What is the meaning of Leviticus 6:9? Command Aaron and his sons • God instructs Moses to “Command Aaron and his sons” (Leviticus 6:9), placing responsibility for worship squarely on the priesthood. • This direct command highlights immediate, unquestioning obedience—mirroring Exodus 28:1, where Aaron is first set apart. • While only Aaron’s line could serve at the altar, 1 Peter 2:9 reminds believers today that we are a “royal priesthood,” called to the same readiness to follow God’s word. • The literal charge underscores that leadership in worship is not optional; it is divinely mandated. This is the law of the burnt offering • “Law” here describes an unchanging statute, not a suggestion. As in Leviticus 1:3-17, every burnt offering was wholly consumed, symbolizing total surrender to God. • Hebrews 10:10 connects the pattern to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, fulfilling the picture while proving the original law’s reliability. • The continual nature of this law reassures us that God’s standards remain consistent—yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning • Leaving the sacrifice all night ensured a complete offering; nothing was to be half-done (Exodus 29:38-42). • The night-long flame illustrated round-the-clock access to God. Psalm 119:147 speaks of crying out to the Lord before dawn; the altar fire was already burning, ready to receive worship. • Mark 1:35 shows Jesus rising “very early in the morning” to pray—He, too, approached a Father symbolically represented by an ever-burning altar. And the fire must be kept burning on the altar • God required a perpetual fire (Leviticus 6:12-13), signifying His constant presence—echoed by the pillar of fire that never left Israel’s camp (Numbers 9:15-16). • For believers, Romans 12:1 calls us to present our bodies “as a living sacrifice,” stoking an inner flame of devotion that must not go out (1 Thessalonians 5:19). • Practically, priests added wood each morning (Leviticus 6:12). Regular spiritual disciplines do the same for us, fueling worship and preventing the embers from dying. summary Leviticus 6:9 delivers a clear, literal directive: priests must keep the burnt offering—and its fire—continually before God. The command establishes authoritative leadership, an unchanging law of total surrender, an all-night witness to ceaseless atonement, and a perpetual flame symbolizing God’s abiding presence. For today’s believer-priests, the verse calls us to unwavering obedience, wholehearted devotion, and diligent maintenance of a holy fire that never goes out. |
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