The sacrificial consecration ceremony for the Levites was also symbolic; just as the High Priest represented Jesus Christ (see Through The Veil of The Temple and High Priest to King of The World), so too the priests that served under the High Priest were symbolic of those who would later come in Christian service (i.e. "Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with Him a thousand years," Revelation 20:6; see also When Will You Be Judged?).
"Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests." (Exodus 29:1 RSV) "You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water. And you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod; and you shall set the turban on his head [see Aaron's Turban], and put the holy crown upon the turban. And you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head and anoint him. Then you shall bring his sons, and put coats on them, and you shall gird them with girdles and bind caps on them; and the priesthood shall be theirs by a perpetual statute. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons." (Exodus 29:4-9 RSV)Exodus Chapter 30
"I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate, to serve me as priests. And I will dwell among the people of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am The Lord their God, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am The Lord their God." (Exodus 29:44-46 RSV)
The very detailed instructions continued, for the altar of incense, atonement offerings, the basin for washing, the anointing oil and the ingredients for the finely-ground incense. The formulas for the anointing oil and the incense were not to be used for or by anyone else, otherwise they would be "cut off from his people."
"You shall make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia wood shall you make it. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth; it shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides round about and its horns; and you shall make for it a molding of gold round about." (Exodus 30:1-3 RSV) "The Lord said to Moses, "When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for himself to The Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. Each who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel [see Biblical Weights and Measures] according to the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to The Lord. Every one who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give The Lord's offering. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give The Lord's offering to make atonement for yourselves. And you shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before The Lord, so as to make atonement for yourselves." (Exodus 30:11-16 RSV)Exodus Chapter 31
"The Lord said to Moses, "You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing [see also The Origin of Baptism]. And you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering by fire to The Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die." (Exodus 30:17-20 RSV)
"Moreover, The Lord said to Moses, "Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred and fifty, and of aromatic cane two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; a holy anointing oil it shall be ... And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. And you shall say to the people of Israel, 'This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. It shall not be poured upon the bodies of ordinary men, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.'" (Exodus 30:22-25,30-33 RSV)
"And The Lord said to Moses, "Take Sweet Spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense, of each shall there be an equal part, and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy; and you shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you; it shall be for you most holy. And the incense which you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves; it shall be for you holy to The Lord. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people." (Exodus 30:34-38 RSV)
The intricate work of producing the Tabernacle and its furnishings was done by craftsmen who were empowered by The Lord to be even more skillful.
"The Lord said to Moses, "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you" (Exodus 31:1-6 RSV)The Lord is the only true Creator (see the Fact Finder question below); the seventh day is His only true Sabbath.
"And The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, The Lord, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath [see "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy"], because it is holy for you; every one who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to The Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign for ever between me and the people of Israel that in six days The Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.'"
And He gave to Moses, when he had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." (Exodus 31:12-18 RSV)
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