And
I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will
sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's
office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And
they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of
the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God. (Ex 29:44-46)
These mid chapters of Exodus regarding the Tabernacle and the Priesthood are
challenging passages upon which to comment; however, the salient point of all The Service and the Sacrifice is
this: God dwells always among His people. He is forever mindful of us during
our moments of triumph as well as those troublesome days of dire straits. The
twelve stones worn upon the chest of the High Priest represented the full
twelve tribes of Israel so that the High Priest, too, was appropriately aware
of each household of Israel. Our Lord was mindful of each of our names when He
died upon the cross for us. “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she
should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet
will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;
thy walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah
49:15-16) Our names
were graven (cut) into the flesh of His hands on the cross at Calvary. He is
our Emmanuel (God with us) in the same sense that was prefigured by the
Tabernacle as an abode of God among the Children of Israel.
In
a sense, every believer is a minister – a priest – with a duty to share the
Gospel of Christ; however, God does set apart men to perform the fuller duties
of leading, teaching, and guiding the flock of Christ on earth. The ordained
ministry of Holy Orders of the Church provide the means by which God calls a
man to the ministry, the man responds, and the Church recognizes that call. It
is done with utmost formality for formality represents reverence, respect and
an attitude of rectitude.
Many
of the points raised in Chapter 29 have already been overwhelmed by their
fulfillment in Christ; however, I will comment on certain aspects of the
chapter that may shed greater light on our understanding of what those
fore-shadowing’s were, and how they were fulfilled, in Christ. Today happens to
be Ash Wednesday. On the Sunday following, the Church will observe the First
Sunday of Lent. It signals the approaching passion of Christ and the end of His
earthly ministry; however, on the First Sunday in Lent, we will read the Gospel
account of the very beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry – His baptism,
confirmation by the Father and Holy Ghost, and His temptation in the wilderness
for forty days and nights. As Aaron is consecrated High Priest of that
Wilderness Tabernacle, our Lord was consecrated to become High Priest of the
Kingdom of Heaven by His baptism and temptation at the door of His ministry.
This
present chapter is full of symbols and types of Christ. Take the first verse
for example: And this is the
thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the
priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish. (Ex 29:1) The consecration of the Priests
began with the sacrifice of a young bullock (the cross of Christ in His prime
of manhood). Aaron, destined to be anointed as High Priest, was consecrated
BEFORE the animal sacrifice because he was a Type of Christ, and Christ would
become His own sacrifice at Calvary. Aaron’s sons would be anointed FOLLOWING
the animal sacrifice. There is never a consecration without first taking up the
cross. The two rams symbolize His Kingly Character. Next, “And unleavened
bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed
with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.” (Ex
29:2) Unleavened
bread is pure and free of any corrupting influences just as the life of Christ
was perfect in every regard. The anointing oil represents the Holy Spirit that
was upon Christ in full measure from the moment of His formal calling (baptism
in Jordan Waters). “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for
God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” (John 3:34) The wheaten
flour represents the purity of the crushed and broken body of Christ as in our
Holy Communion Service.
“And thou shalt put them into one
basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.” (Ex
29:3) Please
observe all elements mentioned in Verse 1 and 2 are placed into one basket
symbolizing that they all symbolize some aspect of Christ. In the Passover
Seder, the Jews still wrap three pieces of Matzo Bread (unleavened and grilled
bread with pierces in each) individually (representing the Three Persons of the
Godhead). But they then wrap the three together in one bundle after breaking
the middle piece (Christ) and hiding it for the children to find at the end of
the meal. Whoever finds the broken body of Christ wins a prize. Of course, the
Jews do not recognize this mystery in their Passover.
“And Aaron and his sons thou shalt
bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them
with water.” (vv4) Now, the door of the consecration of Christ was the
Wilderness Temptation. Aaron and his sons were brought through the door of the
Tabernacle at their consecration to the Priestly Offices. Having the rams,
bullock, and bread for the sacrifice, they proceed to the Bronze Laver for the
washing (symbolically) with the Word. “ . . . . but ye are washed, but ye
are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the
Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor 6:11b)
The
next two verses (5 & 6) makes mention of the garments (vestments) to be
placed upon Aaron. Aaron was to be consecrated as High Priest and therefore
fulfills the type and figure of Christ. This is the only instance in which a
mitre is appropriate for a man. It is totally inappropriate at our day because
the High Priest stood in the place and shadow of Christ. But Christ has
fulfilled the Law as our High Priest and He alone is worthy of the mitre and crown.
Once the sacrifice had been made at the entrance of the Tabernacle (the cross),
and the washing, or cleansing, by the Word had been evidenced in the life of
those being consecrated, then was the oil of anointing applied – symbolizing
the imposition of the Holy Ghost upon the heads of the ministers.
Christ
came as a Redeemer and Savior to be sacrificed for us. He was washed by the
Jordan Waters, and was directly anointed by the Holy Ghost (the Dove that
descended upon Him). He was confirmed by the Father – “Thou art my beloved
Son; in thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)
There
is an Order of Administration to the consecration service herein revealed. The
sons are consecrated as priests after the sacrifice; Aaron, the High Priest,
before. (vs 9-14) The sacrifice described in verse 10 demonstrates the
transfer of their sins upon the innocent sacrifice which would become our Lord
at Golgotha. The sacrifice was commanded by the Lord to be sacrificed at the
Door of the Tabernacle – a fact of prophecy that was mandated by God for Christ
to be that sacrifice ere being named our High Priest. (see
1 Pet 1:18-20) “12 And thou shalt take of the blood
of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and
pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.” The horns of the altar were
located at every cardinal point – north, south, east and west - signifying that
the coming sacrifice of Christ would be for peoples of all quarters of the
earth. “13 And thou shalt take all the fat
that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two
kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.” This demonstrates the very
life center of the animal sacrificed. The fat of that portion means that God
will give His very best (His only Begotten Son) to redeem us of our sins.
“14 But the flesh of the bullock,
and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a
sin offering.”
This, too, points directly to Christ as our Sin-Offering. The skin of the
animal, and its dung, represents the curse of sin that has made us unworthy to
come before God on our own right. Those were burned and buried without the camp
just as Christ was sacrificed without the gates of the city (Jerusalem).
Verses
15 & 16 designate the sprinkling of blood on the altar of the two rams.
This represents the offerings of substitution and identification of Christ –
our Substitute on the cross and the One by whom all believers identify themselves
as CHRISTIANS!
I
will pass over the intervening verses regarding sacrifices, all of which point
in varied ways to Christ, and leave the discerning study of the reader to open
their eyes to the beauty of it all. A detailed commentary on this chapter would
take volumes of books to cover. I will point out that the morning and evening
sacrifice (of a lamb) was a continual and daily sacrifice stressing the
necessity of the believer to daily (at first and last light) to place his faith
in the saving sacrifice of our Lord. These burnt offerings of a lamb at morning
and evening were done at the very door of the Tabernacle (at the Altar for
Burnt Offerings) to impress upon our understanding that entry to worship was of
no benefit without Christ with us. He is with us now, He will be with us
tomorrow, and forever; and particularly in the communion Service at which “two or three are gathered together in my Name.”
“45 And I will dwell among the
children of Israel, and will be their God.” This is the promise of His presence from Abraham to
us-ward. He is our Emmanuel. He has His Temple today, and it is the heart of
the believer. He ABIDES there forever.
“46 And they shall know that I am
the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I
may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.” This promise applies just as dramatically to us today as
to the children of the Wilderness Journey. This life is our Wilderness Journey.
Egypt (of whatever geographical definition) is our lives of bondage to sin. God
cannot abide sin in His Presence; therefore He has made a way for our sins to
be removed, and the righteousness of His son to be imputed to us as our own
righteousness. It is the only means by which God can abide with us. Are you not
over-joyed that God has made such a provision of grace for us?
