This indexed a bond in blood with life-and-death consequences between the Deity and His priestly servants, as when Moses had sprinkled blood both on the people and on the altar during the national covenant ritual (Ex. 24:6–8).
Sacrificial blood on the extremities of the priests implied that they would hear/obey YHWH,
do with their hands what He would command them to do,
and go with their feet where He told them to go.
“Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and his sons’ garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments,” thereby consecrating them (Lev. 8:30). The liminal period of their rite of passage lasted seven days, during which they were not permitted to leave the sacred precincts (vss. 33–35).
This priestly ordination was characterized by several factors.
First, ordination authorized the priests to have special access to the deity as His special servants and as mediators for the laypeople.
Second, priests maintained their positions for life (Num. 20:26–28). (Contrast the age limit of 50 years old for members of the Levite work force [Num. 8:25]).
Third, priestly officiation was explicitly limited to males, as shown by the rule that only male descendants of Aaron were to eat portions of most holy sacrifices (Lev. 6:11, 22 [Eng. vss. 18, 29]; 7:6)."
Roy Gane
