Exodus 29:35-42 – Our life for God as a fragrant aroma

We have established that the ordination of the priests was an elaborate process. Verses 35-37 tell us that seven days were set aside for this purpose. God told Moses specifically to set aside a whole week for this ordination. And each day of the week, a bull was to be sacrificed on God’s altar. The altar would then be consecrated and purified. It was the place where God would accept the atoning sacrifice for His people. The altar was to be purified by the sprinkling of the blood of seven perfect sacrifices. The sacrifices were also for the priests as well, for they were also sinners like everyone else. Hence, they too need the atonement for their sin. As they performed the sacrifices for seven days, they would constantly be reminded that it was the grace of God that had removed their sin.  

The blood reminds us that we too need to have a sacrifice for our sin. We too need to be cleansed by the blood of a sacrifice. Glory be to God, the sacrifice that took away our sins was the death of Christ on the cross at Calvary. We have been set apart to serve God by the precious blood of Christ. This is God’s requirement. And we are now set apart to serve our living God.

Having been cleansed, the priests would now have to make sacrifices for the sin of the people. Verses 38-42 then gave instructions to the priests on their duties. They would offer sacrifices every day. Two one-year-old lambs would be sacrificed every day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Together with each sacrifice, they would also offer grain, oil and wine. The smoke of the sacrifice that would be burnt on the altar would rise to God as a sweet aroma to please Him every day. This is significant in that they would start and end each day with God. Their offering was a fragrant aroma to God. Like them, we are to start and end each day with God. This was to be done daily at the doorway of the Tabernacle. Our life must be an offering to Him day and night. God still wants our fellowship. We must begin and end each day with Him. For such a gracious God, we must also offer our life in between, offering it as a fragrant aroma to Him by living it rightly every moment of our life.