Exodus 29

Exodus 29 establishes the ritual consecration of Aaron and his sons into the priestly office and institutes the daily burnt offering (the Tamid). It prescribes the purification and clothing of the priests, the specific sacrificial procedures, and the promise of God to dwell in the midst of Israel.

• Preparation and washing of the priests at the Tabernacle entrance (1-4).
• The ritual clothing and anointing of Aaron and his sons (5-9).
• The sequential sacrifices: the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the ram of consecration (10-28).
• The seven-day process of consecrating the priests and the altar (29-37).
• Establishment of the perpetual daily burnt offering and the divine promise of God's presence (38-46).

• One bullock and two rams
• Unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers
• Blood applied to the ear, thumb, and great toe
• Seven-day cycle of consecration
• Daily morning and evening sacrifice

This chapter defines the standard of holiness required to approach Yahweh and the mediatorial structure of the covenant; Matthew Henry observes that this consecration signifies the admission of a sinner into the spiritual priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable through Jesus Christ, the ultimate High Priest.

God establishes the means by which His priests are set apart (קָדַשׁ) for service, demonstrating that access to His presence is contingent upon atonement and complete consecration to His word and work.

The text moves from the induction of specific mediators (Aaron and sons) into their office to the establishment of perpetual relational structures (the daily sacrifice and God's indwelling), grounding the priesthood in the covenant.

• I will meet you, to speak there unto thee (v42)
• I will meet with the children of Israel (v43)
• I will dwell among the children of Israel (v45)
• I will be their God (v45-46)

• Wash them with water (v4)
• Put the garments upon Aaron (v5)
• Put the blood upon the tip of the right ear (v20)
• Offer every day a bullock for a sin offering (v36)
• Offer two lambs of the first year day by day continually (v38)

• A stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy (v33)
• If ought of the flesh of the consecrations... remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder (v34)

• The transition from the patriarchal model of priesthood to the formal Levitical priesthood under the Mosaic Covenant.
• The necessity of ritual purity in the presence of the Holy One of Israel.

• Clothing and garments signaled identity and office in the Ancient Near East.
• Washing (רָחַץ) was a common ritual act to signify transition from a secular to a sacred state.

• Follows the instructions for the Tabernacle (Ex 25-27) and the garments (Ex 28).
• This chapter provides the preparatory instructions for the events that are later performed in Leviticus 8.

• Reflects the requirement of blood for the forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22).
• Points to Christ as the perfect High Priest who was 'consecrated' through sufferings and offered Himself as the one-time, perpetual sacrifice (Heb 10).

• The 'continual' (Tamid) sacrifice is referenced throughout the Prophets (e.g., Dan 8:11, 11:31) as the central act of Israel's covenant worship.

• קָדַשׁ (H6942) - Consecrate/Hallow: To be made clean, distinct, and set apart for sacred use.
• עָשָׂה (H6213) - Do/Make: Frequently used to denote the careful execution of the ritual law.
• מוֹעֵד (H4150) - Meeting/Appointed time: The Tabernacle is the place of the 'tent of meeting,' denoting an appointed place where God committed to encounter His people.

• The 'sin offering' (v36) is applied to the altar itself, suggesting that even objects in the presence of a holy God require atonement because they exist within a fallen creation.
• The specific order of blood application—ear, hand, foot—represents the consecration of the priest's entire life and movement.

• While the necessity of the 'seven days' is clear as a period of full consecration, the specific mechanics of how the altar (inanimate) receives 'atonement' is a point of theological reflection on the holiness of God vs. the impurity of the world.