Ordination of the Priests - Exodus 29
A Message on Exodus 29 - Christ Our Complete Offering Exodus 29:1-37
The ordination of Aaron and his sons reveals profound truths about our priesthood in Christ. This ceremony was not merely a ritual but a living picture of how we are constituted as priests unto God through the all-sufficient work of Christ.
I. The Washing in Water - Cleansing by the Word
(Exodus 29:4) - Before Aaron and his sons could be clothed or consecrated, they had to be washed with water. This washing signifies our need to be cleansed by the washing of the Word of God. It is not enough to have an objective knowledge of Christ; we must experience the subjective cleansing that comes through His living Word.
The water represents the Word of God that washes away the defilement of the flesh, the old creation, and our natural living. Just as Aaron and his sons were washed thoroughly, we too must allow the Word to penetrate deeply into our being, exposing and cleansing every area of our fallen nature.
This washing is not a one-time event but a continual experience. Day by day, we need to come to the Word, allowing it to wash us, refresh us, and separate us from the world and the flesh.
II. The Garments - Covering Our Nakedness with Christ
(Exodus 29:5-6) - After washing, the priests were clothed with holy garments. This clothing signifies putting on Christ as our expression. Our natural self is naked and shameful, but Christ becomes our covering, our beauty, and our glory.
The garments represent the divine attributes and glories of Christ which become our outward expression. We no longer live according to the flesh, but Christ is expressed through us. This is the beauty and dignity of the priesthood - not our own righteousness, but Christ Himself as our garment of salvation.
III. The Bull - The Two Aspects of Christ's Offering
A. Christ as the Burnt Offering - God's Satisfaction
(Exodus 29:10-14) - The bull served a dual purpose. First, as a burnt offering, it represents Christ offered to God for God's absolute satisfaction. The burnt offering was wholly for God, ascending to Him as a sweet savor. This speaks of Christ's absolute consecration and dedication to the Father's will.
B. Christ as the Sin Offering - Bearing Our Sin
The second aspect of the bull was as a sin offering. The skin, dung, and remaining parts of the bull were taken outside the camp and burned. This pictures Christ crucified outside the city gate, bearing our sin, becoming sin for us, and suffering the judgment of God in our place.
IV. The Rams - Burnt Offerings of Consecration
(Exodus 29:15-25) - Two rams were offered: one as a burnt offering and another as the ram of consecration (ordination). These offerings speak of Christ's complete dedication to God and our identification with Him in that consecration.
V. The Blood and the Anointing Oil - The Central Revelation
The Principle of Blood Before Oil
(Exodus 29:20-21) - Where the blood is applied, the anointing oil will follow. This is a governing principle of spiritual reality. The blood of the ram of consecration was placed on the right ear, right thumb, and right big toe of Aaron and his sons. Then the anointing oil was applied to the same places.
The Right Ear - speaks of our hearing. The blood cleanses our hearing that we may hear God's voice, and the oil sanctifies our hearing that we may hear in the Spirit. We hear not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit's anointing.
The Right Thumb - speaks of our doing, our work, our service. The blood redeems our actions from the curse of self-effort, and the oil empowers our service with divine energy. Our work is no longer of the flesh but of the Spirit.
The Right Big Toe - speaks of our walk, our daily conduct. The blood purifies our walk from the defilement of the world, and the oil directs our steps according to God's will. We walk not in the flesh but in the Spirit.
The blood deals with our guilt, our sin, our distance from God. The oil brings us into the realm of the Spirit, into divine power, into living fellowship with God. The blood qualifies us; the oil empowers us. The blood redeems; the oil sanctifies. The blood removes the negative; the oil imparts the positive.
First the blood, then the oil. This sequence cannot be reversed. We cannot know the Spirit's anointing without the blood's redemption. We cannot enjoy the divine life without passing through the divine judgment. The cross must precede Pentecost. Death must precede resurrection. The blood must be applied before the oil can flow.
VI. The Seven Days of Consecration
(Exodus 29:35-37) - The ordination process took seven days, signifying completeness and perfection. Our consecration as priests is not instantaneous but progressive. Day by day, through continual application of the blood and oil, through daily feeding on Christ as our food, we are being perfected for God's service.
Conclusion: Living as Ordained Priests
The ordination of priests in Exodus 29 is a complete picture of how we are constituted as a kingdom of priests in Christ. We are washed by the Word, clothed with Christ, redeemed by the blood, and anointed with the Spirit. Through these experiences, we are qualified and empowered to serve in God's presence.
The central revelation is this: where the blood is applied, the anointing oil will follow. This is the pathway into divine service. First, we must experience the cleansing, redeeming work of Christ's blood. Then, and only then, can we know the empowering, sanctifying work of the Spirit's anointing.
Our priesthood is based entirely on Christ - His washing, His clothing, His offering, His blood, His Spirit. We contribute nothing but our sin and weakness. He supplies everything needed for us to stand before God and serve in His holy presence.
May we daily experience the washing of the Word, the clothing of Christ, the efficacy of His blood, and the anointing of His Spirit. May we live as those who have been ordained - set apart, sanctified, and empowered for God's eternal purpose. Where His blood has cleansed, His Spirit will anoint. Where He has redeemed, He will empower. Where He has qualified, He will sanctify.
To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.