Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 29:26-46

There are many gods and so-called gods around the world. Typically, each culture has its unique god or set of gods which they worship and adore. For the most part, each culture chooses their gods. Even when the gods have been handed down from generation to generation, at some point in the past, the people of that culture chose their god.

Yahweh is different. Yahweh was not chosen by Israel. Instead, as we will see in today’s passage, Yahweh chose Israel and declared He would be their God. This mirrors the truth of Christianity. Jesus is not the God of Christianity because Christians chose Him. Jesus is God because He is the Creator and He came to us.

The 29th chapter of Exodus explains the process for ordaining the priests of Israel. They had specific garments to wear, in which they were anointed. Then they had to offer a series of sacrifices. They offered a bull as a sin offering, and then two rams as burnt offerings.

Ex. 29:26 ¶ “Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination and wave it as a wave offering before Yahweh; and it shall be your portion.

Look at the word “wave”. There are multiple references to wave offerings in the Mosaic Law. A wave offering was literally waved back and forth.

Ex. 29:27 You shall set apart as holy the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution offering which was waved and which was raised up as a contribution from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons.

The rams were set apart to be used as a sacrifice. Then, a part of each ram was further set apart as the wave offering.

Note the words “contribution offering”. The word “contribution” implies a voluntary gift.

Ex. 29:28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual statute from the sons of Israel, for it is a contribution offering; and it shall be a contribution offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their contribution offering to Yahweh.

In this verse we see a reference to peace offerings. Peace is the absence of conflict. Confessing sins and giving gifts to God leads to peace with God.

Ex. 29:29 ¶ “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in them they may be anointed and ordained.

Ex. 29:30 For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his stead shall put them on when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

Ex. 29:31 ¶ “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.

Look at the word “boil”. The instructions specified the method used to cook the ram.

Ex. 29:32 Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Notice the phrase “at the doorway of the tent of meeting”. The instructions specified where the sacrifice was to be eaten.

Ex. 29:33 Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made to ordain them, to set them apart as holy; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy.

Look at the phrase “they shall eat those things”. We often picture sacrifices as being completely burned up on the altar. The truth is the sacrifices were often eaten in whole or in part. Only a portion or only the carcass was burned on the altar.

Take note of the restrictions on the laymen. Laymen could not eat of these particular sacrifices.

Ex. 29:34 If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

There was a deadline by which the sacrifice needed to be eaten.

Ex. 29:35 ¶ “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days.

Ex. 29:36 Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to set it apart as holy.

Ex. 29:37 For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

The verses we have been reading explain how to ordain the priests. The following verses specify daily activities that were supposed to take place in the tabernacle.

Ex. 29:38 ¶ “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously.

Ex. 29:39 The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer at twilight;

This became so routine, that eventually Israelites used the morning and evening sacrifices as markers of time. Both Ezra 9:4-5 and Dan. 9:21 describe events that happened at the evening offering.

Ex. 29:40 and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with the one lamb.

We often think of the sacrifices as being only animal sacrifices, but their sacrificial system also included sacrifices of grain, oil, and wine.

Ex. 29:41 The second lamb you shall offer at twilight, and you shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh.

Ex. 29:42 It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.

Ex. 29:43 I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be set apart as holy by My glory.

Ex. 29:44 I will set the tent of meeting and the altar apart as holy; I will also set Aaron and his sons apart as holy to minister as priests to Me.

Ex. 29:45 I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.

Pay attention to the declaration Yahweh made in this verse. He declared that He would be the God of Israel.

This is different than most religions. Throughout the world, most religions were created by man. The gods were imagined and fashioned by humans, and then the tenets of that religion were written by a human or a group of humans.

In contrast, Yahweh is the One true God. He is the God of Israel because He chose them.

Ex. 29:46 They shall know that I am Yahweh their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am Yahweh their God.

Think about the reference to the Exodus out of Egypt. The miracles that surrounded the Exodus served as proof that Yahweh is a real Living Being. Yahweh’s triumph over the Egyptian gods was proof that Yahweh is superior to all other so-called gods.

Unlike the Egyptian religions, in which the gods were created by the Egyptians and the rules, precepts, and ceremonies were written by humans, Yahweh was not chosen. Yahweh is the Creator. He is the supreme God of all gods. Yahweh chose Israel. Yahweh is the God of Israel because He chose them.

Likewise, Jesus is the God of Christianity because He is a real living being. Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus rose from the dead. He created Christianity and all of its rules and ordinances.

Each human is free to choose whether or not to become a Christian and serve Jesus. However, Christianity was not man-made. It was created by the Creator.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”