Exodus 29
Exodus 29 contains the ceremony in which Aaron and his sons are appointed (commissioned) as priests. This chapter can be divided into four major parts. First, in the preparation for the priestly commissioning (vv. 1–3), special offerings are prepared, along with oil and unleavened bread. Second, in the commissioning ceremony procedures (vv. 4–9), Aaron and his sons are washed, dressed in a prescribed order, and anointed with anointing oil to make them holy. Third, in the process of bringing the offerings (vv. 10–34), sin offerings, burnt offerings, and the commissioning offerings are presented in sequence. Finally, it explains the ongoing nature of the commissioning ceremony and the holiness of the tabernacle and the priests (vv. 35–46), emphasizing God’s purpose for making Israel holy.
1verse“This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect,
2verseunleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.
3verseYou shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.
4verseYou shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.
5verseYou shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and clothe him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
6verseYou shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban.
7verseThen you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him.
8verseYou shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them.
9verseYou shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them. They shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. You shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10verse“You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
11verseYou shall kill the bull before the LORD at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
12verseYou shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.
13verseYou shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.
14verseBut the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering.
15verse“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
16verseYou shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar.
17verseYou shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head.
18verseYou shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to the LORD; it is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
19verse“You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
20verseThen you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and sprinkle the blood around on the altar.
21verseYou shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
22verseAlso you shall take some of the ram’s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration),
23verseand one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD.
24verseYou shall put all of this in Aaron’s hands, and in his sons’ hands, and shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.
25verseYou shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
26verse“You shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD. It shall be your portion.
27verseYou shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the wave offering, which is waved, and which is raised up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons.
28verseIt shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a wave offering. It shall be a wave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their wave offering to the LORD.
29verse“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them.
30verseSeven days shall the son who is priest in his place put them on, when he comes into the Tent of Meeting to minister in the holy place.
31verse“You shall take the ram of consecration and boil its meat in a holy place.
32verseAaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
33verseThey shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy.
34verseIf anything of the meat of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
35verse“You shall do so to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. You shall consecrate them seven days.
36verseEvery day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it. You shall anoint it, to sanctify it.
37verseSeven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
38verse“Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
39verseThe one lamb you shall offer in the morning; and the other lamb you shall offer at evening;
40verseand with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering.
41verseThe other lamb you shall offer at evening, and shall do to it according to the meal offering of the morning and according to its drink offering, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
42verseIt shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you.
43verseThere I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory.
44verseI will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar. I will also sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the priest’s office.
45verseI will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
46verseThey shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.
Summary of the Main Contents
- Preparation stage (vv. 1–3): The provisions needed for the ordination ceremony—sacrificial animals, unleavened bread, and anointing oil—are prepared.
- Setting apart the priests (vv. 4–9): Through symbolic actions such as washing, putting on the priestly garments, and anointing with oil, Aaron and his sons are set apart for priestly service.
- Sacrificial offerings (vv. 10–34): The sin offering, burnt offering, and ordination offering are presented in sequence, and blood is applied to the altar and to the priests to signify consecration.
- The seven-day ordination period (vv. 35–37): The ordination procedures are to be repeated for seven days.
- God’s promise of His presence (vv. 38–46): The chapter concludes by showing that the purpose of the priestly system is for God to dwell among His people.
Theological meaning and overall reflection
This chapter shows that people cannot become holy by themselves; rather, they must be set apart as holy according to the procedures and methods God has established. The priestly commissioning ceremony serves as a reminder of the need for an intermediary that Israel must have in order to draw near to God, highlighting the importance of separation and dedication. It also shows God’s holiness and humanity’s weakness side by side, in that cleansing by the offering of blood is repeated without fail.
Points for reflection
- As you come before God, think deeply about why holiness and purity are important.
- Reflect on the value of a life set apart as holy and the value of communal worship.
- Go back over the meaning of obedience and dedication contained within the repeated rituals.
Applying It to Me
- Examine the attitude with which you come before God in everyday life.
- Think about what it means to be set apart for God in the different areas of your life.
- With gratitude for God’s providence and grace, look for renewed meaning in repeated acts of faith.
