Does the ordination of Aaron and his sons: washing, clothing, anointing, sacrificing and eating, hint at the sacrifice of Christ and the Christian life? Let’s look at Exodus 29.
Washing
Was this ceremonial washing symbolic of what was to take place in the heart? Are our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22)?
Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. (Exodus 29:1-4 ESV)
Clothing
Were Aaron and his sons to be dressed with the holy garments? Do we put on righteousness garments (Ephesians 6:14; Revelation 19:8)?
Then take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe for the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastpiece; fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and place the holy diadem on the turban. (Exodus 29:5-6 HCSB)
Anointing
Was anointing with oil also part of this ordination process? Is Jesus our high priest anointed (Acts 10:38)? Are we also anointed (1 John 2:20; 27)?
Take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. You must also bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. Tie the sashes on Aaron and his sons and fasten headbands on them. The priesthood is to be theirs by a permanent statute. This is the way you will ordain Aaron and his sons. (Exodus 29:7-9 HCSB)
Sacrificing
What was to be done with the bull during this ordination ceremony? Was Jesus’ sacrifice once for all (Hebrews 7:27)? Do we offer sacrifices (Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5)?
You are to bring the bull in front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the head of the bull. Then you are to slaughter the bull in the Lord’s presence at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting. Take some of the blood of the bull, put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them and send them up in smoke on the altar. You are to burn the flesh of the bull, its hide, and its refuse with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering. (Exodus 29:10-14 ISV)
What was to be done to one of the two rams during the ordination ceremony?
Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the Lord: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Exodus 29:15-18 KJV)
What was to be done with the second ram during the ordination ceremony?
Then you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and splash the rest of the blood around on the altar. Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he and his garments shall be set apart as holy, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him. (Exodus 29:19-21 LSB)
What else was to be done with the second ram during the ordination ceremony?
You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), and one loaf of bread, and one cake of bread mixed with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before the Lord; and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. Then you shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the Lord; it is an offering by fire to the Lord. (Exodus 29:22-25 NASB)
Was a holy barbeque part of the second ram’s offering during this ordination?
After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron’s ordination, wave it before the Lord as a wave offering, and it will be your share. Consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons: the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. This is always to be the perpetual share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the Lord from their fellowship offerings. (Exodus 29:26-28 NIV)
Were the sacred garments to become an heirloom for future generations of priests?
Aaron’s sacred garments must be preserved for his descendants who succeed him, and they will wear them when they are anointed and ordained. The descendant who succeeds him as high priest will wear these clothes for seven days as he ministers in the Tabernacle and the Holy Place. (Exodus 29:29-30 NLT)
Eating
Where were Aaron and his sons to eat this holy barbeque? What about parts that were left over? Is this feast a fellowship with God and a foretaste of communion (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 10:16)?
You shall take the ram of consecration and boil its meat in a holy place. Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. They shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy. If anything of the meat of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy. (Exodus 29:31-34 WEB)
How long was the ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons to last?
Treat Aaron and his sons just as I have commanded you. Ordain them for seven days. Every day you should offer a bull as a purification offering for reconciliation. You should remove the sin from the altar through a ritual of reconciliation, and you should anoint the altar to make it holy. Seven days you should perform the ritual of reconciliation for the altar and make it holy. In this way, the altar will become most holy, and whatever touches the altar will also become holy. (Exodus 29:35-37 CEB)
What were the daily sacrifices to be made by the priests?
Each day you must sacrifice two lambs a year old, one in the morning and one in the evening. With each lamb offer [a tenth of an ephah] one kilogram of your finest flour mixed with [a quarter of a hin] a liter of pure olive oil, and also pour out [a quarter of a hin] a liter of wine as an offering. The smell of this sacrifice on the fires of the altar will be pleasing to me. You and your descendants must always offer this sacrifice on the altar at the entrance to the sacred tent. (Exodus 29:38-42 CEV)
What would God do with Israel? How holy was Israel to be?
There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. (Exodus 29:43-46 ESV)
Does the ordination of Aaron and his sons: washing, clothing, anointing, sacrificing and eating, hint at the sacrifice of Christ and the Christian life? You decide!
