The ordination of Aaron and his sons

  

Exodus 29: 22-34

 

October17, 2024

 

The ordination of Aaron and his sons

“You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination),  and one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord.  You shall put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.  Then you shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the Lord. It is a food offering to the Lord.

 “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion.  And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests' portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron's and his sons.  It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them.  The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, shall wear them seven days.

“You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.  And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting.  They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy.  And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remains until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

As you read this, what comes into your mind?  I once more thought about Moses on that mountain with Joshua, and all the details that God had required him to do and remember.  And my mind went to God changes not verse found in Malachi 3:6: "I, the LORD, do not change"; and Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" 

People also do not change concerning Romans 3:21-24, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

We all enter the world with a sin problem, and we are condemned by the Law of God, but in Christ Jesus, we can experience the righteousness of God manifested apart from the law.  It is a verse many have read on paper, and an “In-N-Out Burger” comes in.  But it is also found in the Bible, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Is that not the best news one can hear, that your creator loves you and has allowed His Son, His only Son, to take your guilt and sins to the Cross, and His blood covers all sin?  

Now you do recall we show up on planet Earth with this sin problem, and its main focus is to get our needs met in our ability. Many will look to religion to make them ok with God.  Many have not only joined churches, but have become active in Bible studies, and even become teachers or preachers.  Does that work?  Not according to the Word of God, look at Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”  Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

The apostle Paul, talking to the Church in Philippi, found in Philippians 3:8-12,  ^“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

 

That describes me up to the age of 26 years, a Baptist, a tither to some degree, who was doing everything I could to look good, but was getting my needs met outside of Jesus.  We are told that the agents who look for counterfeit money study the real thing.  That was how I came to know Christ, by attending a Bible study with 5 men who not only love Jesus but have Him living in them.  I knew a lot about Jesus being in church since birth and believed He was God's only Son, born of a virgin, and died for the sins of all people.  But it was when I was exposed to the real thing that I saw that I was the counterfeit, one foot in the world, and I put my hope in Church membership.  

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice