Monday, August 17, 2009

A Dull Party, Indeed

Leviticus 8

Ordination time- signigcant? Yes. Exciting? Not so much.

The LORD tells Moses to gather Aaron and spawn, oil, bull, lambs, garments, and unleavened bread- and bring the whole assembly to the Tent of Meeting. Aww do we have to go? Yup, 'fraid so.

Then Moses leads a drawn out ceremony involving his brother and his brother's children. They were washed. Aaron dons the tunic, sash, ephod and robe (stand back ladies). Moses also puts the breastplate on him fully equipped with Urim and Thummim- because it wouldn't be a party without Urim and Thummim. He put the turbin on Aaron's head and put the gold plate in front of it. ZZ Top played in the background.

Then Moses gets a little crazy with the annointing oil- getting the tabernacle and everything in it. He got the altar with seven sprinkles, including sprinkling utensils, the basin and stand- and even Aaron's head. I'm guessing this was done reverently and solemnly- although it would be way cooler if there was a holy super soaker that he loaded with the annointing oil and let it fly.

Aaron's boys get tunics, sashes and headbands. Slightly less stylish, but only slightly.

Then, the bull for the sin offering- Aaron and his sons place their hands on it's head. Moses slaughters it, gets some blood on his finger and purifies the altar with it. It kind of seems a little Lord of the Flies-ish. The rest of the blood gets dumped. The liver covering, kidneys and fat around there- and some other fat all get burned in a sacrifice. The rest of the bull- hide, flesh, inedible stuff, all get burned up outside of the camp.

This isn't the first reference we've had to taking part of the sacrifice outside the camp. What's this for? Is the carcass so unclean that God doesn't want it anywhere near the tabernacle? Is it to emphasize the difference in the value of the blood (metaphorically powerful) with the value of flesh (metaphorically weak)? Is it simply a logistical means to combat a putrid smell?

Similar process for the ram. Hands on its head. Blood sprinkled on all sides of the altar. Ram cut into pieces. Pieces, head and fat all burned. The inner parts and legs get washed, the whole ram gets burned. This is the burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to God.

Then comes the second ram- for the ordination. Once again Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. Moses slaughters it- and puts some blood on Aaron's right ear, right thumb, and right big toe. Huh? To sanctify what he heard, what he did and where he went? Doubt it, but it's the best I've got. The right side was maybe simply the dominant side. Lefties never get any breaks...except maybe Sandy Koufax.

Aaron's sons come forward and get the ear, thumb, and toe treatment. The altar gets more blood on all sides. Aaron gets the fat- around the inner parts, around the kidneys (and the kidneys), the tail, the liver covering and the right thigh- as well as the bread basket and "waved" it as a wave offering. The bread consisted of a cake of bread, one made with oil, and a wafer. Aaron combined them- making a fat/right thigh sandwich and commenced to waving.

Then it all got burned to God. Aaron also waved the ram's breast that was Moses' share of the offering as a wave offering.

Moses takes blood from the altar and sprinkles it on Aaron, his sons and their garments, consecrating them. Then Moses tells them to cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it with the ordination bread. Whatever they don't eat gets burned up. They need to stay in this entrance for a week, day and night. Moses says to do these things so that they won't die. This ordination is serious business.

This does seem like a very significant ceremony, but not a very pleasant experience. I wonder how the central participants felt about it. Specifically Moses. As he writes about this event way down the road, is there a sibling rivalry that enters into the story?

Is Moses bitter that he's sitting outside the promised land (SPOILER ALERT) writing about his brother who is going through an elaborate consecration process. Does he think- after all I did, stupid calf-building Aaron gets the pomp and I simply get to observe. Is he sorry he didn't just go to Pharaoh on his own when God first asked? Does he purposely include details about himself here so we don't lose sight of the role he played- he's careful to point out (in detached third person) Moses did this in the ceremony- and Moses threw the blood, etc.

Or is he thrilled that his brother gets this opportunity? Happy to see someone dear to him be such an important part of God's work.

Maybe a bit of both? I wish him all the success in the world, just a little bit less than me.

And I like that Aaron, an important figure that doesn't seem to fight for the spotlight gets his day. He's not a king, he doesn't throw the gauntlet down, he's got that whole golden calf debacle in his not too distant past, but he's still central to God's work.

And despite our own golden-calf moments, we can be too.






Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Birth of "The Wave"

Leviticus 7:28-38

God has Moses tell the Israelites that when they bring fellowship offerings, some of it goes to the priests. First off, they remove the breast from the animal and wave this breast before the LORD as a wave offering. I have no idea what the significance of "the wave" is. "hello, here's an offering for you." "Over here! The offering is over here!" Obviously not, but why a wave? It must have meant something.

So the fat is removed and burned for the LORD, and the breast and an additional thigh go to the priest as his share. This is to be for generations to come.

How much meat do the priests need? If everyone offering gives up a breast and a thigh to them, how much food are they eating? Seems like those holy robes would have to be continuously let out to allow for an ever growing sanctified gut.

Once again I'm struck by the enormous amount of detail they would have had to keep straight. And how time consuming all of this would be. And if these fellowship offerings were voluntary, this would make it so much easier to say...man, it's too much trouble, I stood in that line last week- and I really don't feel much like dismembering a carcass today.

But maybe these complications made the sacrifice an even greater expression of love for God. I'm willing to jump through all these hoops voluntarily because I recognize what You mean to me- and even with the sliver about You that I understand, I know enough to realize that I need You desperately.

And maybe our willingness to stick our necks out for each other, to complicate our lives to help someone else, to walk by faith when we don't know how it will work out does the same thing for us.