We have to wait until the end of Leviticus 9 for the climactic event of the ordination of the priesthood. We have to wait unless we’re reading my blog article, and I’m going to take us there right now.
Moses and Aaron entered the tent of meeting and then came out and blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces (Leviticus 9:23-24).
The highest point of any worship service should be a tangible experience of God. In this instance, that experience was fire from the altar and the glory of God. While our experience today may be more internal, it is no less real than theirs.
I have officiated at least 2500 worship services over 50 years of ministry. I wish I could say that in every one of those services, my primary goal was for the glory of God to be revealed.
The truth is, there were many times when all I wanted was to preach a good sermon and receive a pat on the back or a kind word.
One of the values of reading Leviticus is that it sets our sights high. The revealed presence and glory of God should be the goal of every worship service.
Now that I have addressed my role as a pastor, let me speak to those who sit in the congregation. One thing you can do, besides evaluating whether you like the music or the sermon, is to ask God to reveal his presence to the congregation.
Preparation
With our eyes set on the goal of worship, let’s return to what takes place before worship that enables God to reveal His presence. The first seven verses involve the purification of the high priest. In this case, it was Aaron.
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and sacrifice your purification offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and sacrifice the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded” (Leviticus 9:7).
When trying to understand a Bible verse, it’s helpful to identify the keywords. In this particular verse, the most important terms are “draw near,” “sacrifice,” “purification,” and “atonement.”
We can draw near to God and be purified because of sacrifice. In this instance, it was an animal sacrifice, but for Christians, it is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, made for atonement.
Rudy Ross often explains atonement as “at-one-ment”—we become united with God through His actions.
For ministers, whether lay or professional clergy, to fulfill this role effectively, we must first address our own spiritual needs before attempting to minister to others.
Priesthood Pictured
I take this passage personally, as I have served for many years as a pastor. You can take it personally too, because according to the Bible, God has made you a priest as well.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth (Revelation 5:10).
Once Aaron had his own spiritual condition in a right relationship with God, it was now time for him to minister to the people.
Next he presented the people’s offering. He took the goat of the purification offering that was for the people and slaughtered it and presented it as a purification offering like the first one (Leviticus 9:15).
All priests have the responsibility and opportunity to bring the needs of those around them to the Lord.
If you’re a parent, coworker, or friend who trusts Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can bring their needs to the Lord, just as Aaron brought the necessary sacrifices for the people of his day.
We have the awesome opportunity to be conduits for God. We can’t make the glory of God appear, but we can position our lives so that God can flow His life through us to other people. When He does, everything will be different.
While we won’t have fire coming from an altar, we may see people enter the manifest presence of God through His work in our lives. God will accomplish it; we just need to be available.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this on YouTube today.
Real Voices 