How does Exodus 29:35 connect to New Testament teachings on priesthood and service? The Old Covenant Picture in Exodus 29:35 “Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them.” (Exodus 29:35) Seven-Day Ordination: Completeness and Consecration • Literally seven full days set the priests apart, underscoring that holy service demands total, unbroken devotion. • Daily repetition engraved God’s commands on their hearts and habits. • The number seven signals completeness (Genesis 2:2-3); the priests were fully, not partially, His. Foreshadowing Christ’s Perfect Priesthood • Hebrews 7:27—Jesus “does not need to offer sacrifices day after day… He sacrificed for sins once for all when He offered Himself.” The seven-day cycle pointed ahead to the One whose single act would achieve perfect, eternal consecration. • Hebrews 10:1—The Law was “only a shadow of the good things to come.” Exodus 29:35 is part of that shadow; the substance is Christ. • Hebrews 4:14-16—Because our High Priest has passed through the heavens, believers now approach God continually, something Aaron’s sons could only picture in type. Believers as a Royal Priesthood • 1 Peter 2:5—“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.” • 1 Peter 2:9—We are “a royal priesthood” called to “proclaim the excellencies” of Christ. • Revelation 1:5-6—Jesus “has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.” The literal ordination of Aaron’s line now finds its spiritual counterpart in every redeemed believer. Practical Service Today • Romans 12:1—Offer your bodies as “a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual service of worship.” • 1 Peter 4:10-11—Use gifts as faithful stewards so “in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” • Hebrews 10:19-22—With “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place,” draw near, cleansed and committed. Like the priests of old, we are consecrated for continual, obedient service—yet through Christ’s once-for-all work, our priesthood is both complete and empowered. Exodus 29:35’s seven-day ordination invites us to live daily in that fullness, ministering before God and in the world with wholehearted devotion. |
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