Exodus 40:15, commentary and pictures

God directed that Aaron's sons be anointed just as their father had been, to set them apart for sacred service and establish a hereditary priesthood to minister before Him through successive generations. That anointing set both the sanctuary and its priests apart from ordinary use for the daily work in both apartments dealing with sin. The priesthood is called everlasting, yet it ceased at the cross when type met antitype and was replaced by Christ's priesthood, showing that everlasting here means lasting for its appointed age rather than without end. The Hebrew olam, rendered aionia in the Greek Septuagint, takes its length from its subject, unending when applied to God whose endless existence belongs to His nature but limited when applied to mortal life or ceremonial institutions. The earthly tabernacle with its furnishings and priesthood was made exactly after the heavenly pattern as a shadow of the true tabernacle, pointing sinners to the coming Sacrifice whose death rent the veil and ended that ministration forever. Those who held the Sabbath to be given for the same length as this priesthood teach that it ran only parallel with it and passed away when the Aaronic priesthood ceased.

Tabernacle Setting and Command

Exodus 40:15 stands in the closing account of the preparation, fitting, erecting and consecrating of the tabernacle, which was reared up in the second year after Israel left Egypt on the first day of the first month. In that setting the testimony of the ten commandments was put into the ark, the mercy-seat was set upon it behind the veil, the table of shewbread and the golden candlestick were placed in the first apartment with its lamps lighted before the Lord, the golden altar of incense was set before the veil with sweet incense burned thereon, and the burnt offering and meat offering were offered on the altar before the door as commanded. Afterward a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, which had no windows in holy or most holy place and so needed the seven lamps, while God dwelt in thick darkness with the brazen laver and altar of burnt offering before the door and the court of fine twined linen curtains erected around the whole.

The sanctuary so erected was built to follow the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain, with its construction detailed in Exodus 25-40, and it had two apartments separated by a veil, the holy place and the most holy place. It was made as God's dwelling place among His people, first in the wilderness and later through Israel's history, after Israel was asked to bring free-will offerings to make Him a sanctuary that He might dwell among them. That dwelling was given so God could reveal His great love more fully and carry forward the unfolding plan of redemption previously shown from Eden to the Exodus in the simple service of offering a lamb for sin upon an altar of rough stones with the father of each family acting as priest or mediator between his family and God. The same pattern was later used for Solomon's temple, which became the Lord's dwelling place when His glory filled it.

The verse belongs to the worship part of Exodus from chapter 25 onward, by which Israel after deliverance from bitter bondage in Egypt became a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship under Moses as the chosen leader. It belongs to God's separate set of laws for the regulation of worship, distinct from the set of laws for civil government in Exodus 21 to 23, standing with Exodus 29 to 31 as part of the religious system that designates the nature of worship and the positions of those who execute it. Civil government is a temporary arrangement of force made necessary by sin to control men and regulate their relations toward each other in this life only, while true religion persuades men to be reconciled to God, so the two systems go side by side with essentially different purposes and entirely separate lines of operation, and any commingling produces discordant clashing detrimental to both. It also belongs to the law of Moses commanded in Horeb with the statutes and judgments, set forth in Exodus 20 to 40 and Leviticus, which includes the Ten Commandments together with all the other precepts, civil regulations, laws of sacrifices and offerings, laws of conduct between man and man, health laws, ceremonial laws, and moral laws. In that law the offerings, sacrifices, and types are revealed as shadows from which the substance of the new dispensation is traced, and with the whole law it is to be remembered in the last days, not as the Ten-Commandment law alone but as the full rule of conduct with its typal instruction.

The command is to anoint Aaron's sons as their father had been anointed, appointing them to serve as priests and establishing a hereditary priesthood intended to continue through their generations. That anointing, with the anointing of the tabernacle, set sanctuary and priests apart for sacred service distinct from ordinary use, so the priests could not treat it like their own houses, and it prepared the tabernacle for the appointed priestly service. The priests' ministration then continued before the ark day by day throughout the year. God's manifested glory showed that He accepted the people's repentance. The verse is thus part of the law restricting the Levitical priesthood to the appointed family.

Everlasting Means Age-Lasting

The promise of an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations was given to Aaron's sons and to Levi, yet that priesthood ceased at the cross, was set aside by God and replaced by Christ's priesthood, and has passed away. This shows that everlasting does not always mean existence without end, for unlike God, whose unending existence is essential to his nature, the Levitical priesthood was not everlasting in that sense. It is an example of a Jewish institution whose promised duration was limited by its nature and whose purpose reached fulfillment in Christ when type met antitype. Everlasting here means age-lasting, a longer or shorter time whose end is hidden, denoting what is everlasting in its effects rather than unending in its duration, and taking its force from the subject to which it is applied.

The Hebrew is olam or goh-lahm, rendered aionia in the Greek Septuagint, which describes duration without end when applied to God but a limited period when applied to mortal life or ceremonial institutions. The Levitical priesthood was such a ceremonial shadow with limited duration, so its use of everlasting does not mean it would continue as long as God exists. Everlasting describes the priesthood lasting through successive generations for as long as that priesthood endured, and by itself does not require unending duration. It is cited as an example of the limited sense of the word, where everlasting throughout the priests' generations could nevertheless come to an end.

The Aaronic priesthood was established by law for that age until type should meet antitype, vested in the tribe of Levi after the order of Aaron from the Exodus to the Crucifixion. Its anointing to an everlasting priesthood means an age-lasting priesthood, not unending. During that dispensation it was sin for those of another tribe to minister in the priest's office. That age-lasting priesthood of Aaron antedated the age-lasting priesthood of Christ, whose priesthood began after his identification with humanity. Christ's priesthood likewise continues without interruption or successor, but it will eventually end when his work of pleading for humanity gives way to judgment.

On the understanding held by some, the length given for the Aaronic priesthood throughout their generations is the same length given for the Sabbath, so the Sabbath ran parallel and only parallel with the priesthood and passed away when the Aaronic priesthood ceased.

Shadow Fulfilled in Christ

The anointing of the sanctuary and its priests set apart both apartments and the priesthood for service, and that consecration for the work of putting away sin was the pattern for the consecration of the heavenly sanctuary and priesthood for Christ's ministry in both holy places. The earthly priests were anointed for their office throughout their generations, and so the heavenly ministry was likewise dedicated for the putting away of sin.

The tabernacle first pitched in the wilderness after the deliverance from Egypt, afterward succeeded by Solomon's temple, was a worldly sanctuary in which God dwelt with men and His glory filled it. Its dimensions, materials, furnishings, and priesthood were made exactly according to the directions given to Moses in the mount. Moses carried forward the ministration begun when he brought the tables of the law down from God by placing the two tables in the ark and the ark in the Most Holy Place of the typical sanctuary, and by anointing Aaron's sons to the Levitical priesthood to minister before that ark while the typical sanctuary should continue. That priesthood belonged to a ministration that could only exhibit guilt, condemnation, and death, showing sinful men exposed to the law's just penalty with no promise of pardon in itself. Its sacrifices could not take away sin but could only point penitent sinners forward to the great Sacrifice to be offered for the sins of men. Like other perpetual instructions for offerings and practices, the priesthood was a Jewish institution whose promised duration was limited by its nature and whose purpose reached fulfillment in Christ. The earthly sanctuary and its priests served unto the shadow of heavenly things and always foreshadowed the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, with all its rites pointing to the coming Messiah and His power to forgive sin, transform character, and deliver from burdens. With the death of Christ and the rending of the veil that typical and shadowy earthly sanctuary passed away entirely and forever.

The high-priestly office was for life and passed from father to son in Aaron's line. At the time of Caiaphas that succession was disregarded, for Roman and Herodian rulers appointed and removed high priests at will, though they still chose men of the priestly family. The sanctification of the wilderness tabernacle was performed entirely by Moses in the presence of Aaron and his sons. That due order explains why Solomon took the leading part in everything at the temple dedication, even in things supposed to belong exclusively to the priests. The high priest was not noticed and the priests were mentioned only as bearers of the ark, while Solomon alone exhorted, sacrificed, prayed, consecrated the temple, and blessed the people.