Hallow the Priest Exodus 29

Exodus 29:1-3 "And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock and two rams without blemish And unleavened bread and cakes unleavened tempered with oil and waffers unleavened anointed with oil, of wheaton flour shalt thou make them And thou shalt put them into one basket and bring them in the basket with the bullock and the two rams."

Outline:
-The sacrifice and ceremonies of consecrating the priests v1
-The continual burnt offering v38
-God's promise to dwell among the children of Israel. v45

We have seen the precise building of the tabernacle and the garments for the priest. The offerings are just as precise. First of all, before the priest can minister to the Lord and represent the people, they must be consecrated. Some offering is to be burned as a burnt offering v25 unto the Lord. Some is for a wave offering v26-27. Then there is the continual sacrifice of the two lambs. I'd like to zero in on verse 20-21 where the priest and their garments are consecrated.

Exodus 29:20-21 "Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons and upon the thumb of their right hand and upon the great toe of their right foot and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar and of the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon Aaron and upon his garments and upon his sons and upon the garments of his sons with him: an dhe shall be hallowed and his garments and his sons' garments with him."

The last part of the chapter contains the promise. If you will do all this I(the Lord) will dwell with you. We must remember that a holy God is making arrangements to live among a sinful people. Although they are chosen for a purpose, there is still the sinful nature that must be dealt with.

v43 "And there I will meet with the children of Israel and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory." v45 "And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God."

In review, we should be aware that Moses is on the mountain top receiving all this from the Lord. He is on Mt Sinai and there are "thunders and lightenings and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud..." 19:16. It is a serious, historical time in the lives of the children of Israel. They have only recently come from under 400 years of slavery.

I should also remind us that the promise of Abraham still carries within the children of Israel.

The events hear lead us to an understanding of events many years later when Christ comes to earth and becomes our high priest to plead our case before God the Father.

Hebrews 9:11-14 "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy palce having ordained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to purifing of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

So, in all these instructions and the years of practice that follow, they are but a very real and necessary practice to teach the redemption process and give us understanding of the final sacrifice for sin: the Christ.

Psalm 33:20-22 "Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee."