Lev 9:22-25. The Very First “Service”
Lev 9:22-25. The Very First “Service”.
“Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes”. ROMANS 6:13
This portion of the Torah, that I read last week at services, is called שמיני “shmini”, which means “eighth”. It describes the very first biblical religious service. First ever. Every Jewish or Christian service ever held is the great-great-grandchild of this one.
God was going to raise Aaron and his sons up as a priesthood, priests from the hood ;-), and He had a plan for changing them from the spiritual slobs they were into actual “priests”.
This happened in the year 1145. Just a couple months prior to this service where Aaron, Mose's brother becomes the priest of all Israel, he was busy building the golden calf! How is a person like that changed into a priest, a Cohain, a heart set apart for God?
God was going to have a service.
It had an order to it, we sometimes call it an “order of service”. You recognize our "order of service". We say a blessing, the Shema (Dt. 6.4) and the V’ahavta prayer (Dt 6.5-9), we have worship in music, and offering is given, we have the reading from the Torah, a message, another blessing, an Aaronic benediction (Num 6.24) to end it. Maybe yours is different, but I bet it has similar parts to it.
THIS service had many of those components we practice today. These aren't just customs. The point back to a pattern first practiced this day, three thousand years ago. But we don't follow the entire pattern, as you will see.
It starts with a message. (at the beginning of the service!). Lev 9.22 gets translated that Aaron “lifted his hands”. We don’t know what that blessing was, but I am willing to bet it included direction, imparted words to be remembered. It was a message of transformation, a starting point for new life, not a stodgy benediction. This was a nation of enslaved people, beaten, burdened, and now dusty travelers. Aaron gave a MESSAGE OF BLESSING.
A sacrifice was made, an offering for sin, and for peace. After Aaron blesses the people (the very first Aaronic benediction!), something unfamiliar to use takes place: he and Moses disappear into the Tent of Meeting and everyone is left standing, waiting. What will happen next, anticipation builds. When they come out of the tent, the whole thing goes off script: the k’vod adonai, the PRESENCE OF GOD appears and “EVERYONE sees it!”. An actual fire comes down from God and consumes (eats) the offering.
Then something happens that should be familiar to us: It is most often translated that “they shouted” after they saw the presence of God. But the word יראנו “yeranu”, future tense of רן “rahn” is a flowery or archaic word for “SING”. They SANG! Psalm 95 “come let us sing” is “lechu n’rahn...”. Then it all busted loose, they fell on their faces, overcome.
THAT my friends is a service.
But why do we call it a “service”?
Because we are there to serve God. Not to be “ministered to” or “fed” as is often said. “Worship” is the act of us, putting ourselves to the side and being a priest, and praising, saying good about God, thanking God. Sometimes people say “the worship was good today”, or “I like the way that person worshiped" Worship is not about the organization or the quality, it is the quality to which we set ourselves apart, going in the Ohel Moed, the TENT OF MEETING GOD, and lifting him up in a sacrifice of our selves. But I do think God has a pattern for us to follow, and it is in the pieces and parts of this very first service.
Here, in this first service, God made us a pattern to follow.
- Setting ourselves apart in sanctification before we meet (seven days, our whole week)
- A message
- The priests bless the people (multiple times)
- A sacrifice
- Going to the inner place with God. To wait. For...
- the FIRE of God to descend
- Singing
- Being overwhelmed by God's Presence
וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַהֲרֹ֧ן אֶת־יָדָ֛ו אֶל־הָעָ֖ם וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֑ם וַיֵּ֗רֶד מֵעֲשֹׂ֧ת הַֽחַטָּ֛את וְהָעֹלָ֖ה וְהַשְּׁלָמִֽים׃
נשא to bear, to carry; to deliver (a speech, address, prayer); to suffer, to tolerate
Aaron lifted his hands (נישא - also means to give an address…used as often that way in scripture) toward the people and blessed them; and he stepped down after offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the offering of well-being.
וַיָּבֹ֨א מֹשֶׁ֤ה וְאַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וַיֵּ֣צְא֔וּ וַֽיְבָרְכ֖וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וַיֵּרָ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־כׇּל־הָעָֽם׃
ירא - רנן - cry out, a ringing cry of exultation
Moses and Aaron then went inside the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the Presence of יהוה appeared to all the people.
וַתֵּ֤צֵא אֵשׁ֙ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ אֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה וְאֶת־הַחֲלָבִ֑ים וַיַּ֤רְא כׇּל־הָעָם֙ וַיָּרֹ֔נּוּ וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶֽם׃
Fire came forth from before יהוה and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar. And all the people saw, and shouted (“sang”), and fell on their faces.
9
וַיְהִי֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י קָרָ֣א מֹשֶׁ֔ה לְאַהֲרֹ֖ן וּלְבָנָ֑יו וּלְזִקְנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel.
Comments
Post a Comment