Aaron Begins Priestly Service

9:1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, 9:2 and said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both flawless, and present them before the Lord. 9:3 Then tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and lamb, both a year old and flawless, for a burnt offering, 9:4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil, for today the Lord is going to appear to you.’” 9:5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Meeting Tent and the whole congregation presented them and stood before the Lord. 9:6 Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” 9:7 Moses then said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and make your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement on behalf of yourself and on behalf of the people; and also make the people’s offering and make atonement on behalf of them just as the Lord has commanded.” 9:8 So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the sin offering calf which was for himself. 9:9 Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, and the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. 9:10 The fat and the kidneys and the protruding lobe of the liver from the sin offering he offered up in smoke on the altar just as the Lord had commanded Moses, 9:11 but the flesh and the hide he completely burned up outside the camp. 9:12 He then slaughtered the burnt offering, and his sons handed the blood to him and he splashed it against the altar’s sides. 9:13 The burnt offering itself they handed to him by its parts, including the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar, 9:14 and he washed the entrails and the legs and offered them up in smoke on top of the burnt offering on the altar. 9:15 Then he presented the people’s offering. He took the sin offering male goat which was for the people, slaughtered it, and performed a decontamination rite with it like the first one. 9:16 He then presented the burnt offering, and did it according to the standard regulation. 9:17 Next he presented the grain offering, filled his hand with some of it, and offered it up in smoke on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering. 9:18 Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram – the peace offering sacrifices which were for the people – and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he splashed it against the altar’s sides. 9:19 As for the fat parts from the ox and from the ram (the fatty tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the protruding lobe of the liver), 9:20 they set those on the breasts and he offered the fat parts up in smoke on the altar. 9:21 Finally Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the Lord just as Moses had commanded. 9:22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them and descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. 9:23 Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 9:24 Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground.

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On the eighth day, Aaron offers the required sacrifices for himself and for the people exactly as the LORD commanded. Then the LORD shows his glory, and fire comes out from his presence to consume the offering. The people shout loudly and fall facedown in awe.

This passage marks the first public work of Aaron and his sons as priests. Moses gives the commands. Aaron obeys. He first makes atonement for himself, because even the high priest must come before the holy God through sacrifice. Then he offers the people’s sacrifices. Again and again, the text says that it was done just as the LORD commanded. That is the main point of the chapter.

The different offerings have their own roles. The sin offering deals with guilt and uncleanness. The burnt offering shows full devotion to God. The grain offering is given as tribute. The peace offerings speak of fellowship and restored relationship. The careful use of blood, fat, and other parts shows that worship must follow God’s own order.

The climax comes when Aaron blesses the people, Moses and Aaron enter the Meeting Tent, and the glory of the LORD appears to all the people. Then fire goes out from the presence of the LORD and consumes the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar. This is a public sign of God’s glory and approval of what he has commanded. It also shows that his holiness is not casual. The same holy God who receives proper sacrifice also judges irreverence, as the next chapter will show.

• God is holy and must be approached in the way he commands.
• Aaron had to offer for himself before he could offer for the people.
• Worship is acceptable only when it follows the LORD’s instructions.
• The LORD’s glory appeared as a sign of divine approval.
• The fire from the LORD showed his holy presence and approval.

• Warning: Do not treat God’s holiness casually.
• Warning: Do not invent worship on your own terms.
• Command: Offer what the LORD commands and do it in obedience.
• Promise: God shows his glory when he is rightly approached and honored.
• Promise: God accepts the sacrifice he has appointed.

This chapter completes the beginning of tabernacle worship under the Mosaic covenant. It shows that sinful people can live near a holy God only through priestly mediation and sacrifice. In the wider Bible, it points forward to the need for a greater priest and a better sacrifice that can bring lasting access to God.

God’s people should seek him with reverence, humility, and obedience. We should not trust our own goodness, status, or religious effort. We must depend on God’s provision, approach him with fear and gratitude, and worship him as he has commanded.

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