Exodus 29:22-35
AFTER the sprinkling of the blood and the oil, certain parts of the ram of consecration “and one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer,...” were put into the hands of Aaron and his sons to be waved “for a wave offering before the Lord.” Here we have another precious picture of Christ. The ram speaks of Him in His death. The one loaf and wafer of unleavened bread tell of His spotless humanity and perfect holiness in life as devoted wholly to the glory of God. These things were put into the hands of Aaron and his sons.
The word consecration means “filling the hand,” and so this would tell us that God would by His Spirit at first fill our hands with Christ. And then we can as priests present Christ to God in worship, for only what He puts into our hands, of Christ, is acceptable to Him.
True consecration to God is being filled with Christ. Surely our “hands” and our hearts should be filled with the sense of the loveliness of Christ, and thus we find our dight in reminding God our Father of all the excellencies we see in His beloved Son.
Moses then received these precious things from the hands of the priests and burned them on the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor bore the Lord. God first fills our hands and then gives us the joy of presenting Christ to Himself. He dights in receiving this worship from us. The flesh can have no part in this; true worship can only be by and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The shoulder and the breast of the ram were for Aaron and his sons; they could feast on these. This is the peace or communion offering, and so we not only have joy in presenting Christ to God in worship, but we find our own peace and joy in such a blessed occupation.
The flesh of the ram was then to be seethed and Aaron and his sons were to eat it in the holy place, for feeding upon Christ must be connected with the altar. We are called to the privilege of having fellowship with God and Christ in thoughts of His work of atonement. We cannot feed upon Christ if we separate Him from the cross. Furthermore no strangers should eat of this priestly food. Only those who have been redeemed to God by the blood of Christ have these privileges.
ML-11/08/1970