Leviticus 6:8-30
The Priests at the Altar
8Then the LORD said to Moses,
9“Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.
10And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it.
11Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place.
12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.
13The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.
14Now this is the law of the grain offering: Aaron’s sons shall present it before the LORD in front of the altar.
15The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil, together with all the frankincense from the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
16Aaron and his sons are to eat the remainder. It must be eaten without leaven in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.
17It must not be baked with leaven; I have assigned it as their portion of My food offerings. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
18Any male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. This is a permanent portion from the food offerings to the LORD for the generations to come. Anything that touches them will become holy.”
19Then the LORD said to Moses,
20“This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
21It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a grain offering broken in pieces, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
22The priest, who is one of Aaron’s sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. As a permanent portion for the LORD, it must be burned completely.
23Every grain offering for a priest shall be burned completely; it is not to be eaten.”
24And the LORD said to Moses,
25“Tell Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the LORD; it is most holy.
26The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.
27Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place.
28The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water.
29Any male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy.
30But no sin offering may be eaten if its blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it must be burned.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD tells Moses how the priests are to handle the burnt offering. The fire is to remain burning on the altar through the night. The priest puts on linen garments, removes the ashes, changes clothes, and carries them outside the camp to a clean place.
The fire must not be allowed to go out. Each morning the priest adds wood, arranges the burnt offering, and burns the fat of the peace offerings. The instruction gives ordinary maintenance a holy seriousness; worship depends on faithful attention when no crowd is watching.
The grain offering is brought to the altar, and the priests eat their portion in a holy place. Every male among Aaron's descendants may eat it. A priest's own grain offering, however, is completely burned and not eaten.
The sin offering and guilt offering are most holy. The priest who offers the sacrifice may eat it in a holy place, but a vessel touched by its flesh must be washed or broken, and the meat must not be eaten by anyone who is not authorized. The altar is not casual, and priestly privilege comes with boundaries.
Questions
1 What was the priest to do with the altar fire?
AnswerThe priest was to keep the fire burning continually and add wood each morning.
2 Where were the ashes taken?
AnswerThe ashes were carried outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place.
3 Who could eat the grain offering?
AnswerMale descendants of Aaron could eat the grain offering in a holy place.
4 How were sin and guilt offerings described?
AnswerThey were described as most holy and could be eaten only by authorized priests in a holy place.
What This Means for Us
The priests' work includes fire, ashes, clothing, food, washing, and boundaries. Holy service is not made of dramatic moments alone; it is sustained by repeated care.
Do not despise the maintenance that keeps a household faithful. Quietly keeping promises, cleaning up consequences, and preparing for worship can be as significant as the visible gathering.
Prayer
God, make us faithful in the work that must be repeated. Teach us to care for what is holy without becoming careless or proud, and give us patience for the unseen duties that serve others. Amen.