The garments for the priests have been described. Now YHWH instructs Moses on the consecration of the priests, so that they may approach YHWH and acts as mediators for Israel.
Exodus 29: 1-9, Consecrating priests
"This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. Put them in a basket and present them in it--along with the bull and the two rams.
"Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.
"Bring his sons and dress them in tunics and put headbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons.
The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons."
This passage describes the consecration of Aaron and his sons to act as priests. In every step, the priests are to be as perfect as possible, clean, well-dressed, anointed.
(NIV footnotes. In verse 9, the Septuagint has the sashes tied on Aaron and "on them" instead of "his sons".)
Exodus 29: 10-14, Slaughter the bull
"Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it in the LORD's presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
"Take some of the bull's blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar. Then take all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.
"But burn the bull's flesh and its hide and its offal outside the camp. It is a sin offering."
A bull is slaughtered at the entrance to the Tent. Part of the bull is burned on the altar, part is burned outside the tent.
Exodus 29: 15-21, Sacrifice two rams
"Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it and take the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides.
"Cut the ram into pieces and wash the inner parts and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. Then burn the entire ram on the altar.
"It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.
"Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides. And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated."
Instruction are given on slaughtering the two rams. In this case, some of the blood is dabbed on the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on their big toes. (Presumably these two extremities represent all of the individual?) Then both oil and blood are sprinkled on the priests and their garments.
Exodus 29: 22-26, A wave offering
"Take from this ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This is the ram for the ordination.)
"From the basket of bread made without yeast, which is before the LORD, take a loaf, and a cake made with oil, and a wafer. Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD, an offering made to the LORD by fire.
"After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron's ordination, wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your share."
What is a "wave offering"? Apparently by waving the loaf and cake before YHWH, the priests were symbolically offering this material to YHWH, consecrating it, before later eating it. (The meat could be eaten after it was burnt, but the bread and cake were not to be burned.)
Exodus 29: 27-30, The ordination ram and Aaron's garments
"Consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons: the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. This is always to be the regular share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the LORD from their fellowship offerings.
"Aaron's sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days.
Aaron's garments are to be passed on to his descendants, and so passed on to future priests.
Exodus 29: 31-34, Finishing the ram of ordination
"Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat them, because they are sacred.
"And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning, burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred."
The meat of the ram has a special role and none of the sacrifice is to be saved or hoarded.
Exodus 29: 35-37, Final instructions on ordaining Aaron and his sons
"Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them.
"Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.
Exodus 29: 38-41, Sacrificing the lambs
"This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight.
With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.
Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning--a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.
(NIV footnotes: An ephah is probably about 2 quarts; a quarter of a hin might be a quart?)
Exodus 29: 42-43, Regular meeting
`"For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.
These sacrifices allow future generations to regularly meet with God.
Exodus 29: 44-46, Dwelling place of YHWH
"So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.
Once the priests have been consecrated, have been made holy, they can then serve God and He will physically, visibly live among the Israelites.
I find this chapter a bit of a struggle. The tedious (but rigorous) emphasis on getting the priests ready to meet God is written to the ancient Hebrews, in order to stress the holiness of God and their inadequacy before Him. But that culture is so ancient and that sacrificial system long gone, so that Christians in this century are but distanct observers of these requirements.
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