Single lesson
Aaron and His Sons Become Priests
Leviticus 8:1–36
Children will trace the consecration of Aaron and his sons in Leviticus 8. They will put the main actions in order and notice how the chapter repeats Yahweh’s command and the people’s obedience.
Before you teach
Yahweh told Moses to bring Aaron, his sons, the garments, oil, offerings, bread, and the congregation to the Tent of Meeting. The chapter records washing, clothing, anointing, several offerings, a seven-day instruction, and the closing statement that Aaron and his sons did what Yahweh commanded through Moses.
Students will be able to sequence the main parts of Leviticus 8:1–36 and explain that this consecration was carried out as Yahweh commanded.
Welcome: Listen for the command
5 minRead verses 1–5. Ask the children to listen for who speaks, who obeys, and where the people gather. Yahweh speaks to Moses, Moses does what Yahweh commanded, and the congregation gathers at the door of the Tent of Meeting. This sets up the whole chapter as careful obedience to Yahweh’s instruction.
Leviticus 8:1, Leviticus 8:2, Leviticus 8:3, Leviticus 8:4, Leviticus 8:5
Read and explain: Washed, clothed, anointed
7 minRead verses 6–13. Walk through the order: Moses washes Aaron and his sons, clothes Aaron with the special garments, places the holy crown on the turban, anoints the tabernacle and its furnishings, and pours oil on Aaron’s head. Then Aaron’s sons are clothed. The passage says these actions sanctified them, setting them apart.
Leviticus 8:6, Leviticus 8:7, Leviticus 8:8, Leviticus 8:9, Leviticus 8:10, Leviticus 8:11, Leviticus 8:12, Leviticus 8:13
Discuss the order: Three offerings
6 minRead selected verses from 14–25. Help the class name the sequence: first the bull of the sin offering, then the ram of the burnt offering, then the ram of consecration. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on each animal. Moses handles the blood and the parts named in the passage as the altar is purified and sanctified.
Leviticus 8:14, Leviticus 8:15, Leviticus 8:17, Leviticus 8:18, Leviticus 8:21, Leviticus 8:22, Leviticus 8:23, Leviticus 8:24, Leviticus 8:25
Make and respond: Sequence card sort
7 minGive each group simple cards for key moments: gather, wash, clothe Aaron, anoint, clothe Aaron’s sons, sin offering, burnt offering, consecration ram, wave offering, sprinkle oil and blood, eat at the Tent of Meeting, burn the remainder, seven days, obey. Children place them in order and check their choices against the verses.
Leviticus 8:3, Leviticus 8:6, Leviticus 8:7, Leviticus 8:12, Leviticus 8:13, Leviticus 8:14, Leviticus 8:18, Leviticus 8:22, Leviticus 8:27, Leviticus 8:30, Leviticus 8:31, Leviticus 8:32, Leviticus 8:33, Leviticus 8:36
Closing: Finish the chapter carefully
5 minRead verses 26–36. Point out the bread placed on the fat and thigh, the wave offering, Moses’ portion, and the sprinkling of oil and blood on Aaron, his sons, and their garments. End with the seven-day command at the Tent of Meeting and the final statement that Aaron and his sons obeyed.
Leviticus 8:26, Leviticus 8:27, Leviticus 8:28, Leviticus 8:29, Leviticus 8:30, Leviticus 8:31, Leviticus 8:32, Leviticus 8:33, Leviticus 8:35, Leviticus 8:36
Questions to explore
What happened before Aaron was dressed in the special garments?
Follow the order closely: Moses first brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water, and then he clothed Aaron.
Leviticus 8:6, Leviticus 8:7
What came after the ram of consecration was killed?
The passage names blood placed on Aaron and his sons, bread set on the fat and thigh, a wave offering, and then sprinkling with oil and blood.
Leviticus 8:23, Leviticus 8:24, Leviticus 8:26, Leviticus 8:27, Leviticus 8:30
Why did staying at the Tent of Meeting for seven days matter?
Moses said they must stay day and night and keep Yahweh’s command, with the serious warning, 'that you don’t die'.
Leviticus 8:33, Leviticus 8:35
Make, think or respond
Consecration Ceremony Card Sort
What you’ll need
- Plain paper or card
- Pencils or markers
- Scissors
- Bible
Try it together
- Make simple cards with key steps from the chapter, using words or quick drawings.
- Mix the cards and let children work in pairs or small groups to place them in order.
- Read the matching verses aloud and move any cards that need correcting.
- Ask each group to explain two cards by telling what the text says happens there.
This activity helps children follow the order of the ceremony and see how often the chapter shows actions done as Yahweh commanded.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, use fewer, larger picture cards and say the verse references aloud for them.
- For older or confident readers, ask them to find each place where the chapter says 'sanctified', 'consecration', or 'commanded' and explain why those words matter.
An optional closing prayer
You may pray: “God, thank you for your word. Please help us listen carefully and learn from the obedience shown in this chapter.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Leviticus 8
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “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;
3 and assemble all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”
4 Moses did as Yahweh commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
5 Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded to be done.”
6 Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
7 He put the tunic on him, tied the sash on him, clothed him with the robe, put the ephod on him, and he tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod on him and fastened it to him with it.
8 He placed the breastplate on him. He put the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate.
9 He set the turban on his head. He set the golden plate, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
10 Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them.
11 He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them.
12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
13 Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and tied sashes on them, and put headbands on them, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
14 He brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering.
15 He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it.
16 He took all the fat that was on the innards, and the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses burned it on the altar.
17 But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
18 He presented the ram of the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
19 He killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar.
20 He cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burned the head, and the pieces, and the fat.
21 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 Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
22 He presented the other ram, the ram of consecration. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
23 He killed it; and Moses took some 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 He brought Aaron’s sons; and Moses put some 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 around on the altar.
25 He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh;
26 and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before Yahweh, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh.
27 He put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before Yahweh.
28 Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
29 Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before Yahweh. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecration, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
30 Moses took some of the anointing oil, and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
31 Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’
32 What remains of the meat and of the bread you shall burn with fire.
33 You shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are fulfilled: for he shall consecrate you seven days.
34 What has been done today, so Yahweh has commanded to do, to make atonement for you.
35 You shall stay at the door of the Tent of Meeting day and night seven days, and keep Yahweh’s command, that you don’t die: for so I am commanded.”
36 Aaron and his sons did all the things which Yahweh commanded by Moses.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.