Exodus 29

Moses in Mount Sinai Receives God’s Revelation.

Moses In The Mountain With Yahweh For Forty Days and Nights (Exodus 25:1 to Exodus 31:18 ).

After receiving the covenant and putting it into writing Moses was called by Yahweh to go up to Him into the Mountain. The Great Overlord wished to establish the necessary protocol for His people’s approach to Him. There through revelation Moses was to be given instructions concerning the provision of a Dwellingplace for Yahweh, with all its furniture, so that they could know that He ‘dwelt among them’. This was in order to confirm to Israel His gracious intentions towards them (Exodus 25:1 to Exodus 29:46), and which will enable them to reveal their continued loyalty and concern for His holiness (Exodus 30-31).

An Earthly Dwellingplace Is To Be Prepared For Yahweh’s Convenience (Exodus 25:1 to Exodus 29:46 )

The first act is to establish a Dwellingplace among them which will be a reminder that He is their Overlord. The preparation of the Dwellingplace falls into two sections:

1). That which expresses Yahweh’s sovereign activity towards His people and His provision of atonement (Exodus 25:1 to Exodus 29:46), and at the end of it He expresses His intention to dwell among them (Exodus 29:45).

2). This is followed by the provision of the means by which they can express their loyalty to Him, and can approach Him, through their representatives, in His throne room, and at the end of this He gives them the covenant as sealed by His hand (Exodus 30:1 to Exodus 31:18).

The Sanctifying Of the Priests and The Anointing of Aaron (Exodus 29:1-37 ).

In Exodus 28:41 Moses was to anoint the priests, and consecrate and sanctify them for their ministry in the priest’s office. How this was to be done is now described. The procedures were complicated, for they had to deal with all aspects of their purification and dedication.

In the beginning the priesthood was intended to be limited to the family of Aaron. But as with many institutions its perameters would be expanded by misuse, which is evidence of the failure of Israel to be faithful to the covenant. Slackness in observing an ordinance is not necessarily evidence that it does not exist. See:

• Judges 17:5, where it is specifically stated that Micah is doing what is right in his own eyes.

• 1 Samuel 7:1, where the Ark was stored in the house of Abinadab, and his son was ‘sanctified’ in order to ‘keep the Ark of Yahweh’, although Abinadab may have been of the priestly line, which may be why his house was selected for the safe keeping of the Ark, and the purpose there was that the Ark would be protected, not used.

• 2 Samuel 8:18, where David’s sons are called ‘priests’, but as these were David’s sons they may in fact have been priests of the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4), the ancient Jerusalem priesthood, now non-sacrificing.

• 1 Kings 4:5, where Zabud is called a ‘priest’, but Zabud was a ‘priest’ as ‘ the king’s friend’, an official title, and he too may have been a priest after the order of Melchizedek, or the title may have here another meaning as king’s representative, for Zadok and Abiathar have already been declared to be the official priests of the line of Aaron.

The first part of the chapter may be analysed as follows:

a The preparation of all the offerings to make the priests holy (Exodus 29:1-3).

b The preparation of Aaron and his sons by washing with water (Exodus 29:4).

c The robing of Aaron followed by his anointing with oil (Exodus 29:5-7).

d The robing of Aaron’s sons (Exodus 29:8-9).

e The offering of an ox bull for a purification for sin offering (Exodus 29:10-14).

e The offering of the first ram as a whole burnt offering (Exodus 29:15-18).

e The offering of the second ram, the ram of consecration, with its grain offerings (Exodus 29:19-25).

d The provision of wave offerings and contribution offerings for Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:26-28).

c Provision for the passing on of Aaron’s holy garments (Exodus 29:29-30).

b Aaron and his sons to partake of the ram of consecration (Exodus 29:31-34).

a The seven day ceremony of consecration (Exodus 29:35-37).

This is then followed by provision for Israel’s future blessing.

• Provisions concerning the daily whole burnt offerings offered at the door of the Tabernacle of Meeting where Yahweh will meet with Moses and speak with him (Exodus 29:38-42).

• Yahweh will meet with the children of Israel and sanctify the door of the Tabernacle of Meeting by His glory, the Sanctuary itself and the altar, and Aaron and his sons as priests (Exodus 29:43-44).

• Yahweh will dwell among His people and they will know that He is their deliverer from Egypt and is Yahweh their God (Exodus 29:45-46).