The Aaron Lifted up His Hands Toward the People and Blessed Them, and He Stepped Down

Leviticus 9 – April 9

“The Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. Wen they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces” (Lev. 9:22-24).

John MacArthur says, “The Bible speaks often of the glory of God—the visible appearance of His beauty and perfection reduced to blazing light. His glory appeared to Moses in a burning bush in Midian, in a cloud on Mt. Sinai and in a rock on Mt. Sinai. The glory of God also filled the tabernacle, led the people as a pillar of fire and cloud, and also filled the temple in Jerusalem… in these manifestations, God was revealing His righteousness, holiness, truth, wisdom, and grace—the sum of all He is.”

Have you ever fell on your face in awe of the terrifyingly majestic glory of the Lord of Hosts, Jehovah? Why not? Would you dare say that the God of the Old Testament is just fundamentally different than the God of the New Testament? Would you say that the experiences of the Old Testament are just too emotional and it’s for those crazy Pentecostals down the street?

If you have not seen the glory of the Lord displayed even more fully now than it was in the Old Testament than it is my responsibility to tell you that you have probably not met the Son of God and Son of man, Jesus Christ. I’ll let John MacArthur quickly explain…

“Nowhere has God’s glory been more perfectly expressed than in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ” (italics added).

Brother or sister, take a moment to think about the gospel. Jesus Christ, who is FULLY God, took on human flesh (as if that’s not incomprehensible enough!), lived a PERFECT life and was brutally crucified so that YOU (a hater of God- Romans 8:7-8) could—listen carefully to this—not only have ALL your sins freely wiped away(!!), but also have on your account a righteousness not your own! Not only did Jesus wipe your slate clean, but He filled it up with His perfect righteousness! When God looks at one of His children, He doesn’t just see a sinless person, He sees Christ Jesus. The final straw? You have not, and could never, do anything to deserve or earn the free gift of salvation. I hope that the praises of God have welled up like an overflowing mountain spring inside you and you take a moment now, if physically possible, to fall on your face and praise the Savior and King of the world, the risen and glorified Messiah, Jesus Christ. John Piper says having the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) is better than being there! I agree. I get to open the Word of God everyday and see what they only got to seeonce: the glory of God perfectly expressed in Jesus Christ.

When the Pharisees wanted a sign, Jesus sighed within His soul, and what was His answer? “Me.” Jesus told them that He was all they got. Sadly, He wasn’t enough for them. Is Jesus enough for you? Do you love Jesus or do you love His gifts? Do you long for Jesus or do you long for the financial, marital, or physical peace and prosperity that you think He’ll bring you? Ask yourself this: would you want to go to Heaven if Jesus wasn’t there?[1] Thank you God for Leviticus 9!

[1] I saw this question first asked by John Piper in Let the Nations Be Glad!