Ⅰ
After the decree of the law and the building up of the tabernacle at Sinai, God gave His people all the chapters of Leviticus to train them to worship and partake of Him and to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life.
Ⅱ
The record in Leviticus 8 is concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons, the priests:
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This indicates that the offerings in chapters 1 through 7 are for the consecration, or ordination, of the priests.
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In Hebrew the word consecrate (Exo. 28:41; 29:9, 33, 35) means "to fill the hands"; through Aaron's consecration to receive the holy position of the high priest, his empty hands were filled (Lev. 8:25-28).
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Our consecration for the priesthood must be with the all-inclusive Christ as all the five offerings (the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, and the peace offering) "filling our hands" for our enjoyment.
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Whatever Christ is to us and does for us, as typified by the offerings, is to constitute us priests (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; cf. 2:6).
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The constitution of Christ in us through our enjoyment of Him as the offerings is the divine ordination; consecration is on our side (we consecrate ourselves to God); ordination is on God's side (God ordains us).
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 28:41 ...And you shall anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them, that they may serve Me as priests.Lev. 8:26-28 ...He took one unleavened cake and one cake...and placed them on the fat portions and on the right thigh....He waved them as a wave offering ...and burned them on the altar upon the burnt offering. They were an offering of consecration for a satisfying fragrance; it was an offering by fire to Jehovah.
God brought His people, His elect, through the wilderness. God moved with them and brought them to Mount Sinai. Sinai represents God's presence. God brought His people to Himself at Sinai and stayed with them...(Exo. 19:1; cf. Num. 10:11). God stayed with His people day and night there, so God trained them.
At Mount Sinai God gave them the law and the pattern for the tabernacle. On the one hand, God regulated them by the law, and on the other hand, He encouraged them by the tabernacle. After the decree of the law and the building up of the tabernacle at Sinai, God gave them all the chapters of Leviticus to train them to worship and partake of God and to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, "The History of God in His Union with Man," p. 169)
Today's Reading
In Hebrew, the word consecrate (Exo. 28:41; 29:9, 33, 35) means "to fill the hands." Through Aaron's consecration to receive the holy position of high priest, his empty hands were filled (Lev. 8:25-28).The word consecration is sometimes translated "ordination." Consecration is on our side; we consecrate ourselves to God. Ordination is on God's side; He ordains us.
For Aaron and his sons to be consecrated to serve as priests meant that their empty hands were filled. Aaron and his sons appeared empty-handed before Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting. But when they were consecrated, their empty hands were filled with the type of Christ in different aspects.
The first seven chapters of Leviticus describe five categories of offerings: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. Then five kinds of laws are given concerning the application of the five kinds of offerings. The result of the application of these offerings is peace. Peace is the totality of what Christ is to us with God. Under Christ's redemption, we are enjoying Christ as a totality, and this totality is peace, which implies rest, enjoyment, and satisfaction.
After the record of the offerings, Leviticus describes the consecration of the priesthood. This indicates that the offerings in chapters 1 through 7 are for the consecration, or ordination, of the priests.
According to the spiritual significance of this book, we all are priests. We have been reborn, regenerated, to be priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10)....However, we need a day of consecration on which we give ourselves to God and say, "Lord, I am Yours because You bought me. You redeemed me with Your blood, and You have regenerated me. Now that I have Your life and the enjoyment of Your redemption, I would like to offer myself to You. I give myself to You to serve You as Your servant, even as Your slave." God will immediately accept our offer and ordain us to be His serving ones, His priests. Thus, consecration is on our side, and ordination is on God's side.
Leviticus is not a book for ordinary people; it is a book for priests. Since we have been sanctified and separated from ordinary people, we are no longer common. We are a particular people—we are priests. All the offerings refer to Christ, and whatever Christ is to us and does for us is to constitute us priests. This constitution is the divine ordination.
In our first birth, our original birth, we were constituted sinners (Rom. 5:19)....Through our second birth, we who believe in Christ have been constituted priests. Now we need our consecration and God's ordination to make our priesthood official. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 249-250)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, "The History of God in His Union with Man," ch. 13; Life-study of Leviticus, msg. 28