Prior to the formal appointment of the tribe of Levi to offer sacrifices in behalf of Israel, there were men among them recognized as priests by the congregation. When the people were gathered at Sinai to receive the law, the Lord said, "And also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out upon them" (Exo. 19:22). These special priests may have been the firstborn sons of the Israelites, for they had been told previously to consecrate all of these unto the Lord (Exo. 13:2, 15). In any event they were young men who served in this capacity, for Moses "sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord" (Exo. 24:5). They corresponded to "the young men" who were assistants to the apostles before men were specially ordained in the church to minister in temporal matters (Acts 5:6, 10).
In the instructions given to Moses for the construction of the tabernacle, God said, "Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests-- Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and lthamar" (Exo. 28:1). The priesthood being changed, there was made of necessity a change of the law (Heb. 7:12). No longer could an Israelite offer sacrifices as in the previous dispensation. The tribe of Levi was consecrated to God in behalf of the entire congregation. The Lord killed the firstborn of every home in Egypt to purchase redemption for Israel. For this reason he demanded in return the firstborn of every family in Israel. Then he adopted the tribe of Levi instead of the firstborn of all the tribes, thus guaranteeing the separation of the tribes until the Messiah came. God said, "Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn that opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel" (Num. 3:11-13).
Levi had three sons: Gershom, Kohath and Merari. Aaron was of the family of Kohath. Only Aaron and his direct descendants could be priests (Num. 3:3). The rest of the descendants of Gershon, Kohath and Merari constituted the Levites. God said, "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest that they may minister to him. They shall perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle; they shall have charge of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and attend to the duties for the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend unto their priesthood; but if anyone else comes near, he shall be put to death" (Num. 3:5,10). All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. We are especially interested in the service of the priests.
2. Physical. A priest had to be physically perfect, that is, possessed of all members of the body, with each properly proportioned. One who was blind, lame, mutilated or blemished in any fashion could not minister at the altar. Such a person could be sustained by the priest's ration, but was not allowed to participate in the services (Lev. 21:16-23). No priest was permitted to shave off the edges of his beard or to make any cuttings in his flesh (Lev. 21:5). At the same time, the high priest was not to let the hair of his head hang loose (Lev. 21:10).
3. Marital. A priest was not permitted to marry a widow, a divorcee or a prostitute. He could marry a virgin provided she was not a foreigner (Lev. 21:7, 13, 14). It appears that a later provision permitted him to marry the widow of another priest (Ezek. 44:22).
4. Social. When Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered unholy fire before the Lord, they were killed (Lev. 10:1,2). At this time God said to Aaron, "Drink no wine nor strong drink, you nor your sons with you, when you shall go into the tent of meeting, lest you die; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean" (Lev. 10:8-11). Were Nadab and Abihu under the influence of liquor until they took the wrong kind of fire for the incense? Such drinking was forever afterward barred to those who officiated at the sacred rites.
The high priest could not go in to any dead body, nor come in contact with any corpse (Lev. 21:10). One of the common priests could assist in the preparation and burial of the body of his father, mother, son, daughter, brother or virgin sister (Lev. 21:1-3). Even so, he became ceremonially unclean and was not permitted to minister in any of the holy things for seven days (Ezek. 44:26).
1. A sin offering was provided to enforce the need for expiation of guilt (Exo. 29:1). Thus is illustrated the declaration that "the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests," and such men must offer sacrifices, first for their own sins and then for those of the people (Heb. 7:27, 28).
2. The appointee was then stripped of his old garments and his whole body washed with water (Lev. 29:4).
3. The robes of office were then placed upon him, after which there was an anointing with oil. In the case of the high priest the oil was poured on so copiously that it ran down upon his beard, even "running down on the collar of his robes!" The common priests had the oil sprinkled upon them. Truly, he who was high priest was "anointed with oil above his fellows."
4. Blood was applied to the tip of the right ear, and upon the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot of each priest. From henceforth the priest was to belong wholly to God, from head to foot. He was to hear nothing except what God wanted him to hear, do nothing God did not want him to do, go nowhere God did not want him to walk. He was sealed with the blood of the sacrifice and as such was "God's man."
5. The period of consecration lasted for seven days. Among the Jews, the number seven indicated perfection or completeness. Thus the priests were to be wholly dedicated unto the service of God, fully consecrated before they began their ministration in behalf of others.
While Aaron and his sons were in process of being consecrated, the altar was likewise being sanctified. "Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall become holy" (Exo. 29:37). The word for atonement, when applied to persons means "to expiate or atone for," but with regard to things, it has the significance of "purging, cleansing, purifying." After this solemn initiation into divine service the altar not only was sanctified to God's use, but possessed the divine warrant to impart sanctity unto any offering placed upon it. To this our Lord alluded when he said to the Pharisees and scribes, "You blind men! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?" (Matt. 23:19).
1. At the consecration of Aaron "fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and fat upon the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces" (Lev. 9:24). The expression "from before the Lord" means from the Most Holy Place, where the Shekinah, or glory of God dwelt and was manifest. This fire divinely kindled was to be kept alive by refueling. "The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out; the priest shall burn wood on it every morning...fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out" (Lev. 6:12,13). It was coals of this fire which had to be used in burning incense (Lev. 16:12) so when Nadab and Abihu "offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them" (Lev. 10:1) fire came out from before the Lord and struck them dead.
2. Each day the priests were to offer two male lambs. In this daily sacrifice one lamb was offered at the third hour of the morning, that is 9 o'clock; the other at the ninth hour of the afternoon, that is 3 o'clock (Num. 28:3-6). It became traditional for the congregation to assemble for prayer at the time of these sacrifices (Acts 3:1) and they abstained from eating and drinking until after the morning sacrifice was offered (Acts 2:15). On the sabbath these sacrifices were doubled, two lambs being offered each time (Num. 28:9, 10). The servile work necessary in presenting these sabbatical sacrifices gave occasion for our Lord's remarks as recorded in Matthew 12:5.
The Israelites based their religious observances on the lunar calendar. Accordingly, the priests were to offer special sacrifices to inaugurate each month. As soon as the silver trumpet sounded the appearance of the new moon, the month was officially opened with burnt offerings (Num. 28:11-16). These are the "new moons" mentioned in Colossians 2:16. Other regular sacrifices were made in conjunction with the three great annual festival occasions. In every case of sin, the guilty person was required to present a sacrifice before the priest, who then slew it in conformity with the ordinance.
3. The priest also acted as a judge in many instances. This was true in cases involving homicide, legal rights, or assault, where the testimony was not clear. The Israelites were instructed that, "in any case within your towns which is too difficult for you, arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God will choose, coming to the Levitical priests and the judge who is in office in those days, you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision" (Deut. 17:8, 9). Such a decision was final and could not be altered. "You shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you; according to the instructions which they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall not turn aside from the verdict which they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left" (Deut. 17:10, 11).
False accusers were to receive summary discipline. "If a malicious witness arises against any man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both parties shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days; the judges shall enquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness, and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother; so you shall purge the evil from the midst of you."
One of the most interesting and peculiar decisions in which the priest assisted pertained to a woman whose husband suspected she was guilty of carnal relationship with another man. The priest took holy water in an earthen vessel, and mixed it with dust scraped off the tabernacle floor. The woman was forced to drink the water, and if she was guilty of unconfessed crime, the water caused intense abdominal pain which was accompanied by bodily swelling and other symptoms. An innocent woman suffered no such ill effects. The record declares, "This is the law in cases of jealousy" (Num. 5:29).
The priest was to determine when a man had contracted leprosy. Anyone who had an indication of the disease was to be examined and isolation was the fate of those afflicted. When one was pronounced unclean by the priest, he was compelled to wear torn clothing, let the hair of his head hang loose, cover his upper lip, and cry, "Unclean, unclean" when anyone approached. He was banished from his home and forced to dwell outside the camp (Lev. 13:45). Often such unfortunates dwelled in tombs as the only available shelters. If the disease ran its course and the leper believed himself to be free from its ravages he could present himself to the priest who made a thorough investigation. If the man proved to be free of the disease he performed a ritual for ceremonial cleansing and return to society (Lev. 14). It was because of this requirement that Jesus commanded the leper whom he had physically cleansed, "Go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded for a proof to the people" (Luke 5:14).
4. Aaron and his sons were to superintend the tabernacle. When the signal was given to march they dismantled the tabernacle, covered all of the articles of furniture, and prepared them for transportation. Then the Kohathites came near and the priests assigned to each man his task and his burden. They did the same for the Gershonites and Merarites who were charged with the actual transportation of all the essential equipment from place to place. Later, when the temple was built, the priests lived round about it as guards. They also opened the building every morning (1 Chr. 9:27). The utensils of service had to be carefully checked in and out, the spices had to be mixed for the incense, and the showbread baked every sabbath (1 Chr. 9:28-32). These tasks fell to the priests.
Beginning at sunset on the ninth day of this month, the day of national expiation was ushered in to be observed until the close of the following day. It was the only day of fasting specifically commanded the Jews by the Old Testament, and during this entire day they were to partake of no refreshment, but rather "afflict their souls" (Lev. 23:27). Luke refers to it in Acts 27:9. Upon this fateful day the high priest entered the holy of holies. No common priest was ever permitted to enter this sacred apartment, and even the high priest was restricted to this occasion as a representative of the nation (Lev. 16:2). He was required to select a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. Divesting himself of his rich robes of office, he donned white linen clothing, for on this day he stood upon an equality with others, being forced to offer for his own sins as well as for those of the people.
He then took two goats for a sin offering for the people, and after presenting them before the Lord, he placed two pieces of gold in a small box. On one appeared the words "For the Lord," and on the other "For Azazel" which is translated "scapegoat" in the King James Version. The pieces of gold were drawn out and placed upon the heads of the goats. The one upon which the Lord's lot fell was destined to be slain.
The high priest killed the bullock for his own sins and caught the blood. He then filled the golden censer with coals of fire from the altar and put incense upon them. This incense created a fragrant smoke which veiled the mercy seat. Then the high priest sprinkled the blood with his finger before the mercy seat seven times. Then coming out, he killed the goat for the sins of the people, and took its blood into the most holy place and sprinkled it upon and before the mercy seat.
Afterwards the goat which remained alive was brought, and the high priest confessed over it all the iniquity and transgressions of Israel, putting them upon the head of the goat which was then sent away into the wilderness by a man in readiness (Lev. 16:21). It was said, "The goat shall bear all their iniquities upon him to a solitary land," (Lev. 16:22). Then the high priest went into the tent of meeting, took off his linen garments, bathed his body in water, and put on his ministering garb and continued the ritual activities demanded. The writer of Hebrews makes numerous references to this day of atonement, of which he says, "Into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened as long as the outer tent is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age)" (Heb. 9:7-9).