Commentary - Exodus 29:31-46

Bird's-eye view

This passage concludes the detailed instructions for the seven-day ordination of Aaron and his sons. It moves from the specific rituals of setting the priests apart to the grand, ultimate purpose of the entire enterprise: God dwelling with His people. The section begins with the priests consuming the sacrifice, a covenant meal that identifies them with the atonement made for them. It then establishes the perpetual, daily sacrifices that will form the rhythm of Israel's worship life. But all this elaborate and bloody ritual is not an end in itself. The climax of the chapter, and indeed one of the central points of the entire Pentateuch, is revealed in the final verses. The altar, the sacrifices, and the priesthood are all the necessary furniture for the house God is building so that He might move in. The goal of redemption from Egypt was not simply freedom, but fellowship. God brought them out so He could come down and dwell among them, meet with them, and speak to them. This is the heart of the covenant: "I will be their God."

In short, this text lays out the means and the meaning of consecrated worship. The means are blood, fire, and feasting, all meticulously prescribed. The meaning is the presence of the glorious, holy God in the midst of His redeemed people. It is a profound foreshadowing of the incarnation, where God would literally tabernacle among us in the person of Jesus Christ, the ultimate priest, sacrifice, and meeting place.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This passage comes in the heart of the second major section of Exodus. The book divides neatly into two parts: God's redemption of Israel from Egypt (chapters 1-18) and God's covenant with Israel at Sinai (chapters 19-40). Having given the Ten Commandments (ch. 20) and the Book of the Covenant (chs. 21-23), God now provides the blueprint for the tabernacle (chs. 25-31). This is the architectural plan for the central sanctuary where God's presence will dwell and where His people will approach Him. Chapter 29 is a detailed liturgy for the ordination of the priests who will serve in this tabernacle. These verses (31-46) form the conclusion of that liturgy, shifting from the one-time seven-day event of ordination to the ongoing, daily worship that will define Israel's life, and then revealing the magnificent purpose behind it all. It is the theological capstone on the whole tabernacle project, explaining why all this is necessary.

Key Issues

Redeemed for His Presence

We can sometimes get lost in the details of the Levitical system. So much blood, so many specific instructions about organs and oil and fine flour. It can feel alien and archaic. But we must always ask the question that this passage answers so beautifully: what is all this for? The answer is that God is holy, and man is sinful, and if God is going to dwell in the midst of man without consuming him, a bridge must be built. That bridge is built with blood. The entire sacrificial system, culminating in the instructions here, is the gracious provision of a holy God who desires to live with the people He has redeemed. He is not setting up a series of arbitrary hoops for them to jump through. He is building a house, setting the rules for that house, and preparing to move in. The goal of the Exodus was not just getting Israel out of Egypt, but getting God into Israel.

Verse by Verse Commentary

31-33 “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made to ordain them, to set them apart as holy; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy.

The ordination ceremony culminates in a meal. This is standard covenant procedure. After a sacrifice seals a covenant, the parties share a meal in fellowship. But this is a unique meal. Aaron and his sons are commanded to eat the very sacrifice by which their atonement was made. This is a profound act of identification. They are internalizing their atonement. The forgiveness and consecration accomplished by the blood of the ram becomes part of them. They are what they eat. This meal sets them apart; it is holy food for holy men in a holy place. A layman, or an outsider, cannot partake because he has not been covered by this specific atoning work. This is a powerful foreshadowing of the Lord's Supper, where believers, and believers only, feast upon the benefits of Christ's sacrifice, identifying with His death and receiving the nourishment of His grace.

34 If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

The holiness of this sacrificial meal is so potent that it has an expiration date. It cannot be treated like common leftovers, packed away for tomorrow's lunch. Its sacred purpose is for this specific ceremony. Once that time has passed, it must be disposed of in a holy way, by fire, returning it to God on the altar, as it were. This prevents the holy from being profaned by becoming common. It teaches Israel that holy things must be treated with the utmost reverence and according to God's strict commands. There is no room for casual, sentimental, or utilitarian approaches to the things God has declared sacred.

35-37 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days. Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to set it apart as holy. For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

The number seven here signifies completion and perfection. This is a full and complete work of ordination. Notice the repetition. For seven days, a sin offering is made. This underscores the depth of sinfulness, even in the chosen priests. They need daily cleansing. But the atonement extends beyond the men to the very furniture. The altar itself must be purified and have atonement made for it. Why? Because it is a thing of this created world, and it will be stained by the sin of the men who minister there. God is cleansing the entire space, the men and the equipment, to make it fit for His presence. This process transforms the altar. It becomes most holy, and its holiness becomes contagious. Whatever touches it becomes holy. This is a reversal of the usual spiritual physics, where uncleanness is what is contagious. Here, God creates a beachhead of holiness in the camp, a place so saturated with His consecrated power that it sanctifies all that comes into contact with it. This is a picture of Christ, who is our altar. When we, in our sin, touch Him by faith, we are not defiled further; we are made holy.

38-41 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer at twilight; and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with the one lamb. The second lamb you shall offer at twilight, and you shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh.

From the one-time seven-day ordination, the instruction now shifts to the perpetual, daily rhythm of worship. Every morning and every evening, a lamb is to be offered. This is the foundation of Israel's life before God. The day is bracketed by sacrifice. The nation wakes up under the cover of blood and goes to sleep under the cover of blood. This continual offering was a constant reminder of their sin and their constant need for a substitute. The accompanying grain, oil, and wine offerings represent the dedication of the fruit of their labor to God. All of life, from morning to night, is to be lived in light of the atonement. This is all for a soothing aroma to Yahweh. This doesn't mean God enjoys the smell of burning meat. It is an anthropomorphism expressing covenantal satisfaction. The demands of His justice are met in the substitute, and so His wrath is appeased, and He looks upon His people with favor.

42-43 It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be set apart as holy by My glory.

Here we arrive at the central purpose. Why the continual offering? Because it maintains the place where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. The sacrifices don't earn the meeting; they make the meeting possible. The Tabernacle is called the Tent of Meeting, and this is its function. It is the designated spot in all the universe where the transcendent God will condescend to meet and commune with sinful man. And what consecrates this meeting place? Ultimately, it is not the blood of bulls and goats, but God's own glory. His manifest presence is what makes the place holy. The sacrifices are the necessary preparation for the arrival of the King in His glory.

44-46 I will set the tent of meeting and the altar apart as holy; I will also set Aaron and his sons apart as holy to minister as priests to Me. I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. They shall know that I am Yahweh their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am Yahweh their God.

God summarizes His sovereign intention. He is the one doing the consecrating. And then He states the goal of everything He has done since the first chapter of this book. "I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God." This is the language of the covenant promise given to Abraham, now being brought into tangible reality. The redemption from Egypt was not an end in itself. He states the reason plainly: He brought them out so that He might dwell among them. Freedom from slavery was the prerequisite for fellowship with God. All of history is bending toward this end: God with us. This is the gospel in embryo. And the final declaration, "I am Yahweh their God," is the divine signature on this covenant promise. He is not just the God who exists, but the God who has committed Himself to be their God, and for them to be His people.

Application

The Christian life is to be marked by the same realities described here, but fulfilled and finalized in the Lord Jesus Christ. We too have a covenant meal. At the Lord's Table, we feast on the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, internalizing the benefits of His atonement and being set apart as His holy people. We are reminded that we belong to a holy fellowship, and outsiders cannot partake until they are united to Christ by faith.

Our lives are also to be a continual sacrifice. We no longer offer lambs every morning and evening, because our Lamb has been offered once for all time. But in response, we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship (Rom. 12:1). Our days should be bracketed by a conscious reliance on the finished work of Christ. We wake up covered by His grace and we go to sleep covered by His grace.

And most gloriously, we must never forget the goal of our salvation. God did not save us from sin simply to rescue us from hell. He saved us for Himself. He saved us so that He could dwell with us. The Church is now the temple of the living God, the place where His glory dwells by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). Our worship services are a meeting with the living God. Our lives are lived in His presence. And we look forward to the final consummation, when the tabernacle of God will be with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God (Rev. 21:3). That is the point of everything.