“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod. And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them, and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
Comment: A week ago when I was last writing on Exodus we had the tabernacle instructions all dictated and the equipment to build it had been provided by the people. At the very centre was the Holiest of Holies where God was represented without an image but symbolically sitting on the mercy seat under which were the Covenantal Constitutional Basis of Israel (commonly called the 10 commandments), and over which were 2 golden angels bowing in worship over the mercy seat. Then there was a place of priestly worship and outside in the area for all the worshipping people to come and where the priests offered sacrifices – God at the centre, Priests worshipping near God, a place of of sacrifice. What is now to be done is to provide a High Priest who has ‘permission’ to enter under special circumstances (which are later explained) into the very Presence of God, and an order of Priests to worship in the area just outside the Holiest of Holies. Remember that in the NT Jesus becomes our High Priest, dwelling in the very Presence of Father God, Believers are a nation of priests, and all people are called to accept the sacrifice which Jesus made on the Cross and offer their lives as living sacrifices to Him. Here we see the first High Priest in a way that represents the last High Priest, the Messiah of God, Jesus – perfect clothing (the perfect sinless life of Jesus the Man); the ephod and Breastplate carrying the means of Judgement and all the tribes’ names (the people of God) on his shoulders and near his heart; a turban and a Holy crown on His head – for Jesus a crown of thorns now replaced with the crown of the King of kings! They came with unleavened bread (leaven represents sin, therefore sinless) and sufficient unblemished sacrifice – Jesus offered Himself on the Cross!
Prayer: Help me to see You, Jesus in the OT. Thank You for being the Fulfiller of Prophecy – the Messiah!
As I read it! 