Exodus 29:26

This ordination offering is very similar to the peace offering, which is also called the fellowship offering (Leviticus 3).

In this offering, the fat was burned as a gift to the Lord. The breast and the thigh were first lifted up before the Lord as a sign that they belonged to him (29:24–26). After that, they became the portion for the priests to eat (29:26–28).

In a regular peace offering, the person who brought the sacrifice also ate part of the meat. This meal was a fellowship meal shared in God’s presence (Leviticus 7:11–18). In this case, the priests ate the meal as part of their ordination (Exodus 29:31–34).

The consecration of Aaron's priesthood involved:

• a sin offering (29:10–14),

• a burnt offering (29:15–18), and

• an ordination offering (29:19–28).

These patterns were later used for the people's regular offerings (see 29:38–46; Leviticus 1–5). In each case, Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the heads of the sacrificial animals (Exodus 29:10, 15, 19). This act showed that sin is a matter of life and death. God will only remove sin by a death.

Because it represents life, blood was important in these ceremonies (29:12, 16, 20, 21).

Moses had to consecrate (or sanctify) Aaron and his sons to serve the Lord. The focus on making the priests holy appears throughout the ceremonies (29:6, 21, 28, 29, 34, 36, 37). God set them apart not only for service. But he set them apart to serve a God whose nature is very different from that of sinful humans. Leviticus 8 gives the account of how they followed these instructions.