What is the main purpose of the consecration of Aaron and his sons?

The consecration of Aaron and his sons sets them apart to serve as priests before God. They are washed with water, clothed in special garments, anointed with oil, and marked with blood from the sacrifices. All of this shows that they cannot serve God in a casual way. They need cleansing, covering, and a sacrifice for sin. The whole process makes clear that the priesthood is not a human idea but a calling from God, and that anyone who stands between God and the people must first be made holy by God Himself.

Why did Aaron and his sons have blood put on their ear, thumb, and big toe?

The blood on the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot shows that the whole life of the priest belongs to God. The ear points to what they listen to, the hand to what they do, and the foot to where they go. Their hearing, their work, and their walk are all to be guided by God’s will. The blood also shows that this dedication only happens through atonement, not through their own goodness. They must be marked by sacrifice in every part of their service.

What is the meaning of the bullock, rams, and bread used in this passage?

The young bull is used as a sin offering. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head to show that the sacrifice stands in their place and that they need forgiveness. One ram is a burnt offering, burned wholly on the altar, showing complete surrender to God. The other ram is called the ram of consecration and is linked with fellowship and peace. Parts of it, along with unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers, are placed in the priests’ hands and waved before God. The unleavened bread points to sincerity and purity, fitting for those who serve in God’s presence.

Why were Aaron and his sons washed, dressed, and anointed before serving as priests?

The washing with water shows that those who serve God must be cleansed from sin and impurity. The special garments set Aaron and his sons apart from the rest of the people and remind everyone that this work is holy. The anointing oil poured on Aaron’s head points to God’s Spirit and power being given for this calling. Together, washing, clothing, and anointing teach that no one is fit to serve God by nature. God Himself must cleanse, clothe, and equip those He calls into His service.

Why did the consecration of the priests last seven days?

The consecration lasting seven days shows completeness and thoroughness. Each day a bull is offered for a sin offering, the altar is cleansed and anointed, and the same pattern is repeated. This steady process teaches that holiness is not a quick act but a settled state given by God. It also links the priesthood with God’s finished work in creation, which is often marked by seven days. By the end of the seven days, the priests and the altar are fully set apart for ongoing service in God’s presence.

What is the significance of the daily lambs offered morning and evening?

The two lambs, one in the morning and one at evening, are called a continual burnt offering. They show that the people’s relationship with God rests on ongoing atonement, not on a single moment. Every day, at set times, a lamb is burned along with grain, oil, and wine. This regular pattern teaches Israel to remember sin, seek mercy, and live in constant dependence on God. God promises to meet with His people at the tabernacle in connection with these offerings, tying His presence to the sacrifice He appointed.

Why were only Aaron and his sons allowed to eat the consecration meat and bread?

Aaron and his sons eat the flesh of the ram of consecration and the bread at the door of the tabernacle, but no stranger may eat it. This food is called holy because it is tied directly to the atonement and consecration of the priests. By eating it, they share in what the sacrifice has done for them and show close fellowship with God. Limiting it to the priests protects the special character of this meal and teaches that holy things are not to be treated like common food or shared carelessly.

What does this passage teach about God’s desire to live among His people?

At the end of the passage, God says He will meet Israel at the tabernacle, sanctify it by His glory, and dwell among them. All the washing, clothing, sacrifices, and daily offerings lead to this goal: God living with His people and being their God. He reminds them that He brought them out of Egypt so that He might dwell among them. This shows that God’s rescue is not only from slavery but into a close relationship where He is present, speaks to them, and is known by them as their Lord.

How does the consecration of Aaron and his sons point forward to Jesus?

This passage prepares the way for a greater High Priest. The priests need washing, special clothes, anointing, and repeated sacrifices, which shows their weakness and sinfulness. Jesus needs none of this for Himself, yet He fulfills what these pictures point to. He is perfectly pure, fully dedicated, and offers Himself as the final sacrifice. The daily lambs hint at the need for constant atonement, which is finally met in His one complete offering. In Him, God’s people have a priest and a sacrifice that never fail, and God dwells with them forever.

Exod.29.1

Exodus 29:1

KJV GOD

And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

Consecration of the Priests

1 And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.

3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.

4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:

6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.

9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be their’s for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

The Order of the Sacrifices

10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.

11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.

14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

15 ¶ Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

17 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.

18 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.

19 ¶ And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:

23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord:

24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.

25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the Lord: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord: and it shall be thy part.

27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:

28 And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the Lord.

29 ¶ And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons’ after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.

30 And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place.

Food for the Priests

31 ¶ And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place.

32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.

34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.

36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.

37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

The Daily Offerings

38 ¶ Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.

39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.

God Will Dwell among the People

45 ¶ And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.

46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.

Cross References

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