What role does the "flesh of the ram" play in priestly ordination? The Context: Ordination Week at Sinai The second ram in the ordination ceremony—often called “the ram of ordination” or “consecration ram”—followed the sin offering and burnt offering (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8). Unlike the first ram, whose entire carcass was burned, this animal’s fat was placed on the altar, but its flesh was boiled and eaten by the new priests. Scripture Snapshot: God’s Command About the Flesh “Take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting Aaron and his sons are to eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. They are to eat those things by which atonement was made for them to be consecrated and ordained. No outsider may eat them, because they are holy.” (Exodus 29:31-33; cf. Leviticus 8:31-32) What the Flesh of the Ram Accomplishes • Completes the atonement: “They are to eat those things by which atonement was made for them” (v. 33). • Internalizes holiness: by eating, the priests quite literally take the sanctified sacrifice into themselves. • Creates fellowship: a covenant meal in God’s presence (cf. Exodus 24:9-11) affirms communion between the priests and the LORD. • Provides sacred sustenance: their first nourishment for ministry comes directly from God’s altar. • Draws a boundary of holiness: “No outsider may eat” (v. 33); what is holy is reserved for the consecrated alone. • Eliminates corruption: leftovers are burned (v. 34), preventing decay and underscoring the purity of the rite. Layers of Meaning in Eating the Flesh 1. Identification with the sacrifice – As the animal took their place on the altar, its flesh now becomes theirs, picturing substitution and union. 2. Sign of continual dependence – Their daily strength for service arises from the very offering that atoned for them (Deuteronomy 8:3). 3. Anticipation of greater realities – Fellowship offerings later allowed worshipers to eat part of the sacrifice (Leviticus 7). – The practice foreshadows the New Covenant fulfillment where believers “have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat” (Hebrews 13:10) and where Jesus speaks of eating His flesh (John 6:51-56). Foreshadowing the Ultimate High Priest • Christ is both priest and sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-12). • His people share in His life through symbolic eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 10:16-18). • The ordination meal prefigures the believer’s ongoing communion with the risen Lord. Living Lessons for Today • Service flows out of intimacy with God; ministry begins at His table, not merely at the workbench. • Holiness is not merely imputed; it is internalized as we “feed” on what God has provided in Christ. • Guard the sacred: what belongs to God’s altar should never be treated as common or casually shared with the world. |
    |