Leviticus 8:31

"And Moses said unto Aaron and his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting: and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration be fulfilled: for he shall consecrate you seven days. As hath been done this day, so Jehovah hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you. And at the door of the tent of meeting shall ye abide day and night seven days, and keep the charge of Jehovah, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. And Aaron and his sons did all the things which Jehovah commanded by Moses."

Notice another variation from the instructions in previous chapters. The flesh of certain offerings could be eaten on the morrow following their being sacrificed, but in this case, there was a day by day burning of all portions left over. That was perhaps due to the fact that a fresh supply would be provided daily for the whole seven-day ceremony.

"And there eat it ..." (Leviticus 8:31). Just as there was something the ancient priests of Israel were commanded to eat, so it is with Christians. They ate of the flesh of the sacrifice, and Christians must eat of the "flesh and the blood" of the Great Sacrifice, even that of Christ (John 6:53ff). It is significant that the sons of Aaron (typical of Christians), and not Aaron (typical of Christ) were commanded in this particular what to eat. Aaron doubtless ate as did the priests, just as Christ also partook of the Lord's Supper the night he established it, but the commandment was for the priests. Unger summarized what many believe to be the symbolism of this passage thus:

"The eating of the sacrifices and the bread illustrates the necessity of believer-priests feeding upon Christ (John 6:50-55) and remembering the benefits of His death through partaking of the Lord's table (1 Corinthians 11:25-27). The seven-day span of the feast may envision this present age, when a heavenly priesthood (the church) is spiritually feasting on Christ."[21]

The necessity for the priests to remain at the door of the tent of meeting and not to depart from it either day or night for a whole seven days has its particular symbolism for Christians. We too have been baptized, and have received the token gift of God's Spirit, and, by faith, our hearts have been sprinkled with the blood of the Atonement, even that of Christ, but God is not through with us. Seiss was doubtless correct in seeing this seven-day period as a symbolical indication of the Christian's entire earthly life. "That complete period can be nothing less than our entire earthly life."[22] The same also applies in the life of Christ, the great Antitype. He too had to complete the total circle of human life and then make the Atonement, and re-enter heaven.

The symbolism of the seven whole days in which these solemn rites were to be repeated daily derives from the "significance and holiness of the number seven as the sign of the completion of the works of God."[23] It is needless to repeat here the many examples of the symbolical usages of this number in the sacred text.

AARON; TYPICAL OF THE TRUE HIGH PRIEST

1. The utmost publicity attended his calling and consecration.

2. He began his entry into his great work by baptism, as did Christ.

3. He received anointing, as did Christ when he was baptized.

4. His anointing was by "pouring of oil liberally upon his head," symbolical of the "measureless" gift of the Holy Spirit to Christ.

5. Aaron's baptism was by IMMERSION, just as the baptism of Christ was.

6. His baptism was not "for remission of sins"; neither was Christ's.

7. Blood on ear, hand, and toe indicated suffering and bloodshed of Christ.

8. Four sons of Aaron witnessed Aaron's consecration, suggesting the Four Gospels and their witness of Christ.

9. His beautiful clothing symbolized the completeness and perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially the seamless robe worn upon the Day of Atonement.

10. Garments of Aaron were sprinkled with blood, symbolizing the Word of God, even Christ (Revelation 19:13).

11. His anointing preceded the sin-offering, just as Christ's came before the Atonement on Calvary.

12. Eating flesh and bread of the sacrifices within the tent of meeting was symbolical of the Lord's Supper.

13. The seven-day period in which it was unlawful to leave the tent of meeting speaks of the fact that Christians are not free to leave the church during the days of their probation.

14. Aaron's remaining in the tent for seven days shows that Christ is always in heaven interceding for the redeemed ones.

All of these foreshadowings of the Great High Priest by Aaron's consecration in this chapter are discussed in detail throughout this chapter. The presentation in this summary is merely to show the extent of the analogy. In the aggregate it is as convincing as anything found in Holy Writ. There is absolutely no way that a reprobate and unfaithful Jewish priesthood in a million years could ever have invented and written down such a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ who in future ages would be revealed to mankind as that which is found in this single chapter of the Word of God. Yes, indeed, it is the Word of God! Men had nothing to do with it, except in the case of Moses, who preserved the record for mankind.

PRIESTHOOD TYPICAL OF CHRISTIANS

1. The initial act of the priest was his submission to baptism; so it is with Christians.

2. In their case, as in ours, it was a cleansing from sin (the sacrifice already having been offered).

3. Their anointing was a mere sprinkling of the holy oil, indicating an earnest (guarantee) only of the Holy Spirit.

4. Their right to be priests was dependent solely upon their being the sons of Aaron; ours depends solely upon our being the sons of God.

5. They had to be "born into" this privilege. So do we by being "born of water and of the Spirit" (John 3:5).

6. They were required to feed upon the flesh of the sacrifice; so are Christians (John 6:53ff).

7. All of the privileges and blessings they hoped to receive were contingent upon their remaining within the tent of the meeting; ours is contingent upon our remaining inside God's church.

8. They offered up animal sacrifices; Christians offer up spiritual sacrifices.

Christians today are, in every way, the antitype of the ancient Jewish priesthood, "a royal priesthood," as witnessed by the apostle Peter. The above is only a partial list of the specifics in this analogy, but these are sufficient to show how thoroughly the New Institution was typified and set forth under the forms and shadows of the Law of Moses. May God bless these studies to the benefit and blessing of all who peruse them.