Blood, Guts, and Gore
In Exodus 29 it seems like we get to talk about blood, guts,
and gore quite a bit. I think it is okay
to admit that much of this practice initially seems revolting. I’m not saying that it was wrong or that the
people who did it were barbaric. What I
am saying is that it is far removed from our typical experience with God
today. Because it is so foreign it seems
revolting at first glance – at least it does to me.
However, when we think about the consecration of Aaron and
his sons, we can see that the blood offering at the altar was a
once-in-a-lifetime consecration. Blood
was shed and an offering was lifted to the Lord as these people were
consecrated as priests. And do you notice
that in Exodus 29:9 that it specifically says that they will have the priesthood
forever? Here we see a blood offering
and a sacrifice in order to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests forever.
What’s so cool about this?
Well, to put it simply – it is no different for us as revolting as it
may originally sound! Sure, when we
become a Christian we don’t put blood on the tips of our right ears. But we do have the witness of a once-for-all
sacrifice made on our behalf in order to make us priests! Jesus Christ died on the cross as that very
sacrifice. With that sacrifice, we are
priests forever! And I think it is fair
to confess that while we need the death of Christ on the cross, that act is
fairly revolting in physical terms as well.
I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it is a pretty gruesome way to
die.
Consecration
It’s funny, but I don’t think about Christ’s death in the
terms of consecration very often. When I
conceptualize the cross and Jesus’ death, I typically view it as a sacrifice
for the atonement of my sins. I think
that is pretty typical in the way most people conceptualize Jesus’ death. But how often do we think of it as also the
sacrifice that consecrates us as priests in His kingdom? Sure, it’s not a new idea or an idea that you’ve
never heard before. But I think for me
at least it is an idea that is lost in the shadows more than it should be. Jesus’ death made you and me to be priests in
the same way as Aaron and his sons were consecrated. Why do we resist that calling so regularly?
I’m not saying that we all should be ordained. There are far more ways to be priests in
God’s kingdom than to be ordained. But
we do resist the idea of thinking of ourselves as God’s priests right now. We are all God’s priests. As Paul says in Galatians 3:28: the men, the
women, the slaves, the free, the Jew, the Gentile. We are all God’s priests right now because we
have been consecrated as such by Jesus Christ.
You and I are already spiritual people, it is time we stand up and claim
that title and honor with courage!
Daily Sacrifices
I’d like to spend the
rest of my time here talking about the daily sacrifices described in Exodus
29:38-46. Did you notice that there is a
sacrifice at daybreak and twilight?
There is something symbolic here that we should take to heart. For most people, “daybreak” can be
symbolically thought of as the beginning of the productive portion of their day
(whether they actually are out of bed at daybreak or not). Likewise, “twilight” can symbolically be
thought of as the end of the productive portion of the day (although we all
know that when the sun goes down we don’t all jump immediately into bed).
Why is this significant?
Well, think about it. These daily
sacrifices are telling us that as our day begins its productive cycle we need
to remember the Lord and ground ourselves in the worship, praise, and glory of
our God. When the productive time of our
day ends, it is good for us to remember the Lord and draw near to the one who
has allowed us to maneuver through the day and come at length to rest. In the morning we ask God for strength as our
creator and thank Him for keeping us through the night. In the evening we praise God for giving us
the strength to survive this day and ask Him to keep us through the night.
What a wonderful rhythm that we can apply to our life!
Good stuff here in what originally seems to be a pretty
bloody chapter of the Bible.
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