Exodus 29:1 – 9 “Now this is what you are to do to consecrate them to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish, along with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour, put them in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams. Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and wash them with water. Take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastplate. Fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the holy diadem to the turban. Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. Bring his sons as well, and clothe them with tunics. Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood shall be theirs by a perpetual statute. In this way you are to ordain Aaron and his sons.”
God is ordering Moses to consecrate, that is, to set apart Aaron and his sons as priests. This priesthood will be hereditary through Aaron’s family. But why is God ordering some of the things that he specifies?
“Take a young bull and two rams without blemish” Prager tells us, “Bulls and rams were worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt. The induction ceremony of the priests therefore involved sacrificing Egyptian gods to God – another attempt to turn the people away from polytheism and pagan worship.”
Why the need to stipulate that these animals would be perfect? God wants His people to understand that He will only accept the best and that sick, lame, or injured animals will not be accepted as a sacrifice. If a sacrifice costs very little, it is worthless.
“along with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. ” The leavening process was invented in Egypt. The use of unleavened bread made it clear that God wanted nothing to do with the Egyptian practices or their beliefs. The Israelites also associated unleavened bread with the escape from Egypt, thus reinforcing the memory of God’s miraculous deliverance.
The recipe for the anointing oil is given in Exodus 30:22-25. This oil was specially compounded so that it had a lovely fragrance and was only to be used as God instructed. Nobody was to manufacture this oil for their personal use or for sale. The anointing oil was to be used for consecration of holy things, consecration of priests, and later on, for consecration of kings. In addition, many people feel that the anointing oil represents the Holy Spirit. Aaron’s sons are to be sprinkled with this oil; however, the oil is to be poured on Aaron’s head. By pouring the oil on Aaron’s head, Moses is symbolically imparting the Holy Spirit. The term “Messiah” means “anointed one.”
APPLICATION: Does God still consecrate people to serve Him? Absolutely! God has a special calling for each and every one of us, and He longs to give us His Holy Spirit so that we will be able to fulfill that calling.
The first part of the consecration ceremony involved making a complete break with Egyptian gods and Egyptian practices. Just as Aaron and Moses and the Israelites had to leave the dark pagan practices of the Egyptians behind, so we must go before the Lord and ask Him to show us if there is anything in our lives that is a hindrance. Once God shows us something, we then need to ask Him to help us break completely and to repudiate whatever is holding us back from serving Him completely.
This process is not a one – time thing but a continual letting go. God is amazingly patient; He does not clean us up all at once. God leads us out of those things that have absorbed our attention so that eventually they have no hold on us anymore. But sometimes we must also take a strong stand within ourselves. Oswald Chambers tells us that bad habits on go by kicking! God will not do for us what we must do for ourselves.
How do you know the will of God for your life? ASK HIM! You don’t have to use fancy language or even to speak out loud. But do find a quiet place without distractions and then ask God to show you His will. God is a good Father who does not play guessing games with His kids. If you ask for wisdom, He will give it.
PRAYER: Father God, many of us are troubled and confused. We want your best for us but we have no idea how to get from where we are to where our best will be. Please give everyone who reads this your guidance and help them know that you truly love them. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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