1And this is the thing which you shall do to them, to sanctify them to minister as priests to Me: take one bull, the son of the herd, and two rams without blemish, 2and unleavened bread, and unleavened cakes poured over with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3And you shall put them into one basket and shall bring them near in the basket, and the bull and the two rams. 4And you shall take Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And you shall wash them in water. 5And you shall take the garments, and you shall clothe Aaron with the tunic, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breast-piece. And you shall bind it to him with the band of the ephod. 6And you shall put the miter on his head; and you shall put the holy crown on the miter. 7And you shall take the oil of anointing and shall pour on his head, and shall anoint him. 8And you shall take his sons and clothe them with tunics. 9And you shall gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons; and you shall bind on turbans for them; and it shall be a neverending statute for them in the priest’s office. And you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons. 10And you shall bring near the bull before the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11And you shall slaughter the bull before the face of Jehovah, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 12And you shall take of the bull’s blood and shall 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. 13And you shall take all the fat that covers the inward parts, and the lobe on the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat on them, and you shall burn them on the altar. 14And you shall burn the flesh of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering. 15And you shall take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 16And you shall slaughter the ram, and you shall take its blood and shall sprinkle it on the altar all around. 17And you shall cut the ram into pieces; and you shall wash its inward parts, and its legs, and shall place them on its pieces and on its head. 18And you shall burn all the ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to Jehovah, a soothing fragrance; it is a fire offering to Jehovah. 19And you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20And you shall slaughter the ram; and you shall take of its blood and shall 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 you shall sprinkle the blood on the altar all around. 21And you shall take of the blood on the altar, and the oil of anointing, and you shall sprinkle on Aaron and on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him and he is holy, he and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments. 22And you shall take the fat from the ram, and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inward parts, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat on them, and the right leg; for it is a ram of consecration; 23also one loaf of bread, and one cake of oil bread, and one wafer, from the basket of unleavened bread which is before the face of Jehovah. 24And you shall put all on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons. And you shall wave them, a wave offering before the face of Jehovah. 25And you shall take them from their hands, and you shall burn the burnt offering on the altar for a soothing fragrance before the face of Jehovah; it is a fire offering to Jehovah. 26And you shall take the breast from the ram of consecration which is on Aaron. And you shall wave it a wave offering before the face of Jehovah; it shall be your portion. 27And you shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the leg of the heave offering, which is waved and which is lifted from the ram of consecration, from what is Aaron’s, and from what is to his sons. 28And it shall be for Aaron and for his sons for a never-ending statute from the sons of Israel; it is for a heave offering, and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, their heave offering to Jehovah. 29And the holy garments which are Aaron’s shall be his sons’ after him, for anointing in them and for filling their hands in them. 30The priest shall put them on seven days, the one from his sons taking his place; the one who comes into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the sanctuary. 31And you shall take the ram of consecration, and you shall boil its flesh in a holy place. 32And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread which is in the basket at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 33And they shall eat those things by which atonement is made to consecrate them, to sanctify them; and a stranger shall not eat, for they are holy. 34And if any is left of the flesh of consecration, and of the bread, until the morning, you shall burn what is left with fire; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy. 35And so you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all which I have commanded you; you shall consecrate them seven days. 36And you shall offer a bull of a sin offering daily for atonement; and you shall purify the altar in your making atonement for it; and you shall anoint it to sanctify it. 37You shall make atonement seven days for the altar, and shall sanctify it; and the altar shall become most holy, all touching the altar becomes holy. 38And this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs daily, sons of a year, continually. 39The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer between the evenings. 40And a tenth of fine flour anointed with beaten oil, a fourth of a hin; and a drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine, for the one lamb. 41And you shall offer the second lamb between the evenings; you shall do to it like the morning food offering and its drink offering, for a soothing fragrance, a fire offering to Jehovah. 42This shall be a continual burnt offering to your generations, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the face of Jehovah; there where I meet you to speak to you there. 43And I will meet the sons of Israel here and it shall be sanctified by My glory. 44And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar. And I will sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. 45And I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel; and I will be to them for God. 46And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt, that I may dwell in their midst. I am Jehovah their God.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 Here is, I. The law concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, which was to be done with a great deal of ceremony and solemnity, that they themselves might be duly affected with the greatness of the work to which they were called, and that the people also might learn to magnify the office and none might dare to invade it.
1. The ceremonies wherewith it was to be done were very fully and particularly appointed, because nothing of this kind had been done before, and because it was to be a statute for ever that the high priest should be thus inaugurated. Now,
(1.) The work to be done was the consecrating of the persons whom God had chosen to be priests, by which they devoted and gave up themselves to the service of God and God declared his acceptance of them; and the people were made to know that they
glorified not themselves to be made priests, but were
called of God, Hebre 5:4,
Hebre 5:5. They were thus distinguished from common men, sequestered from common services, and set apart for God and an immediate attendance on him. Note, All that are to be employed for God are to be sanctified to him. The person must first be accepted, and then the performance. The Hebrew phrase for consecrating
is filling the hand (
Exod 29:9):
Thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and his sons, and the
ram of consecration is the
ram of fillings, Exod 29:22,
Exod 29:26. The consecrating of them was the perfecting of them; Christ is said to be
perfect or
consecrated for evermore, Hebre 7:28. Probably the phrase here is borrowed from the putting of the sacrifice into their hand, to be waved before the Lord,
Exod 29:24. But it intimates, [1.] That ministers have their hands full; they have no time to trifle, so great, so copious, so constant is their work. [2.] That they must have their hands filled. Of necessity
they must have something to offer, and they cannot find it in themselves, it must be given them from above. They cannot fill the people's hearts unless God fill their hands; to him therefore they must go, and
receive from his fulness. (2.) The person to do it was Moses, by God's appointment. Though he was
ordained for men, yet the people were not to consecrate him; Moses the
servant of the Lord, and his agent herein, must do it. By God's special appointment he now did the priest's work, and therefore that which was the priest's part of the sacrifice was here ordered to be his,
Exod 29:26.
(3.) The place was at the
door of the tabernacle of meeting, Exod 29:4. God was pleased to dwell in the tabernacle, the people attending in the courts, so that the door between the court and the tabernacle was the fittest place for those to be consecrated in who were to mediate between God and man, and to stand between both, and
lay their hands (as it were)
upon both. They were consecrated at the door, for they were to be door-keepers.
(4.) It was done with many ceremonies.
[1.] They were to be washed (
Exod 29:4), signifying that those must be clean who
bear the vessels of the Lord, Isa 52:11. Those that would
perfect holiness must
cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, 2Cor 7:1;
Isa 1:16-
Isa 1:18. They were now washed all over; but afterwards, when they went in to minister, they washed only their hands and feet (
Exod 30:19); for
he that is washed needs no more,
John 13:10.
[2.] They were to be clothed with the holy garments (
Exod 29:5,
Exod 29:6,
Exod 29:8,
Exod 29:9), to signify that it was not sufficient for them to put away the pollutions of sin, but they must put on the graces of the Spirit, be
clothed with righteousness, Pss 132:9. They must be girded, as men prepared and strengthened for their work; and they must be robed and crowned, as men that counted their work and office their true honour.
[3.] The high priest was to be anointed with the
holy anointing oil (
Exod 29:7), that the church might be filled and delighted with the sweet savour of his administrations (for
ointment and perfume rejoice the heart ), and in token of the pouring out of the Spirit upon him, to qualify him for his work. Brotherly love is compared to this oil with which Aaron was anointed,
Pss 133:2. The inferior priests are said to be anointed (
Exod 30:30), not on their heads, as the high priest (
Lev 21:10), the oil was only mingled with the blood that was sprinkled upon their garments.
[4.] Sacrifices were to be offered for them. The covenant of priesthood, as all other covenants, must be
made by sacrifice. First, There must be a sin-offering, to make atonement for them,
Exod 29:10-
Exod 29:14. The law made those priests that had infirmity, and therefore they must first offer for their own sin, before they could make atonement
for the people, Hebre 7:27,
Hebre 7:28. They were to put their hand on the head of their sacrifice (
Exod 29:10), confessing that they deserved to die for their own sin, and desiring that the killing of the beast might expiate their guilt, and be accepted as a vicarious satisfaction. It was used as other sin-offerings were; only, whereas the flesh of other sin-offerings was eaten by the priests (
Lev 10:18), in token of the priest's taking away the sin of the people, this was appointed to be all burnt without the camp (
Exod 29:14), to signify the imperfection of the legal dispensation (as the learned bishop Patrick notes); for the sins of the priests themselves could not be taken away by those sacrifices, but they must expect a better high priest and a better sacrifice.
Secondly, There must be a burnt-offering, a ram wholly burnt, to the honour of God, in token of the dedication of themselves wholly to God and to his service, as living sacrifices, kindled with the fire and ascending in the flame of holy love,
Exod 29:15-
Exod 29:18. The sin-offering must first be offered and then the burnt-offering; for, till guilt be removed, no acceptable service can be performed,
Isa 6:7.
Thirdly, 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, 1. The blood of the sacrifice was divided between God and them (
Exod 29:20,
Exod 29:21); part of the blood was
sprinkled upon the altar round about, and part put upon them, upon their bodies (
Exod 29:20), and upon their garments,
Exod 29:21. 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. We reckon that the blood and oil sprinkled upon garments spot and stain them; yet the holy oil, and the blood of the sacrifice, sprinkled upon their garments, must be looked upon as the greatest adorning imaginable to them, for they signified the blood of Christ, and the graces of the Spirit, which constitute and complete the beauty of holiness, and recommend us to God; we read of robes
made white with the blood of the Lamb. 2. 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 of friendship and fellowship. (1.) Part of it was to be first waved before the Lord, and then burnt upon the altar; part of the
flesh (
Exod 29:22), part of the
bread, for bread and flesh must go together (
Exod 29:23); these were first put into the hands of Aaron to be waved to and fro, in token of their being offered to God (who, though unseen, yet compasses us round on every side), and then they were to be burnt upon the altar (
Exod 29:24,
Exod 29:25), for the altar was to devour God's part of the sacrifice. Thus God admitted Aaron and his sons to be his servants, and wait at his table, taking the mat 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,
Exod 29:26-
Exod 29:28. (2.) The other part, both of the flesh of the ram and of the bread, Aaron and his sons were to eat at the door of the tabernacle (
Exod 29:31-
Exod 29:33), to signify that he called them not only
servants but
friends, John 15:15. He
supped with them, and
they with him. Their eating of the things wherewith
the atonement was made signified their
receiving the atonement, as the expression is (
Roma 5:11), their thankful acceptance of the benefit of it, and their joyful communion with God thereupon, which was the true intent and meaning of a feast upon a sacrifice. If any of it was left, it must be burnt, that it might not be in any danger of putrefying, and to show that it was an extraordinary peace-offering.
2. The time that was to be spent in this consecration:
Seven days shalt thou consecrate them, Exod 29:35. Though all the ceremonies were performed on the first day, yet, (1.) They were not to look upon their consecration as completed 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 and seriousness of it. This was to be observed in after-ages,
Exod 29:30. He that was to succeed Aaron in the high-priesthood must put on the holy garments seven days together, in token of a deliberate and gradual advance into his office, and that one sabbath might pass over him in his consecration. (2.) Every day of the seven, in this first consecration, a bullock was to be offered for a sin-offering (
Exod 29:36), which was to intimate to them, [1.] That it was of very great concern to them to get their sins pardoned, and that though atonement was made, and they had the comfort of it, yet they must still keep up a penitent sense of sin and often repeat the confession of it. [2.] That those sacrifices which were thus offered day by day to make atonement could not make the
comers thereunto perfect, for then they would have ceased to be offered, as the apostle argues,
Hebre 10:1,
Hebre 10:2. They must therefore expect the
bringing in of a better hope. 3. This consecration of the priests was a
shadow of good things to come. (1.) Our Lord Jesus is the great high-priest of our profession, called of God 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 (
Hebre 9:12),
made perfect, or consecrated,
through sufferings, Hebre 2:10. Thus in him this was a perpetual statute,
Exod 29:9. (2.) All believers are spiritual priests, to offer spiritual sacrifices (
1Pet 2:5), washed in the blood of Christ, and so
made to our God priests, Revel 1:5,
Revel 1:6. They also are clothed with the beauty of holiness, and have received the anointing,
1John 2:27. Their hands are filled with work, to which they must continually attend; and it is through Christ, the great sacrifice, that they are dedicated to this service. His blood
sprinkled upon the conscience purges it from dead works, that they may, as priests,
serve the living God. The Spirit of God (as Ainsworth notes) is called the
finger of God (
Luke 11:20, compared with
Matt 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 to be employed in a great work and entrusted with a great charge.
II. The consecration of the altar, which 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,
Exod 29:36,
Exod 29:37. An
atonement was
made for the altar. Though that was not a subject capable of sin, nor, having never yet been used, could it be said to be polluted with the sins of the people, yet, since the fall, there can be no sanctification to God but there must first be
an atonement for sin, which renders us both unworthy and unfit to be employed for God. 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,
Matt 23:19. Christ is our altar; for our sakes he sanctified himself, that we and our performances might be sanctified and recommended to God,
John 17:19.
38 In this paragraph we have,
I. The daily service appointed. A lamb was to be offered upon the altar every morning, and a lamb every evening, each with a meat-offering, both made by fire, as a
continual burnt-offering throughout their generations, Exod 29:38-
Exod 29:41. Whether there were any other sacrifices to be offered or not, these were sure to be offered, at the public charge, for the benefit and comfort of all Israel, to make atonement for their daily sins, and to be an acknowledgement to God of their daily mercies. This was that which
the duty of every day required. The taking away of this daily sacrifice by Antiochus, for so many evenings and mornings, was that great calamity of the church which was foretold,
Dan 8:11. Note, 1. This typified the continual intercession which Christ ever lives to make, in 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. 2. This teaches us to offer up to God the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise every day, morning and evening, in humble acknowledgement of our dependence upon him and our obligations to him. Our daily devotions must be looked upon as the most needful of our daily works and the most pleasant of our daily comforts. Whatever business we have, this must never be omitted, either morning or evening; prayer-time must be kept up as duly as meat-time. The daily sacrifices were as the daily meals in God's house, and therefore they were always attended with bread and wine. Those starve their own souls that keep not up a constant attendance on the throne of grace.
II. Great and precious promises made of God's favour to Israel, and the tokens of his special presence with them, while they thus kept up his institutions among them. He speaks as one well pleased with the appointment of the daily sacrifice; for, before he proceeds to the other appointments that follow, he interposes these promises. It is constancy in religion that brings in the comfort of it. He promises, 1. That he would keep up communion with them; that he would not only meet Moses, and speak to him, but that he would
meet the children of Israel, (
Exod 29:43), to accept the daily sacrifices offered up on their behalf. Note, God will not fail to give those the meeting who diligently and conscientiously attend upon him in the ordinances of his own appointment. 2. That he would own his own institutions, the tabernacle, the altar, the priesthood (
Exod 29:43,
Exod 29:44); he would take possession of that which was consecrated to him. Note, What is sanctified to the glory of God shall be sanctified by his glory. If we do our part, God will do his, and will mark and fit that for himself which is in sincerity given up to him. 3. That he would reside among them as God in covenant with them, and would give them sure and comfortable tokens of his peculiar favour to them, and his special presence with them (
Exod 29:45,
Exod 29:46):
I will dwell among the children of Israel. Note, Where God sets up the tabernacle of his ordinances he will himself dwell.
Lo, I am with you always, Matt 28:20. Those that abide in God's house shall have God to abide with them.
I will be their God, and they shall know that I am so. Note, Those are truly happy that have a covenant-interest in God as theirs and the comfortable evidence of that interest. If we have this, we have enough, and need no more to make us happy.
