UNROLL
Dawn in the tabernacle court: the embroidered entrance curtain of a low dark tent, and to one side a thin line of smoke rising from the bronze altar into a pale sky.

The Book of

Exodus 29

Aaron cannot make himself a priest. God tells Moses how it must be done: washed, clothed, anointed, and covered by sacrifice.

46 verses≈ 9 min1 personBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–6Slaves in EgyptOppression and a deliverer
  2. 7–13The plaguesThe LORD against Pharaoh
  3. 14–18Through the seaRescued and led
  4. 19–24At SinaiThe covenant and the law
  5. 25–31A place to dwellThe tabernacle plannedChapter 29
  6. 32–40Broken and renewedThe calf, mercy, the glory

Consecration of the Priests

“Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish, along with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour, put them in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.

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God

Reflect

Made ready by God

Aaron did nothing to make himself a priest. He was brought to the door, washed, dressed in garments he had not made, and anointed with oil poured on his head. Every step was done to him, as God commanded. The New Testament says the same of everyone who belongs to Christ: washed, clothed with Him, and given the Spirit. Which of those do you find hardest to believe about yourself? Write it down, and write what God says He has done.

The Order of the Sacrifices

Close on the hands of several men in white linen resting together on the broad, curled-horned head of a calm ram at the entrance of the tent.

What to do

The bull and the first ram

  1. Sin offering

    Hands on the bull’s head

    You are to present the bull at the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

  2. Blood on the altar’s horns

    Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.

  3. The fat burned on the altar

    Take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.

  4. The rest burned outside the camp

    But burn the flesh of the bull and its hide and dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

  5. Burnt offering

    Hands on the first ram

    Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. You are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and splatter it on all sides of the altar.

  6. The whole ram burned

    Cut the ram into pieces, wash the entrails and legs, and place them with its head and other pieces. Then burn the entire ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

Dusk beyond the edge of the camp: past the last dark goat-hair tents, a fire burns low on bare ground, its smoke drifting into an amber sky.
The bronze altar of the tabernacle court at evening, seen low across the sand, its smoke rising straight and high into a deep blue sky, the dark tent behind.

Take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the remaining blood on all sides of the altar. And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. Then he and his garments will be consecrated, as well as his sons and their garments.

0:34

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

What to do

The ram of ordination

  1. For the altar

    Fat, thigh and bread

    Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination), along with one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD.

  2. Waved before the LORD, then burned

    Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar atop the burnt offering as a pleasing aroma before the LORD; it is a food offering to the LORD.

  3. Portions

    The breast: Moses’ portion

    Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your portion.

  4. Breast and thigh for the priests

    Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the heave offering that is lifted up from the ram of ordination. This will belong to Aaron and his sons as a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is the heave offering the Israelites will make to the LORD from their peace offerings.

  5. After Aaron

    The garments pass to his sons

    The holy garments that belong to Aaron will belong to his sons after him, so they can be anointed and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest and enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must wear them for seven days.

Made priests

Washedwith water atthe door(29:4)Clothedthe holygarments(29:5–9)Anointedoil on hishead (29:7)Sinofferingthe bull:cleansed(29:10–14)Burntofferinga ram whollygiven(29:15–18)Ear,thumb,toethe ram ofordination(29:19–21)Seven daysthen the altar is holy(29:35–37)

Whiteboard

Step by step, as God gave it: Aaron and his sons washed, clothed and anointed; a bull for their sin; a ram burned whole; the ram of ordination, its blood on ear, thumb and toe. Then a bull for a sin offering every day, “taking seven days to ordain them.” Hebrews says Jesus needed none of this for Himself: unlike Aaron, He had no sin of His own to offer for, and He offered Himself once for all (Hebrews 7:27).

Pray

A Priest who needs no sacrifice

Before Aaron could stand for the people, a bull was offered for his own sin and his ear, hand and foot were marked for God. Jesus needed no offering for Himself. He is holy, and He gave Himself for us. Thank Him that He is the priest you need. Then offer Him what you hear, what you do and where you go today.

Food for the Priests

You are to take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 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. They must eat those things by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no outsider may eat them, because these things are sacred. And if any of the meat of ordination or any bread is left until the morning, you are to burn up the remainder. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.

This is what you are to do for Aaron and his sons based on all that I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy.

The Daily Offerings

This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old. Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. And offer the second lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

For the generations to come, this burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you. I will also meet with the Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory. So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests.

I will also meet with the Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory.

Exodus 29:43

Question

Quick question

After the seven days of ordination, the altar was never to fall silent.

How often were lambs to be offered on the altar?

God Will Dwell among the People

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.

Exodus 29:45–46

I am the LORD their God.

Courtyard · 100 × 50 cubitsNGate · EastTent of MeetingBronze altarBasinThe tent, enlarged · 30 × 10 cubitsArkTableLampstandIncense altarVeilScreenMost Holy PlaceHoly Place

Plan to scale in cubits · north at the top

Where God would meet them

God among His people

Everything in this chapter happened in the court and at the tent’s door: the washing, the anointing, the altar’s fire morning and evening. The altar stood in the court before the tent’s entrance; the tent stood beyond it, and in its innermost room the ark. That tent, pitched in the middle of the camp, was where God promised, “I will also meet with the Israelites there,” and “I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.”

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Exodus 29

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A verse to carry with you

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.

Exodus 29:45–46

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