THE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS 1- The need for consecration 1 - 3 2- Washing the priests with water 4 3- Clothing the priests with priestly garments and anointing them 5 - 9 4- A sin offering 10 - 14 5- A burnt offering to the Lord 15 - 19 6- A ram of consecration 16 - 22 7- A wave offering 23 - 28 8- Anointing the holy garments 29 - 30 9- The priests eat by the door of the tabernacle of meeting 31 - 35 10- Anointing the altar 36 - 37 11- The daily offerings 38 - 46 1- The need for consecration God called Aaron and his sons to minister to Him, and designated for them the garments to wear, to let them realize that the secret of their authority was not in them, but in God who called and clothed them. Now, before practicing any priestly task, God presents them with an elaborate ritual for their consecration and the consecration of their priestly garments and the altar on which they are going to minister, as though the three of them represent one unit. There is no consecration of the priests, unless they put on the Lord Christ Himself (the holy garments), and carry His features in them to minister to the holy altar (the cross). Choosing the priests, (calling and sanctifying them) was a reference to choosing the Holy, Only-Begotten Son, who sanctified Himself to bring salvation. Although He is Holy and blameless, He says, “For their sake I sanctify Myself, that they also be sanctified by the Truth” (John 17.19). This does not mean that He is acquiring a new sanctification, but is offering His sanctified life to this task, as “a Priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110.4; Heb. 5.6, 7.11). As the priests were committed to put on the holy garments to approach the altar; likewise, the Holy Son of God put on our body and became as one of us in order to approach the cross on our behalf and to achieve the redemption. The sanctification of the altar refers to the cross that was sanctified by the precious blood. 2- Washing the priests with water Aaron and his sons come to the door of the tabernacle of the meeting, where Moses washes them with water (Exod. 29.4). It is as though their choice by God and their calling to that holy task commit them to have themselves purified, before entering into the tabernacle or practicing any priestly work. The priest, even though granted the honor of praying for his people, this should not create pride in him, to assume that he became better or more righteous than them. On the contrary, this would give him the responsibility to strive also for himself, lest the people should perish because of him. In the holy liturgy, the priest learns to include himself in his supplications for the people saying, “Grant, O Lord, that our sacrifice may be accepted before You for my sins and for the ignorance of Your people.”1 And in all his secret prayers, he keeps 1 The Basil Mass. The preparation prayer. 213 on asking on his own behalf, as though feeling that when he sins, he does it knowingly, while the people may sin unknowingly. The fathers realized their continuous need for God’s care, and for the continuous learning, together with their congregation. St. Augustine says that although we are, for you, the shepherds, yet we are like you, lambs under God’s care. We are teachers to you, yet we all are under the authority of One God; we all are colleagues in His school1. His call for priesthood confirms his fellowship in the holy congregation of God, to remain forever-seeking purification in the worthiness of the blood, and continuous learning on the hand of God. That is why the apostle Paul writes to his disciple Timothy, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1.15). The apostle should not consider himself a chief, a teacher, and a director, but mainly, the chief of sinners, who needs to remain all the time in the bosom of his Savior. St. John Chrysostom believes that God allows for His priests to feel their weakness, in order to have compassion upon their brothers. 3- Clothing the priests with priestly garments and anointing them Putting priestly garments is a part of the sanctification of the priests, as we saw before. Once the High Priest puts on the golden plate and the holy crown (Exod. 29.6), on which is engraved “Holiness to the Lord”, he becomes a representative of the Lord Christ. That is why the anointing oil is poured on his head (Exod. 29.7) before he can offer any sacrifice, a reference to the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in the Lord Christ, since eternity, being His eternal Spirit, and not a grace granted to Him. Aaron and his sons, having put on their garments, come to get the holy anointment (Exod. 29.21) in order for Aaron and God’s priests to know that they would not be anointed as priests, before having sacrifices offered on their behalf, and having the blood of Christ sprinkled on them for their sanctification. The divine inspiration confirmed to them that they are in need of sanctification, as there is no human without sin, even if his life is just one day on earth. We shall deal with the holy anointment in the next chapter, God willing. 4- A sin offering This sacrifice will be mentioned in more details in the Book of Leviticus (4: & 5). It carries many marvelous meanings, for example: A- This sacrifice refers to the Lord Christ, on Whom we have put our hands to bear our sins, and He was led to death (1 Pet. 2.24). That is why Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the bull, and kill it before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting (Exod. 29.10-11). We do not hear that it is a sweet aroma or pleasure to the Lord, as in the case of the burnt offering. Rather, it refers to the load and bitterness of the sins that the Lord bears on behalf of both the priests and the congregation. That is why the Lord Christ cried out saying that His soul is grieved even to death. B- Some of the blood of the bull is put, by the finger, on the horns of the altar, and poured beside its base. All the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, are burnt on the altar (Exod. 20.12-13), as though God wanted to confirm to the priests that, by His blood 1 The Pastoral Love. 214 on the altar, He atoned all their sins, even the ones hidden in their depths, to let them live with inner purity. C- Burning the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, with fire outside the camp (Exod. 29.14) refers to the Passion of the Lord Christ outside the camp, so that the priests come out with Him carrying His shame in ministering His people. 5- A burnt offering to the Lord After presenting a sin offering, a whole ram is burnt on the altar to the Lord, “It is a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord” (Exod. 29.18). This sacrifice presents another side of the cross. Carrying the burden of our sins, the first sacrifice is offered with moaning and crying; The sacrifice manifests, in the cross, joy and sweet aroma, revealing the complete obedience of the Lord Christ to the Father (John 6.38; Phil. 2.8; Heb. 5.5, 10.7), obedience through free will, and not compulsion (John 10.18). Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the ram, to become as one with the sacrifice, to bear the spirit of complete obedience, that is the Lord Christ’s in them, so that it would be to God a sweet aroma and pleasure (Lev. 1.9, 13, 17). Thus, to be joined to the Lord is being one Spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6.17). They will kill the ram, sprinkle its blood all around on the altar, cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, as though to reveal all its depths of the Lord Christ, found blameless by the Father (Isa. 53.9; Luke 23.22; John 8.46), has been accepted by Him. Therefore, it is fit for the priest to be sanctified in his inner depths, so that, if found blameless before God, he would bring Him pleasure in Christ Jesus. 6- A ram of consecration This act bears a living portrait of sanctification. After putting their hands on the ram, by which Aaron and his sons proclaim their union with it, they offer its life as redemption for them in its blood, that is sprinkled on their bodies and their garments, to purify and sanctify them completely, so that their lives and works would be all for the Lord. Moses would then take some of the blood of the ram and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot (Exod. 29.20), as though their ears, hands and feet, are completely sanctified and dedicated to the ministry of the Lord. Every word heard by the priest and every movement or work shall be to the account of his Master having been wholly sanctified for Him. That is why this sacrifice of consecration is “a sweet aroma for the Lord; an offering made by fire to the Lord” (Exod. 29.25). 7- A wave offering to be waved before the Lord by the priests Moses shall put in the hands of the priests, which have been sanctified, the consecrated parts of the sacrifice, and ‘wave it as a wave offering before the Lord’. It shall be the first sacrifice offered to the Lord by their sanctified hands. 8- Anointing the holy garments The priest shall put the priestly garments on, which have been sanctified by the blood and the holy oil (Lev. 8.30), and shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days (Lev. 8.33) The Lord says “Therefore, you shall abide at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, so that you may not die; for so I have commanded” (Lev. 8.35). 215 This is a serious warning to the priest, who has presented his life as a sacrifice of love to the ministry of God. After putting on the holy priestly garments, and after having all his inner life and outer actions sanctified, it is fit for him to remain all the days of his life (seven days) abiding to the statutes of the Lord, not preoccupied by any worldly affairs. 9- The priests eat by the door of the tabernacle of meeting God commands Aaron and his sons to eat by the door of the tabernacle of meeting (Exod. 29.30) as a reference to entering into a covenant with Him. God would take care of their needs as His ministers, and they would dedicate their whole life to Him. He probably wants to proclaim to them that even their food and drink, and all their actions, should be in His presence, as they are His share, and He is theirs. Aaron and his sons would eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket (Exod. 29.32) that are of three kinds: A- Unleavened bread made of wheat flour; about which we have talked as a symbol of the new life1. The priest shall not eat leavened bread for seven days. That is to say, he shall live all his life refraining from doing evil. He shall forget his old man and his works, to live all his days according to the new man. His life and his thoughts should be renewed by continuous repentance every day, without interruption. B- Unleavened Cakes kneaded with oil, referring to his life that became kneaded internally with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to carry its fruits all the time. C- Unleavened wafers touched by oil: the fruits of the Holy Spirit should also appear in their outer behavior. If the unleavened cakes, kneaded with oil refer to the good testimony by those who are inside, the wafers touched by oil, refer to the importance of the good testimony by those who are outside (1 Tim. 3.7). St. John Chrysostom says that if even the heathens respect a blameless man, we should live accordingly, so that no enemy or an unbeliever would speak evil about us. Whoever has a good life, would shut the mouths of even the enemies2. St. Irenaeus says that a Christian Bishop should be like that; those who may dispute the dogma with him cannot dispute his personal life3. 10- Anointing the altar “Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy” (Exod. 29.37). God accepts from His people that altar that He sanctifies and makes of it the Holy of Holies, to receive sacrifices to atone for the sins of His people. 11- The daily offerings God commanded daily offerings according to special rituals by day and night. The goal of these rituals is proclaimed in the following divine words: “And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory” (Exod. 29.43). As God is glorified in their life and their behavior, they would be sanctified by His presence in their midst. He intends to live in our midst, to sanctify us for Him. 1 Chap. 12. 2 The Pastoral Love. 3 Ibid.
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