(Exodus) Exodus 29:1-9 — J. Vernon McGee

The Consecration of the Priests in Exodus 29

Now, friends, we've come in chapter 29 again to the priesthood. Last time we saw the garments that Aaron was to wear, and these were garments of glory and beauty, and that separated him from the other priests.

The Priests’ Garments and Tabernacle Service

However, he only wore those garments on special occasions, and he had garments which were just plain, simple linen clothing, and they wore that in the service of the tabernacle. But now we come in chapter 29 to the consecration of the priests and the offerings that were made at that time.

Spiritual Lessons in a Difficult Passage

Now, I'm not going to read all of this, I guarantee you. We've got 46 verses here that are not as interesting and thrilling as they might be. But this is something that I'm confident that the Spirit of God wants to use to minister to you and me.

And as we said before, this is God's A-B-C book for us, and great spiritual lessons are here for us. Now will you notice in the consecration of the priests? We have, "...and this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office.

Consecration Rests on Christ’s Finished Work

Take one young bullock and two rams without blemish," and that is the first. Consecration for a believer is actually nothing that he does, by the way. It's something God does for us, and it rests upon the finished work of Christ.

It has to rest there. And then verse 2 now,. "...and unleavened bread and cakes, unleavened, tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened, anointed with oil of wheat and flour, shalt thou make them. And thou shalt put them into one basket, bring them in the basket with the bullock and the two rams.

Washing as a Picture of Regeneration

And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle, or the congregation shall wash them with water.". Now that washing is typical of regeneration, of course. It's not by works of righteousness, which we've done, it's according to His mercy saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

And this is the washing that has to do with regeneration. Now when we see the laver, we're going to see that's a different type of washing there altogether. Now Moses is going to put the garments on Aaron.

Aaron’s Garments and the Priestly Office

"...Thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, the robe, the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod.". And verse 8,. "...thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.

Coming to God with Empty Hands

Thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them. And the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute, and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.". Now consecration actually is what God does, not what we do.

I hear so much today about consecration services where folk do something and they promise to do something. Consecration, friends, means to come to God with empty hands and let Him fill them. That's all in the world that it means.

I've promised Him big things in the past, and I've never quite made good. I don't like to think of that being consecration. It's not what I promise Him. Consecration is to come to God with empty hands, confess our weakness, our inability, and let God do the rest.

Human Weakness and Dependence on God

Watch Moses pray, and watch Elijah pray, and David pray, and Samuel pray, and in the New Testament, listen to Paul pray. And friends, you're going to find out that these men never came to God on the basis of who they are, what they're promising Him they're going to do.

I've been to these faggot services. I went to them for years, where you go in and put a little chip or a little limb on the fire, and you then give a testimony on what you're going to do. And believe me, I've heard enough promise that those faggot services to turn the world upside down, but never worked out quite like that, because actually, we friends don't have really much to offer Him, do we?

Or maybe you do. I don't. And the thing is that we come to Him with empty hands and let Him fill us. We need to recognize that, and that is the whole thing that we have here. Now, we're going to come to this again in the book of Leviticus, and when we get there, I expect to go into a little bit more detail.