It’s incredible to me that nothing in Scripture is irrelevant. If we take the time to allow God's Word to speak to us, all of Scripture is applicable to us today. As we go through the book of Leviticus, it’s not just a book of rules placed on a group of people that we’re not a part of. When we come to the portion of the consecration of the priests and the beginning of their priestly service, we need to remember that we are now God's priests, as we read in 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;". This is something that was first said to the Jews but now as we have been adopted into the family of God it applies to us. As we reflect on today's reading, we get a good picture of justification and sanctification from the order in which Aaron and his sons were consecrated in their position. Justification is the act where God declares a sinner righteous by faith solely on the merit of Christ's sacrifice." We see in Levitcus 8:6, that Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water." Aaron and his sons were passive in this process. But, look at what our Savior did for His disciples in John 13:5, "After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded." In preparation for service, Jesus did the work of washing His disciples. We read in Leviticus 8:7, "And he put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him;...". In Scripture, garments are representative of a person's righteousness. Notice that it wasn't the good works of Aaron which made him righteous, again, he was passive and this was something that was bestowed upon him. We are in the same position, we do nothing in becoming righteous, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

lastly, before beginning service as priests, we read in Leviticus 8:12, "And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to consecrate him." notice that Aaron was also passive during this. Oil in Scripture is always a picture of the Holy Spirit. Though the disciples were given their marching orders in Acts 1:8, to be His "witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.", they were told in the preceding verses to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to empower them first, which occurred in Acts 2.

Having been justified, we, His priests, now must go about the process of sanctification. Sanctification is to be set apart, or to be made holy, for His special use. This can only be done in His power and once we are justified. After Aaron is consecrated, we read in Leviticus 8:23, "and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot." They were now being set out for service. The blood on his right ear symbolizes listening to the voice of the Spirit. A phrase which is repeated to all seven of the churches in the book of Revelation, which applies to us directly in every church age, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This is from (Revelation 2:11). The right thumb symbolizes their service to God through the works of their hands. We read in Hebrews 9:14, "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" It should be our greatest desire to one day hear, as in Matthew 25:21, "...'Well done, good and faithful servant;...". The right toe symbolizes walking in the path of the Lord, to be anointed and led by God. One way to see this path is through His Word, as we read in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path."

We should all step back and reflect where we stand in this process. If we jump out in zeal in service before we have actually repented and accepted His sacrifice then we’ll be powerless to serve Him. If we are justified, but play it safe and remain in our own little world, then we never move forward in the process of sanctification. As God's holy priests, both are vital. We all have a vocation or a job, whether we stay home or out in the workplace. We need to ask ourselves; do we see this as our mission field, or as plot in life? Do we keep our eyes and ears open for any and every opportunity to serve the Lord, or are we walking around with ear-pods in our ears, or with our eyes glued to our phones? Do we see the difficult or unhappy people that surround us as obstacles or people to gossip and complain about, or as lost individuals in desperate need of a touch from us, one of God's holy priests, one of God's ambassadors of reconciliation? Opportunities are being wasted on a daily basis. May we never forget what Jesus told us as we step out of bed each morning, in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."