Chapter 8
Leviticus 8:12 - Any anointing on a follower of Jesus is an anointing of holiness. "...annointed him to make him holy." Many want an anointing on their life. They will never have it on "their" life. They must sacrifice their life to Jesus, consecrate themselves to His service, and then live an obedient life. Perhaps once their character is established - the Lord sees they can be trusted - then the Lord will anoint them for particular service.
Leviticus 8:23 - From vs. 18 to now, there are two rams that are offered for the consecration of Aaron. The first time a ram is slaughtered is verse 19. The second time is verse 23. The difference between the syntax of the two is that on the second instance there is a Shalshelet accent mark as opposed to an Athnah. The former is a much greater (heavier) accent than the latter. Why would they differentiate these two sacrifices with two different accent marks? (You would normally expect to see the same accents.) The first was a ram of "burnt offering." This was an atonement offering for sin (see Lev 1:4 for explanation of burnt offerings) and thus rather routine. The second, by contrast, was the offering of "ordination" (NASB & ESV) or "installation" (lit.) to the priest-hood. This was a much more serious rite.
There is some debate as to why the blood was applied to the ear, thumb, and toe. Some say to consecrate Aaron to hear the Lord (hence the ear) and then to do what he is told (the hand and foot). Others say it is entire sanctification: top of the body, middle section, and lower. The key though is that the blood was applied to the body in consecration to the work of the ministry.
Leviticus 8:30 - Moses sprinkled the anointing oil and blood on Aaron and his sons who were with him. Notice that the son had to be present to be anointed. In the unlikely chance that a son was not there to be anointed at the time for anointing, then he would have had no part in the priest-hood. In the same way, we must be present when anointing is taking place. It is not something that happens in absentia.
Leviticus 8:33 - The Lord keeps them at the doorway of the tent of meeting for seven days to complete their ordination. Moses says, "He will fill your hands" (lit., or "ordain you", NASB). There was something about remaining for seven days. Calvin comments thus, "One thing only is special, that God kept them in the tabernacle seven days, that they might learn to subordinate all their domestic cares and worldly business to their sacred duties." Matthew Henry comments, "The work lasted seven days; for it was a kind of creation." The wording of the text indicates that the process of ordination was occurring every day of the seven days. It is not that they waited six days for it to occur in the seventh. During that time, the Lord was filling their hands. For us to give something to people, we must have something in our hands to give. Here, the Lord is putting something in their hands to give away, and thereby they may serve His people.
