Exodus 29: This chapter is very similar to Leviticus 8. The chapters are almost repetitive of one another. Moses is to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests for the service of Elohim.
(Exo 29:1 NASB) “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish,
(Exo 29:2 NASB) and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour.
(Exo 29:3 NASB) “And you shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams.
Exo 29:3: Moses will perform the rituals for installation of the priests themselves. The rituals, which last seven days, will consist of animal sacrifices, bread offerings, washing, robing, and anointing.
(Exo 29:4 NASB) “Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water.
Exo 29:4: According to Jewish tradition, the washing consisted of total immersion. This was done at the doorway of the Tabernacle. This washing is a symbol of regeneration and of dedication to Elohim. Therefore, it is done in His presence.
In the same way, Yeshua underwent this same type washing in front of His Father when He was being dedicated to His service for Elohim (Matt. 3:13-17). This was likely dedicating Yeshua to His priestly service for His Father at this time. The washing (baptism) was performed by John, whose father was a priest and whose mother also had a priestly background.
Yeshua was apparently fully immersed, as priests are when they are first dedicated to service. However, in normal priestly duties for daily sacrifices only the hands and feet were washed (Ex. 30:18-21).
On the night of the last Passover of Yeshua, we remember that He washed His disciples feet. He did not wash their hands, but they were not entering the Temple. It would appear that Yeshua was taking the form of the High Priest and prepared the other priests for His sacrifice (Lev. 8:7, John 13:4-5).
(Exo 29:5 NASB) “And you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod;
(Exo 29:6 NASB) and you shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban.
(Exo 29:7 NASB) “Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head and anoint him.
Exo 29:7: The crown on the turban has the words “Holy to Yahweh” on it. The term for “crown” is nezer, which is essentially the root word for Nazarite. The word for “anoint” is mashach which is related to the noun Mashiach which means “anointed one” (Messiah).
This is apparently what the woman was doing a few days before Yeshua was sacrificed (Mark 14:3-9).
(Exo 29:8 NASB) “And you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them.
(Exo 29:9 NASB) “And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
Exo 29:9: The sons of Aaron reflect the entire priesthood.
(Exo 29:10 NASB) “Then 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.
(Exo 29:11 NASB) “And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
(Exo 29:12 NASB) “And you shall take some 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.
(Exo 29:13 NASB) “And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.
Exo 29:13: Aaron first had to make a sacrifice for his own sin. This is one way in which the Priesthood of Messiah differed from that of Aaron’s.
Notice that the internal organs are offered up. In ancient Near Eastern divination, the internal organs were used in pagan ceremonies. Numerous clay models of the liver have been uncovered in Mesopotamia, some divided into fifty sections and inscribed with omens and magical formulas for the use of diviners.
(Exo 29:14 NASB) “But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
Exo 29:14: The flesh of the bull and its hide and it refuse is to be consumed with fire outside the camp. It was a sin offering. In the same way, Yeshua suffered outside the gate as our sin offering (Heb. 13:11-13).
(Exo 29:15 NASB) “You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram;
(Exo 29:16 NASB) and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar.
(Exo 29:17 NASB) “Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head.
(Exo 29:18 NASB) “And you shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
Exo 29:18: The ram is sacrificed in a similar way to the bull. When Yahweh calls it a soothing aroma, it indicates the acceptance of the sacrifice.
(Exo 29:19 NASB) “Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
(Exo 29:20 NASB) “And you shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar.
Exo 29:20: The application of the blood to the ear, hands, and feet speak of the priest hearing Torah (ear), works reflecting Torah (hand), and walks according to Torah (foot). His manner of life, was to be consecrated to Elohim. Even his clothing was sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice and consecration.
(Exo 29:21 NASB) “Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
(Exo 29:22 NASB) “You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination),
Exo 29:22: The ram is not a sin offering. It is an ordination offering.
(Exo 29:23 NASB) and one cake of bread and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before the LORD;
(Exo 29:24 NASB) and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
(Exo 29:25 NASB) “And you shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.
Exo 29:25: The grain offering and the ram are a wave offering which signifies Yahweh as Elohim over all the earth.
(Exo 29:26 NASB) “Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion.
(Exo 29:27 NASB) “And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons.
(Exo 29:28 NASB) “And it shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering; and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD.
Exo 29:28: The breast is the offering for Aaron and his sons as their portion.
(Exo 29:29 NASB) “And the holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in them they may be anointed and ordained.
(Exo 29:30 NASB) “For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his stead shall put them on when he enters the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.
(Exo 29:31 NASB) “And you shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.
(Exo 29:32 NASB) “And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
Exo 29:32: Aaron’s garments were to be preserved and used by his sons. That is exactly what happened (Num. 20:26-28).
(Exo 29:33 NASB) “Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy.
(Exo 29:34 NASB) “And if any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
(Exo 29:35 NASB) “And thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days.
(Exo 29:36 NASB) “And each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it to consecrate it.
Exo 29:36: The bull offering was a sin offering. It was for atonement of sin. The Hebrew term “kaphar” means “atonement, disannul, forgive.” The atonement through sacrifices covered sins and provided divine forgiveness. However, these sacrifices could not take away the sins of the offeror. It could only cover them and provide forgiveness (Heb. 10:2-4).
(Exo 29:37 NASB) “For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
(Exo 29:38 NASB) “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously.
(Exo 29:39 NASB) “The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;
Exo 29:39: A bull and two lambs are to be offered daily during this time of consecration.
(Exo 29:40 NASB) and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a libation with one lamb.
(Exo 29:41 NASB) “And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering as the morning and the same libation, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
(Exo 29:42 NASB) “It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.
Exo 29:42: Some of the instructions are repeated. What follows is a summary of the consecration.
(Exo 29:43 NASB) “And I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory.
(Exo 29:44 NASB) “And I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me.
(Exo 29:45 NASB) “And I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.
(Exo 29:46 NASB) “And they 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.
Exo 29:46: This was to be done in order for Elohim to dwell among them.
Patrick McGuire
Copyright 2014 Patrick McGuire and Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly All rights reserved, no portion of this Lesson may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly Fort Smith, Arkansas