Squeaky Clean

Read Leviticus 8:1–10:20

1. Then the Lord said to Moses,
2. “Bring Aaron and his sons, along with their sacred garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made without yeast,
3. and call the entire community of Israel together at the entrance of the Tabernacle.”
4. So . . .the whole community assembled at the Tabernacle entrance.
5. Moses announced to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded us to do!”
6. Then he presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
7. He put the official tunic on Aaron and tied the sash around his waist. He dressed him in the robe, placed the ephod on him, and attached the ephod securely with its decorative sash. . . .
12. Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, anointing him and making him holy for his work. Leviticus 8:1-7, 12

Have you ever seen a one-year-old eat? It’s amazing how much indifference a young child can show toward the location of his or her food. The child will tolerate food on the face and hands, inside the clothes, on the hair, anywhere. Cleanliness? What’s that? Thankfully, most of us outgrow this form of apathy.

This section continues the instructions for worshiping God, with rules for the priests. It details the ordination of Aaron and his sons, the beginning of the priests’ ministry, and the death of the priests Nadab and Abihu when they disregarded God’s instructions. They paid for their apathy toward God. The story vividly reminds us that approaching God is serious business.

You may not be a priest, but these chapters are for you, too. In fact, they have much to say to anyone interested in approaching God; obeying God in everyday routines; staying close to the truth when teaching; and avoiding drunkenness.

God required that Aaron and his sons be cleansed and set apart for their duties as priests (Leviticus 8:1–9:24). Although all the men from the tribe of Levi were dedicated for service to God, only Aaron’s descendants could be priests. They alone had the honor and responsibility of performing the sacrifices. These priests had to cleanse and dedicate themselves before they could help the people do the same.

Leviticus chapters 8 and 9 describe the priests’ ordination ceremony. It showed that holiness came from God alone, not from the priestly role. Similarly, we are not spiritually cleansed just because we have a religious position or come from a religious family. Spiritual cleansing comes only from God. No matter how high our position or how long we have held it, we must depend on God for forgiveness and a relationship with him.

Don’t take your relationship with God for granted and slip into apathy or mindless routine. Stay close to the Father; he wants to be close to you.