January 8, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in some Exodus? Here’s today’s reading:
Exodus 29 (NIV)
Consecration of the Priests
1“This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. 2 And from the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil......Continue Reading
So I could never be more grateful for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as I am undeserving and I could never get heaven to be united with Christ without that sacrifice but after reading this chapter there are so many more reasons to be grateful! The graphic nature of animal sacrifice that Jesus’ death eliminated the need for was difficult to read I couldn’t imagine having to do it!
So much blood and God did not lack for detail in this process as He has not in any other part of this process of building the temple and ordaining the priests .
Exodus 29
It makes perfect sense that the priests would be purified to serve the Lord and represent the people before God. Blood must be spilled for the forgiving of sins and therefore sacrifices were made and the blood was spread to make atonement for the priests. So Aaron would be holy before God not because of the plate of gold on his turban but because of these sacrifices and the cleansing involved. And I always like when God talks about the burning of sacrifices being a pleasing aroma, because it is pleasing to me as well…so I get why He says that. But I imagine for God it is not the smell that is most important, but what the sacrifice accomplishes in making His people right with Him.
And the final verse shows that everything must be consecrated so God can dwell in the tabernacle and the people therefore will know that He is God. What a great foreshadowing for the sacrifice of Christ that will give everyone a chance to be cleansed and have direct access to God. All praise to God the Father for making the plan and to Jesus for sacrificing Himself for us!
Exodus 29
Exodus 28, 29
All I could think of was, “what a mess!” I wonder if this mode of thinking is somewhat Pagan.
What if our thinking was that when we are sprinkled with blood, we are actually clean?
This made me think of Hebrews where it says that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Exodus 29
2“For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; 43there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.
44“So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.