Why is it important that only priests eat the offerings in Exodus 29:33? The Setting Exodus 29 describes the week-long ordination of Aaron and his sons. After the ram of ordination is slain, portions are placed in the priests’ hands and then burned on the altar. What remains—the breast and the thigh—becomes their meal inside the tabernacle court. The Text Itself “They are to eat these things by which atonement was made for them to ordain and consecrate them. But no outsider may eat them, because they are sacred.” Why Only Priests May Eat—Key Reasons • Holy status of the food – “because they are sacred” (v. 33). What touches the altar becomes “most holy” (Exodus 29:37; Leviticus 6:17). Once something is set apart to God, only those likewise set apart may handle or consume it (Leviticus 22:10-15). – Sharing it with a non-priest would profane what God declared holy (Leviticus 10:10). • Atonement and identification – The meat represents the very sacrifice that “made atonement for them” (v. 33). Consumption seals the personal identification of the priest with the sacrifice; an outsider has no part in that atonement (cf. Leviticus 7:6). • Ordination meal = covenant fellowship – Ancient covenants were confirmed by a shared meal (Exodus 24:9-11). Eating within the sanctuary shows fellowship between God and His newly installed mediators. Allowing outsiders in would blur the covenant roles. • Protecting the laity – God’s holiness can consume the unprepared (Leviticus 10:1-2; 2 Samuel 6:6-7). Restricting access safeguards the people from judgment brought on by casual handling of holy things (Numbers 18:3). • Upholding God-given distinctions – Priest vs. layman, clean vs. unclean, holy vs. common (Leviticus 11:44-47). These borders teach Israel about God’s transcendence and the need for mediation (Hebrews 9:6-7). • Typological pointer to Christ – Only priests eat now, but in the New Covenant all believers become “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). Through Christ, the one perfect sacrifice, every believer shares the greater holy meal—His body and blood (Hebrews 13:10; 1 Corinthians 10:16-18). The restriction in Exodus magnifies the privilege later granted in Jesus. Lessons for Today • God takes holiness seriously; what He sets apart remains His. • Ministry begins with personal participation in the atonement, not mere ritual. • Clear boundaries around God’s things protect both leaders and people. • Restrictions in the Law highlight the surpassing access granted through Christ, calling believers to live as consecrated priests in daily life (Romans 12:1). |
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