Lesson #10

Related Articles

Leviticus

September 21, 2015

Introduction

May 13, 2010

Leviticus Lesson #02

May 13, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

LEVITICUS 9:1-24
Lesson #10
DAILY PRACTICE FOR PRIESTS

• Memory Verse: Heb 10:12

 

• This is the only passage in scripture that tells us what the priests did every day.
• Even though a priest was born into the priesthood of Aaron, he did not become a practicing priest until his consecration at about the age of 30-32.

• We saw in our last lesson that the word consecration meant = to fill up the hand.
• God filled his hand with service to the people and service to God.
  • God wants to fill the believer’s hand with God’s plan and purpose for his life specifically.
  • As New Testament priests for God, every believer must come to the place where we empty our hands in order for Him to fill them with His plans.
    • We empty our hands and lives of sin by repentance.
    • We empty our lives of selfish desires in order to serve Him.
• We have studied the offerings in the order as they appear in Leviticus which are presented from God’s viewpoint.

• The Burnt Offering
• The Peace Offering
• The Meal Offering
• The Sin Offering
• The Trespass Offering
• Now we will see them reversed in this chapter because they represent man’s viewpoint and how we come to God.

• The Trespass Offering
• The Sin Offering
• The Meal Offering
• The Peace Offering
• The Burnt Offering

 

• Read Lev 9:1-24
• God’s timing:
  • The dedication and consecration of priests lasted 7 days. The number 7 means to complete or to make perfect.
  • On the eighth day, the priest began his ministry.
    • The number eight means = God’s new beginning.
    • Jesus rose from the dead on the eighth day, the first day of a new week. He began his earthly ministry about the age of 32.
    • On the eighth day, the first day of the week, Jesus began his ministry as our High Priest in this age of Grace.
  • Aaron’s 4 sons were Aaron’s witnesses of his consecration.
    • The four gospels in the New Testament are Jesus’ four witnesses.
    • The four gospels testify that Jesus was dead, buried, and raised again on the eighth day after the beginning of Passover week.
• The daily ritual of priests:
  • The sacrifices were done in the morning and again in the evening.
    • =1= The High Priest brought a sin offering (a young calf) that covered his own sinful nature with animal blood. This sin offering was for the people because the priests sin offering was done during the preceding week of consecration.
    • =2= The priests offered a double burnt offering of a calf and a lamb that tells us the beauty of Christ’s sacrifice of obedience to God as a sin bearer and in humility. (The calf was for the priests, the lamb was for the people.)
    • =3= The priests brought a double peace offering of a bull and a ram that tells us the importance of peace with God and peace with man. (The bull was for the priests and the ram was for the people.)
    • =4= The Israelites brought a meal offering that tells us of the fellowship we have with God through Jesus Christ and with those who also believe in Christ.
    • =5= Notice that they did not bring a trespass offering on this first day of service. Why?
      • The trespass offering speaks of man’s personal sins that he committed.
      • The priests had not yet had time to commit any personal sins in their ministry as they were just beginning their service to God on this first day.
      • Remember that personal sin was not added to man’s account until the Mosaic Law came to show man what sin was.
        • From Abraham to Moses, God did not hold man responsible for personal sin.
        • In the same way, God does not hold a child responsible for personal sin until the child learns the difference between right and wrong, good and evil.
          • This is what we call the age of accountability.
          • This age varies from person to person, as a child matures and develops at different rates.
• The result of these sacrifices:
  • God promised if the priests did these sacrifices, He would meet with them.
  • They would see the glory of God.
  • Then God would bless the people through the high priest.
    • Read Num 6:23-26
    • God blesses believers in Jesus Christ based on the finished work of Christ.
  • A second blessing was given to the people after Aaron and Moses spent time together in the tabernacle.
    • God blesses His people when we spend time with him on a daily basis.
    • As we are blessed by God, we must extend that blessing to others as Moses and Aaron did.
• The extent of animal sacrifice and the number of animals required to perpetuate this system of covering sin is staggering.
  • Read 1Kin 3:4
  • Read 1Kin 8:63

 

• Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest
• Believers in Jesus Christ seldom talk about Jesus as our High Priest, and yet that is what He is doing today. We need to understand this role more fully in order to appreciate more fully Jesus’ complete ministry for us.
• There are three major roles of leadership in God’s economy:
  • =1= The prophet
  • =2= The priest
  • =3=The king
  • In Israel one person was not supposed to fill more than one of these roles at any specific point in time.
    • Remember that God was angry with King Saul when he became impatient and encroached on the role of priest by offering a sacrifice to God while he was king.
    • The reason for this separation of powers was because all three positions belong to Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God.
      • =1= Through the 3 ½ years that Jesus walked on earth, he fulfilled the role of the Prophet.
        • He prophesied his coming death, burial, and resurrection.
        • He fulfilled the role of the prophet as described by Moses.
        • Read Deu 18:18-19
      • =2= After the resurrection, Jesus took the role of the High Priest. He continues in this role today until the event of the second coming.
        • Read Heb 7:24-28
        • Read Heb 8:1-3, 6
        • Read Heb 9:11-15
          • He was appointed by God.
          • He will be our High Priest forever.
          • He is interceding for us.
          • He mediates a better covenant on better promises.
          • He makes sure his sacrifice is used on our behalf.
          • He makes sure we will inherit eternal life.
      • =3= At the second coming of Christ to this earth, Jesus will take the role of King.
        • Read Rev 20:6
        • He will reign for 1000 years on this earth.
        • Believers will reign with him as kings and priests during the Millennial Kingdom.
• The priesthood of Aaron was replaced by the priesthood of Christ
  • The book of Hebrews tells us that the priesthood of Aaron was being set aside because it was weak and unprofitable.
  • It could make no one perfect and acceptable before God because it could not take away sin. It could only cover sin with the blood of animals.
  • The two blessings Christ provides that the Law could not give are:
    • A better hope.
    • A better way to draw near to God.
• The priesthood of Christ is better than the priesthood of Aaron because the oath was taken by God to fulfill it. God never fails to fulfill his promises.
  • God ordained the priesthood of Aaron but each individual priest was not specifically called by God.
  • The priesthood was passed on from father to son. Therefore, some priests were good ones and some were bad ones with wrong motives and were spiritually unfit.
• The qualities that make Jesus Christ the ideal high priest:
  • He is Holy (piety, obedience, loyalty, humility, faith)
  • He is Harmless (no trace of malice or evil)
  • He is Undefiled (morally without sin)
  • He is separate from sinners (in heaven where sin is not found)
  • He is higher than the heavens (greater than the angels)
  • He made the perfect sacrifice
  • He is consecrated forever (unending devotion to our cause and to the cause of God)

• COMPARISON OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF AARON AND THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST (Heb 7:11-28)

PRIESTHOOD OF AARON	PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST
Composed of weak, sinful men who were not perfect	Composed of the only one who is perfect and without sin
All high priests were descended from Aaron	A legal descendent from the tribe of Judah, but without genealogy by way of the Holy Spirit judah
A priesthood based on heredity	A priesthood based on an endless, indestructible life indestructible life
A priesthood based on the Law of Moses	A priesthood based on an oath by God
A priesthood filled by men who died	A priesthood filled by one who is eternal eternal
Performed humanly defective intercession	Performs an eternal, perfect intercession
Priests presented continual sacrifices for their own sin and for the sin of the people	Jesus presented himself only once as a sacrifice for the sins of the people

 

• Summary:
• What is the daily practice of the New Testament priests, believers in Jesus Christ?
  • We have learned that every believer in Jesus Christ is a New Testament priest.
  • God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
    • What is the ministry of reconciliation?
    • It is reconciling the non-believer to God by bringing him the gospel of Jesus Christ so that he can receive Christ and be saved.
    • It is reconciling the carnal Christian to God by bringing him the message of repentance and forgiveness from sin so that his life might be in obedience to Christ.
• Read 2Cor 5:18-19
  • This includes preaching the Word of God to non-believers.
  • This includes living a holy life as a model to the world.
  • This includes teaching people how to live a life pleasing to God.
  • This includes introducing people personally to Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest.

HOMEWORK
Leviticus 10
This is a Self Study. Please do not sned homework answers to the ceahcer.

• Application of Lev 9
  • What new things have you learned about Jesus Christ, our High Priest?

 

• What new things have you learned about your role as a New Testament priest?

 

• Preparation for Lev 10
• Read Lev 10:1-11
  • What did Nadab and Abihu do wrong?

 

• Read Lev 10:12-20
• What did Aaron do wrong?

 

• What was Aaron’s excuse?

 

• Memory Verse: Micah 6:8