Blood on the Priests

Two rams were used in the ceremony to ordain the priests (Ex. 29:1). We have seen that the first ram was offered up in its entirety as a burnt offering unto the Lord (Ex. 29:15–18; see Lev. 1). This ram effected the propitiation of God’s wrath, the satisfaction of God’s justice. The priests and even the tabernacle itself deserved destruction because of sin, but burning the ram and throwing the blood against the altar meant that the animal was killed in place of sinners so that the Lord, having seen His justice satisfied, could be propitious or favorable to the priests and, through them, to all Israel.

Exodus 29:19–21 begins a lengthy section that tells us what was done with the second ram, whose use overlaps with the sin and peace offerings later instituted for the whole nation of Israel (Lev. 1; 3; 7:11–18). The verses we are covering today show the sin offering portion of this ordination sacrifice. First, the priests laid their hands on the second ram (Ex. 29:19), representing their sin’s being placed on or imputed to the ram, and the ram was killed. Then, some of the ram’s blood was put on the tips of the priests’ right ears, the thumbs of the priests’ right hands, and the big toes of the priests’ right feet. This was likely done to mark out the hearing, actions, and general conduct of the priests for God’s service. Moreover, each body part anointed with blood likely represented a specific part of the priest. The ear represented the top part of his body, his hand the middle part, and his toe the bottom part. When these parts of the priests’ bodies were covered, then, the entirety of the priests was symbolically covered. Matthew Henry comments on the significance of this: “The benefit of the expiation made by the sacrifice was applied and assured to them, and their whole selves from head to foot sanctified to the service of God.”

As a means of further demonstrating the sanctity of the priests, some of the blood and the anointing oil (see Ex. 30:22–33) was applied to the priests and their garments. Given the association of oil with the Holy Spirit (1 Sam. 16:13), we find here a mark of the holiness of the priesthood and symbols of the priestly gifting that has ramifications for all of God’s people, since we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Matthew Henry comments that “the holy oil, and the blood of the sacrifice, sprinkled upon [the priestly] garments, must be looked upon as the greatest adorning imaginable to them, for they signified the blood of Christ, and the graces of the Spirit, which constitute and complete the beauty of holiness, and recommend us to God.”