Both the cleansing and the consecration of God's servants, the priests, take place through sacrifice. This is understandable: sacrifice was always the main form of communion with God, both in Yahwism and in paganism...
Both the cleansing and the consecration of God's servants, the priests, take place through sacrifice. This is understandable: sacrifice was always the main form of communion with God, both in Yahwism and in paganism. A shared, common meal of a human being with God or with the gods: such is the original meaning of sacrifice.
What a pagan needed above all from an encounter with his gods or spirits was power; what a Yahwist needed from his God was holiness. Participation in the world of God's presence. In the Kingdom, insofar as it was then accessible and open to the world. This participation is called "consecration" in the Bible, and "sacred" means having become part of the sacred space where God's presence dwells. Only it can both cleanse and consecrate a person.
It would seem strange: in that case, a person is prepared for service in the same way in which he will later have to carry out that service, since the priest will precisely have to offer sacrifices that cleanse and consecrate others. If, however, we think about the essence of worship and communion with God, we will see nothing strange here. Who, indeed, could prepare a person for service to God except God Himself?
This is not a matter of some special knowledge or skills, or even of some special spiritual or ascetic practices. What is needed here is experience of the kind that in antiquity was called initiation: the experience of direct contact with the reality with which one will later have to deal and interact constantly.
The future priest needs to sense and experience this reality personally, and then become aware of it, aware of it as something that completely changes his life, making him a different person. Something like what Abraham and Jacob once realized during their meetings with God. Of course, no rituals by themselves can guarantee anything here.
Even God's presence by itself cannot be a guarantee here. Everything depends first of all on the one being consecrated, on how open he is to God and how ready he is for change. If he is ready, he has every possibility of becoming a truly new person and God's servant; if not, he will remain merely someone in costume, despite all the rituals and even despite the fact that God really was there where those rituals were performed. The choice belongs to the person.
29 Orders are given in this chapter,
To which gracious promises are annexed, Exo 29:42-46.
29:19 There must be a peace - offering; it is called the ram of consecration, because there was more in this, peculiar to the occasion, than in the other two. In the burnt - offering God had the glory of their priesthood, in this they had the comfort of it. And in token of a mutual covenant between God and them, the blood of this sacrifice was divided between God and them, part of the blood was sprinkled upon the altar round about, and part upon them, upon their bodies, and upon their garments. Thus the benefit of the expiation made by the sacrifice was applied and assured to them, and their whole selves from head to foot sanctified to the service of God. The blood was put upon the extreme parts of the body, to signify, that it was all as it were enclosed and taken in for God, the tip of the ear, and the great toe not excepted. And the blood and oil signified the blood of Christ, and the graces of the Spirit, which constitute and compleat the beauty of holiness, and recommend us to God. The flesh of the sacrifice, with the meat - offering annexed to it, was likewise divided between God and them, that (to speak with reverence) God and they might feast together, in token offriendship and fellowship.
29:22 Part of it was to be first waved before the Lord, and then burnt upon the altar, these were first put into the hands of Aaron to be waved to and fro in token of their being offered to God, and then they were to be burnt upon the altar, for the altar was to devour God's part of the sacrifice. Thus God admitted Aaron and his sons to wait at his table, taking the meat of his altar from their hands. Here, in a parenthesis as it were, comes in the law concerning the priests part of the peace - offerings afterwards, the breast and shoulder, which were now divided; Moses had the breast, and the shoulder was burnt on the altar with God's part.
29:31 The other part of the flesh of the ram, and of the bread, Aaron and his sons were to eat at the door of the tabernacle, to signify that he not only called them servants but friends. He supped with them, and they with him. Their eating of the things wherewith the atonement was made, signified their receiving the atonement, their thankful acceptance of the benefit of it, and their joyful communion with God thereupon.
29:35 Seven days shalt thou consecrate them - Though all the ceremonies were performed on the first day, yet, they were not to look upon their consecration as compleated till the seven days end, which put a solemnity upon their admission, and a distance between this and their former state, and obliged them to enter upon their work with a pause, giving them time to consider the weight of it. This was to be observed in after ages: he that was to succeed Aaron in the high priesthood, must put on the holy garments seven days together, in token of a deliberate advance into his office, and that one sabbath might pass over him, in his consecration.Every day of the seven, in this first consecration, a bullock was to be offered for a sin - offering, which was to intimate,
- Our Lord Jesus is the great high priest of our profession, called ofGod to be so consecrated for evermore, anointed with the Spirit above his fellows, whence he is called Messiah, the Christ; clothed with the holy garments, even with glory and beauty; sanctified by his own blood, not that of bullocks and rams.
- All believers are spiritual priests, to offer spiritual sacrifices,
Pe1 2:5,washed in the blood of Christ, and so made to our God priests, Rev 1:5-6. They also are clothed with the beauty of holiness, and have received the anointing, Jo1 2:27.His blood sprinkled upon the conscience, purgeth it from dead works, that they may, as priests, serve the living God. The Spirit of God is called the finger of God (Luk 11:20, compared with Mat 12:28,) and by him the merit of Christ is effectually applied to our souls, as here Moses with his finger was to put the blood upon Aaron. It is likewise intimated that gospel ministers are to be solemnly set apart to the work of the ministry with great deliberation and seriousness, both in the ordainers, and in the ordained, as those that are employed in a great work, and intrusted with a great charge.29:36 The consecration of the altar, seems to have been coincident with that of the priests; and the sin - offerings, which were offered every day for seven days together, had reference to the altar, as well as the priests. And atonement was made for the altar. The altar was also sanctified, not only set apart itself to a sacred use, but made so holy as to sanctify the gifts that were offered upon it, Mat 23:19.Christ is our altar, for our sakes he sanctified himself, that we and our performances might be sanctified and recommended to God, Joh 17:19.
29:38 This daily service, a lamb offered upon the altar every morning, and every evening, typified the continual intercession which Christ ever lives to make in the virtue of his satisfaction for the continual sanctification of his church: though he offered himself once for all, yet that one offering thus becomes a continual offering. And this teaches us to offer up to God the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise every day, morning and evening, in humble acknowledgment of our dependence upon him, and our obligations to him.
29:40 A tenth deal, or tenth part of an Ephah, is about three quarts. A hin is five quarts.