Exodus 29

Set apart for His purpose

Then anoint him by pouring the anointing oil over his head. ~ Exodus 29:7

 Have you ever wondered what it truly means to be set apart for God’s purpose? In Exodus 29, God gave detailed instructions for consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests. Every step, from washing them with water to clothing them in holy garments and anointing them with oil, symbolized purity, purpose, and dedication to God. It was a sacred process that prepared them to serve in His presence.

When I first gave my life to Jesus, I remember feeling both joy and uncertainty. I knew something inside me had changed, yet I didn’t fully grasp what it meant to live as someone “set apart.” Over time, I realized that just like the priests in Exodus, I too had been chosen, cleansed, and anointed, not with physical oil, but with the Holy Spirit. My life was no longer my own. It now belonged to the One who redeemed me.

Exodus 29 paints a powerful picture of what happens when we come to Salvation in Jesus. The blood sacrifice offered for the priests points to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. His blood cleanses us completely. The washing with water represents our baptism and the continual cleansing of our hearts by His Word. The anointing oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit who fills and empowers us to live for God. Every part of this chapter foreshadows the salvation we now experience through the blood of Jesus.

When you accepted Jesus, you were set apart for God’s service. You were made holy, not because of what you did, but because of what He did for you. Just like Aaron was dressed in garments that represented holiness, you too are clothed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus. No longer burdened by guilt or shame, you are now called to serve, love, and live as one who belongs fully to Him.

Here is how you can apply this truth in your life:

• Start your day by thanking God for choosing and cleansing you through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.
• Spend time in His Word to keep your heart pure and your purpose clear.
• Invite the Holy Spirit daily to fill you with fresh strength and wisdom for whatever lies ahead.
• Serve someone this week as an act of worship, knowing that every act of love is a reflection of your consecration to God.
• Guard your heart and mind, remembering that you are set apart for something greater than the world can offer.

Today I want to encourage you to walk confidently as one who has been chosen, cleansed, and anointed by God. You are not just forgiven, you are commissioned. You are not just saved, you are sent. God has marked your life with His presence, and every moment is an opportunity to live as His holy vessel on His purpose.

Today’s scripture reading: Exodus 29

1 “This is the ceremony you must follow when you consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams with no defects. 

2 Then, using choice wheat flour and no yeast, make loaves of bread, thin cakes mixed with olive oil, and wafers spread with oil. 

3 Place them all in a single basket, and present them at the entrance of the Tabernacle, along with the young bull and the two rams.

4 “Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle and wash them with water. 

5 Dress Aaron in his priestly garments—the tunic, the robe worn with the ephod, the ephod itself, and the chestpiece. Then wrap the decorative sash of the ephod around him. 

6 Place the turban on his head and fasten the sacred medallion to the turban. 

7 Then anoint him by pouring the anointing oil over his head. 

8 Next present his sons, and dress them in their tunics. 

9 Wrap the sashes around the waists of Aaron and his sons and put their special head coverings on them. Then the right to the priesthood will be theirs by law forever. In this way, you will ordain Aaron and his sons.

10 “Bring the young bull to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on its head. 

11 Then slaughter the bull in the Lord’s presence at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 

12 Put some of its blood on the horns of the altar with your finger and pour out the rest at the base of the altar. 

13 Take all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, and burn it all on the altar. 

14 Then take the rest of the bull, including its hide, meat, and dung, and burn it outside the camp as a sin offering.

15 “Next Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on the head of one of the rams. 

16 Then slaughter the ram and splatter its blood against all sides of the altar. 

17 Cut the ram into pieces and wash off the internal organs and the legs. Set them alongside the head and the other pieces of the body, 

18 then burn the entire animal on the altar. This is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord.

19 “Now take the other ram and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. 

20 Then slaughter it and apply some of its blood to the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons. Also put it on the thumbs of their right hands and the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. 

21 Then take some of the blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his sons and on their garments. In this way, they and their garments will be set apart as holy.

22 “Since this is the ram for the ordination of Aaron and his sons, take the fat of the ram, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, along with the right thigh. 

23 Then take one round loaf of bread, one thin cake mixed with olive oil, and one wafer from the basket of bread without yeast that was placed in the Lord’s presence. 

24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons to be lifted up as a special offering to the Lord. 

25 Afterward take the various breads from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering. It is a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a special gift for him. 

26 Then take the breast of Aaron’s ordination ram and lift it up in the Lord’s presence as a special offering to him. Then keep it as your own portion.

27 “Set aside the portions of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons. This includes the breast and the thigh that were lifted up before the Lord as a special offering. 

28 In the future, whenever the people of Israel lift up a peace offering, a portion of it must be set aside for Aaron and his descendants. This is their permanent right, and it is a sacred offering from the Israelites to the Lord.

29 “Aaron’s sacred garments must be preserved for his descendants who succeed him, and they will wear them when they are anointed and ordained. 

30 The descendant who succeeds him as high priest will wear these clothes for seven days as he ministers in the Tabernacle and the Holy Place.

31 “Take the ram used in the ordination ceremony and boil its meat in a sacred place. 

32 Then Aaron and his sons will eat this meat, along with the bread in the basket, at the Tabernacle entrance. 

33 They alone may eat the meat and bread used for their purification in the ordination ceremony. No one else may eat them, for these things are set apart and holy. 

34 If any of the ordination meat or bread remains until the morning, it must be burned. It may not be eaten, for it is holy.

35 “This is how you will ordain Aaron and his sons to their offices, just as I have commanded you. The ordination ceremony will go on for seven days. 

36 Each day you must sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering to purify them, making them right with the Lord. Afterward, cleanse the altar by purifying it; make it holy by anointing it with oil. 

37 Purify the altar and consecrate it every day for seven days. After that, the altar will be absolutely holy, and whatever touches it will become holy.

38 “These are the sacrifices you are to offer regularly on the altar. Each day, offer two lambs that are a year old, 

39 one in the morning and the other in the evening. 

40 With one of them, offer two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives; also, offer one quart of wine as a liquid offering. 

41 Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the same offerings of flour and wine as in the morning. It will be a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord.

42 “These burnt offerings are to be made each day from generation to generation. Offer them in the Lord’s presence at the Tabernacle entrance; there I will meet with you and speak with you. 

43 I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. 

44 Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 

45 Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 

46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.

Journal:

• What does being “set apart” for God mean to me personally?
• In what areas of my life do I need to allow God to cleanse or renew me?
• How can I live each day as one who is anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit?
• What step can I take this week to serve God and others more intentionally?