Exodus 29
McGeeCHAPTER 29THEME: The consecration of the priests; the sacrifices of the consecration; the food of the priests; the continual burnt offering
Exodus 29:1
THE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTSChapter 29 is a long chapter, and not all of it is as interesting and thrilling reading as it might be. I am confident, however, that the Spirit of God wants to use it to minister to us. This is God’s A-B-C Book for us and it contains great spiritual lessons. Consecration for a believer is nothing that he does for himself. It is something that God does for him. It rests upon the finished work of Christ. It has to rest there.
Exodus 29:2
The washing is typical of regeneration. Tit_3:5 tells us it is: “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.” The washing mentioned in this passage has to do with regeneration. The laver deals with a different type of washing altogether. Now Moses is going to put the garments upon Aaron.
Exodus 29:5
Consecration is what God does rather than what we do. I hear so much today about “consecration services” where people promise to do something. I have promised God big things in the past and have never quite made good. I do not like to think of that as being consecration. It is not what I promise Him. Rather, consecration is coming to God with empty hands, confessing our weakness and our inability to do anything, then letting God do the rest. If you read the prayers of Moses, Elijah, David, and Samuel in the Old Testament, and Paul in the New Testament, you will find that these men never came to God on the basis of what they were, who they were, or what they promised God that they would do. I have attended dedication services for years. I have watched people put a little chip or limb on the fire and then give a testimony about the things they were going to do for God. I have heard enough promises at those services to turn the world upside down for God. Unfortunately, many of those promises are never kept because we really do not have much to offer God, do we? Maybe you have something to offer Him, but I do not. The thing is that we need to come to Him with empty hands and allow Him to fill them.
Exodus 29:10
THE SACRIFICES OF THE CONSECRATIONThe high priest and his family put their hands upon the bullock. There are many people who believe that the laying on of hands transmits something magical or spiritual. It does not. That is not the purpose of the laying on of hands. The only thing you can transfer to another man by the laying on of hands is disease germs. This is all that is passed on. The laying on of hands on an animal speaks of identification. When a sinner came up to the altar and put his hands on the head of the animal he had brought, it meant that the animal was taking his place. In the church I served for many years we had over one hundred missionaries. When a missionary went to his or her field of service, we held a consecration service to set that missionary aside for service. We put our hands on them. So far I have never transferred anything to a missionary yet. The purpose for the service was identification. The missionaries were identified with us and they represented us on the field. I consider that when I put hands on a missionary, he is identified with me in the ministry, and I have a certain responsibility to pray for him and support him. The laying on of hands means identification. The bullock took Aaron’s place. It will die for him because he is a sinner. This is the burnt offering. In Leviticus we shall go over these offerings in detail. Even in the Garden of Eden there was a burnt offering. The altar that we have identified as the brazen altar is sometimes called the altar of burnt offering because it was here that the main sacrifice was offered. The main sacrifice, which was the burnt offering and the first one, sets forth the person of Christwho He is. The altar speaks of what He has done for us.
Exodus 29:26
THE FOOD OF THE PRIESTSOnce again in Leviticus you will find that a part of an offering went to Aaron and the priest as their part. You see, the Levites were apportioned no land for farming in the nation, and this is the way God provided for their support. The Levites were to serve in the tabernacle and later in the temple, and they would receive a part of the offering.
Exodus 29:38
THE CONTINUAL BURNT OFFERINGThe continual burnt offering was to be continually offered. Once again the Book of Leviticus gives us the details of the continual burnt offering. This offering was a daily sacrifice; a lamb was offered in the morning and a lamb was offered in the evening. It speaks of the fact that the people needed a continual reminder that someone was needed to take their place and that their sin merited death. There must be the shedding of blood for sin. The Book of Hebrews brings out this truth: “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb_9:26). This verse, of course, is speaking about the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of bulls, goats, and lambs could not take away sin, but the blood of Jesus Christ could. His sacrifice is adequate. The Lord has dealt adequately with sin. He died only once. Once in the end of the age He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.