Leviticus 8:14 - Meaning and Application

The covenant of priesthood had to be sealed with sacrifice, just as other covenants were (Psalm 50:5). In the same way, Christ was set apart by the sacrifice of himself, once for all. Sacrifices of every kind had to be offered for the priests, so they would serve the people with greater tenderness and care. They were to show compassion toward the ignorant and those who had gone astray, not acting proud toward the people for whom sacrifices were offered. They had to remember that sacrifices had also been offered for them, since they were themselves subject to weakness and sin.

A bull, the largest common sacrifice, was offered as a sin offering (Leviticus 8:14). This made atonement and kept them from bringing any guilt from their former life into the new role they were now taking on. When Isaiah was called to be a prophet, he was comforted with these words: "Your guilt is taken away" (Isaiah 6:7). In the same way, ministers who tell others that sins can be forgiven should first work to be sure of this for themselves. Those entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, that is, the work of bringing people back to God, must first be reconciled to God themselves, so they can care for others’ souls as they do for their own.

A ram was then offered as a burnt offering (Leviticus 8:18-21). By this, they gave God the honor of the great dignity now placed on them, and they thanked him for it, just as Paul thanked Christ Jesus for appointing him to ministry (1 Timothy 1:12). They also showed that they were giving themselves, and all their service, to the honor of God.

Another ram, called the ram of consecration, was offered as a peace offering (Leviticus 8:22, and following). Some of its blood was put on the priests, on their ears, thumbs, and toes, and some was sprinkled on the altar. In this way, they were, so to speak, joined to the altar, where they would serve all their days. All the ceremonies connected with this offering, like the ones before it, were done by God’s clear command. If we compare this chapter with Exodus 29, we see that the ceremony is carried out exactly as God had commanded, with no change at all. That is why, as in the account of the tabernacle and its furnishings, the phrase is repeated again and again, "As the Lord commanded Moses." So too Christ, when he set himself apart by his own blood, was guided by his Father’s will. "As the Father has commanded me, so I do" (John 14:31; John 10:18; John 6:38).