Monday, February 27, 2012

They may be most holy


Exodus 30: 22-38, “Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.”
The special oil for anointing priests had to be mixed by specialist perfume makers. An unskilled person was not allowed to make this special but someone who was trained and skilled. The measurements were specific and ingredients were distinct so that no one would use this special oil for another purpose for it was dedicated to the Lord. Not only this, the instrument used in the Lord’s service could only be touched by people who were qualified and ceremonially pure as well. The conditions behind service for the Lord were strict and impossible for the normal person. However the Lord said, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Ex 19: 6) A priest is someone who represents the rest of the people to the Lord and represents the Lord to the rest of the people. Abraham was called so that his descendants could be a source of blessing to all the families of the earth ( Gen 12: 3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”) These two issues seem to be incompatible but God found a way. One of Abraham’s descendants, the Lord Jesus Christ, was perfect in every way and was, thus, qualified to act a a priest to the whole earth. He was able to make everyone clean through His own act of sacrifice and thus the Lord has brought blessing to all the families of the earth.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Friday, February 24, 2012

Wash their hands and their feet


Exodus 30: 17-21, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.”
When the High Priest and his sons were first ordained they had to wash themselves all over with water (Ex 29: 4, “And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.”). After this was done they had to come to the laver and wash their hands and their feet so that they could continue with their duties. The laver was just like a very large basin full of water for washing. It was assumed that once the priests had washed themselves all over they were then ceremonially clean for the task following their ordination and the required sacrifices. From day to day they would have some contact with their environment, they would walk from their own tent to the Tabernacle and they would touch various things as well. This meant that they would receive some contamination from their environment and this had to be recognised when they went to perform their duties. This passage is analogous to John 13: 3-11, (“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.  For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.”) The Lord Jesus Christ had told His disciples “that whosever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3: 16). At that stage all His disciples believed in Him but Judas so they were all clean before God. However, they lived in the world and were contaminated by their contact with the world. We, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are the same. We need to come back to Him on a daily basis and fill our minds again with His love and grace so that we can clean the parts of our mind that have daily contact with the world around us.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Every man a ransom for his soul


Exodus 30: 11-16, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.”
When Job was attacked by Satan he said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1: 21) Israel was to remember that they were just a small and insignificant people but the Lord chose them because He loved them (Deut 7: 7, 8, “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”) There is always the tendency for us to trust in our numbers  or our political power rather than trusting in the Lord but the Lord said, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” (Psalm 118: 8) The Lord also told Israel. “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” (Deut 8: 10-18) It was vitally important for Israel to remember that the Lord alone was responsible for their size and their prosperity. Whenever they wanted to take a census they had to make sure that the acknowledged that the Lord had allowed them to grow from Abraham and Sarah into a mighty nation and offer Him offerings to recognise all that He had done for them.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A perpetual incense


Exodus 30: 1-10, “And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.”
The Lord told Israel to make a special incense to be offered to the Lord. This was to be offered morning and evening so that a pleasant aroma could go up to the Lord on a regular basis. This incense was sacred and not to be offered at any other time or in any other way. Aaron’s two elder sons didn’t take notice of this injunction and they died when the offered incense at the wrong time (Lev 10: 1, 2, “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.”) The special altar for incense was like the other holy implements in that it was made to specific measurements and was made of gold, it was also designed to be carried on the shoulders of the Tabernacle servants when Israel moved from place to place. The Lord chose Israel for His own because He loved them and took them out of slavery but, in response to this, Israel was to be set apart and serve the Lord faithfully. There was to be some sign of this faithfulness every day and the incense was symbolic of this daily faithfulness. When atonement was made, once a year, some of the blood of the sacrifice was placed upon the horns of this altar. The blood was symbolic of the blood that was offered to redeem Israel from slavery and was placed upon this altar to remind them that they owed a debt of gratitude to the Lord for loving them and making them His own.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

One in the morning and one in the evening


Exodus 29: 38-46, “Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.”
Even though the priests had to be supported on a regular basis, the entire ceremonial process also had to be followed on a daily basis as well. A lamb had to be offered in the morning and another one in the evening. The priests even had to do this on the day of rest (compare Matt 12: 5, “Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?”). The offering of sacrifices was important enough to supersede the Sabbath Law because sin was all pervading and had to be dealt with every day. While this was occurring the people were able to meet with the Lord at the door of the Tabernacle. However, the Lord Jesus Christ was able to offer the perfect sacrifice when He was “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29) There is great comfort in knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect Saviour, Who has offered the perfect sacrifice and has given us perfect salvation. He, alone, is sufficient for every person under ever circumstance.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Monday, February 20, 2012

Wave them for a wave offering.


Exodus 29: 23-37, “And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD: And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part. And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD. And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons’ after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them. And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place. And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.”
While it is true that Aaron and his sons were dedicated as living sacrifices to the Lord it is also important to remember that they were serving the Lord on behalf of the rest of Israel and they needed to be supported along the way as well. Aaron’s family needed to eat to survive. Some of the offerings were not burnt, they were just waved before the altar and then given to the priests for their own use. It is still important for us to remember that people who give their lives to working for the Lord on behalf of other people need to be supported in every way as they serve the Lord. Aaron and his sons were asked to take their offering and use it that same day rather than save it for another day as well. This was so that the rest of Israel would remember their obligation to support the priests every day and not just occasionally.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Friday, February 17, 2012

Put their hands upon the head


Exodus 29: 15-22, “Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him. Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:”
When the priests were dedicated they were asked to identify with the sacrificial animals by putting their hands on the head of the animal before it was sacrificed. The Lord doesn’t ask us to offer human sacrifices. This is well illustrated in the story of Abraham when he was asked to offer his son, Isaac as a sacrifice on Mt Moriah (see Gen 22). The Lord tested Abraham but then he told him not to offer his son as a sacrifice. The purpose of this was for Abraham to offer his son as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Isaac was old enough to carry the wood for the sacrifice so he was probably bigger and stronger than Abraham, this means that he could have resisted Abraham but he cooperated with the offering as well. The Lord calls on his servants to be living sacrifices in His service. People who have given up their lives to serve the Lord and not their own interests. The priests identified with the sacrificial animals and showed that they were to be living sacrifices in the Lord’s service. They didn’t have their own inheritance in the Land because they were dedicated to the Lord.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thou shalt kill the bullock


Exodus 29: 10-14, “And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.”
The Lord told Adam that he would die on the day that he ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2: 17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” When Noah came out of the ark the Lord told him that the life was in the blood (Gen 9: 4, “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof”). On the day that Adam and Eve ate that fruit the Lord sacrificed animals so that they could hide their nakedness and be covered with skins (Gen 3: 21, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”). This lets us know that the blood of a substitute could be used to deal with sin. However, this was only a temporary solution and Adam and Eve eventually died. We also read that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (1 Pet 3: 8). In that context, Adam who died at age 930 (Gen 5: 5, “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.”) Adam did die within the Divine day on which he sinned. However, when the priests were ordained there was an acknowledgment of their imperfection and blood had to be shed to deal with their sin. The blood was shed when the bullock was sacrificed and the blood was placed on the altar to show that the priest’s sin had been dealt with so that he was now qualified to offer sacrifices on that same altar for the sins of other people. The remains of the animal were burnt so that there would be no memory of the bullock or the sins that had been taken away.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Take one young bullock


Exodus 29: 1-9, “And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.”
A person could not just choose to be a priest. The Lord appointed priests into His service. He started by appointing Aaron to the priesthood and then making that office hereditary. As a result of that first appointment, the Lord also appointed the entire Levite tribe as workers in Temple service. Even though these people had been appointed to the Lord’s service they had to be personally dedicated by sacrifices. Blood was shed to deal with the sin that each priest had because they were Adam and Eve’s descendants but also because each one, in their own way, had chosen to be sinners as well. One of the consequences of sin was that Adam had to work hard to earn his living. (Gen 3: 17-19, “...cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”) It is not proper to offer things to God that cost us nothing (2 Sam 24: 24, “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.”) When the priests were ordained for their service they had to bring offerings from the fruit of their labour then they could wear the holy garments of their office. When a person wants to give something to the Lord today it should be something that has come at a cost. Not because we want to impress the Lord by what we have done but because we are so impressed by what the Lord has done for us that we want to give Him the best we can out of gratitude.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Aaron's sons


Exodus 28: 40-43, “And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.”
While the Lord Jesus Christ was speaking to His disciples in the upper room i the upper room, he set out to wash their feet. At first Peter didn’t want the Lord to wash his feet but later he asked the Lord to wash him all over. “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.” (John 13: 10) When a person has been made clean by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ they don’t have to go back to repenting of their sin again and again they just have to confess any sin as it happens. If go through the process of self examination too often we become dangerously self centred. Aaron’s sons were part of the chosen group to act as priests and, once the family was consecrated to the task, they just had to prepare themselves for the role and do what the Lord commanded them to do. The other issue concerns nakedness. Adam and Eve didn’t know they were naked until they sinned. Nakedness is the fruit of sin and the priest were not allowed to come to the Lord without ridding themselves of their sinful behaviour. They could come to the Lord because sacrifices were offered and blood was shed for their sin but they were not to retain the evidence of their sin.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Holiness to the Lord


Exodus 28: 31-39, “And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not. And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.”
Aaron had a special breastplate with the names of the twelve tribes engraved on precious stones but that was not enough. He, as well as the later high priests, also had to wear a full set of clothing was was to show that he was dedicated to the Lord. In fact, he wore a golden plate saying “holiness to the Lord”. The Lord looks for people to dedicate their entire lives to His service rather than just a few years or some lesser portion. We cannot just be dedicated to the Lord on the weekend while we are dedicated to our career or something else during the week. Even though we are saved by grace and the Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient for all our needs it is best for us to give our entire lives back to Him. Not to impress Him but because we are grateful for His goodness and grace.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Urim and Thummim


Exodus 28: 15-30: “And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward. And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.”
The Lord had put some extremely talented artisans among the Israelis at that time (Ex 31: 1-6, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;”). These two men used all their, God given, talents to make the most extraordinary clothes for the priests and equipment for the Tabernacle and the associated, sacrificial worship. After all, Aaron actually came into the Lord’s presence, in the holiest place, on a regular basis and needed to be dressed according the glory of the occasion. The way the priest carried the names of the tribes above his heart when he came before the Lord was very important. Each tribe had its name inscribed on a precious stone, indicating that each tribe, and each individual in that tribe, was precious to the Lord. The Urim and the Thummim were two stones that were used to determine the Lord’s will and had to be carried by the priest at all times when he performed his priestly roles. (see Num 27: 18-21, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.”
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Two onyx stones


Exodus 28: 6-14: “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold; And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.”
Because the high priest was dedicated to the Lord’s service he had to wear special clothes to show the correct amount of respect for the Lord himself. It is not proper for a person to come into the Lord’s presence without showing the proper amount of respect. (Compare Matthew 22: 10-14, “So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”) The sense of this applies to people who believe that they can impress the Lord with their own goodness for the righteousness of the saints can be compared to fine linen (Rev 19: 8, “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”). If a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Saviour then their own righteousness is discounted and they come under the righteousness of the Saviour (Rom 4: 5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”) The other issue from this passage is the fact that Aaron, and subsequent high priests, all carried the names of the Israeli tribes above their hearts when they went to represent Israel to the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ carries the names of all those who believe in Him on His heart as well.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Monday, February 6, 2012

That he may minister unto me


Exodus 28: 1-5: “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.”
It is good for us to understand that God deals with individuals and works through individuals. There are some people who say that this generation is in the best position to reach the world because of all our technology but this is not the case. The Lord uses people who are willing to be living sacrifices in His service. (Rom 12: 1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”) However, the true mark of a living sacrifice is a person who is living a holy life. Aaron and his sons had to be dressed in garments that fit for the Lord’s glory and beautiful. If we want to serve the Lord then our lives must be beautiful and fit to give glory to the Lord. Aaron was the fist high priest but his sons were trained after him to take the role of high priest. Nadab and Abihu but became too impressed with their own position and failed to give the correct glory to the Lord. They may have been clothed in linen but they didn’t do the righteous deeds that were required. (See Lev 10: 1, 2, “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.”
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Friday, February 3, 2012

Pure olive oil


Exodus 27: 20, 21: “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.”
The lamp inside the holiest place were used to give light, as we have seen before. However, these lamps didn’t stay alive by themselves they needed to have fuel continually. The fuel for the lamp was made from pure olive oil for no impurities should be found inside the Tabernacle. The priests had not inheritance of their own so the body of the people had to provide the fuel. This lamp had to be kept alight continually so there always had to be oil available to make sure that the cup filled so that the wicks would not stop burning. The Psalmist said “Thy word is lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119: 105) There is a connexion in the Bible between light and direction as well. It is important for anyone who wants to follow the Lord to keep their mind full of the Word of God so that they will not get lost in the darkness of sin. When Joshua first became leader of Israel, after Moses died the Lord told him, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Josh 1: 8) This is true for every Christian as well. If our minds are filled with the word of God then we will have peace in our hearts and not be troubled by anxiety. (Compare Phil 4: 6-9, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”)
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

The court


Exodus 27: 9-19: “And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.”
The Tabernacle was set up on holy ground whenever it was pitched. In order to make sure that no one blundered onto this holy ground a portable fence was set up around the Tabernacle. this was made out of linen to show that it was holy and the size of the area to be set aside was defined by the fence. The Lord’s presence was always visible above the Tabernacle by day and by night in the pillar of cloud or the pillar of fire. The fence was not there to prevent people from deliberately approaching but to prevent people from accidentally approaching. If a person decides to sin deliberately then they deserve what they get but sometimes a person sins because they have not been properly informed and the Lord is always gracious as far as that is concerned. After all, He sent His only begotten Son to pay the full price of our salvation.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Make an altar


Exodus 27: 1-8: “And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.”
An altar is used for offering sacrifices. The concept of a blood sacrifice being used for sin first came into our consciousness on the day that sin entered into the world. The Lord told Adam and Eve that they would surely die on the day that they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2: 17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”) On that day the Lord clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins because they were naked and ashamed. It is impossible to take and animal’s skin without killing the animal so we can be sure that the animals died in place of Adam and Eve on that day. The altar was covered with brass rather than gold because animals offered on the altar were also burnt so the altar had to be sufficiently robust to take the fire as well. There were utensils to take away the ashes of the burnt animals. The altar also had flesh hooks because when the animals were burnt the carcasses would tend to twist and turn off the fire. This means they had to be held in place. The fire also reminds us that there our times in our lives when the Lord allows us to go through a time of trial so that we can mature in our appreciation of His love. We need to have our own flesh hooks that keep us following the Lord through the hard times. This altar was also carried on the shoulders of the Tabernacle servants as it was very holy.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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