Eating Our Ordination: God Comes to Dinner Text: Exodus 29:31-46
Introduction: The Goal of Redemption
We are in the midst of one of the most detailed and, to our modern minds, one of the most alien sections of Scripture. We have rams and bulls, blood on earlobes, fine flour, and continual burnt offerings. It is very easy for our eyes to glaze over. We think this is just the fine print of an ancient religious system that has long since been superseded. But to think that way is to miss the entire point of the Bible. The goal of redemption, from Genesis to Revelation, is not simply to get us out of Hell and into Heaven. The goal of redemption is for God to dwell with His people. It is about God and man living together in a holy fellowship. Eden was a place where God walked with Adam. The New Jerusalem is a place where God's tabernacle is with men, and He will dwell with them (Rev. 21:3). Everything in between, including this intricate sacrificial system, is about solving the one great problem: how can a holy God live with an unholy people without consuming them?
This is not a problem that can be solved with good intentions, or moral improvement, or a vague sense of spirituality. Sin is a real barrier. It is a defilement that makes fellowship with a perfectly holy God impossible. Holiness is not just a character attribute of God; it is the very atmosphere of His presence, and it is as lethal to sin as a blast furnace is to a snowflake. Therefore, for God to dwell with Israel, there must be a way to deal with their sin decisively and to set apart a space and a people for His presence. That is what this entire section is about. It is the architecture of communion.
The tabernacle is God's house. The priests are His household servants. And the sacrifices are the means by which the house is kept clean and the servants are kept alive in His presence. What we are reading here is not just a list of bizarre rituals. We are reading the protocols for entering the presence of the King of the universe. And every detail, every animal, every ounce of flour, every drop of oil, is a shadow, a type, a pointer to the one great reality who would one day fulfill it all: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true tabernacle, the great High Priest, and the final sacrifice. If we do not see Him here, we are not reading with New Covenant eyes.
The Text
“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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.”
(Exodus 29:31-46 LSB)
The Consecration Meal (vv. 31-34)
We begin with the meal that concludes the ordination of the priests.
"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." (Exodus 29:31-33)
This is a covenant meal. Throughout Scripture, covenants are ratified and enjoyed through shared meals. This particular meal is what we might call a peace offering. It signifies communion and fellowship. But notice who is eating and what they are eating. Aaron and his sons, the newly ordained priests, are to eat the very ram by which their atonement was made. This is a profound theological point. They are not just set apart by the sacrifice; they are to internalize it. They are to feed on the very thing that made them holy. Their life and ministry are to be sustained by the atonement.
This points us directly to the Lord's Supper. Jesus, our great High Priest, took bread and wine and said, "This is my body... This is my blood." He commands us to eat and drink the signs of the atonement He made for us. We are a kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:9), and just like Aaron, our spiritual life is sustained by feeding on the sacrifice of our ordination. We eat our salvation. We ingest our forgiveness. This is not a mere memorial; it is a covenant renewal ceremony where Christ nourishes us with Himself.
But there is a strict boundary here. "A layman shall not eat them, because they are holy." This is not an arbitrary rule. It establishes a fundamental principle: you cannot have communion with God without consecration. You cannot waltz into fellowship on your own terms. The world wants the benefits of God's presence, His peace, His blessings, without submitting to the means He has appointed for dealing with sin. They want the meal without the atonement. But God says no. The holy things are for the holy people, people made holy by the blood of the sacrifice.
Verse 34 reinforces this. Anything left over must be burned. It cannot be treated as common food. Why? "Because it is holy." Holiness is not something to be trifled with. It cannot be domesticated or made casual. This is a lesson our generation desperately needs to learn. We treat worship like a consumer choice and holy things like sentimental props. God is teaching Israel, and us, that His holiness is potent, distinct, and demands our reverence.
Seven Days of Consecration (vv. 35-37)
The ordination is not a momentary event, but a week-long process.
"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." (Exodus 29:35-37)
Seven is the biblical number of completion and perfection. This seven-day ordination signifies a complete and total setting apart. It is not a partial or temporary consecration. They are being moved from the realm of the common into the realm of the holy, permanently. And notice the repetition. Every single day for a week, a bull is offered as a sin offering. This drives home the depth of sin and the constant need for atonement. Even the priests, the holiest men in Israel, need daily cleansing before they can serve.
But it's not just the priests who are consecrated; the altar itself must be purified. This might seem strange to us. How can a bronze box become sinful? It can't. But it can be defiled by its contact with a sinful world and sinful people. In order for it to be the meeting place between a holy God and His people, it must be purged and made holy. The anointing with oil sets it apart for God's exclusive use.
The result is that the altar becomes "most holy." And here we see a principle of contagious holiness: "whatever touches the altar shall be holy." The holiness of the altar is so potent that it sanctifies whatever comes into contact with it. This is a beautiful picture of Christ. He is our altar. When we, in our sin and uncleanness, come to Him by faith, we do not defile Him. Rather, His perfect holiness cleanses and consecrates us. He is the one who makes us holy. To touch Jesus by faith is to be made clean.
The Continual Burnt Offering (vv. 38-41)
Now we move from the one-time ordination to the ongoing, daily worship of the tabernacle.
"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... for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh." (Exodus 29:38-41)
This is the foundation of Israel's national worship. Every day, morning and evening, a lamb is offered. This is the Tamid, the continual burnt offering. This is not primarily for the forgiveness of specific sins, like the sin offering. The burnt offering signifies total consecration and dedication. The entire animal is consumed on the altar, ascending to God as a "soothing aroma." It is a daily, national declaration that Israel belongs entirely to Yahweh.
This constant, book-ended sacrifice framed their entire day. The first thing they were conscious of as a nation was the morning sacrifice; the last thing was the evening sacrifice. Their entire existence was bracketed by atonement and dedication. This provided a rhythm of grace for the whole nation. It was a constant reminder that their national life, their security, their prosperity, all depended on the grace of God mediated through sacrifice.
And of course, this points us to Christ. John the Baptist saw Jesus and declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). Jesus is the ultimate Tamid, the continual offering. His sacrifice is of perpetual effectiveness. The author of Hebrews tells us that He "always lives to make intercession" for us (Hebrews 7:25). His work is continuous. The aroma of His sacrifice is always soothing to the Father. Our lives as Christians are to be lived within the brackets of His finished work.
The Grand Purpose: God With Us (vv. 42-46)
Finally, God declares the ultimate purpose of all these instructions. Why the tabernacle? Why the priests? Why the sacrifices? The answer is breathtaking.
"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... 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." (Exodus 29:42-46)
Here is the climax of the entire project. The goal is fellowship. "I will meet with you." "I will speak to you there." "I will dwell among them." This is the whole point. God is not a distant, abstract deity. He is a personal God who desires to live in the midst of His people. The tabernacle is literally the "tent of meeting." It is the designated spot where Heaven and Earth intersect, where God condescends to meet with man.
And what consecrates this meeting place? "It shall be set apart as holy by My glory." When the tabernacle is completed, the glory of God, the visible manifestation of His presence, will descend and fill it (Exodus 40:34). God's own presence is what makes the place holy. His glory is the ultimate sanctifying agent. And this glory will not just sanctify the tent and the altar, but also Aaron and his sons. They are made holy for one purpose: "to minister as priests to Me." Their lives are reoriented entirely around the presence of God.
And this leads to the great covenant promise in verses 45 and 46. This is the heart of the Bible. "I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God." This is the language of covenant relationship. This is the goal of the Exodus. Why did God bring them out of Egypt? Not just to free them from slavery, but for this: "that I might dwell among them." Liberation was for the sake of communion. Deliverance was for the sake of fellowship.
"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." (Exodus 29:46)
Their knowledge of God is not to be theoretical. They are to know Him as the God who acts in history for the purpose of relationship. They will know Him as their God because He lives in their zip code. He is their neighbor. He is the king dwelling in the center of their camp. This is the foundation of their identity as a people. They are the people who have God with them.
Conclusion: Immanuel
This entire chapter, with all its bloody and detailed ritual, is shouting one name across the centuries: Immanuel, which means "God with us." The entire Old Testament system was a magnificent, divinely-designed shadow play, preparing the world for the great reality.
The tabernacle was God dwelling in a tent among His people. In the incarnation, "the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Jesus is the true tent of meeting, the place where God's glory dwells in a human body.
The priests were consecrated to mediate between God and man. Jesus is our great High Priest, consecrated not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by His own blood, who has entered the true holy place in heaven for us (Hebrews 9:11-12).
The sacrifices were offered continually to maintain fellowship. Jesus is the Lamb of God, offered once for all, whose sacrifice perfectly and perpetually secures our access to the Father (Hebrews 10:10-14).
The goal was for God to dwell with Israel. The goal of the gospel is that through Christ, we, the church, have become the temple of the living God. God dwells in us by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). The promise "I will be their God and they shall be my people" finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Covenant.
Therefore, we do not look back on these rituals as primitive and irrelevant. We look at them as the blueprint that finds its glorious fulfillment in our Lord. We feed on Him by faith. We are cleansed by His contagious holiness. And we live every moment of our lives bracketed by His continual sacrifice, knowing that the ultimate goal of our salvation has been achieved. God is with us. He has met with us. He has spoken to us. He dwells among us. He is Yahweh our God.