What Is To Be Offered On The Altar: The Continual Burnt Offering (Exodus 29:38-42).
“Now this is what you will offer on the altar. Two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb you will offer in the morning, and the other lamb you will offer between the two evenings. And with the one lamb a tenth part of fine flour mingled with a fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb you will offer between the two evenings, and you shall do to it in accordance with the meal offering of the morning, and according to its drink offering, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak there to you.”
This is a short chiasmus standing on its own:
a The offering of the two lambs continually (Exodus 29:38-39).
b The first lamb to be offered to be mingled with beaten oil and wine (Exodus 29:40)
b The other lamb to be offered in a similar way, an offering made by fire to Yahweh (Exodus 29:41).
a These are to be a continual burnt offering (Exodus 29:42).
The priest and the altar having been consecrated and sanctified their first important use is now described, the continual whole burnt offering to be offered day by day continually through the centuries, a reminder that sin continues and that daily atonement is therefore required, and that daily there should be a full dedication of each member of Israel to the covenant and to the service of Yahweh. In the words of Paul they were to, ‘present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is the reasonable service for you to perform' (Romans 12:1), in that case in order to do the will of God.
“ Two lambs of the first year day by day continually.” Compare Exodus 12:5. It will be a daily reminder of their deliverance from Egypt. But the prime objective is a continual making of atonement for the whole people and a rededicating of them to the covenant of Yahweh. Lambs and goats of the first year were regularly used as offerings. New life is being offered to God as it begins to mature, just as we should offer ourselves to God as we begin to mature, dying with Christ and rising with Him to newness of life. And that offering of a new life was a continual reminder that man's need for atonement begins at an early age. Every day for over a thousand years this offering would be made, with a short break for the exile, and even then some faithful priests may have entered the ruins of Jerusalem to offer a lamb on a purpose built altar.
They are to be offered one in the morning, and one ‘between the two evenings' and thus at around dusk. In 2 Kings 16:15 we learn that this had become ever more complicated for we read ‘on the great altar burn the morning whole burnt offering, and the evening meal offering, and the king's whole burnt offering, and his meal offering, with the whole burnt offering of the people of the land and their meal offerings and their drink offerings.' Here there were three whole burnt offerings, the morning whole burnt offering, and in the evening the king's whole burnt offering and the people's whole burnt offering. Thus the evening offering had been expanded into two whole burnt offerings, one for the king and one for the people, while there was also a combined meal (cereal) offering on behalf of both, and further meal and drink offerings.
“ And with the one lamb a tenth part of fine flour mingled with a fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb you will offer between the two evenings, and you shall do to it in accordance with the meal offering of the morning, and according to its drink offering, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.” With each lamb were to be offered a meal offering of fine flour mingled with oil and a drink offering. The ‘tenth part' was probably of an ephah and therefore about the quantity held by a 2:2 litre vessel (therefore about 1:3 kilograms or 3 pounds weight), and the fourth part of a hin would be about 0:9 litres (1:5 pints). Thus God was being offered meat, cereal and wine by means of them being burned up as a sign of gratitude for His full provision for man's needs and as a sign of the dedication of all parts of their lives. It was a sweet savour to God, that is, it was well pleasing to Him. And it was an offering made by fire, and therefore wholly consumed and very holy. It was seen by God as of great worth.
“ It shall be a continual whole burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak there to you.” The offering was a continuous one day by day long into the future (‘throughout your generations') or on behalf of their future generations (‘for your generations'). It was offered on the brazen altar which was before the door of the Tent of Meeting. And from there Yahweh would speak to them, through Moses (and later Joshua), and through ‘the Priest' by Urim and Thummim. The people could not enter the sanctuary. They could at the most only enter the courtyard before the Sanctuary. And their representatives would speak to them from the door of the Tent of Meeting.
The great importance of the daily offering is brought out in that it is that offering which is used here to illustrate the purpose of the anointing and consecrating of Aaron. It is the central offering which symbolises all other offerings, the basic evidence of the acceptability of His people to God on a continual basis.