Exodus 29: The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

Exodus 29: The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

Chapter With Audio

Consecration of the Priests

29 “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, 2 and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3 You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. 4 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 5 Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 6 And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. 7 You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. 8 Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them, 9 and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

10 “Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 12 and shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar. 13 And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

15 “Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 16 and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, 18 and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.

19 “You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 20 and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar. 21 Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons' garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons' garments with him.

22 “You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), 23 and one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord. 24 You shall put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 25 Then you shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the Lord. It is a food offering to the Lord.

26 “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion. 27 And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests' portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron's and his sons'. 28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

29 “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, shall wear them seven days.

31 “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 33 They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy. 34 And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remain until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

35 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through seven days shall you ordain them, 36 and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.

38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. 39 One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. 40 And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. 42 It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43 There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 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.

Chapter Analysis

Exodus 29: God Consecrated Aaron and His Sons for the Priesthood

Overview

Exodus 29 records God's instructions for the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests. Through sacrifices, anointing, and ceremonial cleansing, they were set apart to minister before the Lord on behalf of Israel.

The chapter also establishes the daily burnt offerings that were to be presented continually before God. These sacrifices reminded Israel of their continual need for atonement and fellowship with the Lord. God concluded by promising to dwell among His people and be their God.

The consecration of the priests and the continual sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus Christ, the perfect High Priest and the once-for-all sacrifice for sin.

I. Verses 1–9: Aaron and His Sons Were Prepared for the Priesthood

God instructed Moses to prepare everything needed for the ordination ceremony.

The offerings included:

  • One young bull.
  • Two rams without blemish.
  • Unleavened bread.
  • Unleavened cakes mixed with oil.
  • Unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

Aaron and his sons were brought to the entrance of the tabernacle.

They were washed with water.

Aaron was clothed with the high priestly garments, while his sons received their priestly garments.

Moses anointed Aaron with holy anointing oil.

The priesthood was established as a perpetual office for Aaron's descendants.

The washing and anointing symbolized cleansing and God's appointment for holy service.

II. Verses 10–28: The Consecration Sacrifices

The first sacrifice was the bull offered as a sin offering.

Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon its head, identifying with the sacrifice.

The second offering was a ram presented as a burnt offering, symbolizing complete dedication to God.

The third offering, known as the ram of consecration, completed the ordination ceremony.

Moses placed some of its blood on:

  • Aaron's right ear.
  • Aaron's right thumb.
  • Aaron's right big toe.

The same was done for Aaron's sons.

This symbolized that their hearing, service, and walk were to be devoted entirely to the Lord.

The priests and Moses also shared portions of the sacrifice in a covenant meal before the Lord.

III. Verses 29–37: The Seven-Day Ordination

The consecration ceremony continued for seven days.

Each day a bull was offered as a sin offering to purify the altar.

The altar itself was consecrated and became most holy.

Whatever touched the altar became holy.

The repeated sacrifices emphasized both God's holiness and the continual need for cleansing under the Old Covenant.

IV. Verses 38–46: The Continual Burnt Offerings

God established the daily burnt offerings.

Every day:

  • One lamb was offered in the morning.
  • One lamb was offered at twilight.

Each sacrifice included:

  • Grain offerings.
  • Oil.
  • Drink offerings.

These continual offerings maintained Israel's regular worship before the Lord.

God declared that He would meet with His people at the tabernacle.

He promised:

"I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God."

The chapter concludes by reminding Israel that the Lord had brought them out of Egypt so that He might dwell among them.

Major Lessons in Exodus 29

God Sets Apart Those Who Serve Him

Aaron and his sons were cleansed, clothed, and consecrated before entering the priesthood, demonstrating that those who serve God must be set apart for His purposes.

Atonement Is Necessary for Ministry

The sacrifices emphasized that sinful people could minister before a holy God only through the shedding of blood.

God Desires Complete Dedication

The blood placed on the ear, thumb, and toe symbolized that every part of the priest's life—hearing, serving, and walking—belonged to the Lord.

Continual Worship Honors God

The daily sacrifices reminded Israel of their ongoing dependence upon God and their continual need for fellowship with Him.

God's Desire Is to Dwell Among His People

The ultimate purpose of the tabernacle, priesthood, and sacrifices was that God might live among His redeemed people.

Overall Summary

Exodus 29 records the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests through washing, anointing, sacrificial offerings, and a seven-day ordination ceremony. God also established the continual morning and evening burnt offerings that would be presented throughout Israel's generations. These ceremonies emphasized God's holiness, the necessity of atonement, and the complete dedication required of those who served Him. The chapter concludes with God's wonderful promise to dwell among His redeemed people, foreshadowing the perfect priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, through whom believers now have permanent access to God's presence.