Today I was reading in Exodus 29 about the ordination of Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. The previous chapters detail at length the prescribed dress for the priests who serve in the Tabernacle. Exodus 29 outlines the laborious, costly, and frankly bloody ordination service that would last a week. At least ten animals were sacrificed during this week long ordination, probably (on my reading) twenty-four animals: a bull and two rams, plus one bull a day for seven days, plus two lambs per day for seven days. It’s incredible, and reminds what a big deal the priesthood was – huge privilege and huge responsibility.
On this side of Christ first advent, we (believers) are all priests. The apostle Peter writes, “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5). This too is an incredible privilege, and an awesome responsibility. We don’t feel the weight of it as much as Aaron and his sons did, in part, because we don’t see the sacrifices offered to consecrate us. But a great sacrifice was made, far greater the twenty-four head of livestock. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is an atoning sacrifice, but a consecrating one too. By it, we are made holy unto the Lord and consecrated for service. DW
