Exodus Chapter 29

Instructions for Consecration

    • This is what you must do in order to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests. First, bring Aaron and his sons, a perfect bull and two perfect rams, along with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes with oil, and unleavened wafers coated in oil in a basket to the entrance of the Tabernacle. Wash Aaron and his sons with water, dress them in their priestly garments, then anoint them with oil. The priesthood will belong to them permanently and this is how they are to be ordained.

      • Guzik notes, “These are only the instructions for the ceremony, which was actually carried out in Leviticus 8.”

      • “The process of consecration began with cleansing. All priestly ministries began with cleansing, and a cleansing that was received: you shall wash them. Aaron and his sons did not wash themselves; they received a washing…This was humbling, because it took place publicly at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. We cannot be cleansed from our sin without being humbled first…This great cleansing was a one-time thing. From then on they just needed to cleanse their hands and their feet…Like these ancient priests, every Christian is washed by the work of God’s word (Ephesians 5:26), by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). This cleansing work was accomplished by the death of Jesus for us (Revelation 1:5) and appropriated by faith.” (Guzik)

      • “Priests must be anointed. The oil (a picture of the Holy Spirit) was poured over their heads, indicating that it was given in great measure, not in small measure (Psalm 133:2)…Like these ancient priests, every believer has an anointing (1 John 2:20) that they may receive and walk in by faith.” (Guzik)

    • Next bring the young bull to the entrance of the Tabernacle and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it there in front of the Tabernacle and apply some of its blood to the horns of the altar with your finger then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Burn all of the bull’s fat on the altar, but burn the rest of the bull outside the camp for a sin offering.

      • “The consecration of the priesthood of Aaron involved a sin offering (29:15-18), and an ordination offering (29:19-28). The same patterns established here are expanded to the regular offerings of the people (see 29:38-46; Leviticus 1-5). In all three cases, Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the sacrificial animals (Exodus 29:10, 15, 19), indicating that sin is a matter of life and death, and that it can only be removed by a death. Because it represents life, blood is prominent in these ceremonies (29:12, 16, 20, 21).” (NLT Illustrated Study Bible)

      • “Like that ancient altar, the altar of the New Covenant – the cross – is transformed from a place to death to a place set apart to bring life.” (Guzik)

    • Have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of one of the rams, slaughter it, sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. Then cut it into pieces, wash them, then burn them all on the altar as a burnt offering to the Lord. This is a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

      • “The ram was completely burnt before the Lord, with its blood sprinkled on the altar. The burnt offering said, “We have failed to give our all to God. This animal now gives its all to atone for our failure, and we decide to live now giving our all, even as this animal who dies in our place.” (Guzik)

    • Have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the second ram, slaughter it, then put some of its blood on their right earlobes, right thumbs, and right big toe. Then sprinkle the rest of the blood on the sides of the altar. Sprinkle some of the blood from the sides of the altar as well as some anointing oil and sprinkle them on Aaron, his sons, and their garments so that Aaron,his sons, as well as their garments will become holy.

      • Guzik gives an excellent explanation of the symbolism, “Atonement for sin was performed with the sin offering and the burnt offering. Yet in their consecration, the priests still had to identify with the sacrificial victim. Their identification with the sacrifice went beyond atonement. To express the idea of consecration, blood from the ram was placed on the ear, thumb, and toe of the priest. It was blood from the ram – not the wool, not the fat. God wanted the “life” of the sacrificial victim to mark His consecrated priests… Leviticus 17:11 is one of many passages that expresses this principle: For the life of the flesh is in the blood. God wanted the life of the sacrificial victim to be evident in the body of the priest.These consecrated priests were stained with the blood of sacrifice. They should hear differently because the blood was on their ear. They should work differently because the blood was on their thumb. They should walk differently because the blood was on their toe… Specifically, it was applied to the right ear, hand, and foot. This isn’t because God felt they could do whatever they wanted to with their left ear, hand, and foot. It is because the right side was considered superior, with more strength and skill (because most people are right-handed). God wanted their best to be dedicated to Him… The blood alone wasn’t enough. God wanted blood mixed with oil, and to have the mixture sprinkled on the priests. There was to be a combination of both the sacrifice and the spirit (represented by the anointing oil).”

      • Spurgeon writes, “Yes, brethren, we need to know that double anointing, the blood of Jesus which cleanses, and the oil of the Holy Spirit which perfumes us. It is well to see how these two blend in one…It is a terrible blunder to set the blood and the oil in opposition, they must always go together.”

    • Take the fat from this ram, its right thigh, a loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket and put them in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them wave it before the Lord in an act of presentation. Then they should burn these things on the altar as a burnt offering to the Lord.

    • Take the remaining portion of this ram (the breast and the other thigh) and wave it before the Lord in an act of presentation- these are to be your portion. Consecrate them and in the future, when the people of Israel offer a peace offering to the Lord, set aside a portion of it for Aaron and his descendants as their permanent right.

      • Guzik writes, “In this way, eating is a good picture of a healthy, continuing relationship with Jesus:

· Eating is personal. No one can eat for you, and no one can have a relationship with Jesus on your behalf.

· Eating is inward. It does no good to be around food or to rub food on the outside of your body – you must take it in. We must take Jesus unto ourselves inwardly, not merely in an external way.

· Eating is active. Some medicines are received passively – they are injected under the skin and go to work. Such medicines could even be received while one sleeps – but no one can eat while asleep. We must actively take Jesus unto ourselves.

· Eating arises out of a sense of need and produces a sense of satisfaction. We will have a healthy relationship with Jesus when we sense our need for Him and receive the satisfaction the relationship brings.”

    • Aaron’s priestly garments must be saved for his descendants who follow him to wear when they are anointed and ordained. His descendant that succeeds him as high priest is to wear these clothes for 7 days while he ministers in the Tabernacle.
      • “With the coming generations, new descendants of Aaron would qualify for the priesthood and would be consecrated the same way. For Aaron and his descendants the consecration process took seven days… For seven days they lived at the tabernacle and ate the ram of the consecration and the bread of consecration. The consecration ceremony wasn’t quick and easy. It took time, reflection, and a constant awareness of sacrifice and atonement.” (Guzik)
    • Take the ordination ram and boil it in the Holy Place. Then, at the entrance of the Tabernacle, Aaron and his sons are to eat this meat and the bread in the basket. No one else but Aaron and his sons can eat this meal. Anything that is left over in the morning cannot be eaten- it must be burned.
      • “Few among us today are of the lineage of Aaron, but we have the right to receive and enjoy this priestly consecration and relationship based not only on the clear declaration of the New Testament (1 Peter 2:5 and 2:9) but also upon principles of the Old Covenant… Leviticus 22:11 says, But if the priest buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food. Since Jesus, our High Priest, has purchased us with His own life, we may eat of the priestly portion. And since we are born again as children of God – born in his house, the family of our High Priest – we also may eat his food and enjoy the priestly privileges of our High Priest.” (Guzik)
    • This is the ordination process. It will last for 7 days and a young bull must be sacrificed each day as a sin offering so that they will be right with the Lord. Afterward, purify the altar and make it holy by anointing it with oil. The altar must be purified and consecrated every day for 7 days, then it will be holy and everything that touches it will become holy also.
      • “This daily ritual – for seven days in a row – reminded Aaron and the priests that any animal sacrifice could not take away sin, only providing a temporary covering.” (Guzik)
    • The following are the sacrifices that you are to make on the altar every day. Two, one year old lambs- one offered in the morning and the other in the evening. Offer 2 quarts of flour mixed with a quart of olive oil and a quart of wine with each lamb. These offerings are to be made every day throughout your generations at the entrance of the Tabernacle. I will meet and speak with you and the people of Israel here. I will consecrate the Tabernacle, altar, Aaron, and his sons. I will live among them and they will know that I am their God who brought them out of Egypt so that I could live with them.
      • “Except for times of captivity and national apostasy, these daily sacrifices continued in Israel up through the time of the New Testament. Luke 1 describes Zacharias (the father of John the Baptist) ministering at a morning sacrifice, which developed into what we might call “morning devotions” for ancient Israel..God wanted consecrated priests and a worshiping nation, and not because He simply wanted a “well-trained work-force.” God wanted consecrated priests and daily sacrifice so He could meet with and speak to His people…This is the great reason for consecration, for a sense of full surrender to God. It isn’t primarily so we can be better workers for God, but so that we can enjoy deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him. If this is of little interest to us, we will never be properly motivated to true consecration…It was the presence of God that truly sanctified and consecrated the tabernacle and the priests. It wasn’t primarily because of what the priests did. What the priests did in consecration was remove the barriers to the radiant glory of God…God made it clear who performs the work of consecration. We are tempted to think that we sanctify our self because we are so immersed in the sanctifying process and because it draws so much out of us. Yet God does the work – what we do is remove barriers and spend time with the focus on Him.” (Guzik)
      • “The purpose of the Exodus was to reveal the grace, power, and holiness of God and to enable humans to experience God’s presence in their lives.” (NLT Illustrated Study Bible)