“and put handbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons, the priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”
~ Exodus 29:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever had a guy or gal lay hands on you as a way to heal or bless you? Your grandmaa and grandpaa have had hands laid on them. Your grandmaa and grandpaa have laid hands on guys and gals. After your grandpaa one summer felt really yucky on the day that he arrived in Chochís, Bolivia with the South America Mission summer team that he and your grandmaa were leading, your grandpaa asked the guys and gals on the summer team to lay hands on him and pray for him. Your grandpaa immediately felt better. At the end of each OC International annual summer internship program – in which your grandmaa and grandpaa have been mentors for the past five years, the guy who directs OC International’s annual summer internship program will lay his hands on each intern as a way to bless each guy and gal for his or her desire to give his or her life as missionaries to God for Him to use for His kingdom’s sake. Hands are sometimes laid on a guy and/or gal as a way to commission or dedicate the guy and/or gal for a specific ministry vocation. Your grandmaa and grandpaa had guys lay their hands on them to commission them to be missionaries. A guy who is being ordained as a pastor have other guys – usually other pastors, lay their hands on him as they are praying over him.
Aaron and his two oldest boys – Nadab and Abihu, became ordained. Aaron was Moses’ big bro. Aaron was from the Levi tribal clan. The Levi tribal clan was chosen by God – as God the Father, to be the designated tribal clan to worship Him through caring for the Tent of Meeting, making animal sacrifices on the altar that was in the Tent of Meeting, and singing praise songs to Him at the Tent of Meeting. Aaron was ordained to be the number one priest – the priest who could go into the Holy of Holies that was inside the Tent of Meeting. Nadab and Abihu were to be taken through the same consecration ceremonies that their dad was to be taken through so that they – too, could make animal sacrifices to God. The times when your grandmaa and grandpaa had hands laid them lasted only minutes. The ordination ceremony for Aaron and his two kids lasted for seven days. Exodus 29 details the processes that Aaron and his two kids had to go through to be ordained. Aaron – along with Nadab and Abihu, because of their having lived sin-filled lives, had to go through consecration ceremonies so that their lives would be cleansed. The process for Aaron and his two kids to be cleansed involved a young bull, two rams, wheat flour that was to be used to make bread, cakes that had been mixed with oil and wafers that had been spread with oil. The bull and the two rams were to be in perfect condition. The bread was to be fixed without using any yeast. The cleansing process was to begin with Aaron – along with Nadab and Abihu, being washed with water at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron then was to be dressed in a specially made outfit that would be made per the instructions that God – as God the Father, gave to Moses. This outfit was to be always worn by Aaron – or the number one priest, each time when he went into the Holy of Holies that was in the Tent of Meeting. The special outfit that was to be put on Aaron included a tunic, robe for the ephod, ephod, breastpiece, woven waistband that fastened on the breastpiece, turban and sacred diadems that had been attached to the turban. When Aaron was completely dressed, anointing oil was to be poured on his head. Aaron’s two kids were to be next. Verse 9 says, “and put handbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons, the priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”
Getting Aaron dressed and then having oil poured on Aaron’s head was only the beginning for getting everything in place for God to be worshipped in the Tent of Meeting. The bull had to be killed. Blood from slaughtered bull was to be dabbed on the horns of the altar. Blood that was left from the slaughtered bull was to be poured out at the altar’s base. Fat from the slaughtered bull’s inner parts – including the fat that was around the liver and kidneys, was to be burnt on the altar. The rest of the slaughtered bull – such as the slaughtered bull’s meat, hide and stomach contents were to be taken outside of the campsite of the Israelite people group guys and gals and burned. The two rams were to be killed next. Aaron and his kids were to lay their hands on the head of each ram. After some of the first slaughtered ram’s blood had been sprinkled against all the sides of the altar, the slaughtered ram was to be cut up into pieces and burned on the altar. The smell of the burning ram would be a pleasing aroma to God. The second ram was then to be killed. Some of the second slaughtered ram’s blood was to be put on the right ear lobe, thumb on the right hand and big toe on the right foot of Aaron and his kids. Some of the rest of the slaughtered ram’s blood was to be sprinkled against all the sides of the altar. Fat from the slaughtered ram’s inner parts – including the fat that was around the liver and kidneys, tail and right thigh was to be part of a wave offering to God. This wave offering to God was to also include bread that had been made without using yeast, cake that had been made with oil and a wafer. There is more but . . . if you were a priest like leader today, how would you like to have to go through this kind of ceremony so that you would be acceptable to be in the presence of God?
Exodus 29 (765)