WE HAVE A PRIEST
October 10, 2009
Leviticus 8 with Heb.7:23-8:2 Sermon #3
INTRODUCTION
We’re not very good at ceremonies in the Church of Scotland; at least that’s my view. I’ve been to services in other churches where ceremonies and rituals are their forte. The clergy are robed in bright, attractive vestments. The congregation know when to stand and knee and even when to leave their pew and come to the front. There’s all sorts of paraphernalia assaulting the senses: sight and sound and smell. When it’s done on a grand scale it can be very impressive.
We, however, don’t really go in for that sort of thing. The nearest we get to a grand occasion is the ordination and induction of a minister. All of Presbytery is expected to be present. We process into the church in single file. But because we don’t have a proper dress code we can look quite a motley crew. We’re supposed to be wearing our academic gowns and hoods. But none of it is uniform. Some opt for sober black. Others prefer the blue of the saltire. There are those who insist on what’s called ecumenical white; while there are others who refuse to wear anything other than a suit and tie.
My robes are second hand and have seen better days. But since I hardly wear them it’s not worth replacing them.
When we come to the part of the service where the Presbytery lays hands on the new minister there can be an almighty scrum, as we all jostle for position. It’s supposed to be one of the holiest days in a minister’s life. But I recall one colleague telling us that that as he knelt and bowed his head all he could think about was how on earth did these guys get their shoes so shiny.
The giving of the right hand of fellowship can be a bit of an obstacle course as ministers and elders try to pass each other in a tight space and then work out how to return to their own seat.
I don’t know how it looks to you, but from my vantage point these services aren’t always the dignified occasion they purport to be.
BRIDGE
Aaron’s ordination as high priest was not only a dignified occasion; it followed a very precise procedure as directed by the Lord God himself. The office of high priest was the most important in Israel. The ordination service not only served to induct the high priest into his office; it sent out a very clear message to everyone as to what God expected of them. For the high priest was the living embodiment of the nation.
Israel was called by God to be a nation of priests. That’s what the Lord had said to them at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Ex.19:6):
Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
They were to represent God to the whole the world, and the whole world to God. The priesthood in general and the high priest in particular were to be to Israel what Israel was to be to the rest of humanity. Hence, the elaborate ordination ceremony; the setting aside of these men for God’s service.
In 1Pet. 2:9 the apostle tells us:But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
The New Testament Church of Jesus Christ no longer has a priesthood—it is a priesthood. Every Christian has a priestly role. Right at this very moment we are fulfilling our priestly calling as we offer worship to God. Peter says that in 2:5: you also, like living stones, are being built into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Our calling is to represent God to the world and the world to God. On the one hand we declare the love and mercy of God to our unbelieving family and friends. On the other hand, through our prayers of intercession, we bring those who are in need to God’s throne of grace.
And if we are a kingdom of priests, we need a high priest, to lead us, and who himself represents us before the Living God. The Lord Jesus Christ is that high priest. This is the theme that weaves its way through the book of Hebrews. As we read in Heb.8:1:
We do have such a high priest who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
PLAN
Today we’re going to look at Aaron’s ordination service in Leviticus 8. But just as we did with the sacrifices, we’ll do so as Christians. If the New Testament writers looked back at this ceremony and could see how it pointed forward to the Lord Jesus, we have an obligation to be asking ourselves: what does this teach us about him and about his church?
TEXT
First, then, let’s look at Leviticus 8. Up till now Leviticus has dealt with instructions for the various sacrifices. There’s a summary statement in 7:37: These then are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering.
We’ve looked at just two of these, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering. Now it’s time to get the ball rolling; to implement the system. The tabernacle is all set. Everything is in place. All that’s needed are the staff.
Aaron and his sons have been set aside to be the priests for Israel. They will be assisted by their relatives from the tribe of Levi. However, they can’t just turn up on Monday morning and start offering sacrifices. They themselves have to go through an elaborate ceremony. As I’ve said before, you cannot barge in on God.
The process begins with washing (v.6). The outward cleansing is expected to mirror an inward, spiritual purity. As the Psalmist says:
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands [the outward] and a pure heart [the inward].
An outward show of morality and respectability doesn’t wash with the Living God. There must be inner purity too; purity of heart and mind.
Next (v7ff) Moses dresses Aaron in his high priest’s regalia. The tunic was an undergarment made from linen; the sash was long and embroidered and went round his waist; the robe was made of blue material and was worn over the tunic like a poncho. The ephod was like a vest or waistcoat that was worn over the robe. It supported the breastplate which was studded with twelve jewels representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The idea was that the high priest carried the entire nation close to his heart.
The Urim and Thummim mentioned in v.8 were a couple of stones which were used for casting lots (a bit like dice).
The turban was also made from blue material and attached to it was a gold plate on which were inscribed the words “holy to the Lord”.
These gorgeous vestments conferred a dignity on Aaron that was almost royal. No one could doubt the importance of his role. His ministry was nothing less than to mediate between God and the nation. Their standing before God depended on him.
But again all the outward paraphernalia counts for nothing if the inner man is not right. Ps.132:9: May your priests be clothed with righteousness
How often have simple Christian folk been so dazzled by pomp and ceremony, by gold and gilt, that they have been blind to the moral and spiritual poverty of their leaders? Never be fooled by outward appearances. Or by honours and titles—bishop, archbishop, Right Reverend, Very Reverend. May your priests be clothed with righteousness.
The next step in the process is to sanctify the tabernacle and all its furnishings, including the altar, before they can be used.
Only now (v.14) can the first sacrifices be offered; and they are for Aaron and his sons. There is no pretence that because they are the priests that they are intrinsically better or holier than anyone else. They too are sinners in need of forgiveness. In fact, we read in 9:2 that the first sacrifice Aaron himself offered was a bull calf, with echoes of his role in the Golden Calf fiasco. If he is to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people, he himself needs to be in a right relationship with God.
Again, how foolish we are when we imagine that ministers are somehow in and of themselves better than everybody else. A colleague of mine was telling a parishioner of sleepless nights following the birth of his son. She refused to believe him. She couldn’t imagine a minister’s baby being anything but an angel.
Let me assure you: ordination does not confer perfection, either on us or our children. Day and daily I need forgiveness of sins just as you do. And I assure you, before I preach any sermon to you I have preached it to myself first. You don’t want the kind of preacher whose mantra was “Do as I say not as I do.”
Next (v.23) Moses does something rather curious. He puts some of the blood from a ram on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. He does the same to Aaron’s sons.
What’s going on? It seems that this symbolises what is expected of the priests. The right side of a person, of anything, was considered the important side. Instead of covering them entirely with blood, Moses is symbolically indicating that their whole bodies are now handed over to God. With their ears they must listen for his word; with their hands they must serve him; with their feet they must walk in his ways. It takes us back to the Apostle Paul’s plea in Rom.12 that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. The priests were living sacrifices. Their whole selves were devoted to God.
Finally, v.30 tells us that Moses anointed Aaron and his sons with oil and blood: So he consecrated Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments.
To be anointed is a sign of being chosen and authorised by the Lord for a special task. Kings as well as priests were anointed.
The chapter ends with Moses telling Aaron and his sons to remain within the Tent of Meeting for seven days, the assumption being that there were more sacrifices to be offered during the course of the week. It all makes our Church of Scotland ordination services look rather lack-lustre by comparison.
APPLICATION
I wonder if you noticed that throughout the ordination service it was Moses who fulfilled the role of priest. It was Moses who washed Aaron and his sons; who dressed Aaron and who offered the sacrifices on their behalf. Moses was priest to the priests.
If we are to be a kingdom of priests, we ourselves need a priest. We need someone to offer a sacrifice on our behalf, to consecrate us, to anoint us; for we would not dare presume to serve God on our own initiative.
Therefore since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. (Heb.4:14)
You see, not only is the Lord Jesus the sacrifice that procures God’s forgiveness for us; he is the high priest who offers that sacrifice. Aaron and his sons operated within a system that was limited and temporary. The blood of bulls and goats and lambs could never eradicate sin. That’s proved by the fact that even the priests had to offer daily sacrifices for themselves. All they could do was offer the worshipper the assurance that he was reconciled to God until the next time.
They and the sacrifices they offered were prophetic pictures of the perfection that was to come in Christ. Heb.7:27: Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
He offered himself. The Lord Jesus is both the perfect sacrifice and the perfect priest who offers the sacrifice. And that sacrifice was once for all; it is sufficient for all time, never to be repeated.
Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. (Heb.7:26)
That’s your guarantee that what the Lord Jesus did on Calvary 2000 years ago is still effective today. You can look to the cross and to the Lamb of God hanging there, and claim him as your sacrifice. Do that by faith, and not only do you have your sacrifice, you have your priest, who will present himself to the Father as your perfect substitute.
And there’s more. The Lord Jesus’ priesthood continues (Heb.7:24): because Jesus lives for ever he has a permanent priesthood
Although he cried out on the cross, It is finished, signalling an end to his sacrificial work; yet his work as our great high priest is by no means over. v.25: Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for them.
Do you remember I told you that Aaron wore a breastplate studded with twelve jewels representing the twelve tribes of Israel? It was symbolic of him carrying the nation close to his heart; rather like some people these days who wear a locket with a picture of their loved ones inside.
The Lord Jesus Christ holds his beloved people close to his heart.
We read in Heb.4:15: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Here is a high priest who sympathises with us in our struggles. We might be so ashamed of where our darkest thoughts and desires are leading us that we are tempted to hide them from the Lord. Satan certainly tries to persuade us that if we were to confess such shameful secrets the Lord would be bound to spurn us in disgust. I’m sure that’s why there are so many back-slidden Christians who, having yielded to temptation, long to return to the fold, yet cannot bring themselves to do so, for they fear not only our condemnation, but the Lord’s.
Jesus isn’t like that. And neither should we. He sympathises with our weaknesses. He understands. “Facing temptation? Been there,” says Jesus.
You say, But he was without sin? How can he understand, how can he help, if he’s never actually sullied himself with sin?
Let me illustrate it this way: is a drunk any use to another drunk? Is an addict going to help another addict to break the habit? Does it not sometimes take someone who has been where the drunk has been, who has endured the pain and misery that can lead to someone hitting the bottle, yet has remained sober?
Is it not the loving mother or father, sitting through the night with their drug-addicted child , shivering with them, weeping with them, who sees them through safely to the dawn of a new day?
When our Lord Jesus Christ lived on earth wasn’t wrapped in cotton wool. He lived life in the raw. He knows what it’s like to be human. And therefore when we come to him in desperate prayer—with our fears and tears—he can truly say, I know, I know
More than that, he can and will help. He is able to save completely those who come to God through him for he always lives to intercede for them.
Dear struggling Christian, the Lord Jesus Christ is praying for you. Isn’t that a wonderful, comforting thought? The Lord Jesus Christ who died to save you continually brings you to his Heavenly Father’s attention so that nothing will stand in the way of you being saved completely.
Look at Rom.8:33: Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus—who died—more than that who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and his also interceding for us.
Our Lord’s prayers drown-out Satan’s accusations.
What exactly our Lord prays is beyond our knowledge. But we know that he prayed for his disciples while on earth. To blustering Simon Peter he said (Lk.22:32): Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back strengthen your brothers.
That prayer saved Peter from becoming another Judas.
John 17 tells us that the Lord poured out his heart to his Father saying: My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. (v.15)
And later (v.24): Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory
It’s hard to imagine two prayers more necessary for the people of God today.
Dear old Bishop Ryle puts it like this: Christ’s Priesthood is the great secret of a saint’s perseverance to the end. Left to ourselves there would be little likelihood of our getting safe home. We might begin well and end ill. So weak are our hearts, so busy the devil, so many the temptations of the world, that nothing could prevent our making shipwreck.
But thanks be to God, the Priesthood of Christ secures our safety. He who never slumbers and never sleeps is continually watching over our interest and providing for our need.
Start us in the narrow way of life, with pardon, grace and a new heart, and leave us to ourselves, and we should soon fall away. But grant us the continual intercession of an Almighty Priest in heaven—God as well as Man, and Man as well as God—and we shall never be lost.
CONCLUSION
The Old Testament believers required a priest to stand between then and God, to present their sacrifice to God. Friends, nothing has changed. We still need a sacrifice if we are to be at peace with God. And we still need a priest to present it for us.
Just as the Lord Jesus Christ is our perfect sacrifice, so he is our great high priest. Have you taken him as your sacrifice and priest? Are you depending on him, totally depending on him, not only to start you on the Christian road, but to take you to the end of the road and to heaven itself?
Here is a priest who bears you close to his heart; a priest who feels every sadness, every sorrow. Here is a priest who never forgets to pray for you.
Is he your great high priest? Can you say with men and women of faith: We do have such a high priest
Only a people with such a high priest can themselves fulfil the priestly calling of the church to the world: offering acceptable spiritual sacrifices to God; and declaring his praises to all who will listen.
