How can we apply the principles of consecration in Exodus 29:23 today? Reading the Verse Exodus 29:23: “Also take one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD.” What Was Happening - Moses is preparing Aaron and his sons for priestly service. - Three kinds of unleavened bread are singled out, then waved before the LORD with portions of the ram (vv. 24–25). - Unleavened = purity; oil = anointing; wafer = humility and submission. Timeless Principles of Consecration 1. Separation from sin – Leaven pictures sin’s spread (1 Corinthians 5:7–8). – Consecration starts with a clean break from compromise. 2. Dependence on the Spirit – Oil points to the Spirit’s enabling (Zechariah 4:6; Acts 10:38). – Service must flow from Spirit-empowered life, not mere willpower. 3. Whole-person surrender – Three distinct breads show every part of life offered together. – Romans 12:1 calls us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. 4. Open-handed availability – The priests literally held the offering in open palms. – God still looks for hands ready to serve (Isaiah 6:8). 5. Joyful fellowship – Portions were later eaten in God’s presence (Exodus 29:32–33). – Consecration ushers us into shared communion (John 15:11). Living It Today • Clean out the “yeast” – Regular self-examination and confession (1 John 1:9). – Remove influences that feed impurity. • Welcome the oil – Begin each day asking the Spirit to fill and guide (Galatians 5:25). – Depend on Him before every task—parenting, teaching, serving. • Offer your hands – Open your palms and tell the Lord everything you are is His. – Keep a list of time, talents, and possessions you can “wave” before Him. • Walk in humility – Choose unnoticed tasks (Mark 10:45). – Accept correction without defensiveness. • Celebrate fellowship – Guard the Lord’s Table as a weekly reminder of priestly calling (1 Corinthians 11:26). – Share meals with believers, talking about God’s work. Promises to Hold - “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood” (1 Pt 2:9). - “If anyone cleanses himself… he will be a vessel for honor” (2 Titus 2:21). - “He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Putting It Together Consecration is decisive and daily: purity, Spirit-dependence, surrender, humility, and fellowship. When we place the “bread, cake, and wafer” of our ordinary lives before the Lord, we step into the privilege of a holy priesthood—and discover the joy of belonging wholly to Him. |
    |