Something had to die. to cover up that nudity that they were now conscious of. that nudity spoke of their awareness of sin and the presence of sin.
Something had to die, of course, spoke of someone to come. That was the Christ. Man's spiritual nudity had to be covered, had to be dealt with. Could not be allowed to just be right out there. And aren't we glad?
That nudity has been dealt with. in many ways. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Leviticus.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
Now, here's Pastor Rick in Leviticus chapter 8 as he continues teaching through this book on today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio. I love how this is being written. I mean, the person is writing this down. has got to be pretty serious with the whole thing. Moses officiating as the high priest, God using Moses, a man who once slew a man.
In a clumsy attempt to help God's people. Boom, another lesson. How many times Christians have tried to help But it was something very clumsy. and turned into a disaster. Because it wasn't thought out.
It was impetuous. If I got this God, I don't really need. your help or to pray about it. I don't know nobody would say that, I hope, but we sometimes behave that way. Here, in verse 15, a touch of the finger is all we need under God's instruction.
Thunderous thing. It's just this little. all around with his finger, and purified the altar. Is this power in the blood? How much more potent is the blood of Christ?
Well, I'm not going to take the time to read that, but you can reference Hebrews 9:14, where he makes the direct contrast between the blood of animals and the blood of Jesus Christ. It says, How much more precious is the blood of Jesus Christ? The ancient altars in that Middle Eastern world were often constructed with horns on the corners of the altar. And of course it symbolized its spiritual power. Which would then mean its military power, its power for its economy, its power for its government.
and placing blood on the horns, Here Purifying the altar. And the elders are watching this. And the elders had a lot of power and influence over their people. This is why they're summons to see this. That it would influence them, that it would impact them, that they'd think about this when they were walking back to their tent and they would wake up the next day.
And then, when the priests began to implement these things at the temple, all of this was supposed to mean something to the people, and it did to this second generation out of. Egypt. This is early. And the Time. They've still they've got decades to go.
Many of those Who will march into the promised land did not see this with their eyes, but they read it with their eyes. They heard their parents and Elders talk about these things with excitement, And it transferred. Cutting off the horns of an altar made the altar unusable. That's in Amos chapter 3, verse 14 explicitly talks about that.
So without purification and anointing, Everything in the temple was unusable. It wasn't until God said, Now it's usable. Through this ritual. Those are very important. We Christians We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
And I'll come back to that towards the end. That alone makes up for all the ritual we don't have. We don't have the Jewish ritual. We have the Holy Spirit. And that is quite a powerful thing.
Especially when it's accompanied by Wisdom and discipline And S strict adherence. Or desire to strictly adhere, because who of us can be blameless? None of us can be blameless, but we can pursue blamelessness, and that is quite powerful. In Christ, whatever his blood touches is made pure. That is one of the takeaways for the church.
In verse 17, But the bull, its hide, its flesh, It's awful. He burned with fire outside the camp. As Yahweh had commanded Moses. You know, sometimes I read that word awful as a foul. Because it's hard to say awful when it looks like it says awful.
But here's a big lesson about that. You can go and listen to a sermon by somebody who mispronounces a word here or there, or maybe they pronounce a lot of words wrong. But what they are imparting is quite powerful. And it overrules whatever grammatical errors they may be guilty of. This was the case with the Apostle Paul.
But arrogance kicks in. And won't tolerate that. Arrogance will flag that. You can't even pronounce the w And won't listen to all of the anointed language from heaven. And I think God allows us on purpose.
Years ago, we were looking for a nice leather chair for the church.
Well, actually, for my office. And we really didn't find the one. But anyway, we went to this office furniture store, and the salesman. He was uh probably in his m late forties, early fifties, somewhere like that. But he's a bigger guy, you know what I mean?
Just kind of you could tell he was athletic in his younger days. and he actually made some mention that he was a football player. And so I asked, Do you have anything genuine leather? And he looks at the tag of this one chair and he says, Well, this is fox leather. What is faux?
And we're not going to embarrass him, but we knew right away, and we just, well, That's not what we want. But the arrogance would judge him. Arrogance would clobber that guy. And was too big to clobber.
Well, that wasn't so. But I think about that sometime. That's not the whole man. not everything there is to him. He might make a better friend than than ten other people put together.
So we have to watch ourselves. and all of that from the word awful. Why does it have to be, it's not awful, it's awful. Anyway, verse 18. Then he brought the ram as the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
Well, these are the animals from verse 2, verse 21 now. Then he washed the entrails and their legs in water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice. for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire, to Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. to single out this is God's system.
But this is Poetic. The sweet aroma Anthropomorphic, yes. But Poetic, singling out God's delight at what's going on. Paul, when he's going around starting churches and being chased from town to town, The church at Philippi it did not have many men when it started, not enough to make a synagogue, but they were all Jewish. Until Paul and Luke, a Gentile, and his party came and there started that church.
Well, they would send money to Paul. They would support him. in ministry, in the work of the Lord. And when he writes from jail to them, He brings it up. Philippians 4, he says, Indeed, I have all and abound.
I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you.
So he's kind of slowing them down. He says, Okay, don't keep sending me, you know, you're just flooding me with stuff. I know you love me, but it's quite humbling. But I have I'm good But then he adds this: I'll go back and back it up a little bit. I am full, having received from Aphroditus.
The things sent from you a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God.
Now, I mentioned that the church was largely Jewish, all Jewish pretty much when it started, with the exception of those with Paul. A few with him. They would have understood that right away. They would have linked that to the Levitical offerings. And it would have been a blessing.
And that's what he's Paul is doing. And that's what is happening here in Leviticus. God sees it and he's delighted. Paul was delighted, and he knew God would be delighted because the Holy Spirit was at work in the people at Philippi. to sacrifice some of their belongings so he could do better in ministry.
In verse 22. And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
Now the first ram was for dedication. Dedication of the life. The individual life. You're the priest here, and this lamb is to say to God, You are my God, there is no other, I worship you. The second lamb, which we're now coming to in verse 22, was for consecration and ministry.
So I worship you. I serve you. Similar but distinct. The ordination is outside the protocols described in the first seven chapters of Leviticus. It just means, you know, don't look for them to all match up, there's some little twists and turns.
And there's nothing wrong with That. Nothing is in violation. It's not like they're bringing an unclean animal in or anything. Verse 23: And Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and Put it on the tip of Aaron's ear.
On the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. The high priest is up first. Purified from head to toe, It's covered in Exodus twenty nine also. This pattern is followed in the cleansing of the leper when we get to chapter 14. In chapter thirteen we have the the recognizing and pronouncing the leper.
Or if he's not a leper, that's chapter 13. But chapter 14 is: well, that leper that was pronounced. Unclean in chapter 13, who is now clean. Here's what the Jews would go through to restore him. This protocol followed there.
The idea is that even for the non-priest, life is ministry. That's why the leper goes through a similar protocol in the day of his cleansing. Because for the individual child of God, life is ministry. Verse twenty four. Then he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet.
And Moses sprinkled the blood all around the altar. I guess when he was writing this, he said, Now it's toes plural. Do I use feet plural, but it's for individuals.
So do I use foot? All right. Anyway, it's Toes of their right feet. The symbolism here, I think, is clear, but enlightening nonetheless. Since Genesis chapter 3, verse 21, where God had to provide Clothing For Adam and Eve after their sin, and every Christian should know Genesis 3 is the fall of.
of man.
Well, since Genesis three, for man to continue with God. without wrath coming directly upon him.
Something had to die. to cover up that nudity that they were now conscious of. That nudity spoke of their awareness of sin and the presence of sin.
Something had to die, of course, spoke of someone to come. That was the Christ. Man's spiritual nudity had to be covered, had to be dealt with. Could not be allowed to just be right out there. And aren't we glad?
That nudity has been dealt with. in many ways. On the tips of their right ears.
Well, there's the clear part, right? hearing God's word. You would associate the ear with hearing. Because it doesn't really do anything else except, you know, hold your glasses on. Got a few ancillary moves, but it's hearing.
On the thumbs of their right hands.
Well, doing God's work.
Well, if you don't have thumbs Working's not going to be working for you. You can scratch still. But You really can't hold tools and get things done.
So the thumb is. Fidel to work. And on the big toe of their right feet. Feet. And of course, walking with God.
And, you know, I've been, I've heard that. to have an injured big toe or no big toe really. interferes with one's walk, And so the hearing of God's word, the doing of God's work. And the walking in God's way. That's what this is symbolizing.
And everybody watching would have got that. That you didn't need a sermon. Oh, why am I putting it on the ear? Maybe if they just did the ear and that was it, but to do these three, you could put that together: hearing, working, walking, that sums up the servant's life. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around the altar, not going to get away from that blood.
The echoing gravitas Of Eden? and Passover. and Golgotha, I will see the blood and I will pass over. But if you were defiant, if you did not believe, if you had not the faith, You died. These lessons are Oh, they're relevant in every age.
Sin, death, blood. Coverings Forgiveness, salvation. Only at the altar of Yahweh. Exodus 34, verse 13. Here's one of these lines that you should pick up in life.
So, when someone says something goofy, you can say, oh, that's not my Bible. My Bible says something different. Exodus thirty four, thirteen, but you shall destroy their altars. Their places of worship are unacceptable. There's only one.
And so when Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me, it was already stated in the altar. Two of them, the temple altar, the golden altar where the incense was offered up, the brazen altar where the blood sacrifices were offered up. Hebrews 13, 10. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.
So Paul is saying, if you Jews, since Messiah has come, are still going to the temple, you're disqualified because you're trampling the blood of Christ. You're saying it didn't do what it was supposed to do. I still need to offer up a goat or something.
So it's an offence, a capital spiritual offence.
Well, if that's how it is with the Jewish religion, how much greater with all the other fake religions? The Jewish religion was not a fake religion. I don't make that clear. Uh we Um you know i if I don't know how you can be a Christian and be against Israel. I don't know.
You have to be one of the most ignorant, biblically ignorant people around.
Well, that would help because if you don't know that's in scripture, somebody can educate you. But if you do know it's in scripture and you still do it, now that's stupidity, not ignorance. Uh that's just what it is.
So, if you come across somebody who claims they're a Christian and they're like, I'm against Israel. Um But feel free to take them to Genesis chapter 12. And make it clear for them. Verse 29 now, and Moses took the breast And waved it as a waved offering before Yahweh. It was Moses part of the ram consecration.
As Yahweh had commanded Moses. So that's his honorarium because he's officiating. Uh the the the dedication offerings. Oh, all of the sin offerings uh and and these uh The consecration of the whole ceremony. And so that's what he gets to take home with him.
Verse 30. Then, again, the laborer is worthy of his wages. Paul had to deal with this. You know, had those people, I don't think a man should be paid in. He would say, you know, you don't muzzle the ox as he treads out the grain.
You put him to work, you let him eat. Um Fortunately, we don't have too many There have been some. I've come across some in Christianity that have that. Unbiblical view, and I let them have it if I do, and I don't want to meet any more of them.
Well Whatever God wants. Um Verse thirty. Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, on his sons, and on the garments. Of his sons with him. And he consecrated Aaron his garments, his sons, And the garments of his sons with him.
Okay, so we got that.
So they're in these white robes. He's like, hey. You know. Look, you go out to eat and you're dressed up in a business kind of a thing. Uh Don't get the spaghetti sauce.
I mean, that's a serious rule of a business meeting. If you dressed up, do not get anything with that's gonna splash on your outfit. And then you go back to a meeting or whatever it is, that's what's gonna stay in that person's head, that big stain. On your shirt, or don't wear your best necktie.
So, but here It's worth it. This is for the Lord. It actually was honorable. Aaron was already anointed. As high priest with oil and the blood, but here he's included again.
with the associate priests. He's an example, not an exception. And he gets a double dose. as high priest. I would want My pastor to get a double dose of what he needed to pastor, whatever it is.
You don't know that, you know, maybe in the younger years, you just come into church and just think that, boy, he just, you know. He knows the Bible. You don't see all the other things going on. And, you know, that's, and he, on his end, he's got to remember he's not the exception. and he strives to be an example.
Which takes a lot of fun out of things. Yeah. Yeah. All right, anyway, so not only were the individuals set apart for ministry. But what they were wearing.
As a lesson being lost to day, You know, the Lord impressed upon me. Few years back. In the pulpit less skin is better. And I've tried to honor that. I wish some others would, but Not my call.
And what it should be. God should appoint me the royal, anyway, master of arms. That's what it would be. Uh we could escort somebody out. of the pulpit, like in front of everybody with a club.
That's the master of arms. Anyway, now that they were Covered with blood and cleansed with water and clothed in righteousness. We look at that and we say, Well, we're to put on the righteousness of Christ. The blood of Christ is upon us also. And we in a royal priesthood are also cleansed by the washing and regeneration of the word.
So the links are right there on the surface. Verse 31. And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, go. Boil flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread. that is in the basket.
Of consecration offerings as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it.
So, this is a fellowship meal.
So, verse 32: What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire, and you shall not go outside. The door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you.
Well, the door of the tabernacle is not the holy place. The tent where the lampstand is and the showbread. It's the temple ground. There are a couple of ways we know that. If it were the holy place, and they were to go in there and stay there for seven days, That raises a lot of questions about bodily needs.
Uh you know, bathing Relief of the kidneys, just for an example. And other things. That would be, that's not what's going on here. Details omitted. They are going to be able to.
Take care of these things. But Moses is not, he's not going to write about it. Just do the math, kind of a thing.
So even as I'm speaking about it, it's like, okay, get to the next point. Because it's not something that you know we we we hold up But the idea of sequestering them The temple ground for seven days speaks, of course, of a life lived on holy ground. This is going to be their future. Aaron's priesthood dwelled with God. That's the Shekinah, that's the temple, that's the mercy seat.
All of that speaks of God dwelling with His people. The royal priesthood God dwells in His people. This is significant because God has said it's significant. 1 Corinthians 16: Do you not know that you are the temple of God? and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Now I mentioned earlier that they had these Under the tunic They had sort of these pants on. Because God pointed out. their nudity and he didn't want that to take place while they were on duty.
Well, we can't dismiss that when we get to this verse and say, no, they're stuck in the temple of seven days. It's remember that biosphere? Will they put these scientists in this bubble? And they were supposed to stay there for a year? They were hating each other's guts by about the fourth month.
The whole thing was a disaster. Because they factored out sin. There were scientists, we don't factored out sin. You don't hear about it anymore because to their great shame. Otherwise, these things will be popping up all over the place.
But instead, car washes are popping up all over the place. I just saw another one coming soon. It's like, man. Uh anyway, uh yeah. Verse thirty four.
As he has done this day, so Yahweh has commanded to do to make atonement for you. Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days and keep charge of Yahweh So that you may not die, for so I have been commanded And the language is a little unclear whether the ritual described in Leviticus 8. was repeated for seven days Or only they're locked in for seven days.
So it's not clear. When he says day and night. It could be referencing the morning and afternoon sacrifices.
So we don't have enough information, but we do know. That there are needs that they have as humans that are not going to take place in the temple. I hope that's helpful for you.
Well, and this is why it would be helpful for some. Because a lot of people come to their Bible, and when there's something they don't understand, they slap a miracle on it. and they factor out logic, and that does not help the church at all. Especially when some unbeliever comes along and points out the folly to you. It's better to think it through and give space and understand Leviticus is not an exhaustive work on the offerings, it's an in-depth presentation.
Of the offerings, but not exhaustive. And now, verse 36.
So Aaron and his sons did all the things that Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses. And that again is an excellent place to stop. The again part is it's repeated once more. Chapter 9 is next. Then we actually get to the fire of the altar and then chapter 10 is of course big news in that chapter.
And I cute. Thanks for tuning in to today's edition of Cross Reference Radio. Pastor Rick Gaston is currently going through the book of Leviticus. We're glad you joined us. We trust that you're gaining some valuable insights into God's Word as we go through this Old Testament book.
Cross-Reference Radio comes to you from Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia. If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast, you can do so by going to your favorite app store and downloading from there. For any additional information about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website, crossreference radio.com. Make sure to come back again for the upcoming edition in the book of Leviticus, as Pastor Rick has much more to share. We thank you for being with us right here on Cross Reference Radio.
