Exodus Chapter 29 Verses 35-37 

:35 “And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. 36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. 37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.”   

Seven days Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated.  Each day a bullock for a sin offering was made for their atonement.  Moreover, the atonement for the altar was to be for a period of seven days.  Seven is the bible number representing completion.  Thus both Aaron and his sons and the altar were to be completed atoned for.  The atonement served to consecrate them to serve in the office of the High Priest and in the office of the priesthood.   

The altar is where the sacrifice was made.  The altar in the Old Testament days was originally an altar of stones.  Later with the giving of the law, the altar was a brazen altar where the sacrifices were laid.  In these New Testament days we have another altar as shown by the following verses of scripture: 

    1. Heb.13:10 “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.”

    2. Rev. 8:3 “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” 

Notice that the angel filled the censer with fire of the altar.  In this passage the censer is Christ’s intercessory work.  The angel is Christ. The “fire of the altar” is Christ’s sacrificial atonement on behalf of his people.  Today we make our spiritual offerings upon Christ’s sacrificial atonement. 

The atoning work of Christ along with our spiritual birth completely consecrates us to serve in the office of the holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices unto God: 1 Pet. 2:5 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”  

Verses 38-42 

:38 “Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.” 

This was the ordinance of the morning sacrifice and the evening sacrifice.  This ordinance was to be observed daily throughout their generations.  The lamb of both the morning sacrifice and of the evening sacrifice was to be accompanied by the unleavened bread offering and the drink offering of wine.  When the Lord instituted the communion service with the disciples we note the significance of the unleavened bread and the wine: Matt. 26:26 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  The unleavened bread represented the perfect sinless body of Christ and the wine represented the blood of Christ.  This New Testament ordinance like the Old Testament ordinance points us to the atoning sacrifice of Christ upon the cross, where he as the Lamb of God offered his body unto God for the sins of his people and shed his blood to redeem his people from their sins.   

It is interesting to note that the children of Israel observed the morning sacrifice which was made at the 3^rd hour of the day and the evening sacrifice which was made at the 9^th hour of the day for a period of about 1500 years.  Yet, when Christ hang on the cross from the 3^rd hour to the 9^th hour, very few of them at that time even considered that this was the Christ! 

“This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.”  Please note here that the Lord promised to meet with and speak to the people at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation where the continual burnt offering was to be made.  Christ through the Holy Comforter speaks to his people today based on his sacrificial atonement for them at the cross. 

Verses 43-46 

“And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. 45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.” 

In this passage we have a promise of things to come.  The tabernacle was sanctified by God’s glory after that it was erected and all the furnishings had been placed.  We read of this in Exodus 40:34 “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: 37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.”  I will have a lot more to write about this when we get to chapter 40.