2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

April 18, 2018

Exodus  29:15-28

1. Verses 15-18. We recall that God told Moses that he should not only brings bulls to be sacrificed, but rams as well. In this verse, Moses is instructed how to sacrifice the first ram. This first ram was an offering to the Lord for the sins of Aaron and his Sons. Moses would do this sacrifice once to consecrate Aaron and His sons, and after it was done, the priest would then do all the other sacrifices. Moses functions as a type of “Christ” who makes a sacrifice for others to become priests unto God. Prior to this, Moses was the one hearing from God, now Aaron and his sons will become mediators for the Lord as well. Before sacrificing the animal, Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram signifying that the ram was taking their sins. Confessing their sins, acknowledging their guilt, and by this act transferring the sin to the ram, which was to be a burnt offering, an offering totally consumed by fire. A burnt offering meant to be a “It is a sweet savor”: Or “a smell of rest,” in which God acquiesces, and rests, and takes delight and pleasure. Or a sweet-smelling savor; which phrase the apostle makes use of, and applies to the sacrifice of Christ (Eph. 5:2). We see in this; the altar being cleansed by the blood. Aaron and his sons had transferred their sins to this ram when they laid their hands upon his head. The blood being received into a basin, it was not to be put upon the altar with the finger, as the blood of the bullock mentioned last week. But was to be sprinkled probably with a bunch of hyssop, round about upon the altar, on the top and sides. The ram was cut into pieces, and the inner parts washed and the pieces arranged on the woodpile on the altar to be burnt. These washed parts are a picture of Christ being offered up and the water flowing over the inner parts was pictured when Christ was stabbed and water and blood ran out. The water and blood are symbols of atonement and washing. (John 4, John 19:31-34).

2. Verses 19-21. Now Moses was instructed to take the other ram and sacrifice it. In the same manner, Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of this ram as well. Dabbing blood on the right ear, hand, and big toe symbolically sanctified the ear to hear the Word of God, the hand to do the work of God, and the foot to walk in the way of God. The putting of the blood on the right ear was to consecrate the hearing. These hearers would be very careful what came into this being. Believers’ ears have been purchased by the shed blood of Jesus. We should not listen to anything that would not be pleasing unto God. By the shed blood of Jesus, we have ears that have been set aside to hear only the things of God. The right hand throughout Scripture indicates power. The priestly hand had been consecrated to handle gifts of the temple. They were told of God to touch no unclean thing. Putting the blood on the great toe of the right foot can only mean that our every step should be guided by God. We should not ever go anywhere that we could not take the Lord. I believe this is telling us that the path of righteousness is to be the day-by-day walk of the Christian: a separated walk, a consecrated walk, a walk Jesus can go with you. The twofold sprinkling on the clothes, with blood and with oil, denoted the necessity of a twofold holiness; that of justification by the atoning blood of Christ, and that of sanctification by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The anointing which is here spoken of seems to have been the only anointing received by the sons of Aaron (See Lev. 8:30). Here, we see not only the body consecrated, but everything that belonged to him. God is not only desiring consecration on the inside, but consecration on the outside.

3. Verses 22-26: The “wave offering” was waved back and forth between the altar and the priest, signaling it was a gift to the Lord. Then those items were burned on the altar, except the “breast of the ram,” which was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons. In this way, the Hebrew people contributed to the work of the Lord. The “heave offering “or presented offering was something held out before the Lord; it was not tossed. The parts that were presented or heaved/lifted up were the fat of the hindquarters, and the fat of the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, the fat from the thigh and shoulder, as well as bread made without yeast. These were placed in the hands of Aaron and his sons, Moses was to put his own hands beneath theirs, and to make a waving motion towards the four quarters of the sky, thus presenting the offerings to God. Their hands were now filled with God's work. They lifted this offering for God's inspection. This handling and waving of the offering was not only an inspection of the offering; but also the High priest and priest needed to see if this was worthy to approach the Lord with. For the future, in every case of offerings made at a consecration, both the breast and the right shoulder (Lev.7:32), were to be given to the officiating priest, who was to “wave” the one and “heave” the other before the Lord. “Heaving” was a single movement; an uplifting of the thing heaved. “Waving” was a repeated movement, a swaying of the thing waved backwards and forwards horizontally. Both were modes of presenting the thing to God. This was waved before the Lord; shown for approval. After the wave offering the pieces of meat are to be burned on the altar. This fat and insides of the ram put off a sweet savor to the Lord as it burned. This would be totally burned up. Aaron and his sons thus performed their first priestly act, as passive instruments in Moses’ hands, by his muscular energy. Until this time, Aaron and his sons had been just standing there while Moses was doing the ceremonial things. Now Moses was placing this in Aaron's and his sons‘ hands. From this point on, Aaron and his sons would be doing the ceremonial things in the tabernacle. Now we see Aaron and his sons putting the offering on the altar to burn. This was a willful act upon their part. They had now accepted their responsibility and were carrying out their service to God.

4. Verses 27-28. God instructs that certain parts of the peace offering are for the priest. The servant of God was to live off the offerings in the temple. God was teaching Aaron and his sons that very thing here. These parts, the breast and thigh of the ram, were for the high priest and his sons. They were to be busy doing the Lord's work and had no time to work outside the temple. Their daily priestly duties would occupy their time so they relied on this meal. (1 Cor. 9:13). The people would eat part of the sacrifice and the priest would eat the other. The fat and blood are offered to God and the breast and the right thigh are given to the priest, the rest of the sacrificial animal is left for the one who presented the peace offering to eat. Thus, after the offering of the fat portions on the altar, the Israelite would eat a meal, partaking of the portions of the sacrificial animal which remained. This was a peace offering or a fellowship offering, and was the only sacrifice of which the Israelite could eat, every time the Israelite wanted to eat meat for dinner, he had to offer a Peace Offering. The Peace Offering could be eaten on the day it was sacrificed, or on the day after, but not on the third day. To eat this sacrificial meat on the third day would have serious consequences (Lev. 19:5-8), most likely God has this for sanitary reasons. The Lord's Table, or Communion, is, in large measure, the New Testament version of the Peace Offering festive meal. The Peace Offering sacrifice is not offered, for our Peace Offering is Christ, who died once for all, to make peace between men and God, and between men and men. The celebration goes on, however, and so in the communion service we are reminded of our unity with others, as well as our unity with God (1 Cor. 10:16-17). The early church manifested its life and fellowship by sharing meals from “house to house” (Acts 2:46). In the offering of the Peace Offering, the Israelite was benefited by the peace of knowing and experiencing God’s forgiveness. In fact, it was more than this. God's anger was not just appeased, God was no longer angry with the people, His favor was with them. There is the sense in which Christ's death appeased (propitiated) God's anger, but the “Peace Offering” aspect of Christ’s work went beyond this. Because of Christ, God is no longer angry with the one who has identified with Him by faith, He is favorably disposed to Him. And because this is true, we can experience the inner peace that comes from knowing God's favor is directed toward us. Just as our love for God is reflected in a love for man, so our “peace with God” also manifests itself in a peace with men (Eph. 2:11-22).

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