Sermon Tone Analysis

The Exodus

Chapters 29

 

Vv.

1-9

            It has been awhile since we last met to study the book of Exodus.

Remember that we are looking at God’s detailed instructions to Moses concerning the Law.

Chapter 28 gave the plans for the making of the priests’ garments.

There was quite an elaborate outfit for the High Priest and rather plain but dignified garments for the other priests on duty.

I say priests on duty because as Aaron’s tribe grew there were more priests than were needed at any given time.

Therefore, they served in rotation.

We come to chapter twenty-nine and the law concerning the consecration of the priests.

The priests had to be consecrated and ordained to serve in the office of a priest.

There would be an ordination service attended by all the congregation of Israel.

For the service they would need one young bull and two rams without blemish.

They would need unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil — all made of fine wheat flour.

These would be used as sacrifices and offerings at the ordination service.

Aaron and his sons had to come to the doorway of the tabernacle where Moses had to give them a bath, or at least he had to wash them with water.

No doubt it was a symbolic cleansing.

Then Moses had to dress them.

Aaron was dressed in the High Priest’s garments and his sons in the priests uniform.

Vv.

10-14

            Next came what we could call the ordination service.

The young bull was used as a sin offering according to verse fourteen.

That sounds pretty much self-explanatory.

You would think a sin offering would be offered up for the atonement of somebody’s sin.

However, it appears that this sin offering was offered to purge the altar.

It is true that things used in conjunction with the tabernacle and later the temple were sanctified or cleansed by the blood of an animal being sprinkled on them.

Is that the purpose of the sacrificial bull here in chapter twenty nine?

Evidently it is.

Leviticus chapter eight gives a more detailed account of this same event — the ordination of Aaron and his sons.

Here is how verses 14-15 read, “Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering.

Next Moses slaughtered /it /and took the blood and with his finger put /some of it /around on the horns of the altar, and purified the altar.

Then he poured out /the rest of /the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it.”

So the blood was applied to the horns of the altar to “purify” it, and the remainder of the blood was poured out at the base of the altar to consecrate “it” and to make atonement for “it.”

This would then make the altar holy and set apart for holy use.

We are told here that the bull was brought forward where Aaron and his sons could lay their hands on the head of the bull.

This was to signify that the sacrificial animal would bear the sins for whomever its blood was shed.

The wages of sin is death.

Therefore, blood had to be shed to make atonement for sins.

Did the blood of the bull actually atone for anybody’s sins?

No.

It was simply a type (a foreshadowing) of the real thing that would be fulfilled in the sacrifice of God’s Son — the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

The bull on which Aaron and his sons laid their hands was slaughtered where it stood.

Does anyone know how they slaughtered the bull?

I’d be interested to know.

Because the blood of most animal sacrifices was used in ceremonial fashion, I suppose they most often drained the blood of the animal into a basin.

It was actually the blood of the sin offering that was offered for atonement of sins.

Let me call your attention to the evening when Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples, He took the cup and said, “this is My blood of the covenant which is *poured out* for many *for the forgiveness of sins*.”

I’m suggesting that the blood of the bull was a type of the blood of Christ.

It was representative of that blood which would one day be poured out at the cross of Calvary.

Verse thirteen describes how the fat from various parts of the bull was removed and offered up on the altar in smoke.

Any of you who have done any grilling out know that fatty meats tend to generate a lot of smoke.

Smoke from an offering was supposed to be an aroma pleasing to God.  Remember when Noah and his family were able to leave the ark after the flood and Noah built an altar and offered up burnt offerings to God.  Genesis 8:21 says, “And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man...”

            Do you think God actually “smells” the smoke of animal sacrifices?

That’s what you call metaphoric speech.

A metaphor is a figure of speech that represents something meaningful to the one who understands the use of the metaphor.

If I tell you that I’m suffering a world of heartache, what do I mean?

Am I suffering from all the heartache of every person in the world?

No.

What I mean is that I’m really hurting a lot.

And you know what I mean even though it isn’t exactly an accurate representation of the facts.

God is pleased “like” someone who smells a soothing aroma.

It’s not the smell of the smoke but the attitude and condition of the heart of the worshipers that pleases God.

When the heart is not right, the smoke of the sacrifice becomes most unpleasant to God.  Listen to God’s word through His prophet Isaiah to a stubborn and obstinate people.

This is Isaiah 1:10-15:

 Hear the word of the Lord,

You rulers of Sodom;

Give ear to the instruction of our God,

You people of Gomorrah.

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”

Says the Lord.

“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams,

And the fat of fed cattle.

And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.

“When you come to appear before Me,

Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?

“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,

Incense is an abomination to Me.

New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—

I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.

“I hate your new moon /festivals /and your appointed feasts,

They have become a burden to Me.

I am weary of bearing /them/.

“So when you spread out your hands /in prayer,/

I will hide My eyes from you,

Yes, even though you multiply prayers,

I will not listen.

Your hands are covered with blood.

You can see from that passage that all the ceremony God had commanded His people to observe is worthless if the heart is not right with God.

The ceremony was for the people more than it was for God’s benefit.

The people were to find meaning and fulfillment in the ceremonial law.

It was intended to speak to them of deeper spiritual truths.

However, the Israelites came to see the ceremony as the end or as the main thing when in fact it was meant to point them to the truth and to the things that truly mattered.

Notice in verse fourteen what they were to do with the remainder of the carcass of the bull.

They were to take it outside the camp and burn it with fire because it was a sin offering.

There are a number of things we might infer or conclude from this action.

The sin offering was taken outside the camp because sin must be removed and separated from that which is holy.

It might also be inferred that the remainder of the bull after the blood had been removed was not fit for further use.

The key to understanding this action might lie in Hebrews 13:9-14.

We’ll not try to do an exegesis of the passage but I will read it for you and you can study it later.

It reads, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited.