into the garment of fine twined linen. That linen pictured the person of Him who said, "A body have you prepared for me." The embroidered band was made of the same materials, and it speaks of the great characteristic of this garment. The word "ephod" itself has the sense of being "girded on." So we can see how it pictured ministry to the Lord, finding its fulfilment in Him who also said, "I have come to do your will, O God."

Aaron is now separated from his sons for the next action; he is robed and anointed alone. First come the priestly garments described in the last chapter — the garments for glory and beauty. Then oil is poured on his head to anoint him... when Aaron is alone he stands before us as a picture of Christ; but when he is with his sons, the Church is shown as the priestly family... He is anointed without blood as a figure of Christ. The One Aaron pointed to was absolutely holy, and needed no blood.

So the prodigal son, when he turns to God and finds in Him the Father... is clothed for the first time with "the best robe," and adorned with honour throughout. We are urged in practice not only to cast off the works of darkness but to put on the armour of light. More generally still, we are urged to put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:12, 14). In principle, all the baptised are said to have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).

The garments — the coat, the robe and ephod, the breastplate with the Urim and the Thummim, and the turban with the golden plate — were not those of the atonement day, of linen only, but "for glory and beauty." They express what Christ is and does for us as the great High Priest before God... The breastplate of judgment was on his heart for a memorial continually. It held a still more precious token: twelve stones of rare value, each bearing a name of Israel's sons. In it Moses put the Urim and the Thummim, the lights and the perfections.

The meaning of these Hebrew words is "lights" and "perfections." They were distinct from the gems on the breastplate, for Moses put the breastplate on Aaron, and "in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim" (Lev. 8:8). It is clear that God answered questions by means of the Urim and the Thummim.

For some wise reason Scripture does not give the details of how they were placed in the breastplate, or how they worked. Guessing about this would serve no good purpose. Moses put them in "the breastplate of judgment." The breastplate seems to get this title from the Urim and Thummim. Judgment here does not mean condemnation, but discernment and guidance. In everyday speech we speak of a man of sound judgment, that is, one able to give wise counsel.

Many passages of the Word connect the "Urim" with God making His mind known on the questions that came up in Israel's history. For example, at the appointment of Joshua we read, "He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord" (Num. 27:21)... "And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets" (1 Sam. 28:6)... So we learn two things. The high priest carried the judgment of the congregation before the Lord. He also brought the judgment of the Lord back to the congregation.

The breastplate is called the breastplate of judgment. We might have thought it would be called the breastplate of love. But love is made perfect with us in just this, that we might have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world. What can the holy judgment of God say to those who are only seen as written in each precious stone? ... They shone in the breastplate, and made clear the beauty and perfection of the setting of the names according to the judgment of God.

A precious stone has this special excellence: the stronger the light shone on it, the brighter it shines... Whatever their weaknesses, errors, or failures, their names sparkled on the breastplate and never lost their brilliance. The Lord had set them there, and who could pluck them from it?

In Nehemiah's day there were matters that could not be settled until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim. In the Lord Jesus we have such a Priest, One in whom is all the mind of God, in whom all light and perfections are found.

We too need to truly recognise the lights and perfections of Christ in His saints. Without that, we will not have the discernment to judge any important problem that arises.

The headdress of the high priest. It was made of fine linen. A blue cord tied "the plate of the holy crown of pure gold" to it. The plate carried the engraved words "Holiness to the Lord." This plate came across the forehead. The headdress pictured how the Lord Jesus upholds purity, righteousness and holiness as the Minister of the sanctuary, or holy place.

Moses next placed the turban on Aaron's head. That covering reminds us that every thought of the Lord Jesus was always kept in perfect subjection to His God and Father. The golden plate went on the front of the turban, with its inscription, "Holiness to the Lord." So the Lord's thoughts were always consistent with the absolute holiness of God.

It is twice called "the holy crown" (Ex. 39:30; Lev. 8:9). This reminds us that ours is a crowned Priest. He whose blessed brow was once encircled with the crown of thorns is now "crowned with glory and honour" (Heb. 2:9). Whatever God saw in the people of Israel, He always saw holiness in the priest. That was true as a picture, of course; Aaron himself was no better than his fellow Israelites.

The golden plate on Aaron's forehead was the picture of the essential holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. "It shall be ALWAYS upon HIS forehead, that THEY may be accepted before the Lord." What rest for the heart in the middle of all the ups and downs of one's experience! Our High Priest is "always" in the presence of God for us. We are represented by Him, and accepted in Him. His holiness is ours.

There are no times when we so much need the gracious help of the Lord Jesus as when we meet for worship. We are so weak that, with the purest motives and the best intentions, we cannot offer spiritual sacrifices to God perfectly. Worse still, sin is seldom absent from what we do. Our comfort is that all our offerings come before God through the hands of the perfectly Holy One in His presence. God looks at Him — at His perfections — and so accepts His people and what they bring.

Moses washed them all with water. Then he put the priestly garments on Aaron and "poured the anointing oil on Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him" (Lev. 8:6-12). When Aaron is alone — apart from his sons — he is anointed without blood. Later, together with his sons, the sprinkling of the blood came before the anointing oil (verses 13-30). The reason for the difference is clear. Aaron with his sons pictures the Church as the priestly family. Aaron alone is a picture of Christ. So he is anointed without the blood. This sets out the truth that the One he pictured was "harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." He did not need the blood, since He was without spot or blemish, and holy before God.

Read Leviticus 8, 9 and 10, and then Leviticus 16:1-4. It appears that Aaron wore these beautiful robes only at his consecration. Failure came in with his two elder sons. From then on he had to appear before God wearing only the linen coat and undergarments. The garments for glory and beauty had to be laid aside as a reminder of what might have been. In Hebrews 2:7 we read of Jesus, who is our High Priest, being "crowned with glory and honour." His garments of glory and beauty are never laid aside, since He is a Priest for ever. What a contrast!

This opening scene gives very striking testimony to Christ, in two facts. So far we have no shedding or sprinkling of blood — unlike the cleansing of the leper (Lev. 14), where sinfulness is the subject. And the anointing oil is used freely in verses 10-12... The tabernacle and all that was in it are anointed with the oil that speaks of the Holy One. Moses sprinkled the altar seven times to anoint it and all its utensils, with the laver and its base. Then, confirming this exceptional aim, he poured the anointing oil on Aaron's head. This was not the purifying action of the Holy Spirit, but His energy. It bore witness to Christ's title to have and fill all with the power of God.

The holy anointing oil was first put on the tabernacle, and all that was in it, to sanctify them. Only after that was it poured on Aaron's head. The tabernacle was God's dwelling place. It stood for the whole universe, which will come under the fragrance of the Spirit of Christ. That is what this holy ointment signifies. This is what God had in mind, in His counsels of love — to have a whole universe filled with the sweet odour of what Christ is to Him.

The tabernacle is the house of God. It is the scene where He shows Himself, and the place of priestly service and worship. Everything in it was anointed with the holy oil, and that teaches us this. Everything connected with the house of God must be ordered in the power of the Holy Spirit — how it is run, its service, and all the priestly work carried on in it (see 1 Peter 2:5). Ordered that way, it will express the sweet fragrance of Christ to God... Suppose everything connected with the house of God were arranged by His own word, and yet the holy anointing oil — the power of the Holy Spirit — were missing. It could not be acceptable to Him.

Exodus 30:25 calls the oil "a holy anointing oil." Exodus 30:32 says of it, "It is holy, and it shall be holy to you." Anointed with it, the tabernacle, the ark of the testimony, the table and its vessels, the lampstand and its vessels, the altars of incense and of burnt offering with their vessels, the laver and its base — all are sanctified, "that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy."

God's purpose is to "put all things under His feet," and to set Him at the head of all glory, both above and below... Christ's headship of creation will be shared with the Church. Even so, it stands above and apart from any such relationship. His headship flows from the mighty fact that "by Him all things were created" (Col. 1:16). Aaron, as a picture of Him, was anointed, and the tabernacle and its vessels with him, before his sons received the sacred oil (Lev. 8:10-12).

The whole assembly was allowed to see the high priest clothed in his official robes, wearing the turban and anointed. And there was more. As each garment was put on, as each act was performed, as each ceremony was carried out, everyone could see that it rested on the authority of the word. There was nothing vague, nothing arbitrary, nothing imaginative. God had settled it all.

The testimony to Christ in this opening scene is very striking, in two ways. First, so far we have had no shedding or sprinkling of blood. We do see blood where the type of sinfulness comes before us in the cleansing of the leper (Leviticus 14). Second, the anointing oil is used freely in verses 10-12. But the absence of blood in the verses before us is the witness to Christ's excellency. The tabernacle and all that was in it are anointed with the oil that speaks of the Holy One. It was not the purifying action of the Holy Spirit. It was His energy, bearing witness to Christ's title to have all things and to fill them with the power of God.

No blood has been sprinkled or shed yet. Atonement is therefore not the basis of the anointing, and none is needed as yet. This bears witness to Christ in His own personal, perfect acceptability to God.

Finally the consecration ceremony was to be repeated, and the altar cleansed, daily for seven days, showing the perfection (seven) that must always mark whatever God has to do with.

Before the holy anointing oil was poured on Aaron's head, it was first put on the tabernacle and everything in it, to sanctify them. The altar of burnt offering was where the sacrifices were offered to God. The basin and its stand were where the priests washed their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle to serve the Lord. These were anointed too, for everything relating to the service of God in His universe must be fragrant with the sweet fragrance of Christ to God.

Everything connected with the house of God must be ordered in the power of the Holy Spirit — its regulation, its service, and all the priestly work carried on in it (see 1 Peter 2:5). When it is ordered that way, it will express the sweet fragrance of Christ to God… If everything connected with the house of God were arranged even according to His own word, and yet the holy anointing oil — the power of the Holy Spirit — were lacking, it could not be acceptable to Him. Notice the effect too: everything is sanctified… Whatever His power rests on is set apart for God, and everything that comes under His action, even by contact, is also claimed as holy.

Here we have, I think, a bright insight into the way the universe is filled with glory. When Aaron alone is anointed without blood, the tabernacle is anointed too. In Christ there is a fullness of divine power, spiritual grace and glory. That fullness fills the whole created scene that witnesses to the glory of God.

The anointing of the tabernacle in connection with Aaron has been taken as showing Christ's personal claim to the universe. But for that, the order would have to be reversed. And the reason for anointing the altar and the basin does not appear. These last are certainly connected with the work of human recovery. The tabernacle itself was a pattern of heavenly things, but it was in fact the dwelling place of God among the people. May this anointing not rather show something else? The tabernacle expresses His delights with the sons of men, even though man is fallen, as altar and basin show. Those delights find their justification in this wonderful Person who has become Man, and on whom for the first time the Spirit of God can rest.

But notice that, as God had directed, Moses poured the anointing oil on Aaron's head; he did not simply sprinkle it (verse 12). Here Aaron stands as a picture of our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. He needed no blood put on Him. The Spirit anointed Him in a perfection that was His alone.

This opening scene gives a striking testimony to Christ in two ways. First, so far no blood has been shed or sprinkled — unlike the leper's cleansing in Leviticus 14, which pictures sinfulness. Second, Moses uses the anointing oil freely in verses 10-12. When Aaron's sons come near, which happens next, the sin offering comes near too... But its absence in the verses before us is the witness to Christ's excellence... This was not the Holy Spirit's cleansing work. It was His power, testifying to Christ's right to possess all things and to fill all with the power of God.

When Aaron is alone — apart from his sons — Moses anoints him without blood. Later, when he stands with his sons, the sprinkling of the blood comes before the anointing oil (verses 13-30). The reason for the difference is clear. Aaron together with his sons pictures the Church as the priestly family. Aaron alone is a picture of Christ. So Moses anoints him without the blood, to show that the One he pointed to was "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners." He did not need the blood, because He had no spot or blemish, and He was holy before God.

So Aaron alone received the blood only after his earlier anointing with oil (v. 12). In the same way, the Spirit anointed Christ when John baptized Him. The blood came later, when He shed it at Calvary. After this, Aaron's sons received the blood before the oil, just as the blood of Christ cleansed believers first, and then they received the Spirit of God at Pentecost (Acts 2).

This set him apart from his sons in a special way. In their case the anointing oil, with blood from the altar, is sprinkled on them. Psalm 133 notes this pouring of the oil on Aaron's head, from where it ran down to his garments. When the Spirit of God came down as a dove on Jesus, no one else was anointed. When He went up on high, He received the Spirit as Head, to give to us. He holds this place of Head, and everything flows from Him.

This ointment began at his head and spread to the far edges of his robes, right down to the fringe. Unity is like that. It all begins from the Head. And notice: it begins from the priestly Head, not the royal head. This was not the ointment poured on David... Everything begins with Christ at the right hand of God, though it comes all the way down to the furthest edge of His garments here on earth.