Leviticus 8 · a question people ask
Aaron is the priest. Why does Moses do all the work?
The chapter doesn't explain it; it says Moses did what he was told. The instructions were given to Moses (Exodus 29:1, Exodus 29:10-12), and this chapter opens with the LORD telling him, "Take Aaron and his sons with him" (8:2). So Moses washes and dresses them (8:6-9, 8:13), anoints (8:10-12), puts the blood on the altar (8:15, 8:19, 8:24) and burns the offerings (8:16, 8:21, 8:28). A psalm says, "Moses and Aaron were among his priests" (Psalm 99:6). After the seven days the work passes to Aaron: "Moses said to Aaron, 'Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin offering'" (9:7), and "Aaron came near to the altar" (9:8).
The verses
““This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect,”
““You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. You shall kill the bull before the LORD at the door of the Tent of Meeting. You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.”
““Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;”
“He killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar. He cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burned the head, and the pieces, and the fat. He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.”