It seems as simple as 1, 2, 3. In a way—but there are also ideas so profound that only God gets it.
There were three animals used in the institution of the priesthood. In each case, Moses was to do something different. For a sin offering, which always must be dealt with first, “The bull…he burned with fire outside the camp” (Lev 8:17). What about the first ram? “Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet aroma” (v 21). Now we come to “the second ram, the ram of consecration” (v 22). What happened there? Along with the fat, Moses took “the right thigh; and…he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh” (vv 25-26). This was to be God’s meal, so to speak, as He celebrated the priests’ consecration. Aaron and his sons “waved them as a wave offering before the Lord” (v 27), and then it all went up to God from the bronze altar. Moses, for his part, acting as God’s representative until the priests were fully qualified, also received a part: “Moses took the breast…It was Moses’ part of the ram of consecration” (v 29). And the rest of the ram? Moses told Aaron, “Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings” (v 31). They were to remain seven days in the tabernacle precincts, completing their initiation. The eighth day would be the grand finale; we’ll leave that for our next lesson. But here is the big take-away from this consecration. Ordinary people were given extraordinary opportunities—to work with God! And you, believer? “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor 6:1). Through prayer, witness, worship, service, and good works, we all can be workers with God today!