In this section the Lord speaks of the regulations for the burnt offering, but in this case He's speaking about the daily sacrifice: the morning sacrifice and the evening sacrifice made at the tabernacle. We've previously studied how burnt offerings brought by the people are to be handled but in today's passage we will see how the priests are to carry out their duties in regard to the morning and evening sacrifice they make at the tabernacle every day.
"The Lord said to Moses: 'Give Aaron and his sons this command: These are the regulations for the burnt offering. The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.'" (Leviticus 6:8-9) After the evening sacrifice was made, it burned slowly on the altar until morning. This means some of the priests must have taken the overnight shift at the tabernacle or else they took turns throughout the night watching the fire.
When the time drew near for the morning sacrifice, the priest was to remove the ashes of the offering that burned overnight. "The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar." (Leviticus 6:10) They must put on their fine linen robes to approach the altar and remove the ashes of the offering. Then, when carrying the ashes away from the tabernacle for disposal, they put on their more common clothing. "Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean." (Leviticus 6:11) This other clothing is not described for us so I assume the priest had liberty to choose a garment from among his personal wardrobe. Dumping ashes could be a dirty job and the priests may have used their older robes while performing this duty, just as you and I might wear our older pants and shirts while doing things like housework, yard work, or home improvement projects. We don't wear our church clothes while mowing the lawn and the priests of the Old Testament didn't wear their sacred robes while disposing of ashes.
The ashes are disposed of at a ceremonially clean location outside the camp. Wherever the Israelites camped, there had to be places outside the camp for various types of disposal. The ashes from the altar could never be placed where garbage or the dead carcass of an animal or human waste had been dumped. The ashes from the altar were what was left of an offering to the Lord and they could not be mingled with anything unclean.
"The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out." (Leviticus 6:12-13) After disposing of the ashes from the evening sacrifice, the priest sets the altar up for the morning sacrifice and for the sacrifices and offerings that will be brought throughout the day. He kindles this wood with the flame that is still burning on the altar.
What does this continually burning flame symbolize? Scholars suggest many different theories, such as it represents the constant presence of the Lord with Israel, or that it symbolizes the perpetual work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, or that it illustrates the fact that our surrender to God (pictured in the burnt offering which is wholly surrendered to the Lord) is a lifelong offering in which we ever draw closer and more obedient to Him.
It may symbolize any of these things, all of these things, or something else entirely. But day and night, this fire burned, and if a person woke in the night he could look toward the tabernacle and see the light. He was reminded that the Lord was with him. He was reassured that the Lord is watching over him. He could take comfort in the fact that the Lord never sleeps.
When I would be sick as a child, my mom would keep the kitchen light on all night. She wouldn't turn on a light in the bedroom to disturb me but the kitchen light would shine through the open doorway enough so that she could see to minister to me. If I needed anything she could respond quickly without the delay of turning on any lights. She'd sit in a chair by the bed or lie down beside me so she'd be sure to hear any noise that I might make. There was something so comforting about the light being on all night and about knowing my mother was awake and ready to take action on my behalf. Whenever I think about the constantly burning fire at the tabernacle I think about the kitchen light burning all night and my mom watching over me. How comforting it must have been for the people of Israel to know that the Lord was up and about, alert to even their faintest cry, and ready to take action on their behalf.
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