Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

In Exodus 29, God defines the many ways and reasons the priests were to offer up sacrifices for themselves and for the people they represented. As a summary of the chapter, verse 44 speaks of God’s consecration of the priests for service in His tent of meeting.

Let’s remember that this is the tent of meeting, a humble edifice that is meant as a place to represent God. Aaron, at least should be a humble example of the people he represents. Nothing in this picture speaks of worthiness, or being qualified, of being good enough for the position.

God spent a full chapter speaking of how the priests were to undergo a consecration, dealing with their condition before a holy God.

In no text of the Old Testament can I find any mention of Aaron seeking this position. Of course, once he had been appointed to the position of high priest, he forgot his humble beginnings and sided with his sister in seeking more privilege, but that is for another time!

No, Aaron did not seek this position – It was granted by the choice of God, not dependent on the actions of the one chosen. His consecration (or ordination) spoke of his need to be fit for the work. He didn’t seek this position since it seemed obvious he was not capable of fulfilling the job description!

Jesus on the other hand, was fully qualified (and yet maintained humility!) to perform the position of High Priest, and His ordination, though of a different priestly order, was granted through the resurrection of His body.

He is of the eternal order of the Melchizedekian priesthood. Notice that the Word states that Jesus was appointed by God, who said to Him

“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”

We all know that this verse speaks of the resurrection. His appointment to the Melchizedekian priest hood was through the grave, never again requiring another consecration.

Incredible Savior!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible