Saturday, August 18, 2007

Exodus 29

Dedication or Consecration of the Priests


   When most of us hear the word "priest" we think of Roman Catholic clergy; we think of someone wearing a particular type of clothing, someone who will offer absolution from sins after we attend confession. Roman Catholic usage has distorted our conception of the word "priest," just as it has distorted our conception of the word "saint." Priests are not special Christians called to full time ministry, priests are not a subset of Christians who have authority to forgive sins. Every one of us needs a priest because we live in a sinful, fallen world - and our high priest is Jesus Christ!


   Duties of the priest in the Torah included blessing the people, keeping charge of the tabernacle, purifying the unclean, encouraging the people when they went to war and keeping the sacred fire always burning on the altar. Special laws regarding their own conduct were to be strictly followed. No divorced or improper person could be married by the priest. No strong drink or wine could be consumed before entering the tabernacle.

  • 1 Peter 2:5: And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.


  • Exodus 19:5-6: Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”


  • Psalm 110:4: The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”


  • Romans 12:1 Referring to Jesus Christ as a priest forever: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.


  • Hebrews 4:14-16: So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

   The words" since we have a great High Priest" affirm that we have someone in the presence of God interceding for us. By the suffering and sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, Jesus restored humanity’s relationship with God. Thus, Paul can justifiably call Him our great High Priest. As joint heirs with Christ, we too can enter into the presence of God at any time because we have Jesus Christ as our great High Priest.


   The one transaction in the Old Testament ritual on which the Epistle to the Hebrews dwells more than on any other feature and the act to which it makes the central act of Christ’s priestly ministry correspond, is the entrance of the high priest into the holy of holies on the day of atonement. The Savior is a high priest because in the discharge of His ministry He enters into heaven. This is of the very essence of His priestly work. Hebrews gives the Jewish Christians only two options: put your hope in the obsolete and mortal High Priest of the Jewish Temple or find your true salvation in the perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ.



  • Hebrews 5:1-4: Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs. And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.

   Jesus never took on the duties of the priesthood in His earthly incarnation. He was born in the bloodline of Judah. Although this bloodline qualified Him to be King, only those in the bloodline of Levi could serve as priests. How, then, could Jesus lay claim to the priesthood? To explain this, the writer explains the qualification of the priesthood and the ministry of priests.


   *The purpose of the priesthood was to give God's people a means of accessing God and to provide God with a means of approaching His people. The high priest was a man who was ordained or appointed to represent humanity in their dealings with God. The sacrifices on the altar and the sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat were designed to bring the people closer to God.



  • Hebrews 5:5-10: That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.


  • Hebrews 7:11: So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?


  • Hebrews 9:15: That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

   The whole purpose for the priesthood and sacrificial system coming into existence was to administer the Old Covenant. Everything pertaining to Israel's special national relationship to God, including the Tablets of the Covenant (Ten Commandments), ended when the Christ, by His obedient life and death, met every claim and demand of the Old Covenant written in stone.



  • Hebrews 10:11-14: Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.


  • Hebrews 13:15: Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.

  • 1 Peter 2:5 (Refers to Israel not to the Body of Christ): And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

  • 1 Peter 2:9 (Refers to Israel not to the Body of Christ): But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests (Greek - a royal priesthood), a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

  • Revelation 1:6: He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

  •   Revelation 5:9-10 (Refers to Israel not to the Body of Christ): And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”



  • Revelation 20:6 (Refers to Israel not to the Body of Christ): Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

(1) “This is the ceremony you must follow when you consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams with *no defects.


   This ceremony was actually carried out in Leviticus 8. The purpose of the ceremony was to set the priests aside for God's purpose. There are three types of sacrifices in chapter 29: a bull for sin offering, a ram for a burnt offering and another ram for a wave offering. This sequence is no accident. The sin offering cleanses the priests from sin. Next, the burnt offering is an expression of devotion and commitment on the part of the worshiper. The second ram was to be a wave offering, which is a type of fellowship offering per Leviticus 7:28-36.


*no defects: i.e., perfect, as Jesus was. But, per Malachi chapter 1, in his time, they were bringing diseased, crippled, blind and stolen animals!


   From among all these servants of God, God chose Aaron and his descendants to serve as priests for the nation. But, the Israelites rebelled and made a golden calf to worship while Moses was on Mount Sinai. Only the tribe of Levi stood faithful with Moses (Exodus 32:25-26). In reward for their dedication, God replaced the first borns with the tribe of Levi:

Numbers 3:12-13: “Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me, for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the Lord.”.

The Levites then took on the duty of serving God:

Numbers 8:19: And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary..


(2) Then, using choice wheat flour and no yeast, make loaves of bread, thin cakes mixed with olive oil, and wafers spread with oil.


(3) Place them all in a single basket, and present them at the entrance of the Tabernacle, along with the young bull and the two rams.


(4) “Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the *Tabernacle, and **wash them with water.


*Tabernacle: Hebrew - Tent of Meeting; also in 29:10, 11, 30, 32, 42, 44.


**wash: Titus 3:5: he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.


   This process of consecration didn't take place inside the tabernacle. It happened outside, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. It was something others could see. The process of consecration began with cleansing. 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. - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0229.htm


   This washing is symbolic of the cleansing of the priest. It is a symbol of the purification that the priest needs to obtain in order to carry out his work. You remember the bronze laver in the tabernacle which was described in the passages that we’ve looked at previously. Well, that bronze laver was used for this. It was filled with water and then water was taken from that laver and poured out on, sprinkled on, the priest, and it was also used for other ceremonial washings in the Old Testament. Later, when carrying out his task, the priest would frequently have to wash his hands and feet at the bronze laver symbolizing his need for constant cleansing in what his hands did and where his feet went. God was pleased to dwell in the tabernacle, the people attending in the courts, so that the door between the court and the tabernacle was the fittest place for those to be consecrated in who were to mediate between God and man, and to stand between both, and lay their hands (as it were) upon both. They were consecrated at the door, for they were to be door-keepers. - www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc1.Ex.xxx.html


  • John 13:6-15: So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.” After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

(5) Dress Aaron in his priestly garments—the tunic, the robe worn with the ephod, the ephod itself, and the chestpiece. Then wrap the decorative sash of the ephod around him.


   After being cleansed, the priest had to be clothed - but not in his own clothes, but in clothes given by God. Like these ancient priests, every believer is clothed in Jesus Christ and in his righteousness (Revelation 3:5). These are clothes that are given freely by Jesus, but received and "worn" by faith. "Note, that these garments were provided for them. They were at no expense in buying them, nor labor in weaving them, nor skill in making them; they had simply to put them on. And you, dear child of God, are to put on the garments which Jesus Christ has provided for you, at his own cost, and freely bestows upon you out of boundless love." (Spurgeon)
- www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0229.htm


   Clothing is used many places in Scripture as a symbol for our character, or a symbol of our position before God. God provides the clothing for the priests just as he provides our righteousness; and the priests are to take care to dress themselves according to God's plan:


  • Luke 23:11: Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.



  • Romans 13:13-14:     Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

  • Ephesians 4:22-24: throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

  • Colossians 3:9-12: Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

  • 2 Corinthians 5:1-9: For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.

  • Revelation 3:5: All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.

  • Revelation 6:11: Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.

  • Revelation 7:9,13-14: After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

(6) Place the turban on his head, and fasten the sacred medallion to the turban.


(7) Then anoint him by pouring the *anointing oil over his head.


*anointing oil: Oil of anointing was used for all major offices (giving the label with the passive adjective “mashiah” (or “messiah”) to anyone anointed. The olive oil was a symbol of the Spirit in the Old Testament as well (Zechariah 4:4-6). And in the New Testament, “anointing” signifies empowerment by the Holy Spirit for service.



   The oil (a picture of the Holy Spirit) was poured over their heads, indicating that it was 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. - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0229.htm


   Notice that the oil is poured over his head WHILE WEARING THE TURBAN! So, not only is Aaron sanctified, so is the Turban and the sacred medallion - and his clothes too!


   The priest is anointed with oil and that anointing oil is a visible marker of God’s choice of Aaron and his sons, and His appointment of them to their special task. It is very interesting, that later when David is anointed as king of Israel, he becomes known as the ‘Anointed of the Lord,’ and then this in itself becomes a metaphor for a description of the Messiah. He is the ‘Anointed One,’ and so the one who is looked for is anointed. And at the same time the idea of God’s choosing and God’s anointing becomes used as a synonym. So the chosen one is the anointed one and the anointed one is the chosen one. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/36bexo.htm


   Aaron's anointing was symbolic of "the Spirit of God descending" on Christ (Matthew 3:16; Acts 10:38). It is important to note that Aaron alone was anointed before the blood was shed (the consecration of the priests required various offerings in which the shedding of animal blood took place). This sets Aaron apart as a striking picture of Christ, who was anointed as God in the flesh and lived a sinless life. Christ did not need to be redeemed as we do. Aaron was anointed with oil poured on his head (Leviticus 8:12). This physical anointing is described as an act of consecration.


   Kings and prophets were also anointed. God gave a clear instruction to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:15–16: Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet.


   Jesus was anointed as Prophet, Priest, and King. Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
(John 1:32–33).



  • Acts 4:27: ...Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. The importance of anointing for all of us was emphasized by the Apostle Paul: It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned (anointed) us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.
    (2 Corinthians 1:21–22). So we are anointed. We are also “sealed” says Paul. In that Pauline era, without a seal, no document was regarded as authentic. It is the seal of the Spirit, which gives us His authority. By the power of God, we are anointed and sanctified by Him as kings and priests unto Him.

(8) Next present his sons, and dress them in their tunics.


(9) Wrap the sashes around the waists of Aaron and his sons, and put their special head coverings on them. Then the right to the priesthood will be theirs by law forever. In this way, you will ordain Aaron and his sons.


(10) “Bring the young bull to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on its head*.


*lay their hands on its head: This meant that the animal was taking their place. The bull takes Aaron's place because he's a sinner and can't serve God in that condition. This is the burnt offering. Leviticus covers these offerings in detail.


   "The Hebrew word means more than lightly placing the hand, it gives the idea of pressing hard upon the bullock's head. They came each one and leaned upon the victim, loading him with their burden, signifying their acceptance of its substitution, their joy that the Lord would accept that victim in their stead. When they put their hands on the bullock, they made a confession of sin." (Spurgeon) - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0229.htm


   The priests lay their hands on the bull’s head. What does that mean? It signifies identification. “That bull stands in for me. That bull is my representative. That bull is my substitute. The death of that animal will stand in for the death of the priest.” The priest, because of his sin, deserves to die. By identifying himself with that animal, by laying his hands on its head, the animal serves as the substitute, as the representative, for the priest. Note that the priest is not allowed to go into the tent of meeting until the sacrifices have been made, until the ceremonial washing has occurred. Until the purification of the blood had been administered he cannot go into the presence of God or serve in the tabernacle until he has been cleansed. The bull is slaughtered at the doorway and then some of the blood of the bull is smeared on the horns and the base of the altar. Now this is done for purification, purifying, consecrating, setting apart this altar for the holy use for which it’s going to be employed. This is done also for atonement for the priest. The bull is slaughtered for the atonement for the priest and for the purification of the altar. The priest needs forgiveness and even the altar needs to be consecrated for its holy use. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/36bexo.htm


(11) Then slaughter the bull in the Lord’s presence at the entrance of the Tabernacle.


(12) Put some of its *blood on the **horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest at the base of the altar.


*blood:


  • Hebrews 9:22:     In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

  • Mark 14:24: And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.

  • 1 Peter 1:18-19: For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

  • Hebrews 9:13-14: Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

**horns: This act seems to have signified the efficacious nature of the blood, since the horns represented power. This is part of the ritual of the sin offering for laity, because before the priests become priests they are treated as laity. The offering is better described as a purification offering rather than a sin offering, because it was offered, according to Leviticus, for both sins and impurities. Moreover, it was offered primarily to purify the sanctuary so that the once-defiled or sinful person could enter


   The idea behind the ancient Hebrew word for altar is essentially, "killing-place." The ancient altar - a place of death - was made holy and was consecrated to God. 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. - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0229.htm



  • Leviticus 17:11: for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.

(13) Take all the *fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, and burn it all on the altar.


*fat: The fat represented the best, and the best was to go to God.


(14) Then take the rest of the bull, including its hide, meat, and dung, and burn it *outside the camp as a sin offering.


*outside the camp: Jesus was crucified "outside the camp":

Hebrews 13:11-13: Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore.


   Outside the camp becomes a Jewish idiom, a way to talk about the place of the defiled and the unclean. For instance, if you look at Leviticus 13 verse 46, the leper is required to live outside the camp. In Leviticus 10, when Nadab and Abihu offer the strange sacrifice of fire and are struck down, the people are told to take them outside the camp and to take the vestments from them and to dispose of them. So the burning of the carcass outside of the camp is a graphic picture of what it means to violate the covenant and what violating the covenant deserves. It deserves being cut off from God’s people and destroyed completely and put outside of the bounds of the presence of God. And it’s one of the striking things, my friends, that our great high priest Jesus Christ endured that very experience on our behalf and in our place. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/36bexo.htm


   The bull which was slaughtered was a “sin offering”. This is because Aaron and his sons, although they were the High Priest and the Priests, were sinful. This was the fundamental problem with the Old Testament sacrificial system, and why it could never have led to actual salvation: The people who were serving the Lord couldn’t take away the sins of the Israelites, because they had their own sin to deal with. Any time any of them approached the Lord, they had to offer a sacrifice, because of that sin.


(15) “Next Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on the head of one of the rams.


(16) Then slaughter the ram, and splatter its blood against all sides of the altar.


(17) Cut the ram into pieces, and wash off the internal organs and the legs. Set them alongside the head and the other pieces of the body,


(18) then burn the *entire animal on the altar. This is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord.


*entire animal: According to Leviticus 1, the burnt offering (often called whole burnt offering, except that the skins were usually given to the priests for income) was an atoning sacrifice. By consuming the entire animal, God was indicating that he had completely accepted the worshiper, and as it was a sweet smelling fire sacrifice, he was indicating that he was pleased to accept it. By offering the entire animal, the worshiper was indicating on his part a complete surrender to God.


   Only part of the bull was offered as a sacrifice, but the whole of the ram is sacrificed. In the Old Testament, this is the mode in which God’s mercy was entreated by His people. As priest of the new covenant, Paul picks up on this very image in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, and applies this principle to us. He says, And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. He’s drawing on this picture of the consecration ceremony of the priest, when the whole burnt offering is lifted up, and he’s saying to us that we are to give the whole of ourselves to God as a sacrifice, which is our spiritual service of worship. Paul picks up on this imagery and applies it to Christians. We offer ourselves to God, the whole of ourselves, the whole of our lives in gratitude to God. God owns all of us and so we give all of ourselves to him as our spiritual service of worship. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/36bexo.htm


(19) “Now take the other ram, and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head.


(20) Then slaughter it, and apply some of its blood to the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons. Also put it on the thumbs of their right hands and the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar.


   By this ritual the priests were set apart completely to the service of God. The ear represented the organ of hearing (as in “ears you have dug” in Psalm 40 or “awakens my ear” in Isaiah 50), and this had to be set apart to God so that they could hear the Word of God. The thumb and the hand represented the instrument to be used for all ministry, and so everything that they “put their hand to” had to be dedicated to God and appropriate for his service. The toe set the foot apart to God, meaning that the walk of the priest had to be consecrated – where he went, how he conducted himself, what life he lived, all belonged to God now. - www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0229.htm


   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. 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." (Spurgeon)

- www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0229.htm


(21) Then take some of the blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his sons and on their garments. In this way, they and their garments will be set apart as holy.


   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).


(22) “Since this is the ram for the ordination of Aaron and his sons, take the fat of the ram, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, along with the right thigh.


(23) Then take one round loaf of bread, one thin cake mixed with olive oil, and one wafer from the basket of bread without yeast that was placed in the Lord’s presence.


(24) Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons to be lifted up as a special offering to the Lord.


   In Leviticus 23, this seems to be a sacrificial gesture of things that are for the priests – but they present them first to Yahweh and then receive them back from him. So the waving is not side to side, but forward to God and then back to the priest. Here it is just an induction into that routine, since this is the ordination of the priests and the gifts are not yet theirs. So this will all be burned on the altar.


(25) Afterward take the various breads from their hands, and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering. It is a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a special gift for him.


(26) Then take the breast of Aaron’s ordination ram, and lift it up in the Lord’s presence as a special offering to him. Then keep it as your own portion.


(27) “Set aside the portions of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons. This includes the breast and the thigh that were lifted up before the Lord as a special offering.


   These were the "wave offering" (terumah) and the "heave offering" (terumah).
The wave offering was waved to and fro and presented for the four quarters of the earth.
The heave offering was lifted up to heaven for God only.



  • Leviticus 7:28-30: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a gift to the Lord. Present it to the Lord with your own hands as a special gift to the Lord. Bring the fat of the animal, together with the breast, and lift up the breast as a special offering to the Lord.”

   The bull is for a sin offering. The first ram was for a burnt offering, a whole burnt offering, the whole burnt offering spoken of in the Old Testament. And the second ram was a ram for consecration or ordination. These three sacrifices stress different aspects of the priest’s need for purification and for atonement for cleansing as he enters into his service.


(28) In the future, whenever the people of Israel lift up a peace offering, a portion of it must be set aside for Aaron and his descendants. This is their permanent right, and it is a sacred offering from the Israelites to the Lord.


(29) “Aaron’s sacred garments must be preserved for his descendants who succeed him, and they will wear them when they are anointed and ordained.


(30) The descendant who succeeds him as high priest will wear these clothes for seven days as he ministers in the Tabernacle and the Holy Place.


(31) “Take the ram used in the ordination ceremony, and boil its meat in a sacred place.


   The “sacred place” must be in the courtyard of the sanctuary. Leviticus 8:1-3 says it is to be cooked at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Here it says it will be eaten there as well. This, then, becomes a communion sacrifice, a peace offering which was a shared meal. Eating a communal meal in a holy place was meant to signify that the worshipers and the priests were at peace with God.


(32) Then Aaron and his sons will eat this meat, along with the bread in the basket, at the Tabernacle entrance.


(33) They alone may *eat the meat and bread used for their **purification in the ordination ceremony. No one else may eat them, for these things are set apart and holy.


*eat: Hebrews 13:10: We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat.


**purification: Or their atonement. The Hebrew word kaphar, to cover, gives the essential meaning - see Genesis 6:14 where it is rendered "pitch".


   Here we have the covenant meal of the priest after the ordination ceremony. The priests who serve as representatives of God’s people are blessed by being allowed to sup with, fellowship with, commune with God in this covenant meal of fellowship. Now a ritual meal, a covenant meal, would not have been unusual in the ancient Near East after such a ceremony that has just been described. Very often a special relationship was sealed by the sharing of a meal, and the priests who have been brought into this special relationship, into this special work with and for God, are blessed with this privilege of a meal of covenant communion. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/36bexo.htm


(34) If any of the ordination meat or bread remains until the morning, it must be burned. It may not be eaten, for it is holy.


(35) “This is how you will ordain Aaron and his sons to their offices, just as I have commanded you. The ordination ceremony will go on for *seven days


*seven days: Why seven days? Seven is the number of creation or completeness and the seventh day is the day of "rest" or "completion". The ordination ceremony of the priest lasts seven days, since he is to be a priest in the tabernacle, the microcosm of the created universe.


(36) Each day you must sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering to purify them, making them right with the Lord. Afterward, cleanse the altar by purifying it; make it holy by anointing it with oil.


(37) Purify the altar, and consecrate it every day for seven days. After that, the altar will be absolutely *holy, and whatever touches it will become *holy.


*holy: Notice the overwhelming emphasis on the holiness of God: the priests, the clothes, the Tabernacle, and the sacrifices had to be clean and consecrated, prepared to meet God.


   This line states an unusual principle, meant to preserve the sanctity of the altar. S. R. Driver explains it this way: If anything comes in contact with the altar, it becomes holy and must remain in the sanctuary for Yahweh’s use. If a person touches the altar, he likewise becomes holy and cannot return to the profane regions. He will be given over to God to be dealt with as God pleases. Anyone who was not qualified to touch the altar did not dare approach it, for contact would have meant that he was no longer free to leave but was God’s holy possession – and might pay for it with his life (see Exodus 30:29; Leviticus 6:18b, 27; and Ezekiel 46:20).


(38) “These are the sacrifices you are to offer regularly on the altar. Each day, offer two lambs that are a year old,


(39) one in the morning and the other in the evening.


(40) With one of them, offer two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives; also, offer one quart of wine as a liquid offering.


(41) Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the same offerings of flour and wine as in the morning. It will be a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord.


(42) “These burnt offerings are to be made each day from generation to generation. Offer them in the Lord’s presence at the Tabernacle entrance; there I will *meet with you and speak with you.


*meet: meet by appointment.


   This is a description of the daily sacrifice. It was never ever to be interrupted. It was to be continuously offered. And the daily sacrifice was seen as the very heart of the law by Israel. And its interruption was viewed with horror. Do you remember in Daniel 8 when he is talking about the beast with the horns, and he gets to Daniel 8:11 and he talks about the horn itself interrupting the daily sacrifice. He’s horrified at the thought that the daily sacrifice would not be offered. Think how poignant it is when that daily sacrifice comes to an end in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. No sacrifices have been offered by Israel since then. There are no more animal sacrifices, they have found their fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is forgiveness of sins, not in a continuing sacrifice, not in the daily sacrifice but in the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
- www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/36bexo.htm


(43) I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence.


(44) Yes, *I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.


*I will consecrate: Notice that God Himself consecrates the Tabernacle and the altar and Aaron and Aaron's sons. He consecrates the Tabernacle (and later the temple) with the cloud of His presence His glory, His Shekinah.


(45) Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God,


(46) and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt *so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.


*so that I could live among them: The point of the exodus from Egypt.


   When Moses and Aaron performed this ceremony of consecration, Leviticus 9:23-24 tells us the result: Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.



   In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, Kohanim (plural for Kohen) were priests responsible for worship ceremonies, such as leading services, offering sacrifices, burning incense and more. To maintain a high degree of purity, Kohanim observed certain prohibitions concerning marriage and contact with the deceased. The High Priest, called HaKohen HaGadol, was the head of all the priests. He conducted services in the Temple on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. And he was the only person allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, the holiest place in the Temple. Today a Jew is considered a Kohen if he is a descendent of the first priest Aaron, the brother of Moses, from the Levi tribe.
Karl Skorecki, a nephrologist and a top-level researcher at the University of Toronto and the Rambam-Technion Medical Center in Haifa, believed that if today's Kohanim are the descendants of one man (Aaron HaCohen), then they should have a common set of genetic markers at a higher frequency than the general Jewish population. Skorecki's study found that a particular marker was detected in 98.5 percent of the Kohanim, and in a significantly lower percentage of non-Kohanim. In addition, researchers found that a particular array of six chromosomal markers, called the Cohen Modal Hapoltype (CMH), was found in 97 of the 106 Kohenim tested. The chances of these findings happening at random is greater than one in 10,000. Thus, recent scientific research has proven a clear genetic relationship among Kohanim and their direct lineage from a common ancestor. Today's Kohanim maintain a number of privileges and obligations within Jewish practice. They recite the Priestly Blessing during some worship services, and they are first to be called up (given an aliyah) to read from the Torah. Kohanim who follow Orthodox Judaism still observe prohibitions such as not marrying a divorced woman or a convert and not visiting a cemetery or coming into contact with the dead.
- judaism.about.com/od/worshiprituals/f/kohen.htm



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