Daily Devotion | Leviticus 9 | 2026 January 29

Scripture: Leviticus 9

Date: 2026 January 29

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you. We thank God for His grace that we have come to a new day to study our daily devotion. The passage we are studying today is Leviticus chapter 9. Let us pray.

Lord, this is such a glorious moment. You have the tabernacle, and You also have priests who are able to enter the tabernacle. You allow us, in such grace, to experience You and to know You. Lord, how wonderful You are, dwelling with us. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Alright, let us look at Leviticus chapter 9. Before we look directly at Leviticus chapter 9, let us first look at this. Let us look at Exodus chapter 40. If you read Exodus chapter 40 carefully, you will know that actually, at that time, the tabernacle could not yet be used normally.

Although Exodus chapter 40 verse 16 says that the tabernacle was set up, and the priests were washed, they washed their hands and washed their feet, and they entered the tabernacle, and they set up the tabernacle, so this means that the holy place, the tabernacle, was completed.

After the tabernacle was completed, God began to come upon the tabernacle. The cloud covered the tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled it, so that Moses was not able to enter. This is the first time that God’s presence came into the tabernacle. This shows that God desired to dwell among the Israelites. God wanted to dwell among them, to give them the law, and to desire that they would become a holy people. This is a sign, this is an expression.

But at this point, you must know that this holy place still could not be fully used. Why? Because it was still lacking priests who could serve in the holy place.

So now, when we come to Leviticus chapter 9, we have talked all the way through various sacrifices and various sacrificial regulations. By chapter 8, Aaron had already undergone seven days of cleansing for his ordination, and he had already offered a sin offering for himself in his ordination.

Chapter 9 is the climax of Leviticus. What is this climax? It is the eighth day. On the eighth day, Aaron was finally able to serve. Before this, he could not. Before this, although he had washed his hands and washed his feet, he had not yet been fully cleansed. Then there was anointing, and then there were sacrifices. Now it was possible.

So on the eighth day, what happened? Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders, and said: you are to take a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. This is Aaron’s offering. This is Aaron, as the high priest, who needs to be cleansed once again before God.

This feels a bit strange, because in chapter 8, was he not just cleansed? Right? He had already offered a bull calf, right? He had offered a bull, he had offered a ram, and even the ram of ordination had been offered. So why does he need to do it again here?

So here we must understand something. The entire record of the Pentateuch shows us that, in Moses’ understanding and in the revelation Moses received from God, the matter of sin was taken extremely seriously. Even after Moses had already been cleansed, he still needed to be cleansed again.

After he finished making atonement for his own sin, then he could make a sin offering for the people. And only then would the Spirit of God and the glory of God fill the tabernacle. So this whole process is very complex.

So you see in verse 8 that Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering for himself. Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar. Then, after the sin offering was completed, he slaughtered the burnt offering and burned the burnt offering.

So first, Aaron had already undergone seven days of ordination. But on the eighth day, when he was about to make atonement for the people, he still had to cleanse himself once again. First the sin offering, then the burnt offering.

The regulations themselves we have already talked about earlier. But here, let me remind you of a few points. The first point is this: in the Pentateuch, the Israelites are clearly told how serious sin is. The concept of atonement is something that Leviticus emphasizes very strongly.

How can we, who are unclean, become clean? How can we become holy? We must go through sacrifice. So in the law, the seriousness with which sin is treated can be clearly seen through these sacrificial regulations.

Every time, a bull calf must be slaughtered. Every time, a ram must be slaughtered. Such a complicated procedure shows what? It shows how seriously God views sin.

Then next, we must talk about ourselves today as Christians. Our attitude toward sin is really far too casual. Because the blood of Jesus Christ covers us, because Jesus Christ has paid the price, our attitude toward sin becomes very careless.

Our so-called repentance is usually only verbal repentance. We say, “Okay, I sinned, I offended God, I will change next time.” But this kind of repentance does not come from the heart, and we do not take it seriously. This is not pleasing to God.

The reason there are such detailed regulations for atonement in the Old Testament is to tell us how seriously God takes the matter of sin. Sin is so serious that only the death of the Son of God on the cross could make atonement for it.

This is something we rarely think about, and something that rarely moves us deeply. Jesus Christ did not redeem us because we were not working hard enough or not being serious enough, and then He said, “Forget it, I will help you do it.” That is not the case.

It is because no matter how hard we try, we can never remove our sin. Only Jesus Christ, this true High Priest, could do it.

This true God-man, Jesus Christ, with two natures in one person, only His atonement has value. No matter how hard we try to remove sin by ourselves, we cannot remove it. Only through Him can sin be removed.

So the Old Testament sacrifices are shadows. They are types. Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must remember this: Jesus Christ’s atonement for us is not meant to make us treat sin lightly. On the contrary, we should hate sin even more and repent of sin even more.

I think this is what Leviticus wants to tell us. It is not that we confess our sins and just say a few words and that is it. That is not how it works. God not only requires confession, God requires repentance, and God will discipline Christians. Our attitude toward sin must be serious and earnest.

Earlier, we mentioned this issue. Some pastors and some scholars rewrite the concept of sin. They say that sin is merely treating something second-best as something best. This sounds reasonable. It sounds like it fits human nature.

But as I said earlier, this removes the basic definition of sin. What is sin? Sin is the violation of the law. The wages of sin is death. They do not clearly explain the cost of sin.

As a result, people become even more careless about sin. And being careless about sin is a problem that exists among many Christians today, whether Reformed or evangelical.

But brothers and sisters, think about this. Since the eternal God had to give His Son to make atonement for us, how could we possibly treat sin lightly? How could we not strive with all our strength to live a clean life?

This is inconsistent. It is impossible to say that God gave His Son, allowed His Son to suffer so greatly to accomplish salvation, and then those who enter into Christ can live carelessly. Logically, this does not work.

On the contrary, anyone who is brought by Jesus Christ into Himself must strive with all their strength to live a holy life. This holy life is a life without sin.

Of course, we know that we cannot do this perfectly. But not doing it perfectly does not mean we can avoid responsibility. We must still live a holy life, and in daily life, deal with our sins one by one.

Sins such as lying, hating others, failing to love others as ourselves. We should strictly examine ourselves according to the Westminster Larger Catechism, questions 90 to 150. We should compare ourselves question by question, examine ourselves often, and regulate our behavior.

God will not bless you outside of the law. Of course, God will have mercy on us, He will be gracious to us, He will enlighten us, and He will cause us to walk in His ways. But the goal is very clear: to live a holy life in this life.

Although we cannot complete it perfectly, we must still strive with all our strength to obey that law which has authority and which brings freedom. And then we will surely be blessed, as James chapter 1 tells us.

So brothers and sisters, I think that the seriousness of sin is something we must especially be reminded of here.

Look at Leviticus. Aaron and the others had already offered sacrifices, and yet on this day, they still had to offer sacrifices again. Only then would God fill the tabernacle. Chapter 9 is where God’s filling finally happens.

Before this, Moses not only had to offer sacrifices for himself, but what else did he have to do? In verse 3, Moses said to the Israelites: you are to take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb for a burnt offering, both a year old.

You are also to take a bull and a ram for a peace offering, and also a grain offering mixed with oil, to present before the LORD. So what did the Israelites have to offer? A sin offering, a burnt offering, a peace offering, and a grain offering.

After all these offerings were presented, Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.”

The LORD said to Moses: draw near and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Then offer the people’s offering and make atonement for them.

So notice this carefully. When sacrifices are offered, the sin offering and the burnt offering always come together. You must offer both. The sin offering shows that God has atoned for your sin. The burnt offering shows that you offer yourself completely.

Then, when sacrifices are offered for the people, first comes the sin offering, then the burnt offering, and then the peace offering and the grain offering follow.

Do you see the theological logic here? This reminds us that we are to live holy lives. Although the blood of Jesus Christ covers us, we are to live a life like a burnt offering. We are to offer everything to God.

Only then does the peace God gives come to us. That is what the peace offering tells us. And the grain offering shows God’s provision for us. We eat the bread.

So brothers and sisters, I think that the sacrificial regulations in chapter 9 strongly remind us that Christians must live holy lives. These sacrificial rituals remind us in a very real way not to take the blood of Jesus Christ lightly.

Since we have such a High Priest who has already entered the sanctuary to offer sacrifice for us, and since we have such a High Priest who intercedes for us in heaven, what does He intercede for?

Is it possible that Jesus Christ prays for us to have earthly glory, wealth, health, and prosperity? That is impossible. His purpose is to enable us to live holy lives, to obey God’s statutes and ordinances.

And within God’s statutes and ordinances, God grants peace. The peace offering brings peace to us.

So this entire series of sacrificial rituals truly reminds us how we should live holy lives on earth. Do not take sin lightly. Do not treat sin as something small.

As we said earlier, the gospel tells us that there is no sin so great that Jesus Christ cannot forgive it. If we truly trust Him, all our sins are forgiven.

But the next sentence must never be forgotten: there is also no sin so small that it does not require repentance. We must desperately deal with our own sin. This point is extremely important.

The peace brought by the peace offering comes after the burnt offering. If there is any area of our life that has not been purified, if every area of our life has not been offered to God and burned up, then in that area there will be no peace.

This is inevitable. Our life is not such that we obey the law in one part and live freely in the world in another part. There is no such thing.

It is not that in church we listen to God’s word, and outside of church we do not need to obey the law and can live freely and casually. That does not exist.

Brothers and sisters, if you have studied Leviticus, you must understand this clearly. Such assumptions are impossible.

When God gives us salvation, when Jesus Christ bears all our sins, He also rescues us and brings us into Himself to live a completely holy life.

In daily life, any sin must be repented of: loving the world, endlessly scrolling short videos, wasting time, hating others in our hearts, complaining against God, failing to praise God in suffering.

Every sin must be repented of. Because we do not constantly set God before us, this is a very serious problem for us.

The tabernacle was in the midst of the camp of Israel. Above it were cloud and fire. Wherever it went, the camp of Israel went.

This tells us that we must constantly set the LORD before us. It should be as if Jesus Christ is right beside us.

For example, as I am recording this daily devotion right now, I know that Jesus is beside me watching me record. So I must serve carefully and diligently and not make careless mistakes.

Of course, our service cannot be perfect. It cannot be flawless. Jesus Christ forgives us. But what does He want? He wants a heart that loves Him with all heart, soul, mind, and strength.

You must seriously study the law, know what the law says, and know how to obey and submit to it. This must be our life. There is absolutely no alternative.

Let me remind you again. It is absolutely impossible that on the one hand we offer sacrifices and gather in church, and on the other hand we are allowed to love the world.

This is impossible. Just as we studied last night in Bible study, Esau cried and pleaded, hoping to receive another blessing. But there was no blessing.

Brothers and sisters, do not think about loving the world. Since we follow God, we must be pure in heart.

This coming Lord’s Day, the main sermon is precisely about offering ourselves completely to God, following God, and living a holy life.

Our lives must be measured by the law. In what areas do our thoughts lack love for God? In what areas do we not obey God’s law?

Sins such as lying, loving the world, greed, love of money—we must repent of all of them. Every sin must be repented of, no matter how small.

When we wake up in the morning and realize that our thoughts are not centered on God, that we are thinking about pleasure or physical comfort, we must pray, “God, forgive and pardon my sin.”

As we continually correct ourselves in this way, our lives will become more and more abundant.

I know that this kind of life may cause people to feel annoyed. People may say, “Isn’t this legalism? Why are we confessing sins every day?”

Brothers and sisters, you are mistaken. Not me—you are mistaken. Because the sacrificial regulations are very clear. They show us the seriousness of sin.

You cannot sin and expect God to bless you at the same time. You cannot sin and say that God loves you in the same way.

Jesus said very clearly: if anyone loves Me, he will keep My commandments. The Gospel of John is very clear on this.

So what are God’s commandments? Is there a new set of commandments in the New Testament? Of course not. It is still the law.

Therefore, the moral law is something we must repeatedly meditate on and carefully keep.

In this area, I think many people, including scholars, have misunderstandings and errors. When they talk about holy living, they often separate it from the law.

They seem to think that holy living is simply attending church, reading the Bible, praying, pursuing spiritual growth, and having fellowship with brothers and sisters.

They are mistaken. That is not holy living. That is the means of grace.

Of course, the means of grace are related to holy living. Someone who seriously practices the means of grace will certainly have a good life. This is proportional.

But we must still distinguish the two. Otherwise, you will mistakenly treat Bible reading and prayer themselves as holy living.

They are part of it, but they are means of grace. The goal is still to live a holy life in daily living.

A life without sin. This is what chapter 9 repeatedly tells us through the sacrificial regulations.

Moses and Aaron first offered sacrifices for themselves. Then from verse 15, they offered sacrifices for the people.

The sacrificial order is the same as before. First the sin offering, then the burnt offering, then the peace offering and the grain offering.

After all the sacrifices were completed, what happened? Verse 23 tells us that Moses and Aaron entered the tent of meeting and then came out and blessed the people.

The glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar.

When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. How wonderful this was.

When the offerings were burning on the altar, fire came down from heaven and burned up the burnt offering and the fat. What does this show?

It shows that God accepted the sacrifice. God was pleased with the sacrifice. And so Israel’s sin was removed.

Brothers and sisters, the removal of sin is extremely important. In Jesus Christ, our confession and repentance are also extremely important.

Once sin is removed, we are free to obey the law. Because sin no longer has dominion over us.

This is what Romans tells us. This is what James tells us. What is freedom?

Freedom is not what the world talks about. Freedom is not doing whatever we want.

The freedom of the world means doing whatever I want, and if I cannot do it, it is because of lack of resources.

This is not that kind of freedom. This freedom means that before God, we are able to enjoy the freedom of obeying the law.

We are able to obey the law. We no longer find obedience difficult. We actually delight in obeying the law.

This is freedom. Because a person in sin can never freely obey the law.

And when we obey the law, we enjoy true freedom and joy. That is why the people shouted.

Because they no longer needed to be under the dominion of sin. They could enjoy the freedom that comes from God.

I think this is what chapter 9 tells us.

Chapter 9 is the peak of Leviticus. Of course, in chapter 10 we will see failure again.

But the peak of chapter 9 must be remembered. The tabernacle was established. There was a priest appointed to serve the tabernacle, and he had been cleansed.

This was a highlight moment for Israel. How glorious it was.

We thank and praise God. Although earlier there had been weakness and failure, such as in Exodus chapter 32, God still had mercy on them.

He led them to Leviticus chapter 9. The tabernacle was established. The priests were appointed. All the sin offerings were completed.

After all the offerings were presented, God accepted them. God was pleased to dwell among them.

This is how chapter 9 ends. We thank God.

May God lead us to live holy lives and to seek His presence. God truly desires to dwell among a clean people.

So may God lead us. When we live holy lives, I truly believe that the Spirit of God will fill us abundantly.

Alright, thank God. That is all for today. Thank you, everyone.