After spending seven days in God's presence, Aaron and his sons would now begin their duty as priests. First and foremost, they must make the sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins. It seemed that they could not have sinned sitting in front of the tent of meeting for seven days, but in truth, they were sinners. The sacrifices for sin would be ongoing. Only through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus the Lamb of God is this system fulfilled and done away with.

After Aaron atoned for his sins and his sons' sins, he turned towards the people to bless them. He was now in fact accepting the responsibility of high priest and newly identifying himself before the people. The high priest had much authority and responsibility to bear the sins of the people and to atone for them. When Aaron humbly completed the sacrifices, he went into the tent of meeting with Moses. When they came out, the glory of the Lord shone around them. God's intent was to make them a kingdom of priests. God was pleased with Aaron and his sons becoming priests. As a sign, fire came down and consumed the burnt offering. All the people saw it and shouted for joy and fell facedown. Let's overcome our pettiness and live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (1 Pt 2:9).


Application: Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice so that we can serve you as a kingdom of priests. Give us faith to do so.
One Word: Live as a kingdom of priests