«　WEEK 13　DAY 2　»

　　Lev. 8:4 ...The assembly was gathered at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

　　6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons near and washed them with water.

　　1 Cor. 6:11 ...These things were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

　　The consecration of Aaron and his sons took place at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting (Lev. 8:3-4). This signifies that our consecration for the priesthood is not only before God but also for the church life....In Leviticus 8 the Tent of Meeting signifies the church life. We are God's priests in the church and for the church.

　　[Washed in verse 6] signifies that for our consecration for the priesthood we need to be washed by the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:11).

　　In Leviticus 8:6 Moses somewhat signifies Christ, and the water typifies the Holy Spirit. Christ washes us with the Holy Spirit. For the priesthood, which refers both to the priestly service and to a body of persons who are priests, we need to be washed by the Spirit. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 6:11 tells us that we have been washed, cleansed, by the Spirit. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 250-251)

　　"Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them. And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base, to sanctify them" (Lev. 8:10-11). This signifies that Christ and the church, then the cross and the washing of the Spirit, are related to the New Testament priesthood for the priests' sanctification.

　　In the Bible, the tabernacle typifies Christ as an individual (John 1:14), and it also typifies the church as the dwelling place of God. In Leviticus 8 the tabernacle denotes the church much more than it denotes Christ....The anointing of the tabernacle signifies the anointing of the church, in which we, the New Testament priests, serve God.

　　The anointing brings the Triune God mingled with humanity to the priests and to the church life. This anointing includes Christ's human living, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. According to Exodus 30, the anointing oil is an ointment composed of oil, typifying the Spirit, compounded with four spices, signifying humanity (typified by the number four), human living, the death of the cross, and resurrection. When we are anointed as priests and as the church, we are anointed with the Triune God compounded with Christ's humanity, human living, death, and resurrection. This anointing of the priests and the tabernacle also involves the sin offering (Lev. 8:14-17) and the burnt offering (vv. 18-21). All the elements of the anointing oil, the compound Spirit, with the sin offering and the burnt offering must be constituted into our being. Then we will be real priests to God, not by what we are through our natural birth but by the Triune God compounded with Christ's humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension.

　　Leviticus 8:12 tells us that Moses "poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to sanctify him." This signifies that Christ as our High Priest was anointed by God for His sanctification.

　　The consecration or anointing of the priesthood is to make God one with us, for the anointing oil signifies that whatever God is, whatever He does, and whatever He will do are ours. What God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do involve many things, such as Christ's incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming back. All this has been anointed upon us, that is, made one with us.

　　In the consecration of Aaron and his sons, the offerings immediately followed the anointing. The offerings remind us of who and what we are, and of what we should be yet are not. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 253-255, 257)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Leviticus, msg. 29