Verse:
Exodus 29:1
And this [is] the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow (sanctify / qadash) them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,
Commentary by Adam Clarke
Verse 1. Take one young bullock Source
This consecration did not take place till after the erection of the tabernacle. See Leviticus 8:9-14.
Leviticus 8:9-14
9 Then he placed the turban on Aaron's head and set the gold plate, the sacred diadem, on the front of it, as the LORD commanded Moses.
10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them.
11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.
12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him.
13 Then he brought Aaron's sons forward, put tunics on them, tied sashes around them and put headbands on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
14 He then presented the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
Commentary by Coffman
And this is the thing that thou shalt do That they may minister to me in the priest's office
God is addressing Moses in this command, for Moses himself will act as High Priest in the consecration of the Jewish priesthood, despite the fact that Moses was never to hold that office. Moses was indeed a priest after the manner of all priests during the Patriarchal Dispensation of God's grace. Significantly, on the mountain of transfiguration, it was not Aaron who appeared with Elijah and Christ, but Moses. Source
The priority of service to God appears in this. We remember that the first commandment is toward God, and not toward men. The manward commandment is secondary. Again from Esses: The people are always out there to be ministered unto, but unless we minister unto God first, we are powerless to do anything for the people.
The candidate was not to appear before God for the purpose of being consecrated without appropriate offerings. These were one bullock, two rams, and three kinds of unleavened bread: bread, cakes, and wafers, all unleavened and all made with the finest wheat flour.
The first step in the consecration was the baptism of the priest.
Now they are to be baptized. The baptisms were performed in the court of the tabernacle, and the priest's entire body had to be immersed in water. As Christians we will not have the power to overcome unless we have gone to death with Christ in the waters of baptism.
One should consult the first seven chapters of Leviticus for a description of exactly how all of these heavenly instructions were carried out. The great lesson that stands out here is that before any man could be a priest unto God, he had to be immersed (baptized) in water. Is it any less true today? And the answer is NO! No one is a Christian until he is baptized.
After the baptismal service, came the investiture.
Commentary by Easton Bible Dictionary
Hallow Source
To render sacred, to consecrate (Exodus 28:38; Exodus 29:1). This word is from the Saxon, and properly means "to make holy." The name of God is "hallowed", i.e., is reverenced as holy (Matthew 6:9).
Exodus 28:38 Exodus 29:1
It will be on Aaron's forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron's forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD . Matthew 6:9
"This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect.
"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
1. hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office his is the thing that thou shalt do
--The act of inaugurating the priests was accompanied by ceremonial solemnities well calculated not only to lead the people to entertain exalted views of the office, but to impress those functionaries themselves with a profound sense of its magnitude and importance. In short, they were taught to know that the service was for them as well as for the people; and every time they engaged in a new performance of their duties, they were reminded of their personal interest in the worship, by being obliged to offer for themselves, before they were qualified to offer as the representatives of the people. Source
--Steps are taken at the beginning of a society, which would not be repeated when the social machine was in full motion; and Moses, at the opening of the tabernacle, was employed to discharge functions which in later periods would have been regarded as sacrilege and punished with instant death. But he acted under the special directions of God.
Commentary by John Gill
And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them Source
To Aaron and his sons: to "hallow" them; to sanctify them, set them apart, and consecrate them:
to minister unto me in the priest's office;take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish;
for which the Lord had appointed them, to which he had chose, called, and separated them: and so Ben Gersom; the bullock was an emblem of the strength, laboriousness, and patience of Christ, and both of them being without blemish, were typical of his purity and perfection in his nature and life, and especially in his sacrifice.
a young bullock was an heifer of three years old, according to Kimchi , and such an one was used in sacrifice in former times, see (Genesis 15:9) though Maimonides says it was one of two years, and so Abendana F23, whose words are,
``a bullock is a son of two years, and a ram is after he has entered into the second year thirty one days;''
Genesis 15:9
So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
Commentary by Matthew Henry
Here is, I. The law concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, which was to be done with a great deal of ceremony and solemnity, that they themselves might be duly affected with the greatness of the work to which they were called, and that the people also might learn to magnify the office and none might dare to invade it. Source
1. The ceremonies wherewith it was to be done were very fully and particularly appointed, because nothing of this kind had been done before, and because it was to be a statute for ever that the high priest should be thus inaugurated. Now,
(1.) The work to be done was the consecrating of the persons whom God had chosen to be priests, by which they devoted and gave up themselves to the service of God and God declared his acceptance of them; and the people were made to know that they glorified not themselves to be made priests, but were called of God, Hebrews 5:4,5. They were thus distinguished from common men, sequestered from common services, and set apart for God and an immediate attendance on him. Note, All that are to be employed for God are to be sanctified to him. The person must first be accepted, and then the performance. The Hebrew phrase for consecrating is filling the hand (Exodus 29:9): Thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and his sons, and the ram of consecration is the ram of fillings, Exodus 29:22,26. The consecrating of them was the perfecting of them; Christ is said to be perfect or consecrated for evermore, Hebrews 7:28. Probably the phrase here is borrowed from the putting of the sacrifice into their hand, to be waved before the Lord, Exodus 29:24. But it intimates,(2.) The person to do it was Moses, by God's appointment. Though he was ordained for men, yet the people were not to consecrate him; Moses the servant of the Lord, and his agent herein, must do it. By God's special appointment he now did the priest's work, and therefore that which was the priest's part of the sacrifice was here ordered to be his, Exodus 29:26.
[1.] That ministers have their hands full; they have no time to trifle, so great, so copious, so constant is their work.
[2.] That they must have their hands filled. Of necessity they must have something to offer, and they cannot find it in themselves, it must be given them from above. They cannot fill the people's hearts unless God fill their hands; to him therefore they must go, and receive from his fulness.
Hebrews 5:4,5Hebrews 7:28
4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
"You are my Son;
today I have become your Father. "
28 For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Commentary by Scofield
And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, Source
do unto them to hallow them
The priest type of consecration. (Cf. the temple type, 1 Kings 8:1-11; 2 Chronicles 5:4,14. The order in ; Leviticus 8:1-9:24; differs from the order here. In Leviticus the filling the hands precedes the sprinkling.
bullock, rams (See Scofield "Leviticus 1:3") .
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Prepared by William C. Barman for George Young Memorial United Methodist Church -- Palm Harbor, FL on 10/3/03; 5:43:00 PM