The First Offerings of Aaron
“On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. He said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and present them before the LORD. Then speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb—both a year old and without blemish—for a burnt offering, an ox and a ram for a peace offering to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.’”
So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. And Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.”
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering to make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.”
The Sin Offering (Leviticus 6:24-30)
So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. The sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. And he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. But he burned up the flesh and the hide outside the camp.
The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 6:8-13)
Then Aaron slaughtered the burnt offering and his sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. He washed the entrails and the legs and burned them atop the burnt offering on the altar.
The Offerings for the People
Aaron then presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s sin offering, slaughtered it, and offered it for sin like the first one.
He presented the burnt offering and offered it according to the ordinance.
Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people’s peace offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.
They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver— and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar, but he waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded.
Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having made the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down.
Moses and Aaron Bless the People
Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”
Aaron and his sons have spent seven days in seclusion in the Tent of Meeting. Now it is time for the priests to be consecrated and for the first offerings to be given. First, Aaron offers the sin offering and the burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people. Aaron slaughters a perfect calf, burns the fat on the altar, and smears the blood on the horns of the altar, pouring out the blood at the base of the altar. Aaron burns the rest of the calf outside the camp. Next, Aaron slaughters aperfect ram for a burnt offering, sprinkling the blood on all sides of the altar. Aaron burns the ram piece by piece, washing the legs and entrails before burning them.
Having made the sacrifices for himself, Aaron now makes the sacrifices for the people- a male goat for the people’s sin offering, a calf and a lamb for a burnt offering, and an ox and a ram for a peace offering. All of these animals must be perfect and without blemish. Aaron lays out the fatty portions of the animals and waves the breast and the right thigh as a
wave offering; however, he does not set fire to these offerings. This meat will later come to the priests. Moses and Aaron then enter the Tent of Meeting. When they come out, they bless the people, and the glory of the LORD appears to all the people. A heavenly fire ball comes out from the presence of the LORD and consumes the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people see it, they shout for joy and fall facedown! Wow! When Moses advises the people that the Lord will appear to them, he is not kidding!
APPLICATION: These days, some churches are resorting to special effects to enhance their worship services. It is sometimes difficult to find a church in which the musicians stop playing long enough for the pastor to give the sermon. One church we have visited had a continuous light show going during the service; it was very distracting. One television evangelist even boasted that his church had a Starbucks coffee bar in their church. A columnist, disgusted with a church using a fog machine, has referred to these practices as “Six Flags over Jesus.” (For non-Americans, Six Flags is a chain of amusement parks with all kinds of rides and other entertainment. Such a description is NOT a compliment!) But what do these practices have to do with worshiping God?
God does not need special effects; He is perfectly capable of astounding people without any assistance from fog machines, light shows, spooky music, or any other demonstrations of showmanship. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that “God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” If our hearts are not right and if we are not really seeking God, special effects are likely to distract us from finding Him, rather than helping bring us closer. Those who lead worship or who give messages need to make sure that they get out of the way and allow God to act.
The question this chapter does not address is this: Once these people have seen God send fire from heaven, have they had a change of heart, or are they still unrepentant pagans in search of the next thrill? Given the subsequent actions of the Israelites, even when God sends heavenly flames, people treat the event much as modern American treat Fourth of July fireworks; they are great entertainment, but once the fireworks are over, everyone goes back to the way they were living before.
One of our friends used to sing a song entitled, “I’m tired of being stirred but not being changed.” Worship should bring us closer to God. Sermons should bring us closer to God. If church descends to the level of entertainment, it is worth very little. Let us forget about special effects and beg God to do what He does best: change our hearts.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, bring us closer to You and help us to follow You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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