The Offerings for Aaron and the Priests
9: 8-14
The offerings for Aaron and the priests DIG: Why do you think the sacrifice of Aaron’s sin was made before the one for the people’s sin? Why did Aaron put blood on the horns of the golden altar inside the Holy Place? How is Yeshua related to Aaron and his sons?
REFLECT: Hebrews 7:11-28 tells us that Yeshua Messiah is now our High Priest. How does that affect your walk with Him? How would you explain God’s process of reconciliation to someone who did not understand it? With whom will you share it this week?
Aaron’s actions in carrying out these sacrifices served
as a public admission of his own sinfulness and need for forgiveness.
A bull for a chatta’t offering: So, Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the bull-calf for the chatta’t offering (to see link click Aq – The Chatta’t Offering: Communicating God’s Forgiveness) which was for himself and his sons (9:8). The bull-calf that Aaron used is referred to as the egel, the same word used for the golden calf (see the commentary on Exodus Gq – The Golden Calf Incident). So, it seems that one egel atoned for the other! The rabbis ask, “Why was an egel chosen for Aaron’s chatta’t offering?” God wished to show by means of this bull-calf that Aaron would be forgiven his role in the sin of the golden calf incident. Aaron and his sons offered their chatta’t offering according to the same procedure Moshe had followed during the seven-day orientation. The sons of Aaron caught the blood in bowls and presented it to him; and Aaron dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the golden altar in the Holy Place (see Exodus Fp – Altar of Incense in the Sanctuary: Christ, Our Advocate with the Father). Because the priests would ordinarily minister inside the Sanctuary, potentially, they might defile it; thus, the blood of their chatta’t offering was brought inside as a cleansing ritual. So far, Aaron and his sons had not been in the Sanctuary. They could not have defiled it.130
Dear Holy Heavenly Father, Praise Your love and holiness! I so enjoy being loved by You and thinking of You as a great God of love – which you are; but You are also holy. Your love never ignores sin. Your holiness and love work together. Praise You that Your own arm brought righteousness. Now when ADONAI saw it, it was displeasing in His eyes that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one – He was astonished that no one was interceding. Therefore, His own arm brought salvation for Him, and His righteousness upheld Him (Isaiah 59:15c-16).
Thank You that though all have sinned (Romans 3:23), You paid the way for those who love You and have put their faith in You as their Lord and Savior, to have Messiah’s righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21) and to be accepted into Your family. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all – richly generous to all who call on Him. For “Everyone who calls upon the name of ADONAI shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13).
Praise You so much for opening the door of being in Your family (Ephesians 1:5,10,12) to people of all races, all ages, male and female. For you are all sons of God through trusting in Messiah Yeshua. For all of you who were immersed in Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua (Galatians 3:26-28). We are so thankful that You are a Great God of both Love and Holiness! In the holy name of the One who sits at Your right hand, and by the power of His righteousness. Amen
Continuing with the ritual, Aaron’s sons caught more blood from the bull-calf in bowls and brought it to him, which he splashed it against all sides of the altar. Then Aaron’s sons skinned and divided the ram according to the prescribed ritual procedure. The son’s handed the pieces to their father, the fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver of the purification offering, who in turn arranged them on the bronze altar as ADONAI had ordered Moshe. The meat and the skin were burned up completely outside the camp (9:10-11).
A ram for an ‘olah offering: Following the chatta’t offering, Aaron and his sons slaughtered a ram for their ‘olah offering (see Ao – The ‘Olah Offering: Providing Access to God), which recalls the sacrifice of Isaac (see the commentary on Genesis Fo – Abraham Saw a Ram Caught by Its Horns, So He Called that place The LORD Will Provide). Aaron’s sons skinned and divided the ram according to the prescribed ritual procedure. They brought Aaron the ‘olah offering, piece by piece, and the head; and he made them go up in smoke on the bronze altar. He washed the inner organs and the lower parts of the legs and made them go up in smoke on top of the burnt offering on the altar (9:12-14). Aaron’s actions in carrying out these sacrifices served as a public admission of his own sinfulness and need for forgiveness.131 Having completed the priestly offerings, they were then ready to turn their attention to the sacrifices on behalf of the people of Isra’el (see Be – The Offerings for the People of Isra’el).
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