365 Reflections

Long before we needed to do it, before we understood the benefits, before anyone would ever focus on personal hygiene to the extreme that we do so today - God said - "Wash or die!" Exodus 30:17–21 (ESV) The Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing . You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord , they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die . It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.” Two years ago during a 4th of July cookout I didn't wash my hands while I prepared meat to barbecue. Two trips to two different doctor...

Exodus 30:11–14  (ESV)   The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord . 14   Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the LORD’s offering. Exodus moves from describing the Temple, all it's instruments and designs to the census tax upon those 20 years old or more.  The people of Israel were to know that they were worth something. They had to give a ransom each for their lives whenever they were counted by God's leader. What's also interesting is that the money came into the tabernacle as a sort of tax. They brought the value of their lives to the tabernacle wh...

The final piece of furniture to be fashioned and placed in the Tabernacle is the Altar of Incense. Exodus 30:1 (ESV)  “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. Exodus 30:6–8 (ESV)   And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. The altar of incense was to be placed in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It was to burn continually, every day in every generation. It was to be tended by Aaron the High Priest and he was to make atonement for it every year. What was this altar of incense for? I would suggest it was a symbol of p...

Exodus 29:43–46 (ESV)   There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. Once again God speaks about the purposes He has in store for Israel. He will be with them. He will speak to them. He has saved them - why? So that HE might dwell among them! What a powerful idea.  God has spoken this again. The last time was in Exodus 19. Just removed from Egypt, God makes His intentions clear to Israel: Exodus 19:4 (ESV) You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. The goal of God is not necessarily the promised land. And He's not exa...

Exodus 29:35–37 (ESV)   “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through seven days shall you ordain them, 36 and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy. Exodus 29 describes the long and extremely costly price to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve as priests before the Lord. This was to be a seven day process with a bull offered each day on the altar. This is in addition to the consecration offerings listen in the beginning of the chapter: Exodus 29:1–3 (ESV) “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, 2 and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes...

Exodus 28:31–35 (ESV)  “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, so that it may not tear. 33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35  And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord , and when he comes out, so that he does not die. Exodus 28:42–43 (ESV)  You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute ...

Aaron and the high priests of Israel's history were to wear specific clothing as they ministered before the Lord in the Most Holy Place. Exodus 28:29–30 (ESV)   So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord . 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord . Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly. The most striking feature of the priestly garments for was the breatpiece. Exodus 28:15–21 (ESV) “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth. 17 You shall set in it four...

Why does the Tabernacle have a court? Exodus 27:9 (ESV)   “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. God has instructed Moses to build the Most Holy place where God would dwell, the Holy Place where the priests would minister and now the court. But the simple question is why is it necessary for a court to exist? Why not just a place for God to dwell when we need to remember He's there or need a question answered? The court exists to teach God's people to actively and intentionally come into His presence with honor, praise and sacrifice. The court was off limits to those outside the covenant people of Israel. Gentiles were allowed in the court if they bound themselves to the terms of the covenant along with Israel. They too would have to take the necessary steps to come before the God of heaven and earth. The idea of a court yard for God's dwelling would send ...

We finally get to a place in the Tabernacle that points to us, the worshipper. So far it's all pointed to Christ, and it's all been covered in gold and it's all been spectacular. But the purpose of the Tabernacle was to provide a place for man to meet with God. It's not just showing off who God is but calling people into His presence. Exodus 27 describes the altar: Exodus 27:1–8 (ESV) “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. 2 And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. 3 You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4 You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 And you shall set it under the led...

The key words to the tabernacle construction outlined in Exodus 26 it is "curtains" and "veils". Exodus 26:1 (ESV) “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. Exodus 26:7 (ESV) “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. The tabernacle is to have separated rooms. There will be the holy place where they lamp stand and showbread will remain. Then there will be the most holy place where the ark will be placed and the priest will offer atonement. There are clear themes of separation and entrance. The Tabernacle will display to Israel that God is going to be with them but there will be a specific place where they will experience Him. Moses was to follow the instructions given him from heaven. How interesting that the curtains would be scarlet and blue. How interes...

The third piece of furniture mentioned in the Tabernacle Israel was to manufacture was the Golden Lampstand. Exodus 25:31–33 (ESV) “You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 33 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. The place where Israel was to meet with God was to be filled with light. Light brings information. Light illuminates. Both the scriptures and science agree that the Universe began with light. Light leads and guides.  The Israelites were to know that not only does God's pr...

The second item mentioned in the Temple is the Table for Bread. Exodus 25:23 (ESV)   “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height... Exodus 25:29–30 (ESV) 29 And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly. The God of Israel will eat with His people. That is the image we are presented with in the Old Testament tabernacle.  God instructed Moses to put bread on the table in the Temple where their God would dwell among them. Their God did not demand child sacrifice or brutal ritual. Their God wanted communion with His people. This is what it looks like to come into the presence of God. We EAT and fellowship with the One who created us! Jesus will feed the 5000 and 4000. The only other miracle in all four...

We all want to hear from God. But sometimes we get frustrated when we don't. I was reading Exodus 25 about God's instructions concerning the Ark of the Covenant - the item in Ancient Israel's temple that physically signified God's presence among. They are to build the ark by God's specific directions and this is how it ends: Exodus 25:22 (ESV) There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. What you have in these instructions about the Ark is a physical type or picture of how we can come to hear God's voice. Looking to God's instructions to Moses we have clear principles as to what God wants from us in order to hear Him regularly.  First God tells them: Exodus 25:11 (ESV)  You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on ...