In the previous chapter, we read about the priest’s clothing; in this chapter, we read about how the priests consecrated themselves, Exodus 29:1. The priests are set apart for the service for which God had chosen them. Moses is to take a young bull and two rams without defect, Exodus 29:1.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘God is addressing Moses in this command, for Moses himself will act as High Priest in the consecration of the Jewish priesthood, despite the fact that Moses was never to hold that office. Moses was indeed a priest after the manner of all priests during the Patriarchal Dispensation of God’s grace. Significantly, on the mountain of transfiguration, it was not Aaron who appeared with Elijah and Christ, but Moses.’
From the finest wheat flour he is to make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil, Exodus 29:2.
Moses is to then put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams, Exodus 29:3 / Leviticus 8:2. He is to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water, Exodus 29:4 / Leviticus 8:6.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This concerns the ‘washing” of the candidate for the priesthood. Standing, as it does, at the head of the list on the agenda of the consecration ceremonies, it is typical of Christian baptism, the initiatory rite into the Christian religion. Esses, a former Rabbi now a believer in Christ, went so far as to call the ablution here ‘their baptism.’
Moses is to take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece and fasten the ephod on him by its skilfully woven waistband, Exodus 29:5 / Leviticus 8:7.
The turban is to be placed on Aaron’s head and the sacred emblem to the turban is to be attached, Exodus 29:6. Moses is to then take the anointing oil and anoint Aaron by pouring it on his head, Exodus 29:7 / Leviticus 8:12. Aaron’s sons were to be dressed in tunics and have their caps fastened on them, then Moses is to tie sashes on Aaron and his sons, Exodus 29:8-9 / Leviticus 8:13.
Rawlinson, in his commentary, says the following.
‘They do not seem to have been anointed, as Aaron was, by having oil poured upon their heads, but only by having some of it sprinkled upon their garments, Exodus 29:21 / Leviticus 8:30.’
God declares that the priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance, then Moses shall ordain Aaron and his sons, Exodus 28:9. Aaron was appointed as the high priest, and his sons as priests, and they were established as priests for the rest of their lives.
Their successors would also be priests for life. Because Christians make up a royal priesthood, 1 Peter 2:5 / 1 Peter 2:9, after the pattern established for priests of God, they also are on duty as priests for the rest of their lives. Jesus is now functioning as our high priest, Hebrews 5:6, but all Christians function as God’s priests to the world.
Moses is to bring a bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head Exodus 29:10 / Leviticus 8:14. By placing their hands on the bull’s head, signified that the priests symbolically put their sins on the animal that was to be sacrificed.
The priests are to offer sin offerings for the people, but they first had to sacrifice for their own sins, Leviticus 4:1-35 / Leviticus 6:24-30 / Hebrews 5:3. Moses is to slaughter it in the LORD’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting, Exodus 29:11 / Leviticus 8:14.
Field’s in his commentary says the following.
‘Killing the bull was an admission that ‘We deserve to die, but God in His grace accepts the death of this creature instead of my death.’
Some of the bull’s blood was to be put on the horns of the altar with his finger, and the rest of it was to be poured out at the base of the altar, Exodus 29:12 / Leviticus 8:15. All the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, were to be burned the altar, Exodus 29:13 / Leviticus 8:16.
The bull’s flesh, its hide and its intestines outside the camp, Exodus 29:14 / Leviticus 8:17. It is a sin offering, Exodus 29:14 / Hebrews 13:12-13. Sin offerings were made in order to illustrate that, in reference to our relationship with God, life had to be taken in order to receive atonement.
Once the blood was placed on the horns of the altar, the fat was burned upon the altar, and the rest of the body parts were burned outside the camp, Hebrews 13:11-12.
There is a degree of overlap between the sin offering and the trespass offering. The sin offering is indicated for our general sinful condition before God, Leviticus 5:13.
The sin offering is indicated for unintentional sins, Leviticus 4:1-2 / Leviticus 4:27, especially by leaders or by the people as a whole, Leviticus 4:3 / Leviticus 4:13 / Leviticus 4:22. The sin offering is indicated for individuals among God’s people, Leviticus 4:27.
The good news of the sin offering is that Christ has fulfilled the sin offering, once for all, Hebrews 9:26 / 2 Corinthians 5:21 / Romans 8:3. Based on faith in what Christ has done for us by His death on the cross, we can be released from slavery to our sinful nature and its tendencies. Jesus said, ‘Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed,’ John 8:34-36.
Moses is to take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head, Exodus 29:15 / Leviticus 8:18. By placing their hands on the ram’s head, it signified that the priests symbolically put their sins on the animal that was to be sacrificed.
Moses is then to slaughter the ram and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar, Exodus 29:16 / Leviticus 8:18. Then he is to cut the ram into pieces and wash the internal organs and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces, Exodus 29:17 / Leviticus 8:20-21.
He is to burn the entire ram on the altar, Exodus 29:18. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD, Exodus 29:18 / Leviticus 8:21.
Clements, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It is evident that the author has thought of God in spiritual terms, and not as though He needed a meal.’
Sin offerings and burnt offerings weren’t eaten by either the priests or the people, Leviticus 4:1 / Leviticus 4:12 / Leviticus 10:17-20. The burnt offering focused on the meaning that the one who gave the offering was surrendering his life to God, whereas the sin offering was made for the sins of the one who had given himself to God.
The burnt offering altar, Exodus 27:1-8, was the first item to be seen after entering through the door into the tabernacle’s outer court, Exodus 27:9-19. It was an impressive construction made from acacia wood overlaid with bronze; it stood 1.4 metres high and 2.3 metres wide and broad. It was square-shaped, Exodus 27:1-8.
Wood is a Biblical figure of man, Psalm 1:1-3 / Jeremiah 5:14. Acacia wood is a strong, high-quality wood, signifying the best humanity, that of Jesus. Bronze in the Bible speaks of God’s judgement, particularly His judgement over our rebellious thinking and speaking against Him, Numbers 16:29-40 / Jude 11.
Since the wood is overlaid with the bronze, the Burnt Offering Altar reminds us of man under God’s judgement for our rebellion against Him. Since the wood is acacia wood, this speaks of Jesus bearing the judgement of God for us on the cross.
At the burnt offering altar, the priests sacrificed various offerings to God; some offerings were for their own sins and for the sins of the people. The point of the burnt offering was that, by it, a person might become accepted before God and forgiven. Leviticus 1:4.
For the burnt offering, a male animal was sacrificed, a ram, a goat, a bullock or a turtle-dove or a pigeon, Leviticus 1:3-17. The offering had to be without blemish, the very healthiest and best available.
This foreshadows the Lord Jesus, who was examined by Pontius Pilate, who declared, ‘I find no fault in Him at all,’ John 18:38. The blood of the offering was poured out around the base of the altar, foreshadowing the Lord Jesus, whose precious blood flowed out when His side was pierced on the cross by a Roman spear, John 19:34 / 1 Peter 1:19.
The whole concept of blood sacrifices is quite disturbing to the 20th-century Western mindset. Some explanations may help to understand God’s perspective in the Bible. In Ezekiel 18:4, God says ‘All souls are Mine. The soul that sins shall die’.
The penalty of sin is death, Romans 6:23 ‘For the wages of sin is death’. Sin was defined by the law, the ‘Torah’, the first five books of the Bible. The righteous requirement of the law was without pity, ‘a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’. Deuteronomy 19:21.
This then is the legal position: we belong to God, He made us, and we are His by right. But we have done our own thing, living our own life without God: we have sinned.
We always try to make out that our sinfulness is not so bad. However, in God’s eyes, everything matters, every last little thing. Since we have robbed our lives back for ourselves from God to Whom we really belong, we have sinned.
According to the righteous requirement of the law, we should die for our sins. However, there is a provision, ‘the life of the flesh (of a burnt offering or sacrifice) is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul’, Leviticus 17:11.
So, either you must die, or the offering can die in your place, a life for a life. If the offering dies, then, through its life-blood, there is atonement for your soul, ‘at-one-ment’, restoration to the God to Whom you belong, Leviticus 1:4.
After its blood was poured out, the burnt offering was entirely consumed by burning, the only products being ashes and aroma. The ashes were removed from the camp to a ‘clean place’, Leviticus 6:8-13.
The burning offering was a pleasing, sweet aroma to God, to make the person accepted before God and forgiven, Leviticus 1:9 / Leviticus 1:13 / Leviticus 1:17 / Leviticus 1:3-4.
In Ephesians 5:2, Paul shows us clearly that the burnt offering was an exact picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who ‘loved us and gave Himself up for us’ on the cross, ‘an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma’.
Psalm 22 describes graphically and prophetically the utterances of Jesus from the cross as God lays upon Him the sins of the entire world, ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?’ Psalm 22:1, and the agony of being crucified, ‘all my bones are out of joint,’ Psalm 22:14.
Then follows the heat of the fire of death, ‘My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws,’ Psalm 22:14-15, the burnt offering. In His final gasp, the offering is complete, and Jesus cries ‘It is finished!’ John 19:30. ‘He has done it!’ Psalm 22:31.
The final part of the fulfilment, the carrying of the ashes to a ‘clean place’, came as Jesus’ dead body was taken down from the cross, John 19:41-42. John, an eye-witness to all this, wrote, ‘he who has seen bears testimony, true testimony, so that you also may believe’. John 19:35.
When we were at the door of the outer court, we heard the words of Jesus, ‘I am the Door; if any man enters through Me, he shall be saved and will go in and out and find pasture’. John 10:9.
Jesus is not only the Door, but He also tells us, ‘I am the Good Shepherd’ John 10:11, to help us to enter through the Door. Furthermore, ‘The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep’ John 10:11, so Jesus is the offering at the Burnt Offering Altar as soon as we get through the Door.
This is the good news of the burnt offering altar: whether we are Jew or Gentile, we are all under God’s judgement because of our evil thinking, speaking, and doing. However, the Lord Jesus, ‘Who did no sin, neither was there any deceit found in His mouth’ 1 Peter 2:22, became the offering slaughtered in our place.
By believing in His death, ‘carrying up our sins in His body onto the tree’, 1 Peter 2:24, we can be made acceptable to God, restored to the Shepherd and to His flock, 1 Peter 2:25. Then we can enter into His courts with praise and thanksgiving, Psalm 100:3-4. A lamb was burnt at the burnt offering altar every morning and every evening, Exodus 29:38-42.
Learn to come to this altar every day to confess your sins to God and to remember, ‘by offering thanks and praise,’ Hebrews 13:15, that the Lord Jesus died in your place to forgive you and to cleanse you from all sin by His blood, 1 John 1:7-9 / Hebrews 8:12 / Hebrews 9:14, so that you might live not for yourself but to Him, 2 Corinthians 5:15. The burnt offering altar and the laver, Exodus 30:17-21, form a combined experience of Christ.
Moses is to take the other ram, Exodus 29:22, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head, Exodus 29:19 / Leviticus 8:22. Moses is to slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet and then he is to splash blood against the sides of the altar, Exodus 29:20 / Leviticus 8:23.
The blood on the tip of the right ear of the priests dedicated their hearing to God. The hands of the priests were dedicated to the service of God. The priests’ entire walk of life was also dedicated to God. The blood of atonement was mixed with the oil of spiritual healing.
Moses is then to take some blood from the altar, some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments, then Aaron, his sons and their garments will be consecrated, Exodus 29:21 / Leviticus 8:24.
Moses is to take from the ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh because this is the ram for the ordination, Exodus 29:22 / Leviticus 8:25.
From the basket of bread made without yeast, Moses us to take one round loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf, Exodus 29:23 / Leviticus 8:26. Moses is to put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them wave them before the LORD as a wave offering, Exodus 29:24 / Leviticus 8:27.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There are three names applied to this sacrifice of the second ram: 1. burnt-offering, Exodus 29:25; 2. peace-offering, Leviticus 3:1-17, and 3. wave-offering, Exodus 29:24.’
Moses is then to take the one round loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf, then from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD, a food offering presented to the LORD, Exodus 29:25 / Leviticus 8:28.
After Moses takes the breast of the ram for Aaron’s ordination, he is to wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be Moses’ share, Exodus 29:26 / Leviticus 8:29.
Moses is to consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons, the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented, Exodus 29:27.
The wave offering was a symbolic waving of the sacrifice that indicated its dedication to God, though the sacrifice was eaten. Except for the sin offering and burnt offering, sacrifices were to be eaten either by the priests, the one who gave the sacrifice, or both.
The eating of the sacrifice symbolised fellowship between God and the one who made the sacrifice, as well as fellowship between the priest and the one who made the offering.
The wave offering is in reference to the manner in which those portions were handled before God’s altar. The breast was waved, passed from right to left and left to right after being elevated in the hands of the worshipper. It was lifted up toward heaven and lowered perhaps several times.
Notice, though, that the meaning of this was the portion that actually belonged to God, hence why they lifted it up, and the lowering of the offering indicates that God is returning it to the priests as a gift.
Other instances of wave offerings include the breast of a peace offering, Leviticus 7:28-34, a lamb from the cleansing sacrifice of a healed leper, Leviticus 14:12, and two loaves of bread and two lambs of the sacrifice affiliated with the Feast of Weeks, Leviticus 23:15-21.
The largest wave offering was of an entire tribe, and because of their loyalty during the episode with the golden calf, Exodus 32, God accepted the Levites in the service of His temple in place of the firstborn male of each Israelite family, Numbers 3:12.
God says this is always to be the perpetual share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons, Exodus 29:28. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the LORD from their fellowship offerings, Exodus 29:28.
Aaron’s garments are sacred and will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them, Exodus 29:29 / Leviticus 8:30. The son who succeeds Aaron as priest and comes to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days, Exodus 29:30.
Moses is now to take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place, Exodus 29:31 / Leviticus 8:31. At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, Exodus 29:32 / Leviticus 8:31.
Aaron and his sons are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration; however, no one else may eat them because they are sacred, Exodus 29:33 / Leviticus 8:31.
Unger, in his commentary, says the following.
‘At the root of the Hebrew term for atonement is the idea of ‘covering.’ Mosaic sacrifices covered sin from God’s sight in view of Christ’s future redemptive work. Thus, the sinner’s forgiveness was secured by God’s passing over sin, Romans 3:25. Not until Christ died was sin finally ‘put away’, Hebrews 9:15, and actual atonement was made between God and man.’
If any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning, then it must be burned; it must not be eaten, because it is sacred, Exodus 29:34 / Leviticus 8:32.
Moses is to do for Aaron and his sons everything that God commanded him, taking seven days to ordain them, Exodus 29:35 / Leviticus 8:33-35. Moses is to sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement, purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it, Exodus 29:36.
For seven days Moses is to make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy, Exodus 29:37 / Leviticus 8:33-35. These lambs were young and innocent; a lamb was to be offered daily in the morning, and the other in the evening, Exodus 29:38.
The peace offering is sometimes translated as ‘fellowship offering’, Leviticus 3:1-17 / Leviticus 7:11-36. It came about voluntarily, as a desire was expressed to thank God and to seek fellowship ‘communion’ with God.
The blood of the peace offering was sprinkled at the burnt offering altar, Leviticus 4:7; the fat and inward parts were removed, and the remainder was roasted, and the fat and inward parts were burned, Leviticus 4:26. This was for God’s satisfaction, as a sweet aroma, Leviticus 3:4.
Because God had stated clearly what pleased Him, then a person who offered such a peace offering was truly doing what pleased God, and so, that person was having fellowship, ‘communing’ with God.
It was also the case that the flesh of the offering was for the priest and the offeror to consume, to have a meal together, with some unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, similar to the meal offering, Leviticus 2:1-16 / Leviticus 6:14-23.
The peace offering was an indication of a good, healthy, loving relationship between the offeror and God and between the offeror and the priests. There was peace with God, and there was peace with fellow citizens.
Paul writes, ‘Christ Himself is our peace’, Ephesians 2:14 because ‘we who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ’, Ephesians 2:13 / Romans 5:1.
Our fellowship with God is restored through faith in the death and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and sustained through the shared nourishment His life affords us as our portion to feed on.
The Christ who ‘is our peace’ in Ephesians 2:14 is also the Christ ‘who has made both one’, where ‘both’ refers to the Jews and the Gentiles. To those who believe in Jesus Christ, His death is the place for us to be one. It is the only place where oneness will work.
Everywhere else, there is no peace because there are conflicts about how to do everything! Only as we begin to know ‘the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death’. Philippians 3:10, can we ‘be of the same mind in the Lord’? See also Philippians 4:2 / Philippians 2:5-8.
Otherwise, we will be just like Euodia and Syntyche, fighting and squabbling, with no peace. Ironically, ‘Euodia’ means ‘sweet aroma’; however, that would be just a name without the true experience of Christ as the peace offering, Ephesians 2:14.
To make a drink offering, one-tenth of an ephah was to be used, which is about seven pints or about three and a half litres; a hin is about a gallon and a half, or a little over five and a half litres, Exodus 29:40.
The drink offering was poured out upon an existing offering, Exodus 29:41 / Genesis 35:14 / Numbers 28:7-10 / Numbers 28:14-15 / Numbers 28:24 / Numbers 28:31.
The grain offering, Exodus 29:41, didn’t involve the taking of a life, instead, it was made up of the finest flour, Genesis 4:3 / Genesis 3:10 / Judges 3:15-18, oil, and incense.
For the generations to come, this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the LORD, because He will meet the priests and speak to them, Exodus 29:42. Often, a blood sacrifice was accompanied by both a meal offering and a drink offering.
Because the drink offering is ‘poured out’ upon the existing offering, there is a thought of ‘wasting’ or ‘being wasted’, Matthew 26:6-8. In Genesis 35:14, Jacob pours out a drink offering to signify he is giving his life back to God, consecrating himself for the house of God, ‘Beth-El’. Likewise, Aaron and his sons have just been consecrated, giving their lives for the tabernacle service, so that God may have a dwelling place, Exodus 29:43-45.
Notice they will know that He is the LORD their God who brought them out of Egypt, Exodus 29:46, and notice the reminder from God where He declares, ‘I am the Lord their God’, Exodus 29:46 / Exodus 3:14 / Exodus 6:3.
The ceremonial laws that came with Israel’s covenant with God were to be a continual reminder to Israel that God was the one who delivered them out of Egypt.
For this to be valid, there is a need, morning and evening, for daily offerings, including a lamb for a burnt offering, a meal offering and a drink offering. Twice daily, there is renewed consecration in the tabernacle by the priests.
This is a picture for us in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul spoke of himself being ‘poured out as a drink offering’ on the sacrifice and priestly service of the faith of the saints in Philippi. Philippians 2:17, as he contemplated the possibility of soon having his life ended on account of the Gospel.
Although it wasn’t possible that the blood of bulls and goats would bring forgiveness of sins, Hebrews 10:1-4, all these sacrifices prepared Israel for the final sacrifice for sin in Jesus Christ.
The fact that the sacrifices were performed daily meant that their entire lives were consecrated to God, Romans 12:1. And in obedience through the sacrifices, God dwelt in them, as He does today through the Holy Spirit.
The grain offering, Exodus 29:41, looked to the time at creation when God had given to them ‘every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed,’ Genesis 1:29.
This is a picture of the One who became our ‘Bread of Life’, John 6:35, and who was anointed with the ‘oil’ of the Holy Spirit, Acts 10:38. Oil is symbolic of the anointing of God.
Honey was forbidden, and frankincense was used instead. This is because honey would eventually turn sour; yeast was also forbidden, but frankincense received its highest degree of fragrance after it had been burned. It was to be seasoned with salt, the picture of preservation.
The grain offering is also called a food offering, Leviticus 6:14-23 / Numbers 15:1-10. It was a cereal offering and gave the idea of a gift, an offering of thanksgiving. Giving to God those things He has so richly given to us was a gift given in recognition of the dignity and authority of another, 1 Chronicles 29:10.
They were to give to God the best of the things that He had given them to sustain life, Mark 7:11 / Hebrews 5:1-3 / Genesis 32:13 / Genesis 4:45 / 2 Samuel 8:2.
The basic thrust of the food offering is the consecration of all a person has to God, the fruits of their labour. The food offering would show that there is no real separation between our religious life and our secular life, Colossians 3:17.
The incense was frankincense, which is white and yellow-looking. It was very aromatic but bitter to taste. When it was burned, it produced a sweet-smelling aroma, Exodus 30:34 / Leviticus 24:7 / Jeremiah 6:20 / Song of Songs 3:6.
It was the symbol of a pure and good gift, and also the symbol of prayer, Exodus 30:8 / Psalm 141:2 / Luke 1:10 / Matthew 2:11 / Luke 1:10 / Revelation 5:8 / Revelation 8:3-4.
It was to be ‘a memorial’, when we offer anything to the Lord as a sacrifice, we are remembering our covenant relationship with Him, Luke 22:19 / 1 Corinthians 11:24-25. It was the ‘most holy part of the food’ but only for the priests.