Exodus 29 - Outline of Exodus (Book Notes menu page)

Refer to the Diagram of the Tabernacle (opens in a new tab) in this study.
The Consecration of the Priests (ch. 29) -
29:1 And this [is] the thing that thou shalt do unto them {ie., Aaron & his sons, ch.28}
to hallow {sanctify, set apart} them, to minister unto me in the priest's office:
Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,
29:2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered {mixed} with oil,
and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: [of] wheaten flour shalt thou make them.
29:3 And thou shalt put them into one basket,
and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.
29:4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring
unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
and shalt wash them with water.
29:5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat,
and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate,
and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:
29:6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head,
and put the holy crown upon the mitre. {Ex 28:36-38}
29:7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil,
and pour [it] upon his head, and anoint him.
29:8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.
29:9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons,
and put the bonnets on them:
and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute:
and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
  Instructions for the Consecration of the priests -
    These ceremonies were accomplished following the consecration of the Tabernacle, by Moses, as recorded in Ex 40:12-16 and Leviticus ch.8.
    Here also, the high priest is a type of Christ, and the other priests picture the relation of the believer-priest to Him.
  The Order of Consecration -
  1. wash them (v.4) -
    All priests (except Christ) require the "washing of regeneration." Titus 3:5; Joh 3:5,6.
    However, Christ also was baptized prior to His ministry "to fulfill all righteousness" in identifying Himself with those who seek to serve the LORD. Mat 3:1-2,11-15
  - dress Aaron (v.5-6; cp. Ex 28:2-4) -
      The Garments of the High Priest depict Christ's "glory and beauty," and His deity and humanity.
      Aaron could not approach the Holy Place without these Garments, because his acceptance there was only "in the Beloved."
      In contrast, prior to His ministry in our behalf, Christ robed Himself in our humanity (Heb 2:14-18; Php 2:6-8).
  - anoint Aaron (v.7) -
      Aaron (as a type of Christ), was anointed with oil (a type of the Holy Spirit) before blood was shed (in the sacrifices of v.10-42).
      Aaron's sons (type of the believer-priest) were not anointed with oil until after blood was shed (v.20,21).
      Note also that upon Aaron, the anointing oil was poured. But after the sacrifices, the priests were only "sprinkled" with blood and oil.
      This order foreshadows the preparation of Christ for His priestly ministry...
      1. Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit from eternity past,
      long before His blood was shed on the cross (cp. Mat 3:16,17; 12:18 (quoting Isa 42:1); Luk 4:18,19).
  - His shed blood made possible our anointing
      (Joh 7:39; Acts 2:32,33; Rev 5:9,10).
  - Christ was anointed "above His fellows" (Psa 45:7; Heb 1:9; Joh 3:34)
      that He might have the preeminence (Col 1:18).
- dress Aaron's sons (v.8,9; cp. Ex 28:40-43) -
    Without the prior preparation of our High Priest, we would not be suited for God's service.
- the Sacrifices of Consecration - (to be discussed briefly, as we come to them in the text, below)
  1. the Bullock for a Sin-offering (v.10-14)
  2. the Ram as a Whole Burnt-offering (v.15-18)
  3. the Ram of Consecration (v.19-34)
  4. the two Lambs daily for a Continual Burnt-offering
       (beginning upon completion of the seven day consecration of priests and altar), v.35-42)

The Sin-offering (v.10-14) -
29:10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought
before the tabernacle of the congregation:
and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
29:11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD,
[by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
29:12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock,
and put [it] upon the horns of the altar with thy finger,
and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards,
and the caul [that is] above the liver, and the two kidneys,
and the fat that [is] upon them, and burn [them] upon the altar.
29:14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung,
shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it [is] a sin offering.
  The Sin-offering was the first of the three sacrifices for consecrating the priests.
    It corresponds, in form and function, to the Sin-offering as described in Lev 4:1-12.
  they shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.-
    This was an act of identification. In doing this, Aaron and his sons were saying:
    - 'This is my substitute. This is the death I deserve. This is for my sin.'
    The sin-offering pictures the substitutionary death of Christ.
    - He took our sins upon Himself.
    He died the death that we deserve. Isa 53:5-8
  - Having had their sin removed,
      those who are identified with Him are, therefore, judicially righteous before God. Rom 5:8-12,18-19; 2Cor 5:21
    blood - Indicated that the wages of sin had been paid (by the substitute). Rom 6:23
      It was the blood of the Sin-offerings which was presented at the Mercy Seat on the annual Day of Atonement (Lev 16:11-16).
    the fat... burned on the altar - The fire consumed it all. God's wrath against sin was satisfied.
      Note that the consumed organs were those dedicated to the removal of impurities from the body.
    The remainder of the sacrifice was to be burned "outside the camp."
      It was not that the sin-offering was unfit for a holy camp. But rather, that the unholy camp was unfit for the holy sin-offering. cp. Heb 13:11-13
      The Lord Jesus Christ was 'politically incorrect' and rejected by religious people.
      Yet, He is the Holy One, who died to make us holy. We need to be identified with Him.
The Burnt-offering (v.15-18) -
29:15 Thou shalt also take one ram; {cp. v.1}
and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
29:16 And thou shalt slay the ram,
and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle [it] round about upon the altar.
29:17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces,
and wash the inwards of him, and his legs,
and put [them] unto his pieces, and unto his head.
29:18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar:
it [is] a burnt offering unto the LORD:
it [is] a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
  The Whole Burnt-offering -
  - Aaron and his sons shall place their hands upon the head of the ram.-
    Again they were to be identified with the sacrifice, but, now, for a different reason.
  - The sacrifice was to be totally consumed.- They were in effect saying:
      'As He gave Himself for me, I yield myself to Him, entirely.'
      In the burnt-offering, nothing is withheld from God. (cp. Gen 22:13-16; Rom 6:1-11; 12:1,2)
  - It was a 'sweet savour' to the LORD,
      because His servants were declaring that love for Him totally consumed them.
      The Burnt-offering depicts the willing and complete surrender of Christ to the Father's will.
      We who are identified with Him should likewise give ourselves wholly to Him. cp. Psa 69:9; Joh 2:17; Eph 5:2
The Ram of Consecration (v.19-34) -
29:19 And thou shalt take the other ram; {cp. v.1}
and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
29:20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood,
and put [it] upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron,
and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons,
and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot,
and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
29:21 And thou shalt take of the blood that [is] upon the altar, and of the anointing oil,
and sprinkle [it] upon Aaron, and upon his garments,
and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him:
and he shall be hallowed, and his garments,
and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
29:22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump,
and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul [above] the liver,
and the two kidneys, and the fat that [is] upon them, and the right shoulder;
for it [is] a ram of consecration:
29:23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread,
and one wafer out of the basket
of the unleavened bread that [is] before the LORD: {cp. v.1-3}
29:24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons;
and shalt wave them [for] a wave offering before the LORD.
29:25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands,
and burn [them] upon the altar for a burnt offering,
for a sweet savour before the LORD: it [is] an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
29:26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration,
and wave it [for] a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.
29:27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering,
and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved,
and which is heaved up {lifted up}, of the ram of the consecration,
[even] of [that] which [is] for Aaron, and of [that] which is for his sons:
29:28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever
from the children of Israel: for it [is] an heave offering:
and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel
of the sacrifice of their peace offerings,
[even] their heave offering unto the LORD.
29:29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him,
to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.
29:30 [And] that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days,
when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy [place].
29:31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration,
and seethe {HB=bashal, boil, roast} his flesh in the holy place.
29:32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram,
and the bread that [is] in the basket,
[by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
29:33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made,
to consecrate [and] to sanctify them:
but a stranger shall not eat [thereof], because they [are] holy.
29:34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations,
or of the bread, remain unto the morning,
then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire:
it shall not be eaten, because it [is] holy.
  The Ram of Consecration {HB= millu', "of setting," or "of installation" of priests into service}-
  - put their hands upon the head of the ram -
    Again, the picture is of identification with Christ.
    In this case, for separation to, and empowering for, service.
  - blood... on ear... thumb... toe (v.20) -
      The priest's whole person, having been purged of sin, is to be yielded to Him. Rom 12:1,2
  - blood and oil... on the priests' persons and garments (v.21) -
      The priest's life purpose is no longer that of the flesh (which died with Christ), but that of God's direction by the Holy Spirit. Gal 2:20
  - a portion of the ram and of the bread... waved... burned on the altar (v.22-25) -
      Here is a demonstrative statement of identification with Christ in death, to sin and to self.
      "I am crucified with Christ..."
  - a portion of the ram and of the bread... waved... heaved {'lifted up' toward heaven}... and eaten (v.26-34)-
      Here is a demonstrative statement of identification with Christ in life, to serve God.
      "... Nevertheless, I live... yet, not I... but Christ lives in me..."
      The believer-priest is nourished by Christ the Bread of Life.
The Continual Burnt-offering (v.35-42) -
29:35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons,
according to all [things] which I have commanded thee:
seven days shalt thou consecrate them.
29:36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock [for] a sin offering for atonement:
and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it,
and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.
29:37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it;
and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
29:38 Now this [is that] which thou shalt offer upon the altar;
two lambs of the first year day by day continually.
29:39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning;
and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:
29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal {ie., a tenth part} of flour
mingled {mixed} with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil;
and the fourth part of an hin of wine [for] a drink offering.
  Num 28:3-5 defines the measure of flour as one tenth ephah (ie., about 0.8 gallons).
  A 'hin' is a unit of liquid measure equivalent to about 4 quarts or 4 litres.
29:41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even,
and shalt do thereto according to the meat {lit., 'meal'} offering of the morning,
and according to the drink offering thereof,
for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
29:42 [This shall be] a continual burnt offering throughout your generations
[at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD:
where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.
29:43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel,
and [the tabernacle] shall be sanctified by my glory.
29:44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar:
I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.
29:45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
29:46 And they shall know that I [am] the LORD their God,
that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
that I may dwell among them: I [am] the LORD their God.
  The seven days of the consecration ceremony (v.35) suggest perfection or completion.
  - Two of the sacrifices offered (on each of the seven days) made an 'atonement' {HB=kaphar, a covering} for sin, so that the priests and the altar would be holy {set apart} for the LORD's service.
    - a bullock for a sin-offering (v.35-37)
    - a ram of consecration (v.33)
    While the blood of bulls and goats provided a temporary 'covering' for fleshly defilement, which allowed God and man to meet in peace (for a while), it could never remove sin (Ex 30:10; Heb 10:1-4). Though multiplied over hundreds of years, all of the OT sacrifices could only anticipate Christ's one sacrifice for sins forever. Heb 10:11-18
  - A third sacrifice offered (on each of the seven days) was a whole burnt-offering,
      signifying the priests' complete dedication to the LORD's work (v.15-18) foreshadowing our Great High Priest (Heb 10:5-10).
    ...thou shalt offer upon the altar: two lambs... day by day continually...
      ...throughout your generations... for a continual burnt-offering (v.38,42) -
      This Continual Burnt-offering would begin when the consecration of the priests and the altar was completed. It would perpetually proclaim the selflessness of the coming Lamb of God, who would willingly offer Himself to God, and freely give Himself to deliver believing sinners from their sinful condition, permanently. Joh 1:29; Rom 3:23-26; Gal 1:3,4; Heb 9:14,15

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