Exodus 29:26 – 30 “Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your portion. Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the heave offering that is lifted up from the ram of ordination. This will belong to Aaron and his sons as a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is the heave offering the Israelites will make to the LORD from their peace offerings. The holy garments that belong to Aaron will belong to his sons after him, so they can be anointed and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest and enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must wear them for seven days.”
Wave offering…heave offering?? When the Israelites heard these instructions, they might have gotten a little confused. The bottom line was this: the priests were not only allowed but ordered to enjoy meat from certain offerings, particularly from the peace offering. What is the significance of eating meat offered for a certain purpose?
David Guzek in his Enduring Word Commentary makes the following points:
1. The best parts of the second ram were to be burnt on the altar as an act of complete devotion…
2. The remaining meat portions of this ram were given to Aaron and the other priests, after those portions were presented to God as a wave offering. It was then cooked and eaten by the priests during the days of their consecration ceremony.
i. The second ram – after the ram presented as a burnt offering – had its life applied to the consecrated priests. First its life was applied with the application of blood to the ear, hand, and foot of the priest. Then through a ritual meal, its life was applied by the priest taking the ram into himself.
ii. The eating did not begin the process of consecration. It came after the washing, the clothing, and the blood-atonement of the priests. The eating speaks of the continuing relationship of the priest with God. ”
iii. As a priest eats food sacrificed to the One True Living God, he reinforces his relationship with God.”
Consider the system of sacrifices with which the Israelites were familiar. The Egyptians sacrificed all kinds of animals; in fact, they sometimes even sacrificed wild animals when they were burying an important person. It was generally understood that eating the meat from such sacrifices would reinforce a believer’s relationship to whatever god was being worshiped. Eating was actually an act of devotion. Later, St. Paul advised the Corinthians, “Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar? Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too. Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1 Corinthians 10:18 – 22)
APPLICATION: In commenting on these verses, C. H. Spurgeon said, “Let not this distinction be forgotten; the eating of the sacrifice is not intended to give life, for no dead man can eat, but to sustain the life which is there already. A believing look at Christ makes you live, but spiritual life must be fed and sustained.”
David Guzek goes on to explain: In this way, eating is a good picture of a healthy, continuing relationship with Jesus.
· Eating is personal. No one can eat for you, and no one can have a relationship with Jesus on your behalf.
· Eating is inward. It does no good to be around food or to rub food on the outside of your body – you must take it in. We must take Jesus unto ourselves inwardly, not merely in an external way.
· Eating is active. Some medicines are received passively – they are injected under the skin and go to work. Such medicines could even be received while one sleeps – but no one can eat while asleep. We must actively take Jesus unto ourselves.
· Eating arises out of a sense of need and produces a sense of satisfaction. We will have a healthy relationship with Jesus when we sense our need for Him and receive the satisfaction the relationship brings.
6/11/2021 Enduring Word Bible Commentary Exodus Chapter 29 https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/exodus-29/ 5/7
“But,” you ask, “these days, there are no animal sacrifices. How applicable are these instructions?” Good question! Eating is only one aspect of daily life. The question is this: Are we involving God in our daily life choices, or are we relegating Him to a nice cozy quiet little corner of our lives where He can’t break out and amaze or astonish us?
The Ruler of the Universe cannot be stuffed into a box! Just as the priests of Israel were to eat part of the sacrificial meat and bread as an act of oneness with God, so we must realize that God wants to be present with us in all aspects of our lives. A god you can stuff into a box is an idol, but certainly not the One True Living God!
PRAYER: Father God, forgive us! You want to share every part of our lives while we are trying to fence you into a small corner. Come into our hearts and change us so that we will follow you devotedly and whole – heartedly. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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