Seven-day Consecration - February 5, 2009

Title: Seven-day Consecration Topic: Marriage

Scripture: (Lev 8:33 NKJV) "And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you.

Observation: At the beginning of Leviticus 8 we read that it was time to dedicate Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, so Moses told them to wash themselves – a physical cleansing necessary to prepare them for the spiritual cleansing. Then Moses put on them the priestly garments that had been specifically designed for them. The next step in the process was the ritual of the spiritual cleansing, which included several sacrifices and placing blood on the right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe of the foot, as well as sprinkling blood on their garments – all of these symbolizing that the blood of the sacrifice was covering their sin and enabling them to serve and minister on behalf of the people. There was one more step necessary before they could begin their ministry, and that was a seven-day consecration of themselves. It was not until these seven days were finished that they could officially begin the daily and annual ministrations of the sanctuary, but from then on and until Israel forfeited their call by rejecting the Messiah, the Levitical priesthood would remain an integral part of the spiritual life of the nation of Israel.

Application: The rituals and ceremonies surrounding the beginning of the Levitical priesthood remind me of all that is involved in the process of becoming husband and wife. On the wedding day, the man and the woman go through a process of cleansing and preparing themselves. Some ladies go to the beauty shop, get their hair and nails done, some get a pedicure and make-up applied. The man might have gotten a hair cut and in the morning of his wedding he shaves and takes a cleansing shower. Then the couple, separately, get their wedding clothes on – he gets his tuxedo on, she gets help to get her wedding gown on. From their separate homes the couple makes their way to the church or wedding chapel, being careful that he does not see her before the ceremony. At last, the groom goes up to the front of the church with his best man and the pastor, the rest of the wedding marches in, and finally the bride, holding on to her father’s arm, marches down the aisle to join the awaiting groom where they proceed together through the wedding ceremony where they are legally and religiously united as one in the sight of God and all who have gathered to witness their union.
There is one more tradition part that cannot be overlooked in this process of becoming one – the honeymoon. While some people view it as a sort of vacation during which the couple travels to exotic places, swim at beautiful beaches, cruise or fly from one place to the next, the honeymoon is the time when the couple consummates their marriage. From now on, they are one and their covenant must remain “for as long as they live.” The honeymoon serves as a way to seal their commitment to one another, and most importantly, to God, by fulfilling His plan for their lives of becoming one and by committing to not let anyone or anything come between them.

Prayer: Loving Father, we rededicate ourselves to You this day, as husband and wife, to remain together, under Your will and blessings, and for Your honor and glory, for the rest of our lives. May nothing or no one come between us, and may the three of us – husband, wife, and You – walk together more closely everyday until the day Jesus returns and we continue walking together with You for eternity.