Commentary - Exodus 29:10-30

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Exodus 29, we move from the preparatory washing and clothing of the priests to the heart of their ordination: the sacrifices. This is not a mere ceremony; it is a bloody, smoky, and visceral transaction. God is establishing the office of the mediator for His people, and that office must be grounded in substitutionary atonement. The passage details three distinct offerings: the sin offering (a bull) to deal with the priests' own uncleanness, the burnt offering (the first ram) to signify their total consecration to Yahweh, and the ordination offering (the second ram) to officially install them into their duties. Each action, from the laying on of hands to the application of blood to the wave offering, is a picture of a far greater reality that would be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest.

This is the formal constitution of the priesthood. Before the priests can offer sacrifices for the people, sacrifices must be offered for them. Before they can represent the people to God, they must be cleansed, dedicated, and commissioned by God. This passage lays out the divine protocol for making sinful men fit to serve in the presence of a holy God. It is all about purification, consecration, and communion.

Outline

Context In Exodus

Having received the detailed plans for the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God (Exodus 25-27), the narrative now turns to the men who will serve within it. A house needs a household, and a sanctuary needs ministers. Exodus 28 detailed the holy garments the priests were to wear, signifying their office and glory. Now, in chapter 29, we see the ordination rite itself. The form of the Tabernacle is followed by the function of the priesthood. This entire section is a unit, showing how God establishes a way for His people to dwell with Him. It is not enough to have a tent of meeting; there must be qualified, consecrated mediators who can stand in the gap. This passage is the very heart of that qualification process, establishing the pattern of sacrifice that will define Israel's worship until the coming of Christ.

The Sin Offering: A Bull for Uncleanness (vv. 10-14)

v. 10 Before Aaron and his sons can minister, they must be dealt with as sinners. They are not exempt. So a bull is brought, and they lay their hands on its head. This is a solemn act of identification and transference. They are pressing down, acknowledging in this formal, legal act that this bull is now standing in their place. Its fate is their deserved fate. This is the doctrine of substitution, laid out in the starkest possible terms. Without this, nothing else can proceed.

v. 11 The bull is then slaughtered right there, before Yahweh, at the doorway of the tent. Atonement is a public, bloody business. It is not a private, sentimental feeling. A life must be given for a life. The penalty for sin is death, and that penalty is paid here, in plain sight, by the substitute.

v. 12 The blood, which represents the life of the animal, is then manipulated by the priest. Some is put on the horns of the altar. The horns represent the power and efficacy of the altar. To apply the blood here is to plead the power of the atonement. The rest of the blood is poured out at the base, returning the life to God who gave it. The blood is the whole point; it is the agent of cleansing.

v. 13 The best parts, the internal fat, the lobe of the liver, and the kidneys, are offered up in smoke on the altar. These were considered the richest parts of the animal, and they are given to God. This signifies that God is honored by the death of the substitute.

v. 14 But the rest of the animal, the flesh, hide, and refuse, is taken outside the camp and burned. This is crucial. The bull has become sin, bearing the filth of the priests' transgression. It is therefore unclean and must be utterly removed from the presence of God and His people. This is a picture of the complete removal and judgment of sin. As the author to the Hebrews points out, our Lord Jesus, as our sin offering, suffered "outside the gate" to sanctify the people through His own blood (Heb. 13:12). The type is precise.

The Burnt Offering: A Ram for Consecration (vv. 15-18)

vv. 15-16 With sin dealt with by the bull, the first ram is brought for a burnt offering. Again, Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. This time, the identification is not primarily about sin, but about dedication. They are saying, "As this ram is wholly given to God, so we are wholly given to God." The ram is slaughtered, and its blood is splashed around the altar, consecrating the place of service.

vv. 17-18 Unlike the sin offering, the whole ram is offered up in smoke on the altar. After being cut up and washed, signifying internal purity, every part of it ascends to God. This is an act of complete surrender and devotion. It is a "soothing aroma" to Yahweh. The sin offering deals with the negative (taking away sin), while the burnt offering establishes the positive (a life wholly devoted to God). This is a picture of Christ's perfect, active obedience, and it is the pattern for our lives as believers, who are to present our bodies as "living sacrifices" (Rom. 12:1).

The Ordination Offering: A Ram for Commissioning (vv. 19-30)

v. 19 A second ram is brought, specifically called the "ram of ordination." Once more, the priests lay their hands on its head, identifying with this sacrifice which will formally install them into their office.

v. 20 Here the use of the blood becomes intensely personal. It is taken and applied to the extremities of the priests' right sides: the earlobe, the thumb, and the big toe. This is a graphic symbol of the consecration of the whole man for ministry. The priest's hearing is now set apart to listen to God's commands (the ear). His service and work are set apart for God's purposes (the hand). His walk and entire way of life are set apart to follow God's paths (the foot). This is not a partial consecration; it is total.

v. 21 Then, in a powerful symbol, some of the blood from the altar is mixed with the anointing oil and sprinkled on the priests and their garments. Here we see the two central elements of salvation brought together: blood and oil. Justification (cleansing by blood) and sanctification (anointing by the Spirit) are inseparable. They are set apart as holy, marked by both pardon and power.

vv. 22-25 The choicest parts of the ram, along with bread offerings, are placed into the hands of Aaron and his sons. This is what it means to be a priest: your hands are filled with the things of God. They then perform a "wave offering," presenting it all before Yahweh before it is offered up in smoke on the altar. Their work is to receive from God what He provides and offer it back to Him in worship. This is an offering laid on top of the burnt offering, teaching us that our specific service is only acceptable because of the foundation of total consecration that lies beneath it.

vv. 26-28 Not everything is burned. The breast of the ram is waved and given to Moses, and it is established as a perpetual statute that the breast and thigh of such offerings will belong to the priests. This introduces the element of communion. The sacrifice provides for the minister. This is a peace offering, where God gets His portion in smoke, the priest gets his portion to eat, and the worshiper would also partake. It is a fellowship meal, a sign of the peace that has been established by the blood.

vv. 29-30 The holy garments are not to be retired with Aaron. They are to be passed down to his sons, his successors. The office of high priest is an enduring one. The new priest is to wear them for seven days, a full period of consecration, before he can minister. This emphasizes the continuity of God's covenant and the gravity of the office. For us, we are clothed in a greater righteousness, that of Christ Himself, which is an eternal garment and an everlasting priesthood.

Application

This chapter, with all its blood and smoke, is a profound gospel text. First, it teaches us that no one can approach God on their own terms. Even the designated priests must first be cleansed by a substitute. We, as the New Covenant priesthood of all believers, must never forget that our standing before God is based entirely on the sin offering of Jesus Christ, who was made sin for us outside the camp.

Second, our salvation is not just a fire escape from hell. It is a total consecration to God, pictured by the burnt offering. Our lives are to be a soothing aroma to Him, wholly offered up in service and worship. This is our reasonable service.

Finally, we are commissioned for service. The blood of Christ has been applied to us, consecrating our ears to hear His word, our hands to do His work, and our feet to walk in His ways. We are anointed with His Spirit. Our hands have been filled with good things to offer back to Him. We have peace with God and share in the fellowship meal of His grace. This ancient rite for Aaron is the pattern for every believer's life in Christ.