Leviticus 9:1-24 NKJV
9 It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 3 And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, 4 also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’ ”
5 So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of meeting. And all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. 6 Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded you to do, and the glory of the Lord will appear to you.” 7 And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.”
8 Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him. And he dipped his finger in the blood, put it on the horns of the altar, and poured the blood at the base of the altar. 10 But the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe from the liver of the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 The flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp.
12 And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar. 13 Then they presented the burnt offering to him, with its pieces and head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.
15 Then he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one. 16 And he brought the burnt offering and offered it according to the prescribed manner. 17 Then he brought the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the burnt sacrifice of the morning.
18 He also killed the bull and the ram as sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people. And Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar, 19 and the fat from the bull and the ram—the fatty tail, what covers the entrails and the kidneys, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver; 20 and they put the fat on the breasts. Then he burned the fat on the altar; 21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved as a wave offering before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.
22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, 24 and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
The faithful reader of God’s Word understands that the Old Testament priestly system, inaugurated here in Leviticus, was completely fulfilled by Christ through His own perfect keeping of the Law and by His sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross to atone for all sin. All the rites and sacrifices proscribed by God through Moses to Aaron and his sons served to point God’s people to the fulfillment of them all in Christ. And it’s important to note that it wasn’t the sacrifices and rites themselves that brought about atonement for sin, but rather, as it always has been, faith and belief in the God who commanded them. As it was said of Abraham, he “believed God and it was accounted/credited to him as righteousness” (Rom 4:3).
As Moses inaugurated the OT service, Jesus inaugurated the Divine Service in the new covenant. He was, one could say, its ritual founder. Christ brought the OT service to its divine goal which was open access to God and His presence in the heavenly sanctuary.
Jesus, who was made the perfect Priest through His sufferings inaugurated the new and living way into His Father’s presence. By His presence and activity as High Priest, our Lord changes the orientation and shape of the Divine Service. Since He has made satisfaction for the sins of the world by His sacrifice of atonement, there is now no need for any further acts of atonement for those involved in the Divine Service.
Christ atoned for the sins of all mankind. He now offers full forgiveness to all who, by faith alone, believe in Him and His work on the cross. Receive Christ in all the ways He wants you to have Him – Baptism, Absolution, Gospel, and Supper – so that your faith my be strengthened and that you may receive a constant flow of forgiveness until you are received into the life of the world to come.
Let us pray: Dear Jesus, thank You for fulfilling all the Old Testament rituals and sacrifices by Your own sacrifice on the cross. In Your mercy, keep me in that one true faith unto life everlasting. Amen.