What connections exist between Exodus 29:31 and New Testament teachings on priesthood? Exodus 29:31—A Sacred Meal in a Holy Place “You are to take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.” Why the Boiled Ram Matters • The ram’s flesh is cooked, not burned, so the priests may eat—signaling fellowship, not just sacrifice. • It is prepared “in a holy place,” stressing separation from common use. • Only ordained priests may partake, highlighting a set-apart priesthood. Foreshadowing Christ’s Perfect Sacrifice • A single animal devoted to consecration anticipates the single, all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12). • As the ram’s life sets the priests apart, Christ’s blood eternally sanctifies all who trust Him (Hebrews 10:10). • John 1:29 calls Jesus “the Lamb of God,” linking every sacrificial animal to Him. Eating the Ordination Meat—Participation and Communion • Priests internalize what has died for them; believers now “partake” of Christ by faith (John 6:53-56). • The meal bonds priests together; today we are “one body” because we “partake of the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Priestly Fellowship and the Lord’s Table • Exodus 29:31 points forward to the New-Covenant meal where Jesus said, “This is My body…do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24-26). • Both meals celebrate completed sacrifice and ongoing service. Consecration in a Holy Place—Fulfilled in Us • The priests ate in the tabernacle; now the “holy place” is the believer’s own body, “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). • Hebrews 13:10 affirms we have an altar from which only the faithful may eat—spiritual access replacing physical location. Jesus Our Great High Priest • Hebrews 4:14-16—He passes through the heavens to represent us. • Hebrews 5:9-10—Appointed “in the order of Melchizedek,” He is both sacrifice and priest. • His once-for-all offering renders further animal ordinations obsolete. Believers as a Royal Priesthood • 1 Peter 2:5—“A holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices.” • 1 Peter 2:9—“A chosen people, a royal priesthood.” • Revelation 1:6; 5:10—We are made “priests to His God.” • Like Aaron’s sons, we live on what the sacrifice provides, but our nourishment is Christ Himself. Key Connections Summarized • Both Exodus 29:31 and the New Testament center priestly life on a provided sacrifice. • The ordained priests’ meal prefigures believers feeding on Christ by faith and at the Lord’s Table. • “Holy place” shifts from tabernacle courts to the indwelt hearts of God’s people. • Jesus fulfills and surpasses the ordination ritual, making every redeemed person a priest who serves out of continual fellowship with the once-slain, now-living Lamb. |
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