Exodus 29:1–37（Transcript）

Daily Devotional · Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Speaker: Pastor John Chen
Transcribed & Edited by: Joseph Wang(Yufan)

Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you. By the grace of God, we have come to a new day to study our daily devotional. Today’s passage is Exodus chapter 29, verses 1 through 37. Let us pray.

We thank You, our God. We thank You for leading us to learn Your Word. Lord, in this morning hour, You awaken our ears by Your Word. Lord, You show us how great the holiness required to become a priest truly is. Lord, You show us Your holiness. Lord, we also ask that You would lead us to live holy lives before You. May You be with us.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now let us look at Exodus chapter 29. What is this passage teaching us today? It teaches how Aaron and his sons are ordained to the priesthood. We have said before that, as a priest, clothing is very important. Chapter 28 speaks entirely about how the ephod, the breastpiece, and the robe are to be made. All of these have very clear typological meaning, but they are static.

When we come to chapter 29, we are told something further. Is it enough for Aaron and his sons to become priests simply by putting on the garments? No, it is not enough. They must also offer sacrifices for themselves. They must offer three sacrifices: a sin offering with a bull, a burnt offering with a ram, and a peace offering with a ram. We will look at them one by one.

So first, we need to have a basic understanding. When Aaron and his descendants are ordained to the priesthood, when a man becomes a priest, it is not only that he puts on the full set of garments God has given—that is, the sacred vestments—but he must also offer three sacrifices: the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. Let us look carefully at what these three sacrifices mean.

There is a bull, two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread made of fine wheat flour, placed in a basket. What are they to do first? First, they are to wash themselves with water at the entrance of the tent of meeting, so that their bodies may be cleansed.

Then they put on the garments: the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, the breastpiece, and the skillfully woven sash of the ephod. The turban is placed on the head, and the holy crown is fastened onto the turban. This completes the priestly clothing.

Then Aaron is anointed with the anointing oil. This shows that ordination to the priesthood requires anointing. To be anointed means that when a man stands before God to receive this office, he must be set apart in this way. We will speak about the meaning of the anointing oil later. For now, we are simply looking at the steps.

Aaron’s sons are also clothed with tunics, sashes, and head coverings. In this way, they receive the priestly office. After they are anointed, they receive the priesthood and are set apart as holy. But after being set apart, can they immediately perform their service? No, not yet. They must still offer sacrifices. The first sacrifice they offer is the sin offering.

The sin offering is carried out in this way. The bull is brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the bull. In every sacrifice, hands are laid on the animal. What does this mean? Laying on of hands signifies identification. It shows that Aaron and his sons identify themselves with the bull. It means that the bull is to take their place to make atonement for their sin. When they lay their hands on its head, it is as if to say, “This bull is me.”

Then the bull is slaughtered at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Its blood is taken and applied to the horns of the altar. The rest of the blood is poured out at the base of the altar. This means that the altar itself is covered by blood, and through the sacrifice it is set apart as holy.

The fat that covers the entrails, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat on the kidneys are burned on the altar. Why are these parts burned? Scripture does not explain this in great detail, but we generally understand that these are the best parts of the bull, the most hidden parts. In Scripture, the kidneys often represent the deepest and most hidden thoughts of the heart.

To burn these parts on the altar means that the best is offered to God, and even the deepest thoughts and intentions must be offered up. Although this refers to the bull, it also points to us. Our innermost thoughts and intentions must be offered to God.

So what does the sin offering express? It expresses that from the inside out, we are sinners who have offended God. Even our innermost thoughts are sinful. This accords with the doctrine of original sin. Our whole being deserves judgment. Our innermost thoughts and intentions must be dealt with, so that we may become holy vessels fit for God’s use.

The flesh, the skin, and the dung of the bull are not burned on the altar. They are taken outside the camp and burned there. This bull is the sin offering. When the book of Hebrews speaks of Jesus Christ suffering outside the city gate and being crucified, this is clearly the image of the sin offering. Jesus Christ is that sin offering. He was nailed to the cross, bearing all our sins. He was fully exposed, giving Himself completely, bearing all the sins of His chosen people, so that the effectiveness of His death becomes our atonement.

After the sin offering, the work is still not finished. Next comes the burnt offering. Another ram is brought. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on it, again signifying identification. The ram is slaughtered, and its blood is thrown against the sides of the altar, consecrating the altar through blood.

The ram is then cut into pieces and completely burned on the altar. The entire ram is burned. This complete burning signifies total dedication. This is the burnt offering.

What is the difference between the sin offering and the burnt offering? The sin offering addresses guilt: I have sinned, and I need atonement. The burnt offering is different. It means that after we have been atoned for, we still give ourselves entirely to God.

If we relate this to the work of Jesus Christ, the sin offering represents Christ’s passive obedience. He bore our sins, endured humiliation, and died on the cross. He took upon Himself all our sins. This is His passive obedience.

The burnt offering, however, can be understood as what systematic theology calls the active obedience of Jesus Christ. What does this mean? Christ did two things for us. First, He bore our debt of sin. But even if we are without guilt before God, that alone does not mean we are justified. Justification requires two things. First, our sins must be dealt with. Second, we must have righteous works before God. Only when a person is perfectly righteous can he be accepted by God.

Therefore, the sin offering and the burnt offering are two different matters. The sin offering shows that our sins are washed away and covered by the blood of Christ. The burnt offering shows that Christ’s perfect obedience—His complete fulfillment of the law—is offered to the Father on our behalf. Because of both the sin offering and the burnt offering, we are justified before God.

Let me say this again. For a person to be justified before God, two conditions must be met. First, his sins must be forgiven. Second, he must possess righteousness. Only when both are present can a person be justified.

We can understand this with an example. We are like people in debt. In order to live, first our debt must be forgiven. If we must continue repaying it, we cannot live. But even after the debt is forgiven, that is not enough. We still need income in order to live. In the same way, we owe a debt to God. First, our debt of sin must be paid. Second, we must receive a fully justified standing before God.

The active obedience of Jesus Christ—the perfect righteousness He accomplished during His earthly life—is imputed to us through the burnt offering. Once there is a sin offering and a burnt offering, then the peace offering follows.

The peace offering is offered in this way. Another ram is brought. Hands are laid upon it. It is slaughtered, and some of its blood is applied to the right ear of Aaron and his sons, to their right thumbs, and to their right big toes. The blood is also thrown against the sides of the altar.

What does this mean? In the peace offering, when we have been justified in Jesus Christ—when our sins are covered and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us—we are then called to listen to God’s Word, to do what God commands, and to walk in God’s ways. The ear, the hand, and the foot represent hearing, doing, and walking. This shows that those who are justified are now called to begin a life of sanctification.

The anointing oil and the blood from the altar are sprinkled on Aaron and on his garments, and on his sons and their garments. In this way, everything is made holy. A person who has been justified begins to live a sanctified life.

In Christ, we are holy. Therefore, we are to keep God’s statutes and commandments and follow Him. When you connect this together, you can see the whole order of salvation clearly in systematic theology.

In the peace offering, parts of the ram are taken—the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the covering of the liver, and the right thigh. A loaf of bread is also taken. These are placed in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved before the LORD as a wave offering. This shows that everything belongs to God, yet it is willingly offered back to Him. These portions are then burned on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

The peace offering expresses obedience to God. It is a declaration of complete devotion: the deepest thoughts are given to Him, the best portion is given to Him, everything is given to Him.

Another portion, the breast of the ram, is also waved as a wave offering. The waved breast and the raised thigh belong to the priests as their portion. In the peace offering, the priests are allowed to eat. The sin offering and the burnt offering are not eaten. The burnt offering is completely burned, and the sin offering is entirely burned. Only the peace offering is eaten.

The meaning of the peace offering is clear. In Jesus Christ, we have been justified. Our debt of sin has been removed. Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us. As those who are righteous before God, we now live holy lives before Him.

In the peace offering, we enjoy fellowship with God and share in His blessings. We receive peace from Him and partake of what He provides. The priests enjoy God’s provision and blessing. This is what the peace offering brings.

These three sacrifices—the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering—all point to Jesus Christ. Through His blood, our sins are forgiven. Through His perfect obedience, we are declared righteous. In Him, we enjoy peace with God and share in His blessings.

Aaron and his sons are to wear the priestly garments for seven days during their ordination. For these seven days, they serve God continually. The priests’ ordination lasts seven days.

The flesh of the ram of ordination is boiled, and Aaron and his sons eat it together with the bread from the basket. This is a beautiful scene. From a human perspective, it shows that after labor, they are able to eat. From a spiritual perspective, it shows that God is pleased to provide for us in Jesus Christ. Outsiders are not allowed to eat this food, because it is holy. Anything left until morning must be burned.

When you trace this back, you see that the Passover lamb carries the same meaning. Within the Passover lamb are all three sacrifices: the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. It is holy and must not be left until morning.

So when we look at the ordination of the priesthood and later at the sacrifices in Leviticus, we can clearly see the structure. There are three sacrifices, followed by seven days of ordination, and during those days a sin offering is made daily to cleanse the altar.

Brothers and sisters, you can see how demanding ordination to the priesthood is. In addition to being clothed and anointed, sacrifices must be offered. Only then can one serve as priest.

This is also the only correct way to read this passage. We must place Jesus Christ in the context of the priesthood, the anointing, and the sacrifices. The sacrifices themselves have no power. Each one points to a different aspect of the work of Christ. Through these ordinances, we can see more clearly what Christ came to accomplish.

In the final moments, let us consider the application. As Christians, we are not priests, and we do not offer sacrifices, because everything has already been accomplished in Jesus Christ. But what Christ has accomplished must be applied in our lives.

Exodus teaches us clearly that after we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, we are called to sanctification. We are to live holy lives. We are to hear God’s Word, do what God commands, and walk in His ways. This is the meaning of the blood applied to the ear, the hand, and the foot.

We are to follow Jesus Christ completely, without holding onto our own ideas or purposes. The high priest represented the people before God. What he did was both an example and a call to all Israel to live lives wholly set apart for God.

Since the blood of Christ has been applied to us, and the seal of the Holy Spirit has been given to us, how should we live? We should live lives that are fully consecrated to God. This is what Scripture teaches us.

Some may ask, “How do we live a holy life? Does it mean spending all day reading the Bible, praying, and attending church?” No, that is a misunderstanding. The Word, the sacraments, and prayer are means of grace. They are tools God uses, but they are not holiness itself.

Holiness is lived out in daily life. To live a holy life is to live according to God’s law each day. Sacrifice itself is not holiness. Rather, sacrifice points to a life that is continually offered to God. Each day, we place ourselves on the altar. Our old self and sinful desires are put to death.

This does not mean physically harming ourselves. It means that when we seek to obey God’s law, we experience conflict within ourselves. In that struggle, our old self is put to death. That is what it means to place ourselves on the altar.

In this way, we are able to live lives that are set apart for God. That is all for today’s sharing. Thank you, everyone.