The Consecration Of Priests

Exodus 29: 1-35
Leviticus 8: 1-36

To be consecrated means:

1. To be made holy (to be sanctified and purified)
2. To be appointed
3. To dedicate oneself

The true consecration is a consecration unto/for God, not to one’s personal needs, nor to those of the church or others (Exodus 28:1,3-4,41; 29:1,44).

God highly appreciates our consecration. For this purpose HE sacrificed His Son to blot out our sins through His blood so that we are made priests and kings for Him (Revelation 1:5-6; 5:9-10) and we are called a royal priesthood, which is really a high and special position (I Peter 2: 9-10).

In Exodus 29: 1-3, it is stated that for the consecration of priests God determined and demanded such offerings as follows:

• A young bull
• 2 (two) rams
• Unleavened bread
• Unleavened cakes mixed with oil
• Unleavened wafers anointed with oil (You shall make them of wheat flour)

Here we see 3 (three) animal sacrifices (for the sin propitiation) and 3 (three) meal offering (which signifies the fellowship with Christ), whereas the number 3 signifies God Trinity (the Triune God).

THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

1. 3 animal sacrifices, which all refer to the sacrifice of Christ to fulfill all; namely:
   1. The sacrifice of a young bull.
      This is Christ’s atoning sacrifice to blot out and cleanse our sins so that we are renewed (2 Corinthians 5: 17-19,21).
   2. The sacrifice of the first ram.
      This is Christ’s surrendering Himself so that, through His sacrifice we can surrender all our personal needs to be obedient to Him (Philippians 2:4-8; Hebrew 5: 7-9). We must become as a slave (“doulos”) who has no will of his own but his master’s.
   3. The sacrifice of the second ram.
   This is the consecration of Christ by which we may be consecrated. In John 17:19, the word to sanctify (“hagiazo”) means to be sanctified in order to be consecrated.
   Christ has consecrated Himself as the High Priest so that we may be consecrated.
   The sanctification/atonement, complete/total surrender and consecration are all done through /by the sacrifice of Christ.
2. 3 kinds of meal offerings speak of our fellowship with the triune God, which should be pure, not are mixed with leaven (sin and hypocrisy) especially in our consecration as priests.
   In Exodus 29: 4-9, it is mentioned that the High Priest and priests should be cleansed with water (water baptism) and they should be anointed with oil (the anointing of the Holy Spirit).

Let no one try to serve the Lord (to consecrate himself) without first undergoing /experience the new birth.