Exodus 29 — Sanctify Them
The seven-day ritual for consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests. Washing with water, putting on garments, anointing with oil. A bullock of sin offering, a ram of burnt offering, a ram of consecration. Blood applied to the ear, thumb, and toe. The daily continual burnt offering — a lamb morning and evening. God promises to dwell among them and be their God.
“I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God.”
— Exodus 29:45-46
- v.1-9 The washing, robing, and anointing of the priests
- v.10-14 The bullock for a sin offering
- v.15-18 The ram of burnt offering
- v.19-28 The ram of consecration; blood on ear, thumb, toe
- v.29-37 Seven days of consecration; cleansing the altar
- v.38-42 The continual daily burnt offering
- v.43-46 God's promise to dwell with His people
The anointing oil poured on the head — a picture of the Holy Spirit descending. Psalm 133:2 — as the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard.
Every believer in Christ is anointed with the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27). The oil poured on Aaron's head ran down his beard onto his garments. So the Spirit poured on the Head of the Body (Christ) flows down onto every member — the church.
Blood applied to ear, thumb, and toe. Hearing, doing, walking — the three primary activities of the priest. All three must be consecrated.
For the believer, the same applies. The ear must hear God; the hand must work for Him; the foot must walk in His way. None of the three can be left unconsecrated. Blood on each member is the picture of total dedication.
Every day. Daily atonement was required. The sin offering was not a one-time event but a continual reality. Even the altar itself was cleansed daily.
The contrast with Christ's once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12) is striking. The Levitical priests offered daily because the offerings could not finally cleanse. Christ offered Himself once and for ever sat down on the right hand of God. The repetition of the Old Testament was the prelude to the finality of the New.
A continual burnt offering — morning and evening, day after day, generation after generation. The fire on the altar never went out (Leviticus 6:13). The priestly ministry was unending.
Christ's offering is once-for-all (Hebrews 10:14). But the believer's response to it is continual — the living sacrifice of Romans 12:1, offered daily. The fire of devotion on the altar of the heart should never go out.
The purpose of the whole chapter. The priests are consecrated that I may dwell among them. All the ritual, the blood, the oil, the garments — all of it for the indwelling presence of God.
For the New Testament believer, the indwelling has moved from a tent in the camp to the body of each Christian (1 Corinthians 6:19). God's dwelling place is now personal. The fulfillment of Exodus 29:45 is happening every time a believer breathes.
The redeeming purpose of the Exodus stated again. They were brought out of Egypt not just to be free, but so He could dwell among them.
Salvation is means to a greater end. Deliverance from sin is the prerequisite, not the goal. The goal is God's indwelling presence. To miss this is to mistake the porch for the house.
Apply the blood to your ear, your hand, your foot. Consecrate what you hear, what you do, what you walk in. The priestly believer cannot let any of the three remain unconsecrated. Watch what flows into your ear. Watch what your hand reaches for. Watch where your foot carries you. Each member belongs to Christ.
The priesthood that began with washing and anointing in Exodus 29 finds its fulfillment in Christ. He was washed in the Jordan, anointed by the Spirit visibly descending (Matthew 3:16-17), consecrated for the priestly ministry that would offer Himself as the final sacrifice. He is the priest and the offering, the anointed one and the anointing oil, the perpetually living one and the once-for-all sacrifice. Every Aaron type meets its substance in Him.
Washing first. Before the garments, before the anointing, before any service — washing. The priest cannot serve until he has been cleansed.
Titus 3:5 — Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Every priestly believer is washed before commissioned.