Episode 4: Leviticus: Too holy to approach? Chapters 8–10
If even the priests need atonement, what hope is there for the rest of us? Encounter the breathtaking holiness of God and his surprising desire to dwell among his people.
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How did you find reading these chapters? What particularly stood out? What was hard?
How do these chapters grow your view of God and his holiness?
How do these chapters grow your view of Christ and the necessity of his priestly role?
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The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy.
Sarah: Put the kettle on, grab your favourite mug and settle in for two sisters and a cup of tea. We're the Bible Study podcast for everyday life, sharing 20 minutes of Bible conversation over a cup of tea and an English-style biscuit. Together, we're journeying through a book of the Bible each season, allowing God's word to move from our heads to our hearts. This season, we're in Leviticus and we're so pleased you're here with us. This season has been made possible by the generous donations of our listeners. Do head to twosistersandacupoftea.com/partner. If you'd like to partner with us, we're so grateful for every donation that helps us to keep the kettle on.
Felicity: Welcome to Two Sisters in a Cup of Tea. My name is Felicity, I'm in America. I'm here as ever with my sister Sarah, she's in the UK and we are very much enjoying this season in Leviticus. We're going to be digging into chapters 8 through 10 today, lots of priestly things going on. But Sarah, before we get there, what is the fireiest tea you've ever
Sarah: Ooh, good connection, we've got fire in these chapters. It's got to be gingers up there, isn't it? Like it definitely leaves that kind of fiery taste in your mouth. I've got a three ginger that, actually it's not as spicy as I was expecting it to be, but it is still like a, you know, relatively fiery, I'd say. How about you?
Felicity: I'd like three ginger. It kind of surprises me that there are three gingers. A friend gave me a while ago, gave me a tea that's called like, basically wake up. I'm not quite sure what... But I remember the means of wake up. Yeah, a bit of a cleanse, like start your day with a bit of a kick, literally a bit of a kick. I don't know, I think it may even have been a little bit of chilli with the cardamom in there or something suck like supposed to say it was not my favourite if I'm honest not my favourite
Sarah: Not your nice wake-up tea that you want. Okay, different question for you. How often have you heard Leviticus preached?
Felicity: I just don't remember hearing it in a church setting. mean, literally full stop. I think actually a long, time ago, you and I both listened to some talks by Mike Reeves.
Sarah: Yeah, so I listened to them in the flesh. I think that was 2009 maybe. I was very, yeah, long time ago. And then I said, listen to these!
Felicity: Yeah, and I think you weren't the only person, I think a lot of people were talking about, because I think probably no one had really heard Leviticus preach and then he kind of made it like real. But isn't that crazy? I just don't think I've heard a sermon seriously. I've heard Leviticus 16 talked about, you know, countless times, but not through, yeah, is that, that, Mike Reeves, your only experience?
Sarah: Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much. Yeah, maybe one-offs here and there, but not even, I don't think. I'm struggling to think of any. Yeah, and that, mean, that's one of the reasons why we went for it because we haven't heard much teaching on it and it may be foolish of us, but also, it's here. We need to. And actually, without Leviticus, our view of Jesus is anemic, isn't it? Like, we need this and we need these chapters today to give us a greater view of Jesus. So I'm looking forward to getting into them. We're going to read, so we're in chapters 8 through 10, but I'm going to read from chapters 9 verse 1 to 10 verse 7. Here we go.
On the eighth day, Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. He said to Aaron, take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the Lord. Then say to the Israelites, make a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without defect, for a burnt offering and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.' They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. Then Moses said, this is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you. Moses said to Aaron, come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people. Sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them as the Lord has commanded. So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. His sons brought the blood to him and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar. The rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering as the Lord commanded Moses. And the flesh and the hide he burned up outside the camp. Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons handed him the blood and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar. Aaron then bought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat for the people's sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one. He bought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way. He also bought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning's burnt offering. He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people. His sons handed him the blood and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. But the fat portions of the ox and the ram, the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver, these they laid on the breast and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. Aaron waved the breasts and the right fire before the Lord as a wave offering as Moses commanded. Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. Moses and Aaron then went into 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 face down. Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, took their censers and put fire in them and added incense. And they offered unauthorised fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So the fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Moses then said to Aaron, this is what the Lord spoke of when he said, among those who approach me, I will be proved holy the sight of all the people I will be honoured.' Aaron remained silent. Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel and said to them, here carry your cousins outside the camp away from the front of the sanctuary. So they came and carried them still in their tunics outside the camp as Moses ordered. Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eliezer and Ithamar, do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die because the Lord's anointing oil is on you. So they did, as Moses said.
Felicity: Wow, thank you Sarah. I I don't know whether you expect this as you're reading a book like Leviticus, but I don't know about you, but the emotions that go with this passage. I I felt my whole body smiling as we got to the end of chapter nine there. We're of building up to that like, this is it! And then the crash that we have in chapter 10. But before we get there, worth just noticing that we are talking about priests here it's just absolutely central to all that's going on is that there is priestly responsibility, involvement, none of this can happen without the priest and it's Aaron and his sons who are the kind of nominated people which if we just take a step back and consider context this is amazing because...
Sarah: Yeah, I mean just if we can recall back to Exodus chapter 32-33 kind of territory where Aaron leads the people to worship a golden calf, what grace, what grace that the Lord is saying you, you who like really demonstrably sinned in a massive way, you're forgiven and not only that you are now going to lead the people to worship me in the right and you are going to be the mediator for that to happen because that's what the priests are doing. This ordination service, this ceremony in chapter 8 and the anointing of these priests, it all happens so that they can fulfill the role that they need to actually for the first seven chapters. Sin can't be dealt with, these offerings can't be made without the priests mediating between the people and the Lord. So they are very necessary for what's going on here. But what grace. What grace.
Felicity: Yeah, it must have been fairly unexpected, I would have thought. I'd be like, what? Anyone connected with them. And I think it's worth highlighting chapter eight, verse three, the whole entire assembly of the people are gathered at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. This is not happening secretly. This is not just the priests are going off and doing their thing. The acts of the priests is for the sake of the people. There's no disconnect between priest and people, which I think sometimes in our modern day understanding of that, we can kind of get that a bit distorted. So it's worth seeing that. And then we have all these details. So just looking at those opening, I'm looking here at verses five through nine, really, we have all this detail, all the kind of robes and the engravings and this is all, if you go back to Exodus 28 bit, this is all explained there. But what we have, it's a very specific thing, isn't it? As priests, wear this, do this, represent the 12 tribes through even what you're wearing. Everything about who the priests are is kind of serving that purpose. They are enabling the community to approach the Lord.
Sarah: Yeah, and it's lavish robes, it's royal, feels royal doesn't it? It's beautiful, this whole process seems to be beautiful. There's a lot of blood as well, which doesn't feel that beautiful does it? And actually what struck me is that chapter 8 verse 22 where basically he takes some of the blood and puts it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand on the big toe of his right foot. And that feels quite grim, like, you know, with a whole lot of animal blood going on all your, you know, but actually what's symbolizing is he's covered. He's covered from head to toe. He's cleansed from head to toe. And so therefore he can then mediate. He can do his role that he's been prescribed to do. And the next thing is that in, after the kind of ordination ceremony, beginning of chapter nine, we see on the eighth day, and that's a kind of new order, isn't it? A new beginning and they begin their ministry, they get to work with how the Lord has kind of commanded them to. But it's a very specific first day isn't it, because this dramatic appearing of the Lord is going to happen. That's no usual day at work like for you know.
Felicity: Yeah, I love and I love how that's kind of just trailered. If you look at chapter nine verse four, all this stuff's been going on, the consecration, that the priests are ready, everything's holy, you're covered in blood, tip to toe, so that you're able to do this. And then, for today, the Lord will appear to you. And you can imagine, like today, this is gonna happen today. The level of anticipation there is just huge and then verse seven you see there come to the altar sacrifice and make atonement for yourself and the people this offering is for the people make atonement just repetition even just that simple you know as we as we're always talking about noticing the repetition like everything is being put in place in order that the glory of the lord might appear and then you get this climactic point chapter 9 verse 23 and 24 they went into the tent of meeting like you might just might just skim past that and think oh yeah of course they did no there's no of course to it this is huge
Sarah: No way that's a big deal yeah they went in but also they came out again they survived that's the point isn't it so all this has been set up in order that they can meet with the lord and they survived they came out and the first thing they do is bless the people and then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people so it works is what what it's kind of saying is it's kind of authorizing Aaron and his sons as the Lord's priests, as those people who can mediate because it works. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering. It didn't consume Aaron, it didn't consume Moses, it consumed the burnt offering in their place and joy and worship are there.
Felicity: It is profound, profound. We're like pausing before we get onto the drama of the next, the next few verses, but just pausing to consider quite how significant that is to be able to encounter the glory of the Lord. And if you've noticed it at all in the rest of, you know, the books that come before Genesis, Exodus, but you get to here and it's like, wow. And we as New Testament believers, I think, can just kind of skate past that quite quickly. But as you say, it's all worked and we've noticed there's a real obedience throughout this as the Lord commanded, as the Lord commanded and then within two sentences commands are broken, disobedience sneaks in
Sarah: It was just such a flip, it, of what's happening? They offered unauthorised fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them and they died. Like it's exactly the opposite of what's happened at the end of chapter nine. And it's so sobering, isn't it? Because it's Aaron's sons, they were given exactly the same commands as the other sons, as that kind of high priestly family and they sought glory for themselves, they sought to do things in their own way, they sought to approach the Lord in a way that was not according to his command and it's a very sober end to them, very swift end isn't it?
Felicity: Yeah, and it's interesting just how quickly they got out of there. Aaron's not to have anything to do with them. I mean, it's kind of brutal, that isn't it? But Aaron being the chief priest in this sense, that his primary responsibility is for the people. And I think what's going on here is that if he was to touch, if he was to be one of the people who carried these boys out, he's becoming unclean in that moment and therefore the people can't approach. So there's just so much responsibility here and the most important thing is that the people, this community, would be able to dwell in the presence of this holy God and it is really sobering and it's such a roller coaster, isn't it? Like, because it all happens just so quickly.
Sarah: Yeah, it's so within moments of each other, isn't it? And it's kind of the holiness of God both makes them fall down face down in worship, but also makes them tremble in silence. Aaron, verse three of chapter 10, isn't it? And I think just the real realisation here, what is so stark in me, is so obvious here is that even God's anointed priests need their sin atoned for they cannot approach the Lord and we need a we need a forever priest we need that priest who is able to wholly deal with sin in a way that doesn't need their own sin atoned for and that's where it drives to Jesus isn't it that's where we need well we we fall face down in worship of Jesus as we see that he is everything that these priests are not
Felicity: Yeah, that's exactly right. And if you have a moment, you might want to flick to Hebrews seven, where we hear that really clearly stated this, this once and for all priest who intercedes therefore for us who enables this coming before the Lord and how big Jesus is in that and so from a heart point of view, how we respond to what we read here, something that's really struck me is just how much I need a priest and how much I need that Jesus priest. I'm amazed and in awe of what Aaron is doing here in order to enable the people to come before the Lord but Jesus is better, he's bigger, he's all sufficient, he doesn't sin, he doesn't need it, all of the things that you've just been saying and so do I really see that need? Like do I understand that facet of who Jesus is, that he is my interceding priest, that he enables me to come before the Lord. And if I, as my understanding of God's holiness increases, which I think it is as I go through Leviticus, and even just in that chapter 10, seeing the kind of stark sobering reality of that, how could I possibly come before, how can I be in relationship with the creator of the universe only through the mediation of Jesus the priest?
Sarah: Yeah, I mean it makes it all the more wow, doesn't it, when like the Hebrews does encourage us to draw near. We are encouraged to draw near, that we can draw near. Or we think about John 1 where the glory Jesus made his glory known and that, you know, it's familiar stuff isn't it, but here like for the glory to be made what what cost, what sacrifice has been bought before the Lord in order for glory to be made known. And then we have, we just have it all in Jesus and there's just that reality that he, that again, that Hebrew seven, he forever lives to intercede for us. That, the power of that verse as we think about these chapters is so significant, isn't it? Yeah, it's sobering stuff. It's kind of awe inspiring but sobering isn't it I think these chapters
Felicity: Absolutely. Sarah, do you want to pray for us as we respond to what we're seeing?
Sarah: Yeah, I'd love to. Our Father, we just really praise you that again we can draw near by the blood of Jesus and because he wholly fulfills our every need for our High Priest. Lord, we just praise you that he forever lives to intercede for us. Forgive us for where we've not appreciated his high priestly role for us enough. Lord, for where we've neglected to delve into that and rejoice over his role in that way. And Lord, we just really pray, please, would you help us to keep growing in our view of your holiness and of our need for Jesus's priestly work. And Lord, would you keep growing us in our joy of our salvation brought about by the Lord Jesus. Lord, we praise you that he is our forever high priest. We praise you that we sit here this morning able to draw near to you. We praise you in his glorious name. Amen.
Felicity: Amen. Well, these things are just really worth talking about more, aren't they? So why not take some of our discussion questions and think on it further for yourself. Grab someone else, have a chat, see if someone else is listening along. For all those who are listening on Spotify, we know there's a lot of you, just scroll down and you'll find them there alongside links to other recommendations. But it's worth just taking the time to think on, mull on, chat on profound shaping truths. We'll see you next time.
Sarah: We'll see you next time where we're going to be in chapter 11. We really look forward to getting into that together. Again, a big thanks to our listeners who've enabled this episode to happen. See you then. Bye bye.
Felicity: See you then, bye.
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