The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

81 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil, and the bullock of the sin-offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened [bread]; 3 and gather all the assembly together at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 And Moses did as Jehovah had commanded him; and the assembly was collected at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 5 And Moses said to the assembly, This is the thing which Jehovah has commanded to be done. 6 And Moses brought Aaron near, and his sons, and bathed them with water. 7 And he put upon him the vest and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the cloak, and put the ephod on him, and he girded him with the girdle of the ephod, and fastened the ephod on him. 8 And he put the breastplate on it, and put on the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim; 9 and he put the turban upon his head; and upon the turban, on the front of it, he put the golden plate, the holy diadem; as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and hallowed them. 11 And he sprinkled thereof on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, to hallow them. 12 And he poured of the anointing oil on Aaron's head, and anointed him, to hallow him. 13 And Moses brought Aaron's sons near and clothed them with the vests, and girded them with the girdles, and bound the high caps on them, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

14 And he brought near the bullock for the sin-offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bullock for the sin-offering; 15 and he slaughtered [it], and Moses took the blood, and put [it] on the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and cleansed the altar from sin, and the blood he poured at the bottom of the altar, and hallowed it, making atonement for it. 16 And he took all the fat that was on the inwards, and the net of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses burned [them] on the altar. 17 And the bullock, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung he burned with fire outside the camp, as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 18 And he presented the ram of the burnt-offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram; 19 and he slaughtered [it]; and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar round about. 20 And the ram he cut up into its pieces; and Moses burned the head, and the pieces, and the fat; 21 and the inwards and the legs he washed in water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar: it was a burnt-offering for a sweet odour, it was an offering by fire to Jehovah; as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 22 And he presented the second ram, the ram of consecration; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram; 23 and one slaughtered [it]; and Moses took of its blood, and put [it] on the tip of Aaron's right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot; 24 and he brought Aaron's sons near, and Moses put of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 25 And he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the inwards, and the net of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and the right shoulder; 26 and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before Jehovah he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and upon the right shoulder; 27 and he gave all into Aaron's hands, and into his sons' hands, and waved them as a wave-offering before Jehovah. 28 And Moses took them from off their hands, and burned [them] on the altar, over the burnt-offering: they were a consecration-offering for a sweet odour: it was an offering by fire to Jehovah. 29 And Moses took the breast, and waved it as a wave-offering before Jehovah; of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood that was on the altar, and sprinkled [it] on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons' garments with him; and hallowed Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

31 And Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting; and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of the consecration-offering, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32 And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. 33 And ye shall not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting seven days, until the day when the days of your consecration are at an end: for seven days shall ye be consecrated. 34 As he hath done this day, [so] Jehovah hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35 And ye shall abide at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night seven days, and keep the charge of Jehovah, that ye die not; for so I am commanded. 36 And Aaron and his sons did all things that Jehovah had commanded by the hand of Moses.

Aaron Offers Sacrifices

91 And it came to pass on the eighth day, [that] Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel, 2 and said to Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, without blemish, and present [them] before Jehovah; 3 and to the children of Israel shalt thou speak, saying, Take a buck of the goats for a sin-offering, and a calf and a lamb, yearlings, without blemish, for a burnt-offering; 4 and a bullock and a ram for a peace-offering, to sacrifice before Jehovah; and an oblation mingled with oil; for to-day Jehovah will appear to you. 5 And they brought what Moses commanded before the tent of meeting; and all the assembly approached and stood before Jehovah. 6 And Moses said, This is the thing which Jehovah has commanded that ye should do; and the glory of Jehovah shall appear to you. 7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Go to the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make atonement for thyself, and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as Jehovah has commanded.

8 And Aaron went to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin-offering which was for himself; 9 and the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put [it] on the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar. 10 And the fat, and the kidneys, and the net above the liver, of the sin-offering, he burned on the altar, as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 11 And the flesh and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp. 12 And he slaughtered the burnt-offering; and Aaron's sons delivered to him the blood, which he sprinkled on the altar round about. 13 And they delivered the burnt-offering to him, in the pieces thereof, and the head; and he burned [them] on the altar. 14 And he washed the inwards and the legs, and burned [them] upon the burnt-offering, on the altar. 15 And he presented the people's offering, and took the goat of the sin-offering which was for the people and slaughtered it, and offered it for sin, as the first. 16 And he presented the burnt-offering and offered it according to the ordinance. 17 And he presented the oblation, and took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the burnt-offering of the morning. 18 And he slaughtered the bullock and the ram of the sacrifice of peace-offering which was for the people. And Aaron's sons delivered to him the blood, and he sprinkled it on the altar round about; 19 and the pieces of fat of the bullock and of the ram, the fat tail and what covers [the inwards], and the kidneys, and the net of the liver; 20 and they put the pieces of fat on the breast-pieces, and he burned the pieces of fat on the altar; 21 and the breast-pieces and the right shoulder Aaron waved as a wave-offering before Jehovah, as Moses had commanded. 22 And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and came down after the offering of the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offering.

23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out and blessed the people; and the glory of Jehovah appeared to all the people. 24 And there went out fire from before Jehovah, and consumed on the altar the burnt-offering, and the pieces of fat; and all the people saw it, and they shouted, and fell on their face.

The Sin of Nadab and Abihu

101 And the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and presented strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them. 2 And there went out fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.

3 And Moses said to Aaron, This is what Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be hallowed in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron was silent. 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. 5 And they went near, and carried them in their vests out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar his sons, Your heads shall ye not uncover, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come on all the assembly; but your brethren, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which Jehovah hath kindled. 7 And ye shall not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

8 And Jehovah spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 Thou shalt not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, and thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, lest ye die—[it is] an everlasting statute throughout your generations, 10 that ye may put difference between the holy and the unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah hath spoken to them by the hand of Moses.

12 And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the oblation that is left of Jehovah's offerings by fire, and eat it with unleavened bread beside the altar; for it is most holy. 13 And ye shall eat it in a holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of Jehovah's offerings by fire; for so I am commanded. 14 And the breast of the wave-offering, and the shoulder of the heave-offering shall ye eat in a clean place, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee; for [as] thy due, and thy sons' due, are they given of the sacrifices of peace-offerings of the children of Israel. 15 The shoulder of the heave-offering and the breast of the wave-offering shall they bring, with the fire-offering of the pieces of fat, to wave [them] as a wave-offering before Jehovah; and they shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, for an everlasting statute, as Jehovah has commanded. 16 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and behold, it was burnt up: then he was wroth with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying, 17 Why have ye not eaten the sin-offering in a holy place? for it is most holy, and he has given it to you that ye might bear the iniquity of the assembly, to make atonement for them before Jehovah. 18 Lo, its blood was not brought in within the sanctuary: ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded. 19 And Aaron said to Moses, Behold, to-day have they presented their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before Jehovah; and such things have befallen me; and had I to-day eaten the sin-offering, would it have been good in the sight of Jehovah? 20 And Moses heard it; and it was good in his sight.

The Judgment of the Nations

31 But when the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit down upon his throne of glory, 32 and all the nations shall be gathered before him; and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on [his] left. 34 Then shall the King say to those on his right hand, Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from [the] world's foundation: 35 for I hungered, and ye gave me to eat; I thirsted, and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; 36 naked, and ye clothed me; I was ill, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came to me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungering, and nourished thee; or thirsting, and gave thee to drink? 38 and when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and clothed thee? 39 and when saw we thee ill, or in prison, and came to thee? 40 And the King answering shall say to them, Verily, I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me. 41 Then shall he say also to those on the left, Go from me, cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I hungered, and ye gave me not to eat; I thirsted, and ye gave me not to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye did not clothe me; ill, and in prison, and ye did not visit me. 44 Then shall they also answer saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or ill, or in prison, and have not ministered to thee? 45 Then shall he answer them saying, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have not done it to one of these least, neither have ye done it to me. 46 And these shall go away into eternal punishment, and the righteous into life eternal.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 25:31-46

Commentary on Matthew 25:31-46

(Read Matthew 25:31-46)

This is a description of the last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wicked and godly here dwell together, in the same cities, churches, families, and are not always to be known the one from the other; such are the weaknesses of saints, such the hypocrisies of sinners; and death takes both: but in that day they will be parted for ever. Jesus Christ is the great Shepherd; he will shortly distinguish between those that are his, and those that are not. All other distinctions will be done away; but the great one between saints and sinners, holy and unholy, will remain for ever. The happiness the saints shall possess is very great. It is a kingdom; the most valuable possession on earth; yet this is but a faint resemblance of the blessed state of the saints in heaven. It is a kingdom prepared. The Father provided it for them in the greatness of his wisdom and power; the Son purchased it for them; and the blessed Spirit, in preparing them for the kingdom, is preparing it for them. It is prepared for them: it is in all points adapted to the new nature of a sanctified soul. It is prepared from the foundation of the world. This happiness was for the saints, and they for it, from all eternity. They shall come and inherit it. What we inherit is not got by ourselves. It is God that makes heirs of heaven. We are not to suppose that acts of bounty will entitle to eternal happiness. Good works done for God's sake, through Jesus Christ, are here noticed as marking the character of believers made holy by the Spirit of Christ, and as the effects of grace bestowed on those who do them. The wicked in this world were often called to come to Christ for life and rest, but they turned from his calls; and justly are those bid to depart from Christ, that would not come to him. Condemned sinners will in vain offer excuses. The punishment of the wicked will be an everlasting punishment; their state cannot be altered. Thus life and death, good and evil, the blessing and the curse, are set before us, that we may choose our way, and as our way so shall our end be.