Consecration and Ordination (part II)

In part one I talked about the consecration of the priests in the first part of Exodus 29. The rest of this passage deals with the “ordination” of the priests. The priests offered a “ram of ordination,” and then applied some of its to their right ear lobe, the thumb on their right hand, and the big toe of their right foot. These three represented their head, torso, and legs respectively and, by extension, they were applying the blood of the sacrifice to their entire being. And this is exactly what we are to do with the blood of Jesus, who is our sacrifice, so that it may bring cleansing to every area of our life, and set us apart entirely for God’s purposes.

But what is particularly interesting about this passage is the word used for ordination. Both here and in Leviticus 8, where the actual ordination process was carried out, God said that He would “Ordain them” over a period of seven days. (Exodus 29:35, Leviticus 8:33) The phrase “ordain them” in the Hebrew is a combination of two words.

The first word is Male' which means, “to fill, fulfill, be full, overflow, ordain, endow.” This word refers to filling to overflowing"-- not just filling up to the limits of something, but filling so as to go beyond its limits. The word is used in Joshua 3:15 in reference to the Jordan river which “overflows all his banks all the time of harvest.”

The second word is simply the word for “hand” and these two are often used together in the phrase, “to fill one's hand” – referring to endowing someone with an office. But this phrase is used not only of setting someone or something aside for special religious or cultic use but of formally installing someone with the authority and responsibility to fulfill a function. So when God commanded Moses to “ordain” Aaron and his sons, he was actually instructing him to “fill their hands” for the service they would perform.

In military contexts, “to fill one's hand” is to prepare for battle. This idea is found in Jeremiah 51:11 in the phrase “Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers.” The same phrase is used to refer to the step immediately before shooting arrows, as in 2 Kings 9:24: “And Jehu drew [literally, “filled his hand with”] a bow with his full strength.” It is also used to refer to “being armed” or having weapons, as in 2 Samuel 23:7: “But the man that shall touch them must be armed [have his hands filled] with iron and the staff of a spear..."

I think you would agree that this definition substantially changes our Idea of what exactly happened when the priests were “ordained.” God was not merely subjecting the priests to some religious ceremony, He was literally “Filling their hands” with the power necessary to fulfill their duties. After Jesus had been consecrated for ministry, He was “ordained,” through the power of the Holy Spirit upon him, to fulfill that ministry.

In the same way, the “ordaining” of ministers today is not supposed to be some dry and powerless ceremony, but the filling of their hands with the power of the Holy Spirit necessary to fulfill the ministry to which they have been called. Ultimately, neither education or experience or simply going through the ordination requirements of some man-made denominational structure is enough to empower us to be ministers of the gospel of God.

God said very clearly in Zechariah 4, that it is “not by might nor by power” but only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we will accomplish the purpose and call of God for our lives. Only the presence of the Holy Spirit “filling our hands” can empower us to do what God has required of us.