XXIX. THE FORM OF CONSECRATION FOR THE PRIESTS. (1) THIS IS THE THING THAT THOU SHALT DO UNTO THEM TO HALLOW THEM. — The consecration of the priests had been commanded in the preceding chapter (Exodus 28:41). The method of it is now laid down. It consists of five things : — (1) Ablution (Exodus 29:4... [ Continue Reading ]
UNLEAVENED BREAD. — Unleavened bread seems to have been required as purer than leavened, since fermentation was viewed as a species of corruption. CAKES... TEMPERED WITH OIL. — Rather, _cakes that have had oil poured over them._ A tolerably thick cake is intended. WAFERS. — These were cakes, or bi... [ Continue Reading ]
AARON AND HIS SONS THOU SHALT BRING UNTO THE DOOR... — The place of the laver, not yet mentioned, but designed in God’s counsels, was between the brazen altar and the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:18), and consequently near the door of the latter. Rabbinical tradition says that it was not placed exactly opp... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT TAKE THE GARMENTS — _i.e._, those described in the preceding chapter. THE COAT — _i.e.,_ the linen tunic (Exodus 28:39). As the inner garment, this had to be put on first. Comp. Leviticus 8:7, where the investiture is more fully described, and is seen to have comprised nine acts: — (1) Th... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HOLY CROWN. — The golden plate, inscribed with “Holiness to the Lord,” and attached to the mitre by a lace or riband, resembled the “diadems” worn in the East by monarchs, and regarded as the main emblem of their sovereignty. In Egypt, such a diadem is found first in the reign of Amenôphis IV. ... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ANOINTING OIL — _i.e._, the oil mentioned in Exodus 25:6, and recently glanced at in Exodus 28:41. On its composition see Exodus 30:23. POUR IT UPON HIS HEAD. — As the ablution typified cleansing from sin, so the anointing was emblematic of the outpouring of Divine grace upon the person anointe... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT CAUSE A BULLOCK TO BE BROUGHT. — Rather, _the bullock: i.e.,_ the bullock mentioned in Exodus 29:1, which was to be kept in readiness for the consecration sacrifice. AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL PUT THEIR HANDS UPON THE HEAD OF THE BULLOCK. — By this symbolical action, which was commanded in... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT TAKE OF THE BLOOD... AND PUT IT UPON THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR. — It has been already noticed that the virtue of the altar was considered to reside especially in its horns; hence fugitives clung to them (1 Kings 1:50; 1 Kings 2:28). In all sin offerings it was required (1) That some of the v... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT TAKE ALL THE FAT THAT COVERETH THE INWARDS. — Whole burnt offerings were, comparatively speaking, of rare occurrence in the ancient world. Usually, parts only of the victims were consumed by fire upon the altar; the greater portion was either eaten by the priests and the worshippers, or b... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FLESH... SHALT THOU BURN... WITH OUT THE CAMP. — Comp. Leviticus 4:11; Leviticus 4:21; Hebrews 13:11. This was the general rule with sin offerings. The whole animal was reckoned too impure for any portion of it to be suitable for human food. HIS DUNG. — That which the intestines contained at th... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE RAM. — Heb., _the one ram: i.e.,_ one of the two rams already mentioned in Exodus 29:1. PUT THEIR HANDS UPON THE HEAD OF THE RAM. — Again identifying themselves with the animal, as in Exodus 29:10, but with a different purpose from their former one. Then they transferred their sins to the vict... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT TAKE HIS BLOOD, AND SPRINKLE IT. — Rather, _scatter it._ The act of throwing the blood from a basin against the lower part of the altar is intended. The verb is a different one from that rightly translated “sprinkle” in Exodus 29:21. The LXX. render it by προσχεῖν, and the Vulg. by _funde... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT CUT THE RAM IN PIECES. — This was the ordinary practice, not only among the Hebrews, but also among other nations, as the Egyptians (Herod. ii. 40), the Greeks, the Romans, and others. It was probably found to facilitate the burning of the animal, which was with difficulty consumed entire... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT BURN THE WHOLE RAM UPON THE ALTAR. — A burnt offering, as representing self- sacrifice, was _entirely_ acceptable to God; the whole might be consumed upon the altar. It was otherwise with sin offerings, of which only certain parts could be thus offered. (Comp. above, Exodus 29:14; and see... [ Continue Reading ]
THE OTHER RAM. — Comp. Exodus 29:1; Exodus 29:15. This ram is called in Leviticus (Exodus 8:22) “the ram of consecration.” It formed, as has been observed (_Speaker’s Commentary,_ vol. 1 Peter 2, p. 535), “by far the most peculiar part of the whole ceremony” Consecrated to God by the act of sacrific... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE OF HIS BLOOD. — The blood was regarded as the life (Genesis 9:4). The life consecrated to God and accepted by Him was given back by Him to His ministers, that it might consecrate them wholly to His service, and so fit them for it. Placed upon the tip of the right ear, it reminded them that thei... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE OF THE BLOOD... AND OF THE ANOINTING OIL. — The twofold sprinkling, with blood and with oil, denoted the necessity of a twofold holiness — that of justification by the atoning blood of Christ, and that of sanctification by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The anointing which is here spoken of... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT TAKE OF THE RAM THE FAT... — These were the portions commonly burnt upon the altar in the case of peace offerings. (See Leviticus 3:9.) By “the rump” is meant the broad fat tail which characterises Oriental sheep, and which is said to weigh from six to twenty pounds. (Fellows, _Asia Minor... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BASKET... THAT IS BEFORE THE LORD. — Comp. Exodus 29:3. The objects mentioned formed the “meat offering,” which always accompanied a peace offering.... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT PUT ALL IN THE HANDS OF AARON, AND IN THE HANDS OF HIS SONS. — Rather, _on the hands._ Having placed the offerings on the hands of his brother and his brother’s sons, Moses was to put his own hands beneath theirs, and to make a waving motion towards the four quarters of the sky, thus pres... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT RECEIVE THEM... AND BURN THEM. — On communicating his priestly functions to his brother and his brother’s sons, Moses was not immediately to lay them aside; but, as he had begun the consecration ceremony, so he was to complete it. (Comp. Exodus 29:31, and Leviticus 8:28.)... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT TAKE THE BREAST. — It was the general law that in “wave offerings” the breast should be the officiating priest’s (Leviticus 7:29); hence, on this occasion, it was assigned to Moses.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LAW OF THE WAVE AND HEAVE OFFERINGS, AND OF THE CONSECRATION GARMENTS. (27, 28) THE WAVE OFFERING. — For the future, in every case of offerings made at a consecration, both the breast and the right shoulder (Leviticus 7:32) were to be given to the officiating priest, who was to “wave” the one a... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FEAST UPON THE CONSECRATION OFFERINGS. (31-34) The writer having digressed in Exodus 29:27 from his main subject (the consecration of Aaron and his sons) to the consideration of certain permanent laws which arose out of the occasion, returns to his main subject at this point, and records the dir... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SEVENFOLD REPETITION OF THE CONSECRATION CEREMONIAL. (35) SEVEN DAYS SHALT THOU CONSECRATE THEM. — The number seven possessed an ideal completeness, resting on the primeval facts of creation (Genesis 1:2). It is the number almost exclusively used under the old covenant, when acts are to attain t... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT CLEANSE THE ALTAR, WHEN THOU HAST MADE AN ATONEMENT FOR IT. — Rather, _by making an atonement for it._ The atonement was made by smearing the blood of the bullock upon the horns of the altar (Exodus 29:12, compared with Leviticus 8:15). AND THOU SHALT ANOINT IT. — Comp. Leviticus 8:11, w... [ Continue Reading ]
AN ALTAR MOST HOLY. — Heb., _an altar, holiness of holinesses._ WHATSOEVER TOUCHETH THE ALTAR SHALL BE HOLY. — Rather, _must be holy;_ nothing which is not holy must touch it. The future has the force of an imperative, as in the Ten Commandments.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LAW OF THE DAILY SACRIFICE, AND THE PROMISE OF GOD’S PRESENCE. (38-42) The consecration of the altar, which took place during the consecration of the priests, was to be followed immediately by the establishment of the daily sacrifice. Two lambs were to be offered every day, one in the morning, t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TABERNACLE SHALL BE SANCTIFIED BY MY GLORY. — See Exodus 40:34; and comp. Leviticus 9:24; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Chronicles 5:13; 2 Chronicles 7:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL SANCTIFY ALSO BOTH AARON AND HIS SONS. — Something beyond the formal consecration seems to be intended. God will continually sanctify the Levitical priesthood by the presence of His Holy Spirit with them, in their ministerial acts, and even in their daily walk, if they will seek to serve Him.... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL DWELL AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — It must not be supposed that the fulfilment of this promise was effected by the mere presence of the Shechinah within the Tabernacle. It pledged God to A perpetual supervision, care, and tender protection of His people, such as we find actually exercised... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL KNOW... — _i.e.,_ My after care of them will prove me the same loving and all-powerful God whose help effected their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt.... [ Continue Reading ]