Tetzaveh
You shall command
“Faithful Priests Minister to God”
Exodus 27:20-30:10
Ezekiel 43:10-27
excerpted from TorahScope, Volume III
This week, our Torah portion, Tetzaveh, deals with the specific commands of the Lord regarding the attire and anointing of the high priest (ha’kohen ha’gadol), and the priesthood which was originally designated to serve the community of Ancient Israel. At this juncture in Israel’s desert sojourn, after details regarding the Tabernacle had been articulated and responded to, by heartfelt offerings of the materials required for their construction, Moses now turned to deliver the Lord’s instructions regarding the Levitical priesthood. However, before the meticulous aspects of this priesthood were elaborated upon, there was a request that the Israelites bring purified olive oil, for a lamp which would burn continually before the Lord:
“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel” (Exodus 27:20-21, WMB).
From the onset of our Torah reading, despite the concentration of instructions devoted to the specifics of the priesthood, it is useful for us to consider how just as a light was to burn continually before the Lord—so are His people throughout all generations to function as a light to a world darkened by sin. The image of contributing to, or being a light to the world, was required by Yeshua the Messiah, to all of His followers:
“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, WMB; cf. Isaiah 42:6-8).
Some of us, when encountering a Torah reading like Tetzaveh—and all of its details surrounding a Levitical priesthood, which has been pretty much been gone since the destruction of the Second Temple—have a little bit of difficulty understanding it. While most of us are not Levites, all of us who have confessed the God of Israel as the Creator are to represent Him and serve Him, representing Him as intermediaries to a world which has widely rejected Him and His ways. For, the true chosenness, of being of the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16), is that we are all living forth the imperatives of the priestly calling (cf. Exodus 19:5-6; 1 Peter 2:9; Titus 2:14).
The High Priest
As the revelation came forth from the Most High to Moses, during Ancient Israel’s desert sojourn, while many of the elements of a Tabernacle, priesthood, and animal sacrifice might seem strange to us as modern Bible readers in the Twenty-First Century C.E.—they were not strange to people in the Fifteenth/Thirteenth Century B.C.E. The basic elements, of Ancient Israel’s worship system, were not dissimilar from those of their pagan neighbors in the Ancient Near East. This, at least, can help establish for us that what is described in the Torah, especially in the later Books of Leviticus and Numbers, is something historically viable.
What Believers in Yeshua tend to do, in reading the Torah’s instruction about the high priesthood and Tabernacle—obviously looking back many centuries, and considering what took place in history via His arrival and sacrifice for sinners—is thinking on how it was beneficial for the Israelites to have a high priest like Aaron, whose responsibilities foreshadowed the arrival of the ultimate High Priest, Yeshua. The Tabernacle on Earth is regarded to be a copy of the Tabernacle in Heaven (Hebrews 9:23).
Of course, on a larger scale, God’s people themselves—those who are not Levites—still bear a priestly calling as His servants. Non-Levites can still learn important lessons about obeying God and representing Him, by examining the Levitical priesthood. The challenge throughout the millennia, and up until today, is whether we will adequately apply such lessons.
One critical facet, of God’s plan for the ages, has been to utilize specifically chosen representatives, who were designated to perform intermediary roles between Himself and His chosen people. Moses was uniquely chosen to communicate His Law to the people. The high priest would perform sacred duties in worship, ritual, and sacrifice. Even the kings of Ancient Israel would function as representatives of God to the people. And, on a bigger level once again, the people of Israel were to serve as representatives of God to the nations at large.
In Tetzaveh, we find that the description of the Tabernacle was essentially complete, but in the course of making known the details, there is specific mention of altars (Exodus 27:1). Obviously, the Holy One of Israel desired to be worshipped by His people, and sacrificial offerings were an integral part of this, as seen as far back as Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:3-5), Noah (Genesis 8:20), and Abraham (Genesis 12:7-8). The positions of the high priest, and the associated priests, were specific—in that they would minister in the Tabernacle. The Hebrew noun most often rendered as “priest” is kohen; the related verb kahan basically means “minister in a priest’s office, act as priest” (TWOT):[1]
“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office [kahan]: Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office [kahan]. These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office [kahan]” (Exodus 28:1-4, WMB).
Throughout Tetzaveh, the concept of ministering unto the Lord, indicates that each of the specific actions, to be taken by the priests, were a means of worshipping the Lord which generated His approval. Not only was the Lord detailing the role and responsibilities of the high priest, as the sacrificial system was being formalized, but these actions were definitely ways for the priests to please the Lord. Whether it was the consecration of the priests or the sacrificial offerings, by ministering to the Lord, He promised to dwell among Israel and be their God:
“You shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office [kahan]” (Exodus 28:41, WMB).
“This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office [kahan]: take one young bull and two rams without defect” (Exodus 29:1, WMB).
“It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you. There I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory. I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar. I will also sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the priest’s office [kahan]. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. They shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am the LORD their God” (Exodus 29:42-46, WMB).
Symbolism
With ministering to the Lord a major theme of Tetzaveh, the designation of the high priest to meditate between God and people, is described. As the Levitical priesthood was being established, God once again reminded His people about His extreme holiness, and how as a Perfect Creator, He is widely unapproachable by sinful human beings. In this case, the Levites were chosen, with particular emphasis on the office of the high priest. Upon surveying the details of the high priest’s attire, it is particularly notable that weaved into the construction of the various garments, was his representation for all Twelve Tribes of Israel before the Holy One:
“You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel. Six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel. You shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold. You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel. Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial. You shall make settings of gold, and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them like cords of braided work. You shall put the braided chains on the settings. You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, you shall make it. It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length, and a span its width. You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row; and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be enclosed in gold in their settings. The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes” (Exodus 28:9-21, WMB).
What would it have meant for the Israelites at large, to hear this instruction regarding the high priest, as one who was to represent them all before the Holy One—especially in the sanctuary and through the various offerings made to atone for the sin of the people? The names of the Israelites would be literally borne on the breastpiece, over the heart of the high priest. Did this mean that the high priest was to carry all of the hopes, concerns, and fears of the people in before the Lord when serving Him?
“Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. You shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD continually. You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. It shall have a hole for the head in the middle of it. It shall have a binding of woven work around its hole, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it not be torn. On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, all around its hem; with bells of gold between and around them: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. It shall be on Aaron to minister: and its sound shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, that he not die. You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’ You shall put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be on the sash. It shall be on the front of the sash. It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall make holy in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD” (Exodus 28:29-38, WMB).
Additionally, we read how the Lord required a golden plate, engraved with the notation qodesh l’YHWH—which was yet another symbol that the high priest had been separated apart from others. The high priest was specially consecrated to deal with the iniquities of the people, and his mind was to be definitively focused on the holiness of God.
Consecration
After more details are given, about the garments of the rest of the priesthood (Exodus 28:40-43), the specifics of how the priesthood was to be consecrated are recorded (Exodus 29:1-9). The Levitical priests were be washed, anointed with fragrant oil, and their being separated out involved some specific sacrifices (Exodus 29:4-21). As important as these things were for the Levitical priesthood, we might be able to see some significant foreshadowing for Yeshua’s own consecration, as it involved His ministry in the Gospels. Yeshua began His ministry with water immersion (Matthew 3:16), He was anointed with a costly perfume (Matthew 26:7), but most significantly His being offered up as the sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29).
For the Levitical priests, identification with the sacrificial offerings was critical for their service unto the Lord. They had to know how animal blood was shed, in order to cover their limitations as humans (Leviticus 17:11). Additionally, by placing the blood of the ram on the right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe, the priests were to be totally dedicated to the service. Presumably, the right ear symbolized how they were to listen wisely before making decisions. The right thumb meant that the work of their hands was to be focused to the labor of the Lord. The right toe pointed to everywhere they walked. Being consecrated as a Levitical priest, was a service of total dedication to God’s work:
“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water. You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and clothe him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod. You shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them. You shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them. They shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. You shall consecrate Aaron and his sons. You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. You shall kill the bull before the LORD at the door of the Tent of Meeting. You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering. You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. You shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar. You shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to the LORD; it is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and sprinkle the blood around on the altar. You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him” (Exodus 29:4-21, WMB).
The Work of the Ministry
After the seven-day process of consecrating the priesthood and purifying the altar, readers see how the altar was to be most holy, and that whatever touched the altar would also be holy. A description of the evening and morning sacrificial offerings, and the need to continually offer them, indicated how the Lord desires His people to be perpetually at service to Him (cf. Romans 12:1). The benefit of so doing was to be communion with Him, and the constant reminder that He would speak to His people and dwell among them, in order that they would know that the Holy One was their God as they ministered unto Him:
“You shall do so to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. You shall consecrate them seven days. Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it. You shall anoint it, to sanctify it. Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy. Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning; and the other lamb you shall offer at evening; and with the one lamb a tenth part of an efah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering. The other lamb you shall offer at evening, and shall do to it according to the meal offering of the morning and according to its drink offering, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you. There I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory. I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar. I will also sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the priest’s office. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. They shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am the LORD their God” (Exodus 29:35-46, WMB).
Finally, some details about the altar of incense are delineated, as the God of Israel desired a pleasant aroma before Him. Included within this, was a prohibition against burning “strange incense” (qetoret zarah):
“You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood. Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit. It shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it. You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the covenant, before the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you. Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it. When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. You shall offer no strange incense [unauthorized incense, ESV] on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD” (Exodus 30:1-10, WMB).
As the details of what the Levitical priesthood, and specifically the high priest, were specified, it was apparent for the need to separate out a specific group of people to perform these tasks. Aaron and his sons were chosen, and consequently the sons of Levi became the priests who worked in and around the Tabernacle, and eventually the First and Second Temples. The Levitical priesthood functioned as a form of “aristocracy” for Ancient Israel, as those who served within it, played a specific function, and were born into the task. Many of the Levitical priests served their purpose, and demonstrated godly patterns and principles which were greatly influential for Ancient Israel, the Ancient Jewish people, and certainly Believers in Yeshua the Messiah for millennia—to strengthen their worship and pursuit of the Holy One. While the Levitical priesthood is to be regarded as a special group of people, there are undeniably key lessons to be appropriated from their service, as we all must represent the Lord to a world which has largely rejected Him.
Faithful Priests Minister to God
As the details found in Tetzaveh are enunciated, we as Believers in the ultimate High Priest, Yeshua the Messiah, can draw many parallels between what was received by Moses—and what is currently taking place in Heaven, as the Son intercedes before the Father (Hebrews 7:25). When we review some of the temporal elements of the Levitical priesthood, and the grand service which it offered Israel in the past—we should have a greater appreciation for the permanent atonement offered by Yeshua, and the everlasting priesthood which He occupies. The author of Hebrews addressed this:
“Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law. For he of whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest, who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life; for it is testified, ‘You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek’ [Psalm 110:4]. For there is an annulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Inasmuch as he was not made priest without the taking of an oath (for they indeed have been made priests without an oath), but he with an oath by him that says of him, ‘The Lord swore and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” [Psalm 110:4].’ By so much, Yeshua has become the guarantee of a better covenant. Many, indeed, have been made priests, because they are hindered from continuing by death. But he, because he lives forever, has his priesthood unchangeable. Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them. For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself. For the Torah appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son forever who has been perfected” (Hebrews 7:11-28, WMB).
In God’s infinite wisdom, He established a Levitical priesthood which was responsible for revealing His laws, ordinances, statutes, and regulations to Ancient Israel. This was a critical institution. As multiple examples have indicated, unredeemed people need a mediator between themselves and their Creator, in order to avoid His righteous judgment. The arrival of Yeshua the Messiah on the scene of human history, and His exaltation into Heaven, have certainly changed the dynamics a bit. The power of His priesthood transcends the limited abilities of the Levitical priesthood.
As we consider the grand service of the Son of God for each of us (cf. Philippians 2:5-11), should we not be able to offer ourselves up to His service, and faithfully minister to the Lord in His tasks? He has, after all, bought each of us with a price:
“for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20, WMB).
The overarching and underlying themes of Tetzaveh should illuminate each of us, so that we might be motivated to serve and minister to the Holy One. But, whether one is extracting the purest of oil for the lamps of the sanctuary—or sharing the light of His salvation from the rooftops—the key is faithfully
NOTES
[1] J. Barton Payne, “kahan,” in R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 2:431.
