God commanded that the high priest and his sons participate in a public consecration service that would set them apart as God’s servants. There were at least seven stages in this service.
The priests were washed (Ex. 29:4; Lev. 8:6). Moses gathered the materials that were needed for the ordination service and brought Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle. The erecting of the tabernacle isn’t described until Exodus 40, but it appears that the dedication of the tabernacle and the consecration of the priests occurred on the same day (vv. 12–15).
Sin is pictured by many images in the Bible, such as disease (Isa. 1:4–6), darkness (1 John 1:5–10), drowning (Ps. 130:1–4), and even death (Eph. 2:1, 5; John 5:24), but frequently it’s pictured as dirt and defilement (Isa. 1:16, 18; Jer. 4:14; 2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 9:14; James 1:21; 4:8). When Aaron and his sons were washed all over, it was symbolic of complete cleansing from the Lord. They didn’t have to be bathed all over again; all they had to do was cleanse their hands and feet at the laver. “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean,” said Jesus (John 13: niv). Those who have trusted Christ have experienced this inward cleansing from the Lord (1 Cor. 6:9–11).
The priests were clothed (Ex. 29:5–6, 8–9, 29–30; Lev. 8:7–9, 13). Moses clothed his brother with the garments we’ve been studying, and he also clothed Aaron’s sons with their linen tunics and bonnets. These were their official “uniforms” and they dared not minister in the tabernacle dressed in other garments.
In Scripture, the wearing of garments is a picture of the character and life of the believer. We’re to lay aside the filthy garments of the old life and wear the beautiful “garments of grace” provided by the Lord (Eph. 4:17–32; Col. 3:1–15). Christ has taken away our dirty rags and given us a robe of righteousness that He purchased for us on the cross (Isa. 61:10; 2 Cor. 5:17, 21).
The priests were anointed (Ex. 29:7, 21; Lev. 8:10–12, 30). This special oil (Ex. 30:22–33) was used only to anoint the priests and the tabernacle and its furnishings. In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed; it was a symbol that God had granted them the Holy Spirit for power and service (Luke 4:17–19; Isa. 61:1–3). Moses poured the oil on his brother’s head, which meant it ran down his beard and therefore bathed all the stones on the breastplate. What a beautiful picture of unity in the Lord (Ps. 133:2)! “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!” (Num. 11:29)
Those who trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord have received an anointing of the Spirit of God (1 John 2:20, 27; 2 Cor. 1:21–22). John’s emphasis is on the teaching ministry of the Spirit in guiding the believer into the truth of the Word of God. Paul’s emphasis is on encouragement and stability: we have been anointed and sealed by the Spirit, and the Spirit is the “down payment” of future glory. If God has anointed us, sealed us, and given us a foretaste of heaven, then why should we despair or feel that He will ever desert us?
The priests were forgiven (Ex. 29:10–14). A bull was slain as a sin offering (Lev. 4; 8:14–17) to atone for the sins of the priests. This sacrifice was repeated each day for a week (Ex. 29:36–37), not only for the cleansing of the priests but also for the sanctifying of the altar where the priests would be ministering. Jesus Christ is our sin offering and through Him alone we find forgiveness (Isa. 53:4–6, 12; Matt. 26:28; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Rev. 1:5–6).
The priests were completely dedicated to God (Ex. 29:15–18; Lev. 8:18–21). In the sacrifice of the burnt offering, the animal was completely given to the Lord, a picture of total dedication (Lev. 1). Our Lord gave Himself fully and without reservation, not only in His ministry before the cross, but in His willing sacrifice of Himself on the cross. The high priest and his associates were expected to devote themselves wholly to the work of the ministry and to make it the uppermost concern of their hearts. Christians today need to meditate on Romans 12:1–2 and 1 Timothy 4:15.
The story is frequently told about a British committee that was considering inviting evangelist D. L. Moody to their city for a campaign. When a pastor spoke glowingly of Moody’s ministry, a member of the committee asked rather flippantly, “Why must we have Moody? Does he have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?”
“No,” replied the pastor, “but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on him.”
The priests were marked by the blood (Ex. 29:19–22; Lev. 8:22–24). At this point in the ordination ceremony, we would have expected Moses to offer a trespass offering (Lev. 5), but instead, he offered a ram as a peace offering, “the ram of consecration” (Ex. 29: niv, “ordination”). The Hebrew word means “filling” because the priests’ hands were filled with the bread and meat.
Not only did Moses sprinkle the blood on the altar and upon Aaron and his sons, along with the anointing oil, but each man was marked with some of the blood on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe. This was a token reminder that they must listen to God’s Word, do God’s work, and walk in God’s way. The blood speaks of sacrifice, so the priests became “living sacrifices” in the service of the Lord (Rom. 12:1).
The priests were fed (Ex. 29:22–28, 31–34; Lev. 8:25–29). Another unique occurrence was the filling of the priests’ hands from the “food basket” (Ex. 29:2–3) and from the altar (vv. 22–28). The priests waved these gifts toward the altar in dedication to God (v. 24, the “wave offering”) and then shared them in a fellowship meal (vv. 31–34). Portions from some of the offerings, as well as special tithes of the harvest, were part of the priests’ compensation for serving at the altar (Lev. 8:28–36), but they had to look upon those gifts as holy sacrifices and eat them in the tabernacle precincts.
If the priests were faithful in teaching the Word and encouraging Israel to obey the Lord, they would never lack for sustenance, for the people would be sensitive to God’s Word, bring the required sacrifices and offerings to the tabernacle, and thereby provide for God’s servants. It’s unfortunate that some of the priests in later years were selfish and carnal and took the best for themselves (1 Sam. 2:12–17; Mal. 1:6–14).