L6-1: How the ritual procedures for PRIESTS were different than for COMMON WORSHIPPERS

Today we begin Leviticus Chapter 6.

For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here.

For the King James Bible, click here.

“Adonai said to Moshe, “Give this order to Aharon and his sons: ‘This is the law for the burnt offering: it is what goes up on its firewood upon the altar all night long, until morning; in this way the fire of the altar will be kept burning.”-Leviticus 6:1-2

Before we dive into our study of Leviticus Chapter 6, there is one important thing you need to know.

Leviticus chapters 6 and 7 are together ONE CONTINUOUS WORK.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the biblical chapter and verse numberings in our Bible is a late addition by scholars that were added just to make the Scriptures easier to study and communicate to one another.

In the beginning, the Torah was one long continuous scroll with zero chapter and verse divisions.

The next thing you need to know is that there is a major fundamental difference between the context of Leviticus chapters 6-7 and the context of Leviticus chapters 1-5 with regards to the five major sacrificial categories.

Recall the five sacrificial categories are the OLAH, the MINCHAH, the ZEVAH, the HATTA-AT, and the ASHAM.

Here’s the KEY difference.

Leviticus chapters 6-7 deal with what the PRIESTS are to do in terms of the procedures of the various sacrificial offerings!!!

On the other hand, Leviticus chapters 1-5 deal with the layman’s protocol or the sacrificial procedures your common Hebrew had to follow.

Leviticus chapters 6-7 deal with the priestly perspective.

Leviticus chapters 1-5 deal with the common worshippers’ perspective.

How do I know this?

Well, in Leviticus chapters 1-5, we’ll see many of the instructions prefaced with phrases like the following:

“if any man”

or

“if anyone”.

This indicates that those TOROT or ritual instructions were being directed to the common man or non-priests.

However, in Leviticus chapters 6-7, the instructions will be prefaced with phrases like this:

“Command Aaron and his sons”

or

“Tell Aaron and his sons”

What class does Aaron and his sons belong to?

They represent the priestly class, right?

They are the priests.

So Leviticus chapters 6-7 as one work could aptly be titled the “INSTRUCTIONS TO THE PRIESTS” where on the other hand, Leviticus chapters 1-5 together could be aptly titled the “INSTRUCTIONS TO THE WORSHIPPERS”.