Exodus 29

The text moves from the specific ordination of the human mediators (Aaron and his sons) to the broader daily ritual that sustains the presence of the Lord in the camp, indicating that the priesthood exists primarily to maintain this relationship.

• I will meet you, to speak there unto thee (v. 42).
• I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons (v. 44).
• I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God (v. 45).

• Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish (v. 1).
• Wash them with water (v. 4).
• Put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre (v. 6).
• Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram (v. 32).
• Thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering (v. 36).

• A stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy (v. 33).
• It shall not be eaten, because it is holy (v. 34).

• The instructions were given while Israel was encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai.
• The priesthood and its rituals were designed to differentiate Israel's worship from the surrounding pagan cultures of the ancient Near East, which also utilized priesthoods and sacrifices but served different deities.

• The role of the priest (כָּהַן [H3547]) involved not just administrative duties but also the physical handling of sacrifices, requiring a specific status of ritual purity.
• The 'wave offering' and 'heave offering' reflect specific culinary and sacrificial gestures known in the ANE, re-purposed for the worship of Yahweh.

• This chapter follows the instructions for the Tabernacle (Exodus 25-27) and the priestly garments (Exodus 28); it is followed by the instruction for the altar of incense (Exodus 30).
• The narrative of these instructions is carried out in Leviticus 8.

• The concept of the 'continual burnt offering' prefigures the New Testament reality of Christ's ongoing intercession.
• Matthew Henry observes that the daily sacrifice typified the continual intercession which Christ ever lives to make for His church, though he notes that while Christ offered himself once, the OT pattern was a daily repetition.
• There is a long-standing theological debate regarding the extent to which these OT priestly rites serve as a structural template for later church offices vs. their function as a typological shadow fulfilled entirely in the person and work of Christ (Hebrews 7-10).

• The promise in v. 45 ('I will dwell among the children of Israel') echoes the covenantal promise given in Exodus 25:8.
• Hebrews 10:1-12 implicitly references the insufficiency of the OT sacrifices described here, contrasting them with the 'once for all' sacrifice of Christ.

• The verb קָדַשׁ [H6942] ('consecrate') is central to the chapter, denoting the transition of an object or person from a common state to one set apart for God’s exclusive use.
• The term פַּר [H6499] ('bull') suggests 'breaking forth in wild strength', highlighting the animal's suitability for the heavy duty of an atonement sacrifice.
• The term תָּמִים [H8549] ('without blemish') is a key technical requirement for sacrificial animals, signifying entireness or moral integrity, pointing toward the perfection required in that which approaches God.

• The precise ritual of applying blood to the right ear, thumb, and toe serves as a symbolic act of consecrating the priest's hearing (ear), his service/work (thumb), and his walk/path (toe), dedicating his whole life to the service of God.
• The contrast between what is offered to God (the fat and inwards) and what is consumed by the priests (the remainder) illustrates the fellowship established through the sacrifice.

• While the procedure is explicit, scholars sometimes debate the precise timing of the 'morning' and 'evening' offerings regarding the Hebrew calendar definition of a 'day', though it is generally understood as the transition points of the sun.