John Calvin Commentary Leviticus 8
John Calvin Commentary
Leviticus 8
John Calvin Commentary
Leviticus 8
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying," — Leviticus 8:1 (ASV)
And the Lord spoke. It is well known that in conjunction with the sacrifices there was an offering, which they call minha, but we will see elsewhere that this was also used separately; for it was lawful without a victim to offer either plain meal, or cakes, or wafers seasoned with oil.
Therefore, besides the sacrifice of consecration, of which Moses has already treated, this second offering is required from the priest: that he should present at his inauguration a cake fried in a pan and cut in pieces.
The reason for this appears to have been that he might thereby become the legitimate minister of all the people, and might duly offer in the name of others, once he had done what was right for himself.
But a distinction is drawn between the requirement for the priest and that for the people, namely, that it should be wholly burnt. The reason for this, which will be explained elsewhere, it will now be sufficient to mention briefly.
The fact was that God was unwilling for the priests to indulge themselves in vain ostentation, which might easily have been the case if the oblation had been preserved for their use, like the minha of the people which remained in their hands.
"Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bullock of the sin-offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;" — Leviticus 8:2 (ASV)
Take Aaron. He more clearly explains the mode of anointing and investing the priests by appointing the place and the assistants; for he commands the congregation to be gathered at the sanctuary; and then that Aaron and his sons should be brought out before them to be inaugurated by God’s authority into their office; and that all the people together may acknowledge that they are appointed and ordained by God.
The execution of the command, which we find connected with it in the text of Moses, must undoubtedly be referred to another time; namely, when the solemn dedication of the tabernacle was made. I have therefore considered it appropriate to move what is related here out of its proper sequence to that other time, so that the history may proceed uninterruptedly; which will greatly aid its comprehension.
"And Moses did as Jehovah commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the tent of meeting." — Leviticus 8:4 (ASV)
And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. Although these things relate to the priesthood, whose authority and nature I explained under the Second Commandment, yet, since they are historical, I have, not without reason, considered it appropriate to postpone discussing them until this point. This is because if I had referred to them in connection with the Commandment, inexperienced readers would not have easily understood their timing.
This distinction, however, will greatly assist them. After the doctrine properly contained in the Decalogue has been explained, they will now see how faithfully Moses fulfilled whatever he was commanded. They will also be able to compare his obedience with the command, just as they have done with the entire process of making and dedicating the tabernacle.
Besides, there is no doubt that the narrative must be connected in this way, for it can be easily inferred from many passages that the priests were anointed on the same day the tabernacle was consecrated.
I will now briefly review the words.
Moses says that he brought Aaron and his sons near, that is, to set them before God and the people. He then states that he washed them with water. This action was to make it clear that they did not bring from their homes the purity suited to the sanctity of their office. Furthermore, since they were men, it demonstrated that they could not be clean before God unless their impurity was washed away.
A description of their garments follows afterwards, which I will pass over to avoid tiring my readers by repeating the same thing twice.
"And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them." — Leviticus 8:10 (ASV)
And Moses took the anointing oil. I have stated why God commanded that the priest himself, as well as all the vessels, should be consecrated with oil, namely, because without the influence of the Spirit, all the sacrifices would be unsavory.
It is by the operation of the same Spirit that Christ was made the peacemaker between God and men, because this dignity would not otherwise belong to flesh and human nature.
Aaron was therefore anointed, together with his sons, before he was admitted to the priestly office. For it is afterwards added that "the bullock for sin"405 was brought, upon which Aaron laid his hands.
Now, although even then he began to discharge his office, Moses still occupied the first place and performed, as it were, the final act. This is why he sprinkled the horns of the altar with the blood, poured the remainder at its base for expiation, and burned the sacrifice upon the altar.
The imposition of hands in the sacrifices was not only a symbol of presentation but also a testimony of guilt transferred to the victim. However, since this last statement may be unclear due to its brevity, I will explain it more clearly.
If any private individual offered a victim, the imposition of hands signified that he transferred the guilt of his sin to the victim. Hence the name of piaculum,406 because it sustained the curse of God and was substituted in the sinner's place, who unburdens himself upon it of whatever exposed him to the judgment of God.
But since common hands were unworthy to consecrate a victim to God, the priestly office intervened. This is the reason why Aaron and his sons put their hands on each of the sacrifices, so that this kind of atonement (piaculi) might be the beginning of their consecration. This consecration was completed in the second ram, with whose blood Moses stained their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the great toes of their right feet.
A multitude of questions arises here: Why was only one side of the priests consecrated, as if their left side remained polluted? Why was consecration not also imparted to their eyes, and especially to their mouth, which was to be the organ of the Holy Spirit?
But this warning must always be kept in mind: we should be soberly wise on those points where certain knowledge cannot be drawn from Scripture. For our curiosity is not only frivolous but also perverse and harmful when we desire to know more than God has revealed.
However, the conjecture is probable that the whole body was consecrated through the right side. We have already seen elsewhere407 that the hands and feet designate the whole life and actions of men.
In this view, the cleanness of the heart and the purity of the hands encompass all that is internal and external in humanity, like the root and the fruit. As for the feet, the metaphor of walking is well-known; and the feet are said to run to evil and to be swift to shed blood when the wicked and the despisers of God resort to evil deeds.
Besides, since this consecration was not for the office of teaching but for that of intercession, the ear rather than the tongue is stained with blood, because the chief virtue that obtains grace in the sacrifices is obedience. To this the passage in Psalm 40:6 refers: Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou bored:408 to which the words of Jeremiah correspond:
Did I command anything respecting sacrifices, and not rather that your fathers should obey my voice?409 (Jeremiah 7:22–23).
And so Moses began the consecration at the ear, in order to devote the priest to God for obedience. Paul shows how this was fulfilled in Christ, where he celebrates His obedience in the sacrifice of His death, in order to reconcile His Father to us (Romans 5:19). I have spoken elsewhere of the kind of wave-offering which they called tnupha.410
405 “For the sin-offering.” — A. V.
406 “Et voyla pourquoy les bestes ont porte le nom d’offense;” and behold wherefore the beasts bore the name of offence. — — Fr. “ “Piaculum; sacrum piaculare, et quicquid ad piandum et purgandum pertinet. ; sacrum piaculare, et quicquid ad piandum et purgandum pertinet. Metonymice, ipsa res, qum piaculi causa adhibetur; sic ipsa res, qum piaculi causa adhibetur; sic AEn. 6:153.En. 6:153.
407 See ante, vol. 2, p. 211..
408 A. V., “Mine ears hast thou opened.” Margin, “Heb., digged.” See “Mine ears hast thou opened.” Margin, “Heb., digged.” See C.’s translation and note. Cal. Soc. edit., translation and note. Cal. Soc. edit., vol. 2, p. 99..
409 This quotation is much abbreviated. C.’s exposition of the passage, (Cal. Soc. edit., exposition of the passage, (Cal. Soc. edit., vol. 1, p. 393,) and Mr. Owen’s ,) and Mr. Owen’s note, are worthy of consultation., are worthy of consultation.
410 Heb., תנופה, thenuphah. See ante, vol. 2, p. 132, and note
"And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting: and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it." — Leviticus 8:31 (ASV)
And Moses said unto Aaron and his sons, Boil the flesh This is the universal rule, as we have seen elsewhere.411 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. It has been elsewhere said, also,412 that perfection is denoted by the number seven, which this passage confirms, for by the seven days they were reminded that they were no longer their own masters for the rest of their life.
411 See ante, vol. 2, p. 133..
412 Ibid., p.26..
Jump to: