How does Exodus 29:3 connect to New Testament teachings on priesthood? Setting the Scene in Exodus 29:3 • “Put these into one basket and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.” (Exodus 29:3) • The basket held three kinds of unleavened bread (vv. 2–3). • The bull served as a sin offering; the two rams were for the burnt offering and the ordination offering (vv. 10–28). • All were presented together as Aaron and his sons were set apart for priestly service. Prophetic Hints of a Greater High Priest • The whole scene foreshadows a future Priest who would both offer and be the perfect sacrifice. • Hebrews 4:14 calls Jesus “a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens.” • Hebrews 7:26-27 notes that, unlike Aaron’s line, He “does not need to offer daily sacrifices… He offered Himself once for all.” • The literal, detailed consecration points ahead to a literal, once-for-all fulfillment in Christ. The Basket and the Bread—Foreshadowing Christ’s Body • Unleavened bread pictures sinlessness; Christ says, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). • Oil mixed in (v. 2) mirrors the Spirit’s anointing on Jesus (Luke 4:18). • In the Lord’s Supper, bread still testifies: “This is My body, which is for you” (1 Colossians 11:24). • One basket gathered all the loaves—an early glimpse of the unified body of Christ (1 Colossians 10:17). The Bull and Rams—Pointing to the Final Sacrifice • The bull dealt with sin; 2 Corinthians 5:21 affirms, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” • The first ram was wholly burnt, symbolizing total devotion; Ephesians 5:2 says Christ “gave Himself up… a fragrant sacrificial offering.” • The second ram’s blood marked the priests’ right ear, thumb, and toe (v. 20), setting apart hearing, serving, and walk—fulfilled as Jesus sanctifies every part of the believer (1 Thessalonians 5:23). • Hebrews 10:10 concludes, “We have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” From Aaron’s Sons to All Believers—The Expanded Priesthood • Old Covenant priesthood was limited to one family; the New Covenant extends it to every believer. • 1 Peter 2:5: “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 2:9; Revelation 5:10 echo the same truth—we are now the consecrated priests. • What Aaron’s sons entered by animal blood, we enter by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:19-22). Living Out Our Consecration Today • Romans 12:1 urges us to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” • Hebrews 13:15-16 spells out the offerings: – Praise—the “fruit of lips that confess His name.” – Good works and generous sharing. • Because Jesus is both our High Priest and sacrifice, the entire Exodus 29 scene moves from an ancient tent to everyday Christian life—every meal, every act of service, every word of worship now takes place “in the basket” with the perfect Offering who unites and sanctifies His priests forever. |
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