Concerning the burnt offering in Exodus 29, we see two important matters. The first is the blood sprinkled about the altar. This is for our peace and satisfaction. The second matter is the sweet savor ascending to heaven for God’s satisfaction. The redeeming blood is sprinkled on the altar on earth, and the savor ascends to the heavens to satisfy God. As our burnt offering for our sanctification as priests, Christ shed His blood for our peace, and He Himself was burned for God’s satisfaction.
The first ram was for a burnt offering, but the second ram was for a peace offering. The peace offering is rather complicated. The burnt offering is actually simple: it was slaughtered, cut into pieces, washed, and burned. From this offering there was a twofold issue—the blood sprinkled upon the altar and the sweet fragrance ascending to God. The blood is for us to look at, and the sweet fragrance is for God to enjoy. To be sure, the blood satisfies God, but mainly the blood is for our conscience and for our peace.
Why do we offer Christ as the first ram, the ram of the burnt offering? We offer Him in this way because we realize that we have not been for God and that we are not for God. Instead we are always for ourselves. Furthermore, instead of being God’s food, we have always been our own food. Therefore, because we are sinful, we need Christ to redeem us. He has been slaughtered for us, He has been cut into pieces for us, and His blood was shed for our redemption. Now whenever we look at the blood, we are at peace, knowing we have been redeemed. Also the sweet fragrance ascends to God for His enjoyment and satisfaction. As a result, our problem is solved, and God’s hunger is satisfied. Hence, there is a peaceful situation, and we can go on further to enjoy Christ and experience more of Him. In particular, we may now experience Him as the second ram, as the peace offering.
Let us now consider, in the way of a brief sketch, the significance of the second ram. From 29:20 we know that this ram was slaughtered. However, it was not cut into pieces. The blood of the first ram was sprinkled upon the altar, but something different was done with the blood of the second ram. Verse 20 says, “And you shall slaughter the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the big toe of their right foot; and you shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.” Notice that the blood was put on the tip of the right ear, upon the right thumb, and upon the first toe of the right foot. The blood on the ear indicates that if we would be priests, we need an ear to listen to God. We should not speak too much. It may strike us as unusual that Moses was not commanded to put the blood on Aaron’s lips or tongue. Being a priest requires that we listen, not that we speak so much. The thumb signifies working, and the big toe signifies walking. Therefore, as priests we need the proper listening, working, and walking. This also is part of the sanctification of the priests. Our ears, our thumbs, and our big toes all need the redeeming blood. The blood on our ear, thumb, and toe sanctifies us makes us different from others. Those who do not have the blood on their ear, thumb, and toe have not been sanctified to God. After Aaron and his sons had been cleansed by the blood in this way, they were sanctified to serve Him as priests.
According to verse 20, the blood of the second ram was not only put upon the tip of the right ear, on the thumb, and on the big toe, but was also sprinkled upon the altar. This is the second kind of application of the blood of the peace offering.
Verse 21 says, “And you shall take of the blood which is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him; and he shall be holy, he and his garments, and his sons and his sons garments with him.” Here we see the third aspect of the blood of the peace offering. Moses took some of the blood that was sprinkled upon the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkled the blood and the oil upon the garments of Aaron and his sons. Now Aaron and his sons were fully sanctified, for the garments covering their entire body had been cleansed and anointed.