Levite Priests Set Apart - Numbers 8

Chapter 8 seems to be when the tabernacle is dedicated and the Levite priests are set apart for service. Verse 17 ties in the transfer over of authority for sacrifices to God from the first born male of every Israelite household that we’ve talked about before and gives that authority to the Levites. There are two groups here for consideration, the Levites and then the sons of Aaron within the Levitical group. All the sons of Aaron were Levites but not all Levites were the sons of Aaron and this distinction is important because in verse 19, even though the verse doesn’t say it explicitly, the IM notes that there is a division between the Levitical priesthood and the Aaronic priesthood. This is similar to a Sunday School lesson we had last month about the differences between the Aaronic and the Melchizedek priesthood. That lesson was pretty inline with the message from the IM here noting that those who were the sons of Aaron were given the Aaronic priesthood, and those Levites who were NOT the sons of Aaron, were given the Levitical priesthood. The IM continues, “The Aaronic priesthood is divided into the Aaronic and the Levitical, yet it is but one priesthood. This is merely a matter of designating certain duties within the priesthood… They held the Aaronic priesthood but service under, or in a lesser capacity, than the sons of Aaron.”

The scriptures say that the Levitical priests were given to assist the sons of Aaron, so they had duties such as “administered in the sacred ordinances, the Levites were assigned to set up and take down the tabernacle, clean it, carry wood and water, and slay animals to be used by their brethren in these sacrifices.” The dedication was not only of the physical structure to service as the tabernacle but to dedicate the priests for its service, and there was an ordinance for that, similar to a setting apart. To begin, Aaron lit a candle stick, but TB notes that this translation is meant to be the Menorah. TB also noted that this menorah was not a candle wick light but instead on oil lamp. I don’t know why I found that interesting, but I did. So the lamp was lit and then the priests had to present themselves to him for anointing and setting apart. In order to be presented they had to first cleanse themselves, which consisted of sprinkling with water to purify themselves, and “shave all their flesh” and wash their clothes. Basically they had to clean themselves up, which would make sense because they lived in tents in the desert at this point.

Interesting to note that they had to shave their whole body, TB says that this shaving isn’t like what we would expect today with like a straight razor to remove all hair down to the follicular level, it was basically like a regular cutting instrument that did a rough trimming of materials. Basically, they just trimmed up their hair and beards. They also had to present two “young bullock(s)” for an offering, along with fine flour mixed with oil. And then when they went “before the tabernacle of the congregation” the “whole assembly of the children of Israel” would gather together and lay their hands on them. This was to symbolize the people giving these priests the authority to serve God on their behalf, as their representatives before God. TB says that in actuality, it was just the elder leaders of the tribes who did the physical paying on of hands because obviously 2 million people couldn’t physically lay their hands on these people, so there were representatives.