The Consecration of the Priesthood

The Consecration of the Priesthood

The consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests of Israel takes place in Exodus 29. After giving the instructions regarding the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25–27) and the priestly vestments (Exodus 28), the Lord gives the instructions on how to consecrate the priests for their office. God appoint his servants, consecrates them to do His will. To be consecrated as a priest, one did not need to aspire to join this profession since God himself called the people to serve Him as priests. Consecration happened on Mount Sinai soon after the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. God was making Israel a covenant community and through the priesthood the people were going to maintain fellowship with God under the Mosaic Covenant. The consecration ceremony indicates that sinful men cannot serve a holy God unless God provides grace. Through the ordination ritual, God appoints the regular Levites as covenant mediators, rather than because they are somehow superior beings. All aspects of this ceremony point to Jesus, the great High Priest. His priesthood is greater than that of Aaron.

 

Preparation and Consecration of the Priests

These elements used during consecration collectively symbolized cleansing, atonement, dedication, and divine empowerment. The consecration required: a young bull, two spotless rams, unleavened bread, unleavened cakes, unleavened wafers, washing with water, priestly garments, and anointing with oil.

Washing with Water: Before wearing the sacred garments, Aaron and his sons were washed.

And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water (Exodus 29:4)

The washing symbolized purification from impurity before entering God's service. Ezekiel extends this imagery from ceremonial cleansing to spiritual renewal. What was outwardly symbolized in Exodus becomes inwardly accomplished through God's transforming work [Ezekiel 36:25–27; Titus 3:5]. The priestly washing prefigures the spiritual cleansing believers receive through salvation in Christ. After washing, Aaron was clothed with the garments, cleansing came before clothing. God first removed impurity before clothing His servant with symbols of holiness. Just as Aaron received holy garments after cleansing, believers receive Christ's righteousness after being cleansed by grace [Isaiah 61:10].

 

Anointing with Oil

Moses poured anointing oil upon Aaron's head, oil throughout Scripture symbolizes: the Holy Spirit, divine appointment, empowerment, and consecration. The oil did not make Aaron holy in itself, it represented God's enabling presence for ministry [Psalm 133:2; Acts 10:38]. Aaron's anointing prefigures Christ's anointing by the Holy Spirit at the beginning of His earthly ministry.

 

The Sin Offering

The first sacrifice made was the bull used as a sin offering. Aaron and his sons laid hands on the head of the bull. The laying of hands signified the death of the bull on behalf of the priests. Blood was sprinkled on the horns of the altar, and the rest was poured at the base of the altar. The carcass of the bull was burnt outside the camp.

But the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering (Exodus 29:14).

For the priests to be able to intercede before God for others, it was imperative that they were first reconciled for their own sins. It showed the people of Israel that the mediator was himself a sinner. Christ is without sin He does not need to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins [Hebrews 7:27].

 

The Burnt Offering

The first ram became the burnt offering, unlike the sin offering, the entire animal was consumed upon the altar. This represented: complete surrender, total dedication, and wholehearted devotion.

Nothing was retained, everything belonged to God.

And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord (Exodus 29:18).

Believers no longer offer animal sacrifices but offer themselves entirely to God's service. The burnt offering illustrates complete consecration [Romans 12:1].

 

The Ram of Consecration

The second ram completed the ordination ceremony. Its blood was placed upon: the right ear, the right thumb, and the right big toe. The Blood on the Ear: represents hearing. The priest must first listen to God's voice [John 10:27]. Effective ministry begins with obedience to God's Word. Blood on the Thumb: symbolizes work, everything the priest did must be consecrated [Colossians 3:23]. Christian service should reflect God's holiness. Blood on the Toe: The foot represents one's walk.

The priest's daily life belonged to God [Ephesians 4:1]. Consecration affects every aspect of life. Sprinkling Oil and Blood: Oil and blood were sprinkled together, blood represents redemption, while oil represents the Holy Spirit. Oil and blood, together symbolized that true ministry depends both upon forgiveness and divine empowerment.

 

Seven Days of Consecration

The consecration lasted seven days, symbolizing completion. Each day new sacrifices were offered, and the altar itself was also consecrated [Leviticus 8]. Leviticus records the historical fulfillment, while Exodus gives the command. Consecration of the Altar: the altar itself required purification, to demonstrate how profoundly sin affected creation. Everything associated with worship required sanctification. Believers now possess a better altar through Christ [Hebrews 13:10].

 

The Daily Burnt Offerings

God commanded the priest to offer: two lambs every day, one in the morning and the other one in the evening. This continual sacrifice maintained covenant fellowship. This continual offering taught Israel: dependence upon God's grace, continual worship, and continual atonement. The daily sacrifices became a permanent national practice [Numbers 28:3–8].

 

The holy garments of Aaron were to be passed to his sons after him, so that they could be consecrated and serve as priests.

Exodus 29:29 — The importance of Aaron's priestly garments

Significance	Explanation
1. Symbol of priestly office	Aaron's garments identified him as the high priest. He did not approach God merely as an ordinary Israelite; he approached in a divinely appointed office (Exodus 28:1–4).
2. Symbol of holiness	The garments were described as “holy garments” (Exodus 28:2). They represented the consecrated character required of someone serving before God.
3. Symbol of divine appointment	Aaron did not design or claim the priestly office for himself. God prescribed the garments and appointed Aaron and his sons to priestly service. The garments therefore represented God-given authority, rather than personal status.
4. Continuity of the priesthood	Exodus 29:29 specifically states that the garments would be worn by Aaron's sons after him. The priesthood was therefore not intended to end with Aaron but to continue through succeeding generations.
5. Transmission of office	The garments symbolized the transfer and continuation of priestly responsibility. When a successor wore the sacred garments, he assumed the responsibilities associated with the priestly office.
6. Representation of Israel before God	The high priest represented the people before God. This is especially visible in the breastpiece, which contained the names of the twelve tribes (Exodus 28:29). Aaron therefore did not minister merely for himself; he represented the covenant community.
7. Separation from ordinary service	The distinctive garments distinguished the priest from the rest of Israel and visually communicated that priestly service was sacred and set apart.
8. Beauty and dignity	God instructed that the garments be made “for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). The priest's appearance was therefore intended to communicate the dignity and seriousness of approaching God.
9. Reminder of responsibility	The garments were not simply decorations. They reminded the priest that he carried a sacred responsibility on behalf of God and His people.
10. Symbol of succession	Exodus 29:29 establishes an important biblical principle: the office continues even though the individual office-holder changes. Aaron would eventually die, but the priestly ministry would continue through his descendants.

The progression: Aaron → Holy garments → Anointing → Consecration → Priestly ministry → Successor. The successor did not simply inherit clothing; he inherited a sacred responsibility and office.

God's Desire to Dwell Among His People

This is the central purpose of Exodus is God dwelling among His people. The Tabernacle existed so that God could dwell among His redeemed people, and every sacrifice ultimately served this greater covenant purpose.

I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God (Exodus 29:45).

Christ Is the Perfect High Priest [Hebrews 4:14–16]. Jesus ministers in the heavenly sanctuary. Unlike Aaron: He never sinned, He never required cleansing, He never needed sacrifices for Himself. Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice: Hebrews 10:10–14. Christ offered Himself, once, completely, and forever. The repeated sacrifices of Exodus anticipated Christ's once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. Believers Become a Royal Priesthood [1 Peter 2:9]. The priestly calling is now extended to all who belong to Christ. Every believer has direct access to God through the Great High Priest.

George G. Ruheni, PhD.