Scripture: “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, and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 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. And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them, 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.”
Exodus 29:1-9 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Yahweh instructs Moses regarding Aaron’s (and future high priests’) vestments and the attire for Aaron’s sons (and future assisting priests). One particular feature is Aaron’s turban, a cap-like headdress with a golden headband inscribed with “Holy to the Lord” wrapping around the front of the headdress. As a whole, Aaron’s undergarments, turban, and tunic will remind him and future high priests that they are “Holy to the Lord.” Thus, to disregard the sacredness of their vestment protocol and approach the Lord at his altar in a nonconforming manner (tantamount to unbelief) would result in death.
Today’s reading introduces the priests’ consecration ceremony. First on the list is to prepare the sacred food as an offering to the Lord, with a portion reserved for the priests’ holy consumption. The offering comprises:
- One unblemished bull.
- Two unblemished rams.
- A basket of unleavened bread and cakes made of fine wheat flour and oil and unleavened wafers smeared with oil.
Second, the Lord tells Moses to bring Aaron and his sons to the tabernacle (a/k/a the tent of meeting) entrance and ceremonially wash them with water. Third, Moses will dress Aaron in his sacred vestments and anoint his head with consecrated oil. Fourth, the Lord commands Moses to dress Aaron’s sons in their priestly garments and gird Aaron and his sons with sashes affixed with bind caps. Lastly, Yahweh reminds Moses that all future generations of ordained priests must observe this ceremony.
Takeaway: Before vesting Aaron and his sons, Moses, acting as Yahweh’s representative, must ceremonially cleanse them of sin by washing them with water—a critical preliminary step that Yahweh will later restate (40:12-13) and that Moses will obey (Leviticus 8:6-9). As rabbinical theology advances, proselytes will similarly receive a washing with water to cleanse them of sin as a means of entry into the community of God (H. Danby, The Mishnah (London: Oxford University, 1933), p.148, p.431). Likely, the Christian church adopted this practice as the sacrament of baptism.
Regarding anointing Aaron with oil, in addition to the office of the high priest, Israel’s kings would receive anointing oil (e.g., David; 1 Samuel 16:6). And to no surprise, the church would adopt this sacrament of “anointing” (with or without oil) to pronounce the infilling of the Holy Spirit through baptism (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) as first manifested at Pentecost (Acts 2:4) and to heal the sick of disease and sin (Mark 6:12-13; James 5:14-16).
Our takeaway? When received by faith, the administration of water and oil provides poignant outward signs of our inward transformation and calling. The transformation begins with baptism (cleansing us from sin), continues with sanctification (rescuing us from the power of sin), and climaxes with glorification (one day receiving new bodies when delivered from the presence of sin at the renewal of creation). Here and now, like Aaron and his sons, these signs signal that we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), called to lead the sacred life for God’s people.
Our part? As God intends for Aaron and his successors to set themselves apart as holy unto him, so Paul similarly calls the church to act on their anointing as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:17-20), imploring us to set ourselves apart from the worldly who worship idols (i.e., not yoking ourselves to unbelievers), for we are the temple of God (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). To do so, we must continually live by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) by relying on our inherited righteousness in Christ (1 Corinthians 5:21): our justification. When we do, we will confess our sins and receive forgiveness that cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9): our sanctification. Indeed, justification and sanctification ensure our irrevocable induction into our Lord’s royal priesthood.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who always trusted in your goodness and obeyed your will—even unto death and momentary separation from you so that we might inherit his righteousness. And we thank you for the Holy Spirit, who transforms us from glory to glory to mature us as members of your royal priesthood. Still, we sometimes struggle to submit to the Holy Spirit. So please help us live by grace through faith, readily confessing our sins per his conviction and receiving your forgiveness per his confirmation so we might lead the sacred life for your people. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
Leave a Reply