Leviticus 9 · a question people ask
Aaron was the LORD's chosen priest. Why did he need a sin offering for himself?
The chapter simply puts him first: "make atonement for yourself, and for the people" (9:7), and Aaron kills "the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself" (9:8) before the people's goat (9:15). Hebrews says the same of every high priest: "he himself is also surrounded with weakness" (Hebrews 5:2), so "he must offer sacrifices for sins for the people, as well as for himself" (Hebrews 5:3). It sets Jesus apart on this point: he "doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself" (Hebrews 7:27).
The verses
“Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin offering, and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself, and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.” So Aaron came near to the altar, and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.”
“He presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and killed it, and offered it for sin, like the first.”
“For every high priest, being taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. The high priest can deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, because he himself is also surrounded with weakness. Because of this, he must offer sacrifices for sins for the people, as well as for himself.”
“who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself.”