AUTHORS » Joe Anady

Sep 22
4

Discussion Questions: Exodus 30

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

What did the smoke from the incense burning on the altar signify? How did this encourage the people of God under the Old Covenant? How should the thought of it encourage the people of God under the New Covenant?
What did the census tax communicate to Old Covenant Israel? How did it point forward to Christ?
What did the washing in the water of the bronze laver signify? How did it point forward to Christ? How does it relate to baptism?
What did the anointing of oil signify? How did this point forward to the work of the Messiah? What (who) are those in Christ anointed with?

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Sep 22
4

Morning Sermon: Let Us Come Boldly Before The Throne Of Grace, Exodus 30

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 30

“‘You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 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. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 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. And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations. You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.’

The LORD said to Moses, ‘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. 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. Everyone 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 your lives. You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give 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 your lives.’

The LORD said to Moses, ‘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, 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 a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 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.’

The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand. You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 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 on the body of an ordinary person, 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.’’ 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. 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 most holy for you. And the incense that 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, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 9:1-12

“Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:1–12, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

In Exodus chapter 30 we find more instructions for the building and the ongoing maintenance of the tabernacle, its furnishings, and its priesthood. Why should the New Covenant people of God care about these instructions given that they were for those who lived under the Old Covenant?

One, the facts matter. It is good to know how people were to worship back then. Knowing the facts will also help you to read and understand the rest of the Old Testament. Indeed, knowing the facts will help you to read the New Testament too, for Jesus and his Apostles were born into the Old Covenant. Jesus lived and died under the Old Covenant. He worshiped at the temple under these laws which we are now considering. The early church had to wrestle with the question, are these laws still binding on us now that the Messiah has come? These facts are important, for much that is written in the scriptures after the time of the making of the Old Mosaic Covenant presupposes that you understand these things. Indeed, the more familiar you are with the facts of the Old Testament the more you will recognize references and allusions to the Old Testament in the New Testament scriptures. Open your Bible sometime and read in the New Testament asking yourself the question, what, if anything, does this text have to do with the Old Testament? I think if you look for it you will be surprised by how often the New Testament builds upon the Old. My point is simply this: one good reason to study the Old Testament is so that we might simply know the facts concerning what God did back then and be better students of scripture.

Two, these facts matter in a special way because, as we have been learning, the things that Israel was commanded to do in the building of the tabernacle, in the establishment of the priesthood, and in the maintenance of them, all had reference to Christ. Yes, the people did really approach God to worship him, pray to him, and serve him under the Old Covenant. But at the same time, these forms of worship were little pointers or pictures of the Christ who was yet to come and to the work that he would accomplish for the redemption of all who trust in him, both then and now. I think it is safe to say that we, who live now after the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, see him with greater clarity in the Old Testament scriptures and in the worship of the Old Covenant people of God. They saw him dimly. We see him now in the light of the noontime sun. Why do we see Christ in the Old Testament more clearly now? Because he has come to fulfill the law, prophets, and Psalms in his life, death, and resurrection. And we have the New Testament scriptures now which make these connections for us. But that is not to say that the faithful who lived prior to Christ were without the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ and his finished were revealed to them, from Adam’s day onward, through promises, prophecies, types, and shadows. And so I say to you that these facts concerning the construction of the tabernacle, the garb of the priesthood, their ordination, and all of these tedious details concerning the maintenance of the worship of God under the Old Covenant matter because they are not just brute facts. No, these things signified Christ. And these symbols of Christ must be considered, for by them we come to a greater understanding of who he is and what he has done for us.

Three, these facts concerning the worship of God under the Old Covenant matter because they help us to better understand who we are in Christ Jesus, the blessing that come to us through faith in him, and what it is that he called us to do. I will not elaborate on this right now. I think I can show you what I mean by simply saying, “you are the temple of the Holy Spirit”, and “you are a royal priesthood”. In these little phrases, Paul and Peter pick up these Old Testament images and apply them to the church. The church under the New Covenant is the temple of God. Christ is the cornerstone. The Apostles and Prophets are foundation stones, and we, as living stones are being built upon them. Think of all that implies concerning who we are in Christ and what the Lord has called us to do in him. And it is to all believers that Peter says, “you are a royal priesthood.” So them, the tabernacle of Old, and the Priesthood of Old, was a picture of Christ, and it was also a kind of picture of the church of Christ, of our identity and our mission.

Maybe another way of saying all of this succinctly is that, studying these long and tedious portions of the book of Exodus is important because the gospel of Jesus Christ is contained here. I am not saying that law=gospel. But I am saying that the gospel of Jesus Christ was contained within even the ceremonial laws which were revealed to Old Covenant Isarel. Isn’t that marvelous to consider?

I say all of that by way of introduction in the hopes that it will help us to consider the facts of Exodus 30 concerning the altar of incense, the ransom price, the bronze laver, and the anointing oil in a way that is faithful to the whole of scripture, that is to say, in a Christ-centered way.

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The Altar Of Incense

In Exodus 30:1-10 we find instructions for the making of the altar of incense. In previous passages, we encountered instructions for the construction of the tabernacle. These included instructions for the making of certain items that would be contained within the tabernacle. In the courtyard, there was to be an altar of bronze upon which burn sacrifices were to be offered up to the Lord. The holy place was to contain the golden lampstand and the table for the bread of presence. A veil was to separate the holy place from the most holy place. And the most holy place was to contain the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat as its lid. Inside that chest, the law of God was to be kept. We have considered each of these items and their significance in previous sermons. Here we learn about the altar of incense.

This altar was to be made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. It was to be about 18” wide and 18” deep with a height of about 36”. A molding of gold was to be placed around its edges. Horns were to be crafted on its four corners. So then, it resembled the bronze altar in the courtyard upon which animal sacrifices were made, only smaller. No food or drink was to be offered up on this altar, only a certain kind of incense. This altar was to be placed immediately outside of the holy of holies, near the curtain, and inside the holy place. The priest was to burn this special incense in the morning and evening as he tended to the lamp in the holy place which was to burn continuously. Animal blood was to be placed on the horns of the altar once per year.

In a previous sermon, I mentioned this altar and its significance. When the priests burnt incense on it in the morning and evening it signified the prayers of God’s people. How do we know this? Well, in a way the symbolism speaks for itself. This altar was set immediately outside the most holy place wherein the throneroom of God in heaven was signified. As the incense burned, the smoke from it would have passed through the curtain and into the very presence of God. This is a beautiful symbol for prayer, don’t you think? Prayer is an invisible thing. We pray (sometimes even in silence) to God, whom we cannot see. And I am saying that this invisible act of prayer was beautifully symbolized in the tabernacle through the burning of this incense.

That the burning of incense on this altar signified prayer is also made clear from other passages of scripture that connect to the two things.

In Psalm 141:2 David says, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” So David thought of the burning of incense as a symbol for prayer.

At the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, we encounter the story about the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist who would be the forerunner for the Messiah. John’s father, Zacheriah was ministering at the temple and was selected to burn incense on this altar that we are now considering. And what was he doing while burning incense except praying? And we are told that the people were praying outside too.

And Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-4 incense and prayer are related. In Revelation 8:3 we read, “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel” (Revelation 8:3–4, ESV). Here in Revelation John saw a vision, not of the tabernacle or temple on earth, but of the throneroom of God in heaven. And there he saw the heavenly altar of which the earthly altar in the tabernacle was a copy. Again, when incense was burned upon that heavenly altar in the vision shown to John, it signified the prayers of God’s people on earth even now.

So now you have the facts about this altar that Israel was instructed to make. You know about its material, design, and dimensions. You know about its placement in the tabernacle. You know about the ingredients contained within the incense that was to be burned, morning and evening. You even know the facts regarding the symbolism.

But I would ask you to take a moment to consider the spiritual benefit that the altar of incense brought to the faithful who lived under the Old Covenant. Those of faith – those who believed in God and trusted in his promises – would have been greatly encouraged to have the priest burn this incense, to see the smoke of it make its way behind the veil, and to smell the pleasing aroma. It would have reminded the worshipper of God’s love for them, that he had made a way for them to approach him, through blood atonement, through the mediation of the priesthood, and through the washing of water. As Israel sojourned in the wilderness and later settled in the land that the Lord would given to them, the smoke of the incense would have reminded them that YHWH was not distant, but was in their midst and that he had graciously invited them to approach in prayer. Consider the kindness of God, brothers and sisters. Consider how kind he is to make a way for his people and to even condescend to their weakness to them visible signs of spiritual realities.

So why then do we not burn incense today? Well, we are not under the Old Covenant anymore. We are under the New Covenant. And under the New Covenant, we enjoy even greater benefits. The priests who descended from Levi and Aarron do not mediate for us and offer up prayers and our behalf from on earth. No, Jesus the Messiah, the great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek is our mediator. We are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace in his name, and he himself does intercede for us, not from on earth, but in heaven where he is seated at the Father’s right hand. Yes, Christian, you may be encouraged to pray to God and reassured that he hears your prayers as you consider the altar of incense and the smoke that arose from it into the holy of holies through the ministry of the Aaronic priesthood under the Old Covenant. But do forget that we have something even greater now. The Christ has come in fulfillment to these things. He is the Priest and Mediator of a better covenant founded on better promises. Through him the way to God the Father has been opened up.

If ever you see a “priest” today burning incense before an altar to signify the prayers of God’s people or the presence of God in the midst of them, you know that this “priest” has, in one way or another, denied that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh to accomplish our redemption. This “priest”, even if he bears the name “Christian”, or ministers in what is called a “church”, is denying the full accomplishment of our redemption by Jesus, and his perfect mediation for us in heaven now, by claiming to be a priestly mediator on earth as Arraon and his sons were under the Old Covenant.

The veil in the temple was torn in two, brothers and sisters (Luke 23:45). The temple was declared to be desolate by Christ himself (Matthew 23:38). The Old Covenant order was made obsolete when the New Covenant was made in Christ’s blood and with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 8:13). It vanished away entirely when the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. with not one stone remaining on top of another (Matthew 24:1-28). Never should we in any way return to that Old Covenant order, for Christ has come in fulfillment to the Old. In him, and through the covenant he mediates, we have something far superior (Hebrews 7-8).

So has the LORD given the New Covenant people any visible signs to encourage us to pray, to reassure us of his presence with us, and that our prayers are heard by him? Yes, indeed he has. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are visible signs to us. In water baptism, we are reassured that our sins have been washed away through faith in Christ and that we have been united to Christ by the Spirit in his death and resurrection. We are seated with him now in the heavenly places where he lives to make intercession for us. And in the Lord’s Supper were are reminded of the same things Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day. Both baptism and the Lord’s Supper signify Christ’s finished work and the benefits that come to us through faith in him as partakers of the Covenant of Grace. One of those benefits is access to the throne of grace made possible through Christ’s priestly mediation. So if you wish to have a visible sign to encourage you to pray, to reassure you that God hears yours prayers, and is with you now, you may consider the smoke from the incense burned upon the altar before the Lord in the tabernacle by the Aaronic priests. But as a Christian, you must see these things as fulfilled in Christ. And more than this, you must partake of the means of grace that God has given to us under the New Covenant which signify Christ, the accomplishment of our redemption by his death and resurrection, and all of the benefits that come to us now through his ascension to the Father and by his sending of the Holy Spirit.

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A Ransom Paid

Let us move on now to consider briefly the ransom price that the people of Israel were to pay for their own lives at the tabernacle. I will not speak of this in detail. In brief, here we learn that whenever a census was taken within Isarel in preparation for war at the Lord’s command, this ransom price was to be paid. Stated differently, Israel was never to go to war except at the Lord’s command, and when the Lord commanded them to go to war, a census was to be taken and this ransom price was to be paid (Exod 38:26; Num 1:3, 18, 20, 22; 26:4; 32:11; 1 Chr 27:23; 2 Chr 25:5). All of the males 20 years and older – that is to say, of fighting age – were to give “half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary… as an offering to the LORD” (Exodus 30:13, ESV). This was ⅕ of an ounce of silver. This is was the amount that all were to give no matter if they were rich or poor. This money is in verse 16 called “atonement” or “reconciliation” money. It would be used to support the “service of the tent of meeting, that it [world] bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for [their] lives” (Exodus 30:16, ESV). If this tax were not taken, or if the people were numbered for war apart from the Lord’s command, a plague would befall the people, as was the case when David was king as recorded in 2 Samuel 24.

What did this ransom price signify? It reminded all of Israel that they belonged to the Lord under the Old Covenant, that he was their God and King, that their lives belonged to him, and that they were bound to obey his voice.

Certainly, this ransom price prefigured Christ who would give his life as a ransom for his people and as an atonement for their sins. If Christ has paid the ransom price for you, then you are his. You are bound to serve him. He is your Lord and King. And under his kingship, he has numbered you to engage in holy war – a war fought, not with carnal weapons, but spiritual.

It seems to be that Peter had this passage in Exodus 30 concerning the war census and the requirement of a ransom price in mind when he wrote to New Covenant Christians, saying, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:13–19, ESV)

And in the book of Revelation chapter 5 verse 9 we hear the song the four living creatures and the 24 elders. “They sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9–10, ESV). Interestingly, this song is sung by the four living creatures and the 24 elders right after we are told that they “fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8, ESV).

I hope that you are able to make the connections, brothers, and sisters. Exodus 30 is clearly in the background of Revelation 5. Under the Old Covenant, prayers were offered up to God through the mediation of Aaron who ministered on earth. Under the New Covenant, our prayers are offered up to God through the mediation of the risen and ascended Christ who ministers in heaven. Under the Old Covenant, the people were to pay a ransom of silver for their own lives. And this did prefigure what Christ would do. He would ransom people for himself, rich and poor, powerful and weak (1 Tim 2:1-6), “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with [his] precious blood of Christ…” (1 Peter 1:19).

Under the Old Covenant, when then men, rich and poor, 20 years old and upward, were counted for war, at the command of God, they were reminded that they belonged to the Lord. They were not their own, but God was supreme over them. It was a reminder that “(1) God owns the lives of his people, and (2) although he would have the right to require his people to lose their lives in battle, he generously gave them back their lives so they could enjoy the abundant life he had for them within his covenant protection…” (Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus, vol. 2). This ransom payment was to be used for the maintenance of the tabernacle.

Listen to what Paul says to you, New Covenant Christian: “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, ESV).

Brothers and sisters, I ask you, how do you live? Do you live as if you were your own – as if you were the supreme Lord over yourself? Or do you live as if Christ has purchased you?

This ransom price functioned like a tangible memorial to Old Covenant Israel to remind them that they belonged to the Lord. And now I ask you, has the Lord given the New Covenant people of God a memorial to signify this truth that we belong to him through the price of redemption paid by Christ? Yes, indeed. In water baptism, the Lord puts his name on us as we say, Jesus is Lord. In the Lord’s Supper, God the Father invites his people to commune with him at his table, for Christ and reconciled us to the Father through his broken body and shed blood. In this way, we are reminded that we belong to the Lord each and every Lord’s Day.

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The Bronze Laver

I have not left much time to talk about the bronze laver and the anointing oil for the priests. I believe I can get to the point quickly.

The bronze laver was a large basin that held water for cleansing. It was placed in the courtyard of the tabernacle just outside of the entrance to the holy place. The priests were to use this water for ceremonial washing.

Back in Exodus 29 we learned that the priests were to be washed in this water as a part of their ordination ceremony before being clothed with the special garments that were made for them. This suggests that they were to be washed from head to toe when they were consecrated.

On a daily basis, they were to wash their hands and feet before entering the holy place. This signified their need to be cleaned from the filth of sin before approaching the presence of the Lord. This water cleansed the flesh only and made the priest’s ceremonial clean. Only faith in the promised Messiah could cleanse the conscience to make one right before God.

But the symbolism was powerful, wouldn’t you agree? What was communicated? If you wish to approach the God of heaven, you must be cleansed. And of course, having dirt and filth washed from the body accomplished nothing. No, that bodily washing signified the need for the cleaning of the soul – the cleansing of the conscience before God? And what can wash away are sins? Not water. Not the blood of bulls and goats. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

So then, the priests were ceremonially ordained to their priestly office in this water, and they were also to wash their hands and feet before ministering the in the holy place day after day.

I would like you to make a few connections.

One, consider that Jesus was washed in water at his baptism before entering his public ministry as our great high priest. He was washed in water by John the Baptist, not to wash away the filth of sin, for he had none, but to fulfill all righteousness. As the Messiah, he came to fulfill the offices of prophet, priest, and king. And as our great high priest, he was ceremonially washed in the waters of baptism.

Two, all of the disciples of Jesus are also to be washed with water because all who have Jesus as Lord under the New Covenant are priests to God. 1 Peter 2:9 has already been referenced. Peter wrote to all New Covenant Christians when he said, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV).

Three, I wonder if those episodes we see in the New Testament regarding Jesus having his feet washed with the tears of the women in Luke 7, or the debate that took place between Jesus and Peter in John 13, does not have Exodus 30 and the requirements for the priesthood as their backdrop. Jesus bathed at the beginning of his ministry in water by John. His feet were washed by the tears of the women, and then she anointed him with oil. I think she knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the priest in the order of Melchizedek. And Jesus’ disciples were water baptized. And Christ did also wash their feet. “Peter said to him, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ‘Not all of you are clean’” (John 13:8–11, ESV). It is interesting to consider the words, “bathed”, “wash”, and “clean” in the Greek and to compare them to the Greek translation of Exodus 28-30. It seems to me that this episode in John 13 has Exodus 28-30 in the background.

The point is this: Under the Old Covenant, the priests had to undergo ceremonial washing. Do we have anything like this under the New Covenant? Yes. Baptism. Christ was baptized to signify that he is the great and true priest of God who would offer himself up as a sacrifice for sins, who would cleanse his people, and intercede for them forever and ever. And all who follow him are to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for all who have Jesus as Lord, Jew and Gentile, are consecrated to God as a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that [they] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [them] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV).

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The Anointing Oil

Finally, we come to the anointing oil. The priests under the Old Covenant, along with the tabernacle itself, its furnishing, and utensils were to be anointed with a special kind of oil prepared by a skilled perfumer. So then, the priests would have been marked off not only by their dress but also by their smell. Kings were anointed with oil under the Old Covenant, but oly the priests were anointed with his special oil. The anointing with oil signified God’s blessing and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The word Christ, or Messiah, means anointed one. Jesus Christ was God’s anointed. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. As Acts 10:38 says: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.” (Acts 10:38, ESV)

Earlier I mentioned the account from Luke 7 where the woman washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. She also “kissed his feet and anointed them with… ointment”, that is to say, costly perfume (Luke 7:38). Again I said, she knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the great priest of God come in the line of Melchizedek.

And Jesus, as God’s anointed with one, does also anoint his people. He anoints them, not with oil, but with the One the oil signifies – the Holy Spirit of God. He spoke to his disciples after his resurrection saying, “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5, ESV). And a little later he said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV). And Paul, writing years after this said, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:21–22, ESV). John speaks to Christians in this way in 1 John 2:20: “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.” (1 John 2:20, ESV).

The priests under the Old Covenant and all who came into contact with them would have been reminded of the Holy Spirit as they smelled the pleasing aroma of the anointing oil. Indeed, that aroma would have filled the entire tabernacle as the tent itself, its furnishing, and utensils were all to be anointed with this oil. Under the New Covenant, God people are not anointed with perfumed oil, symbolizing the presence of the Spirit. No, all who are united to Christ by faith who are partakers of the New Covenant, do in fact have the Holy Spirit of promise. They are sealed with the Spirit. And this is why Paul could speak to individual believers in this way, saying, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, ESV). And in another place he speak of the whole church, saying, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16, ESV)

So, is there any physical reminder for us now under the New Covenant that we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit? Yes, again I say, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In baptism, the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit of God is signified. As the one baptized is taken under the water their union with Christ in death is signified. As they are brought up again, their new life in Christ is signified. And who is it that makes us alive? It is God the Father working through the Son and by the Spirit. The one who has faith and is baptized came to faith by the Spirit working. Indeed, it is the Spirit who anoints them and seals them. And the Lord’s Supper does also signify the Holy Spirit’s presence with us and in us. When we see the bread and the cup we are reminded of Christ’s broken body and shed blood. We are also reminded that he is risen and ascended. Then comes to mind his promise to be with us always and to send “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…” Is Christ present in the bread and wine? Not in a fleshly way. But yes, he is present with us in his divinity and by the Holy Spirit that has been poured out from on high.

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Conclusion

Now how can I possibly tie all of this together and bring this sermon to a conclusion? I couldn’t think of a better way than to read from Hebrews 4:14-16 where the Apostle applies the same truths that we have been considering. He says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14–16, ESV)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Exodus 30, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 22
28

Afternoon Sermon: Wherein Did Christ’s Humiliation Consist?, Baptist Catechism 30, Philippians 2:1–8

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Baptist Catechism 30

Q. 30. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist?

A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in His being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross, in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time. (Luke 2:7; Gal. 4:4; Is. 53:3; Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46; Phil. 2:8; Matt. 12:40; Mark 15:45,46)

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1–8

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:1–8, ESV)

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Q. 23. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?

A. God having out of His mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation, by a Redeemer. (Eph. 1:3,4; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 5:21; Acts 13:8; Jer. 31:33)

Q. 24. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?

A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continueth to be God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever. (Gal. 3:13;1 Tim. 2:5; John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 9:5; Col. 2:9)

Q. 25. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?

A. Christ, the Son of God became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul; being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin. (Heb. 2:14; Matt. 26:38; Luke 2:52; John 12:27; Luke 1:31,35; Heb. 4:15; 7:26)

Q. 26. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?

A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in His state of humiliation and exaltation. (Acts 3:22; Heb. 5:6; Ps. 2:6)

“Christ’s humiliation consisted in His being born, and that in a low condition…”
1. “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7, ESV).
“Made under the law…”
1. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4, ESV).
“Undergoing the miseries of this life…”
1. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3, ESV).
2. “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44, ESV).
“The wrath of God…”
1. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46, ESV).
“And the cursed death of the cross…”
1. “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8, ESV).
“In being buried…”
1. “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40, ESV).
2. “And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph” (Mark 15:45, ESV).
“And continuing under the power of death for a time.”
1. “And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb” (Mark 15:46, ESV).

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2LCF 8.10. This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need his priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom.

(John 1:18; Colossians 1:21; Galatians 5:17; John 16:8; Psalms 110:3; Luke 1:74, 75)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 22
28

Morning Sermon: The Consecration Of The Priests, Their Garments, And Their Duties, Exodus 27:20-29:46

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 27:20-29:46

“You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.

[28:1] Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance. You shall make settings of gold filigree, and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings. 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. It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth. You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 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. 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. You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 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. On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 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. You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the LORD.’ And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework. For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty. And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 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 forever for him and for his offspring after him.

[29:1] 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, and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. Then 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 skillfully woven band of the ephod. And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. 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 Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons. Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. Then you shall kill the bull before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar. And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering. “Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar. Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar. Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him. You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), and one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD. You shall put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. Then you shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the LORD. It is a food offering to the LORD. “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD, and it shall be your portion. And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests’ portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron’s and his sons’. It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the LORD. The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, shall wear them seven days. “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting. They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy. And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remain until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 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, 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. 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.

[29:38] Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. 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 out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.” (Exodus 27:20–29:46, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 5

“For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’; as he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5, ESV)

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Introduction

This large portion of the book of Exodus that we are considering today can be divided into three parts.

Firstly, in Exodus 28 we find instructions for making the garments that the priests of Israel were to wear as they served before the Lord and on behalf of the people in the tabernacle.

Secondly, in Exodus 29:1-37 we find instructions for the consecration, or ordination, of these priests – that is to say, instructions for the ceremonies by which the priests would be appointed to their office.

Thirdly, in 27:20-21 and in 29:38-46 we find instructions concerning the duties of the priests. In brief, they were to tend to the lamp in the holy place in the presence of God, and they were to offer up sacrifices on behalf of the people at the altar, morning and evening.

I wish to approach this text in the same way that I approached the previous one regarding the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings. First, I will address what was to be made or done. After that, I will ask, why? In other words, first we will consider the facts regarding the priesthood of Israel, their garb, their ordination, and their duties. After that we will ask the question, what is the meaning, or significance of these things?

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Priestly Garments

First, let us briefly consider chapter Exodus 28 wherein we find instructions for making what the priests of Israel were to wear. What were the priests of Israel to wear?

In summary, the people of Israel were to make contributions so that skilled craftsmen could make fine garments out of fine material for the priests to wear. These garments were to be crafted in a beautiful and glorious manner. Aaron, and the high priests who served after him ,would be dressed in an especially ornate way. Aaron’s sons, and the priests who would descend from them, would be clothed in special garments too, but with fewer accouterments than worn by the high priest. It is important to remember that the priests of Israel were descendants of Aaron, who was himself of the tribe of Levi. These Levites who descendant from Moses’ brother, Aaron, were set apart to serve the Lord in the tabernacle, and later temple. These were to be clothed in glorious and beautiful garments as they served the Lord in his tabernacle on behalf of the people.

What, in particular, was Aaron to wear? Eight items of clothing are described to us in this passage.

First of all, the priests were to wear undergarments. These are described in 28:42: “You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs…” (Exodus 28:42, ESV). This coraspons to what was said earlier in Exodus concerning worship at altars: “And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’” (Exodus 20:26, ESV). This talk of nakedness and the need for clothing to cover such nakedness should remind us of the account Genesis 3 regarding Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, their awareness of their nakedness, their unsuccessful attempt to clothe themselves, and the Lord graciously clothing Adam and Eve with animal skins. These two stories regarding the clothing of Adam and the clothing of Aaron are related in some way. Both cary this theme: God, by his grace, clothed sinful man so that the shame of their sin might be covered, and so that man might walk before God and not be consumed. Certainly, these earthly things pointed forward to the work that the Messiah would do to make actual atonement for sin and to clothe those who turned from their sins and to him by faith with his righteousness and holiness. I’m getting ahead of myself, here. We will talk about the meaning or significance of these things later. But I would like you to have this connection between Adam, Aaron, and Jesus Christ in your mind from the start.

Secondly, Aaron was to wear a tunic, which in the ESV is translated as “coat”. This tunic, or coat, is mentioned in 28:4, 28:39, 40. Tunics were worn next to the skin. They covered the body, the arms to the wrist, and the legs down to the ankles. Tunics were worn by common people in those days, so they were not unique to the priests of Israel. But the tunics that the high priest and priests were to wear were to be especially fine. They were to be made of fine linen and woven with a checkered pattern.

Thirdly, the priests were to wear a belt, or sash, around their tunic. This sash was to be made with fine material. It would keep the tunic close to the body and would be wrapped around the other items placed over the tunic, which we will consider in just a moment, to hold everything together so that the priest could do his work.

Fourthly, the high priest was to wear a special robe. This robe was unique to the high priest. It was one of the clothing items that would distinguish the high priest from the other priests. This robe was to be all blue. It would fit loosely over the tunic, falling nearly to the ankles. The collar was reinforced to prevent tearing. There were only armholes, no sleeves. And the bottom hem of the robe was to be richly decorated with embroidered pomegranates. Bells were attached between the pomegranates so that the high priest would not only be seen in the tabernacle but also heard.

Fifthly, the high priest was to wear an ephod. This also was unique to the high priest. In 28:6-14 we learn that it was made of five materials: Gold, blue, purple, and scarlet wool yarn, and fine linen. It was like a long vest or apron which was draped over the robe. So then, the high priest wore four layers of clothing – undergarments, a white linen tunic, a blue robe that was beautifully adorned with pomegranates and golden bells, and finally an ephod woven together with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. The sash, or belt, would be wrapped around all of this to hold it together.

There is one feature of the ephod that must be mentioned. On the tops of the shoulders were two precious onyx stones set in gold, and these stones were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Isarel, six on the left and six on the right. This served to remind the high priest and all who observed him that he represented all of Israel before God as he ministered in the tabernacle. He carried Israel before the Lord on his shoulders, if you will.

Sixthly, hanging by chains of braided gold from the two onyx stones that were set in gold on the shoulders was a breastpiece. This was called the breastpiece of judgment. It was made of the same material as the ephod with dimensions of 9’ square. The precious cloth was doubled over to form a pouch. On the front of the pouch, twelve precious stones were set in gold, each stone representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In 28:29 we read, “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” (Exodus 28:29, ESV).

It is clear that this beastpiece and the twelve stones that were set into the front of it represented all of Israel. As the high priest entered the holy place, he represented Israel before God. Israel was on his heart if you will. He carried Israel into the tabernacle and made intercession for them before God.

And this breastpiece was called the “breastpiece of judgment” because of what it contained. I mentioned that the breastpiece was a pouch, and contained within the pouch were the Urim and Thummin. 28:30 says, “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” (Exodus 28:30, ESV). The word translated as “judgment” here does not refer to the wrath of God, as if Aaron were to absorb the wrath of God, but to the decisions or the declarations of the Lord which were binding on the people. The NET translates this Hebrew word, not as “judgment”, but as “decision”. “You are to put the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece of decision; and they are to be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD. Aaron is to bear the decisions of the Israelites over his heart before the LORD continually” (Exodus 28:30, NET). The NIV says, “Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD” (Exodus 28:30, TNIV). I think these translations capture the meaning well.

There is much that is unknown about these two objects called the Urim and the Thummim, but they seem to have been used in Old Testament times to inquire of the Lord regarding his will in matters of uncertainty. Perhaps they were objects cast as lots before the Lord (see Numbers 27:21, Ezra 2:63, Nehemiah 7:65). Whatever they were, these two objects were to be kept within the pouch of the breastpiece of judgment, or decision.

Seventhly, the priests were to wear a turban on their heads. This turban was common to both the high priest and the priests.

Eighthly, a crown or band of gold was to be placed on the forehead of the high priest. This band of gold was unique to the high priest. It was engraved with the words, “Holy to the LORD”. It symbolized the high priest’s authority. This plate also reminded the priest of his office, his responsibilities, and the guilt that he would bear for failing to fulfill his duties.

So now you know how the high priest and the priests of Isarel were to be clothed. The high priest would be clothed with all eight items mentioned. The ordinary priests would be clothed with undergarments, tunics, belts, and turbans. All of these articles of clothing were to be made with the contributions from the people, of precious things, by skilled craftsmen, for glory and for beauty.

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Consecration Ceremony

Now that you know how the priests were to be dressed, I would like to say a few words about how they were to be consecrated or ordained. Exodus 29 tells us all about the consecration of the priests as well as the consecration of the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard. I would certainly be possible to devote another sermon to this chapter, but I think I can summarize the text in five points.

One, Aaron and his sons were to be washed with water at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They had to be made ceremonially pure before entering the priesthood. 29:4 speaks of this.

Two, Aaron and his sons were to be clothed with the clothing described above. So then, having been cleansed for the priesthood, they were to be clothed for the priesthood.

Three, Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated with sacrifices. Animal sacrifices, and sacrifices of grain and oil, were to be offered up to the Lord. In this way, the LORD was to be worshipped. In this way, thanks to the LORD was to be given while his priests were ordained.

Four, Aaron, his sons, and the altar at which they were to serve, were to be cleaned with blood. Animal blood was to be poured out at the base of the altar. It was also to be splattered on the altar, and applied to the horns of the altar with the finger. In like manner, the priests were to be splattered with blood. And blood was to be applied to the earlobe, thumb, and the big toe of the priests. Just as blood was used to make the altar fit for service, so too it was applied to the priests to make them fit for service. Why was the blood applied to the earlobe, thumb, and big toe of the priests? To cleanse them to hear the word of God with the ear, to perform sacrifices with their hands, and lead the people into the worship of God their feet. The blood of expiation was applied with precision to the priests to purify them to fulfill their peculiar calling.

Five, Aaron and his sons were to be anointed with. Anointing with oil signifies anointing with the Holy Spirit. So then, having been ceremonially washed, clothed, and covered by the blood, the priests were anointed with oil, signifying the anointing of the Spirit. Perhaps you are noticing parallels with our experience in being made priests of God under the New Covenant through faith in Christ…

Six, Aaron and his sons were consecrated with food. Some of the sacrifice was to be burned outside the camp as a sin offering. Some of the meat was to be burnt upon the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. But some was to be set aside as a “wave offering”. This portion would be lifted up by the priest towards heaven as if it were received by the priest from God. This portion of the sacrifice was to be eaten by the priests. It was their portion. And in this way, the priests would be supported and sustained in their work. They would eat and drink before the Lord in the service of the people.

Seven, this consecration ceremony was to last for seven days.

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Priestly Duties

So now we know how the priests of Israel were to be clothed, and how they were to be consecrated. But what was their responsibility? What were they to do? The work of the priests is nicely summed up for us at the beginning and end of our text.

In 27:20–21, we learn that the priests were to tend to the lamp in the tabernacle to keep it burning continually. This responsibility to tend to the lamps continuously represents all that the priests were to do as it pertains to representing the people of Israel before God. Remember that the lamp, the table for the showbread, and the altar of incense inside of the holy place signified God’s presence and the way that God had made for his people to approach him from on earth. The priests were to draw near to God on behalf of the people. They were to offer up prayers to God on their behalf. They were to inquire of God on their behalf.

In 29:38-41 instructions are given regarding the responsibilities of the priests to offer up morning and evening sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Every day, in the morning and in the evening, the priests were to offer up a year-old lamb, a tenth of an ephah (1.6 quarts) of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin (one quart) of oil, and drink offering. In the morning and evening sacrifices, thanks was offered up to God for his provision. Also, God’s covenantal communion with his people was signified.

So, the priests were to intercede on behalf of the people in the tabernacle, and they were to offer up sacrifices in behalf of the people at the altar. These two responsibilities of the priests of Israel are set forth in summary form at the beginning and end of our passage for today.

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Significance

So we know what the priests were to wear, how they were to be consecrated as priests, and what work they were to do. Now let us briefly consider the significance of these things. Why the priesthood? Why these garments? Why these ordination ceremonies? Why this work?

When I asked this question of the tabernacle in the previous sermon I did so under three headings – place, picture, and promise. I have two more “P” words for you that I will use to answer the question, why the Aaronic priesthood? The two words are these: provisional and prophetic.

When I speak of the Aaronic priesthood as being provisional I mean that God worked through this priesthood for a time work as means through which the people of Isarel would be able to come before him to worship.

When we speak of provisional things, we speak of things that are temporary, and not final. That the Aaronic priesthood was temporary, and not final, is evident from the superficiality of their dress, their ordination, and their duties. Please do not misunderstand me. I mean no disrespect to priests of Old, nor to the Old Covenant they served. And when I speak of their office, garb, and duties as superficial, I do not mean to suggest that the priests themselves were superficial men. No, indeed some of them have authentic and substantial faith in the promised Messiah. I am simply using the word superficial in a matter-of-fact way. Think of it. Aaron and his sons were clothed with beautiful and glorious clothes, but this does not mean that they were clothed with true righteousness. Their bodies were washed with pure water, but this does not mean their consciences were cleansed. Their guilt as atoned for with animal blood, but this does not mean their sins were taken away. If you wish to learn all about the superficiality of the Old Covenant, her priesthood, and her sacrifices, then read the book of Hebrews.

The provisional and superficial nature of the Old Covenant, her tabernacle, priesthood, and sacrifices becomes clear when we ask the question, did this covenant, with its tabernacle, priests, and sacrifices solve the problem of sin, suffering, death, and alienation from God that came into the world when Adam fell into sin? More than this, we must ask, did this covenant, its tabernacle, priests, and sacrifices, bring its participants into the glorious life that was offered to Adam in the beginning, but forfeited by him when he sinned? No, it did not. It dealt with sin in an earthly way. It cleansed the flesh, not the conscience. Men and women were invited to approach the God of heaven from on earth. These were all great blessings. But the Old Covenant, with its tabernacle, priests, and sacrifices did not solve the problem of sin, really and truly. It did not bring people into the immediate presence of God eternally.

When I say that the priesthood was provisional, I mean that it meant to serve a purpose for a time. It served that purpose will. But it was designed to give way to another order – a New Covenant, with a new priest, who would be clothed, not with fine garments, but with true righteousness, holiness, and glory. This priest would offer himself up for sinners. This priest would take away sin really and truly and make provision for full reconciliation between God and man. When I say that the Old Covenant priesthood was provisional, I mean that it served the purposes of God for a time until the Christ was brought into the world through the Hebrews.

When I say that the priesthood was prophetic I mean that the Aaronic priesthood was forward-looking. It was a picture of the priest who would come, not from Aaron, but in the order of Melchizedek, and to the work of salvation that he would accomplish.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the office of priest, but he was not a descendant of Aaron. This is important to understand. He was the priest of God, but he did not come to serve as a priest of the Old Mosaic Covenant. No, he is the Priest of a different Covenant – the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of Grace. A change in covenants required a change in the priesthood, and so Jesus was not a priest in the order of Levi and Aaron, as if the New Covenant was simply a continuation of the Old. No, he was a priest in the order of Melchizedek, who lived long before Levi and Aaron. Melchizedek was a priest/king who ministered to those who believed in the promises of God in the days of Abraham. Christ was a priest in the order of Melchizedek because he came in fulfillment to those promises. And as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, he served, not the Hebrews only, but all nations, just as Melchizedek did.

I cannot say more about Christ as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, for time is quickly running away, That will have to wait for another time. But know this: though Christ was a priest in the order of Melchizedek, and not Aaron, the Aaronic priesthood did still prefigure him.

Their fine garments of beauty and glory prefigured Christ who would be clothed, not with superficial and earthy garments of gold, wool, and linen, but with true holiness, righteousness, and glory.

As Aaron, and the high priests who would descend from him, offered up the blood of animals for the purification of the flesh, it was a picture of the blood of Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

As the Aaronic priests were washed bodily with water, it was a picture of the priest who would provide for the forgiveness of sins to the cleaning of the conscience.

As Aaronic priests entered the tabernacle with Israel on their shoulders and heart, and as the high priest entered the holiest place once per year as representative of Isarel, it was a picture of Jesus Christ, the great High Priest, the only mediator between God and man, who is able to take his people all the way into the immediate presence of God to remain there for all eternity.

Indeed, so great is the work of Jesus, our Great High Priest, that he makes all who are united to him by faith, priest to God. He washes away our sins, purifies our conscience, anoints us with his Spirit, invites us to eat and drink before him, and having opened up the way for us, invites us to come boldly before the throne of grace, there to remain forever and ever

This is why Peter could write to Christians, saying, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10, ESV)

Did you hear that, brothers and sisters? Through faith in Christ, our great High Priest, we are made to be a royal priesthood. Having been forgiven, washed, clothed, and anointed, through faith in the crucified and risen Messiah, we have all been appointed to the service of God as priests. And what is our duty? To intercede on behalf of the world in prayer, and to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We are to pray for the world, and we are to proclaim Christ to the world as God’s royal priesthood, washed in the blood of Jesus, the priest who has come in the order of Melchizedek to earn our salvation.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Exodus 27:20-29:40, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 22
28

Discussion Questions: Exodus 27:20-29:46

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

Describe the garb the high priest of Israel was to wear. Why was the high priest to be clothed like this?
Why was animal blood to be applied to the altar and to the priests?
What did all of this communicate to Israel, and through them, to the world, regarding the way that God would open up for man to have a right relationship with him through the Messiah?
Though Christ was foreshadowed by the priests of the Old Covenant, he did not descend from them. He descended from Melchizedek instead (Hebrews 5-7). Why is this important?

Tags: Gospel Community Groups
Posted in Study Guides, Gospel Community Groups, Gospel Community Groups, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 22
21

Afternoon Sermon: How Does Christ Execute The Office Of A King?, Baptist Catechism 29, Matthew 2:1–6

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Baptist Catechism 29

Q. 29. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies. (Ps. 110:3; Matt. 2:6; 1 Cor. 15:25)

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–6

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’’” (Matthew 2:1–6, ESV)

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“Christ executeth the office of a king…”
1. “In subduing us to Himself…”
  - “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours” (Psalm 110:3, ESV).
2. “In ruling and defending us…”
  - “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6, ESV).
3. “And in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies.”
  - “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25, ESV).

*****

(John 1:18; Colossians 1:21; Galatians 5:17; John 16:8; Psalms 110:3; Luke 1:74, 75)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 22
21

Discussion Questions: Exodus 25-27

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

Describe the tabernacle – its dimensions, features, and construction – in a general way.
What was the purpose and significance of the tabernacle?
How did the tabernacle point forward to Christ and the New Covenant?
Where is the tabernacle or temple of God now?
Where will the tabernacle or temple be after Christ returns?
How does this teaching impact your life now and your hope as it pertains to the life to come?

Tags: Gospel Community Groups
Posted in Study Guides, Gospel Community Groups, Gospel Community Groups, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 22
21

Morning Sermon: Instructions For The Construction Of The Tabernacle, Exodus 25-27

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 25-27

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

[25:10] They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length [45”], a cubit and a half its breadth [27”] , and a cubit and a half its height [27”]. You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 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.

25:23] You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length [36”], a cubit its breadth [18”], and a cubit and a half its height [27”]. You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons [a flagon is jar or pitcher] and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.

[25:31] You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes [a calyx is a flower bulb, or blossom], and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 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; 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. And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold. And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

[26:1] 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. The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole. You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole. And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and a covering of goatskins on top. You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle. You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side; and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons; and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame. And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners. And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame. You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end. You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain. And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side. You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.

[27:1] ] 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. 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. 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. 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. And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.

[27:9] 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. Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases. All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

[27:20] You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.” (Exodus 25–27, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 8

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’ But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8, ESV)

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Introduction

In the time that we have remaining, I wish to answer two basic questions before offering you some suggestions for application. The first question that I wish to answer is this: what was the tabernacle? And after that I will address the question, what was the significance of the tabernacle? You see, it is one thing to know about the dimensions and details of the tabernacle’s construction, but it is quite another thing to understand its significance, purpose, or meaning. It is certainly important for us to understand what the tabernacle was (how it was made and what its features were). We must start with this. But after that, we must ask the deeper question: What was the significance or meaning of the tabernacle? Why was it given? What was it for? What did it communicate about God, his relationship to man, and his plans and purposes?

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What Was The Tabernacle?

First, let us ask the basic question, what was the tabernacle?

In general, it was a portable sanctuary built by Israel with precious things according to God’s design. These general facts are introduced to us in Exodus 25:1-9.

Firstly, we are to see that it was a portable sanctuary, or temple. In 25:8 the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “And let them [Israel] make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” That this sanctuary was designed to be portable so that Isarel could take it with them as they sojourned towards the Promised Land will become clear later in this passage. But here I wish to emphasize that the tabernacle was a sanctuary or temple. Once constructed, it would be the place where Isarel was to worship God. And it would be there in the tabernacle that God would manifest his glory in a special way. “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst,” the Lord said. Yes, God is omnipresent. He is fully in all places at all times. But just as God is present in a special way in the heavenly realm that he created in the beginning, so too he determined to be present in a special way in the midst of Israel in the tabernacle.

Secondly, this sanctuary was to be built by Israel. Look at 25:2. “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.” So not only was Israel to construct the tabernacle, they were to construct it with the contributions that they themselves willingly made. They were to pour themselves into this temple.

Thirdly, this sanctuary was to be built by Israel with precious things. In 25:3-5 we read, “And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood…” (Exodus 25:3–5, ESV). These precious things were to be an earthy reflection of the glory of God in heaven.

Fourthly, this sanctuary was to be built by Israel with precious things according to God’s design. This command is repeated throughout the passage we read, but it is stated for the first time in 25:9. There the Lord says, “Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” So Israel was to construct this temple, not according to their imagination, but in obedience to the command of God. And the same is true for us today. The church, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, is to be built, not according to the imaginations and creativity of man, but according to God’s design.

So I have told you what the tabernacle was in general. It was a sanctuary built by Israel with precious things according to God’s design. It was the place where God would manifest his glory to Israel, where they were invited to approach him, worship, and serve him.

Now let us consider the specific parts of it. They are described to us in detail in Exodus 25:10-27:19. The most holy things are described first, and the least holy things are described last. That is the order.

Firstly, in 25:10-22 we find instructions for the construction of the ark of the testimony, which is also called the ark of the covenant. This was a rather small chest (45”x27”x27”) made of acacia wood and overlaid inside and out with pure gold. It was designed so that the tablets containing the law of the covenant which God would write on stone could be kept within it. The lid of this chest was called the mercy seat. It was made of pure gold. On top of it were the images of two angels, one on the left and one on the right with their wings stretched out towards the middle. In 25:22 we read the word of the Lord to Moses, “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.” So this is where God would meet with Israel, above the mercy seat, and between the angels. This ark of the covenant which we are now describing was to be kept in a special place in the tabernacle – not in the courtyard, not in the Holy Place – but in the holy of holies, behind the veil, through which only Moses and the High Priests would go. The High Priests would go once a year, and not without the blood of a sacrificed animal to sprinkle on the mercy seat for the purification of their own sins, and the sins of the nation.

Secondly, in 25:23-30 we find instructions for the construction of the table which was to hold the bread of presence. This bread is sometimes called the showbread. It was to be set before the face of God as a perpetual reminder of his provision for us. Twelve loaves would be placed before God in two groups of six (signifying the twelve tribes of Israel. Each day, fresh loaves would be placed out and the priests were to eat the day-old bread. Notice this: it was the priests as representatives of the people who would eat the bread, and not God. Where was this table of the bread of presence to be placed? Not behind the veil in the Holy of Holies, but in the Holy Place in front of the veil where the priests could have daily access to it. Certainly, this bread of the presence signified Israel’s covenantal communion with God. What did Israel do after the Old Covenant was confirmed and as they saw the heavenly throne room of God open up to them while they were on the mountain? They ate and they drank. They enjoyed covenantal communion with God, in other words. Brother and sisters, it was the LORD who set this table before Israel. Yes, they made this table and set it in place in the tabernacle, but the LORD initiated it. He commanded that this table be set between him and the people in the tabernacle. Certainly, this signified communion with God. It also was a perpetual reminder that it is the Lord who gives us this day our daily bread. Christians should remember that the Lord has set a table for us in the New Covenant temple of God. On that table, which we call the Lord’s table, the New Covenant “bread of presence” is set before God’s people signifying Christ’s broken body, our covenantal communion with God through faith in him, and that he is with us always to the end of the age.

Thirdly, in 25:31-40 instructions are given for the construction of the lampstand. Perhaps you have heard this lampstand called the Menorah, which is the Hebrew word translated as “lampstand”. This lampstand was shaped like a tree. It had a trunk, and seven branches – one in the middle and three on each side. The light of this lampstand would illuminate the Holy Place. By this light, the priests would walk and be able to see the tapestry and the bread of the presence. This light was a reminder that in the beginning, God said, let there be light. The lampstand represented the sun, moon, and stars within the tabernacle, which I will argue, was designed to remind the worshiper of the created world. This tree was a strange tree in that it had flowers, buds, and fruit all at once. This is a reminder of God’s continual provision through the cycles of the seasons, springtime and harvest. This tree-shaped lampstand also represented the tree of life that was present in the garden from which man was barred when he fell into sin. We will soon come to talk about the significance of the tabernacle, but I cannot help to draw your attention to this symbolism. The tabernacle was a picture of heavenly realities. It was a picture of Eden.

Fourthly, in 26:1-37 we find instructions for the construction of the tabernacle itself. The tabernacle consisted of two rooms – the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place – with a courtyard around them. The Holy Place was 30’ long, by 15’ feed wide, and 15’ tall. The Most Holy Place was shaped like a cube: 15’x 15’x 15’. So in total, the tabernacle was 45’x15’x15’. In between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was a curtain or vail with large angels embroidered on it – certainly, this was to remind the worshipper of the angel that was placed outside of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life and into the presence of God. The tabernacle itself was constructed with inner curtains. These were also embroidered with angels to remind the worshipper of the heavenly hosts that look down upon them. On the outside of these elaborate curtains was a layer of animal hides to protect the tabernacle from the elements. These were hung on wooden beams overlaid with gold on golden hooks and rings.

Fifthly, in 27:1-8 instructions for the construction of the bronze alter upon which animal sacrifices were to be burnt are given. The bronze altar was 7.5’ square and 4.5’ feet tall. Along with it, utensils for tending the fire and the sacrifices were made, along with poles to carry it from place to place.

Sixthly, and lastly, in 27:9-19, instructions for the construction of the courtyard are given. The courtyard was to be enclosed with “fine twined linen” hung on pillars with bases of bronze and with hooks of silver (notice that the metals are getting less precious the further we get from the Most Holy Place). An entrance gate was also to be made. It was to be made of “blue and purple and scarlet yarn”, with a width of 30’. The dimensions of the whole courtyard were 150’ long by 75’ wide with linen walls 7.5’ high. All of the utensils of the courtyard were to be made of bronze, and that includes a large laver for washing which will be described to us in Exodus 30, along with other items associated with the priesthood.

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What Was The Significance Of The Tabernacle?

So it should be clear to you what the tabernacle was. I hope you understand the facts about its features and dimensions. But now we must ask the deeper question: what was it for? What was its purpose, significance, or meaning? What did the tabernacle communicate to Israel, and through them, the world?

I hope you can see why this is the deeper and more important question. If you were to ask me, what is baptism? Or, what is the Lord’s Supper? I could tell you all about the proper recipients, the elements used, and how they are to be administered. As important as those facts are, that sort of answer would be superficial. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacraments. That means that they symbolize spiritual realities. If you really want to understand Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, you must know what the dipping of a person in water and the eating of bread and drinking of wine signify. And you know what these means of grace signify. They remind us of a historical event – the death and resurrection of Christ. They are signs of heavenly and spiritual realities – his being seated at the right hand of the father now, our having been washed in his blood, and our covenantal and Spirit-wrought union with him. You see, if we wish to answer the question, what is baptism?, or, what is the Lord’s Supper?, this is what we must talk about. We must go beyond a consideration of the elements – bread, wine, and water – and beyond questions of administration, to a discussion about meaning and significance. The same is true with the tabernacle, and later temple, of the Old Covenant. The tabernacle functioned in a sacramental or symbolic way.

I think I can briefly answer the question, what was the significance of the tabernacle?, under three headings: place, picture, and promise.

Firstly, the tabernacle was the place where Israel was to worship the LORD and where God would dwell in the midst of them in a special way. There at the tabernacle, and later the temple, Israel was invited to draw near to God in the way that he prescribed. The tabernacle was the place of God’s special presence under the Old Covenant.

In the past, I have taught you that the kingdom of God was prefigured within Old Covenant Israel. The kingdom was offered to Adam but forfeited, promised to Adam, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was prefigured within Isarel under the Old Mosaic Covenant. It was inaugurated (or started) at Christ’s first coming with the making of the New Covenant. And it will be consummated (or completed) when he comes again to judge and to bring his elect into the new heavens and Earth which he has purchased with his blood. The whole story of the Bible can be described in terms of the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth and amongst men. And what is the kingdom of God except for the Holy God ruling and reigning in the midst of a holy people in a holy realm?

I have taught you in previous sermons that the kingdom of God is the Holy God dwelling in the midst of his holy people in a holy realm. If you wish to know what the kingdom of God is in its full and consummate state, you may go to the end of the book of Revelation to read of the vision that John saw of the new heavens and earth. He saw a vision of the Holy God ruling and reigning in the midst of a holy people in a holy realm. That was what was offered to Adam, promised to the patriarchs, prefigured in Old Covenant Israel, and inaugurated at Christ’s first coming. Everything is heading towards the consummation of the kingdom when Christ returns.

In Old Covenant Israel the kingdom of God was prefigured. It was not present yet with power. This is why John the Baptist came preaching, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. But it was prefigured in Israel. And if the kingdom of God is the Holy God dwelling in the midst of his holy people in a holy realm, then you can see that the tabernacle, and later the temple, was the particular place through which God was present with his people. The holy and omnipresent God dwelt in the midst of his holy people whom he had set apart and redeemed by taking up residence, if you will, in this tabernacle. There he manifested his presence. There the people were invited to approach. But they were to approach according to God’s design so that they could approach in a way that was safe. The LORD said, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” The sanctuary was built, not for God, as if he needed a house to dwell in to be sheltered from the elements. It was built for man so that sinful man might have a way to draw near to the Holy One and not be consumed.

Two, the tabernacle was a picture.

I could make an argument for the tabernacle as a picture of Eden. I think it certainly was that. The tree-shaped lampstand clues us into this. But for the sake of time, I will emphasize that the tabernacle was a picture of heavenly realities. One should not forget that Israel was just given a glimpse into the heavenly throne room of God through the mediation of Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders as they went up on the mountain. Now, Israel is instructed to build this tabernacle according to the design that God showed to Moses on the mountain. The Most Holy Place was a picture of the throne room of God in heaven. No image of God was made, but the Holy of Holies, the ark of the covenant, and the angels which adorned it symbolized God’s throneroom. There between the cherubim and above the mercy seat, God would be present with Israel. The tabernacle, and particularly the Most Holy Place, was a picture of heaven.

Secondly, the tabernacle was a picture of the earth and of man’s approach to the God of heaven from on earth. Imagine walking into the courtyard of the tabernacle through those wide curtains. What was the first thing you would see except the altar upon which the burnt sacrifices were offered up to God? Immediately you would have been reminded of your sin and of the need for atonement so that God’s wrath would be turned away from you. You would then come to the bronze laver filled with water, which would remind you of the need for purification. Entering then into the Holy Place you would be struck by the contrast between the harsh, dry, and dusty world outside and the pleasant, beautifully ornate, and glorious comfort of the sanctuary. The light of the lampstand shining in the darkness would remind you of the stars of heaven and of God, the source of all light. By this light, you would see the beautiful tapestry and the embroidered images of angels. These images would remind you of the spiritual world and of the angels of God who look down upon us day and night. The lampstand itself, being shaped like a tree, would remind you of the tree of life offered to Adam in Eden, but forfeited by him. The bread of the presence of would remind you of God’s gracious provision for you while you sojourn before him on earth. Though we did not read of the altar of incense in this passage (it will be described to us in Exodus 30), it was placed immediately in front of the veil which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. As incense was burned on that altar, the smoke from it, and the pleasant aroma, would make its way past the veil and into the Holy of Holies, that is to say, into the very presence of God. The smoke from this incense symbolized the prayers of God’s people. Brother and sisters, when you pray on earth with faith in Jesus the Messiah, your prayers are heard by God. They make their way into his presence through his mediation. So then, the tabernacle was a picture of the heavenly throne room of God and of the way that the Lord had made for sinful men and women to approach him from on earth. To understand this, it might help to visualize the tabernacle and to tilt it heavenward in your minds so that you can see it as a kind of ladder to God in heaven – through the gates and into the courtyard, past the alter, past laver, and into the Holy Place having been covered by the blood and washed with the water. There, the Lord would commune with Isarel. Isarel was invited to approach the God of heaven in this way through the mediation of their priesthood.

But notice something very important. Under the Old Covenant, in the tabernacle and later the temple, a veil remained which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. On that veil, angels were embroidered as if standing guard to block the people from having full access to the God of heaven. The smoke from the altar incense would continuously make it sway in. And the High Priest was invited in one year, but not without animal blood to atone for his own sin and the sins of the people. So the way to God was not completely closed off. But neither was it throne wife open in Old Covenant times.

This brings us to the third word which describes what the tabernacle was. The tabernacle was the place where God dwelt in the midst of his Old Covenant people. It was a picture of God’s heavenly throne room and of the way that God had made for man to approach him from on earth. Thirdly, the tabernacle was a kind of promise.

Any Israelite who understood what was offered to Adam in the beginning, but lost by his fall into sin – any Israelite who knew and understood the promises of God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning the salvation that would be proved, not for the Hebrews only, but for all the world, through one of Abraham’s seed, would know that the tabernacle was not the end goal. Or to put it differently, though God’s presence was really there in that tabernacle, and though a way was made for Israel to approach the God of heaven in that place, the work of our full and final redemption and reconciliation to God was not accomplished there. The tabernacle, and later the temple, was a picture of the Savior who was to come. It was a picture of how the way into the presence of God would open wide for sinners. The way to God would be opened wide not through the blood of animals, not through the washing of the body with water, and not through the mediation of Moses or the priests who descended from Aaron, but by the shed blood of the Messiah, through the cleaning of the conscience that comes to those whose sins are forgiven through faith in him, and through the mediation of Jesus Christ, a priest in the order of Melchizedek, and the New Covenant ratified in his blood.

Place, picture, promise. Those three worlds should help us to remember what the tabernacle was all about for the Old Covenant people.

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Contemplations

So what benefit is there for the New Covenant people of God to consider these things?

Well, first of all, we must acknowledge the tabernacle is no longer the “place” where God dwells in the midst of his people. Where does God commune with his people now? It was to the church that Paul said, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV). It was to the New Covenant church, made up of Jews and Gentiles together that Peter said, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5, ESV). So I ask you, where is God’s temple today? Where does God meet with his people? Or to state it differently, where has God set his table with bread and with drink? He has set his table, not in a tent, nor in a house of stone, but before his people who have been covered by the blood of the Messiah and washed in the waters of baptism. As you reflect upon the tabernacle, and as you consider its fulfillment in Christ and in the church of Christ, it ought to open up worlds of application for you.

Think of what God has done for you to reconcile you to himself and to open up the way for you really, fully, and eternally through the curtain, that is through Christ’s flesh.

Does this fill your heart with awe and with gratitude?

Does this encourage you to pray?

Does this encourage you to draw near to your Father in heaven to enjoy sweet communion with him?

Does this help you to understand what it is that we are doing when we assemble together on the Lord’s Day?

Does this increase your longing for Christ’s return, the consummation of his kingdom, and the day when his temple will fill the earth, his glory will fill all, and his people, made holy by the blood of Christ, will enjoy his presence forever and ever immediately and without interruption?

It should. But it will require us to contemplate these things prayerfully and thoughtfully.

Thanks be to God for the salvation that is our in Christ Jesus. May he bless his church, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Lord help us. Amen.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Exodus 25-27, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 30

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 9:1-12

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Introduction

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The Altar Of Incense

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A Ransom Paid

The Bronze Laver

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The Anointing Oil

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Conclusion

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Baptist Catechism 30

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1–8

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 27:20-29:46

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 5

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Introduction

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Priestly Garments

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Consecration Ceremony

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Priestly Duties

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Significance

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Baptist Catechism 29

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–6

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 25-27

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 8

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Introduction

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What Was The Tabernacle?

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What Was The Significance Of The Tabernacle?

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Contemplations