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Exodus 30 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Census Tax

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. ¹³ Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord’s offering. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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 Bronze Basin

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, ¹⁹ with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. ²⁰ When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. ²¹ They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”

REFLECTION

• This chapter contains instructions not mentioned in the other chapters. Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
• The half shekel tax “atonement money” (11-16) is to be collected from each Hebrew male, rich and poor, everyone has to pay the same small amount. This is to remind us that God’s redemption is equal to all.
• Eph 2:8-9 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast”. This tells us that our redemption is free to us, and we don’t need to pay the “atonement money”.  However, the redemption is not cheap, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it, it is indeed very costly.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

“Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like the cheap jack wares. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

PRAYER

An excerpt from “The Cost of Discipleship” can be found at: www.crossroad.to/Persecution/Bonhoffer.html. Reflect on your life as a disciple of Christ.  What kind of grace is expressed in your life?  Ask God to show and direct you.

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Exodus 29 English Standard Version (ESV)

Consecration of the Priests

¹ “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. …….

³⁵ “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through seven days shall you ordain them, ³⁶ and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷ Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.

³⁸ “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. ³⁹ One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. ⁴⁰ 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. ⁴¹ 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. ⁴² 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. ⁴³ There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. ⁴⁴ I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. ⁴⁵ I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. ⁴⁶ And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

REFLECTION

• The theme of this chapter is the sanctification of priests. If time permits, read through the whole chapter once.  Then re-read the selected portion above.
• Priests has to wash and offer sacrifices to symbolize being cleansed before he can put on the sacred clothing. God accepts their morning and evening sacrifices (v42), and promises to be with the people always.  This foretold the truth “come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8).
• In verses 44-46, “dwell” has the sense of abiding, living among, taking up residence. God’s purpose in delivering the Israelites out of Egypt is to live among them.  God is also dwelling in the hearts of believers today.

PRAYER

How would you react if God’s presence became visible in the building where you attend worship services?  Next Sunday try a little experiment: arrive at the worship service fifteen minutes early, sit quietly in the sanctuary, and pray for God’s presence to be especially strong.  What difference did this exercise make in your attitude during worship?

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Exodus 28 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Priests’ Garments

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. ² And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ³ 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. ⁴ These are the garments that they shall make: a breast piece, 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. ⁵ They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

⁶ “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. ⁸ 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. ⁹ You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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. ¹² 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. ¹³ You shall make settings of gold filigree, ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

REFLECTION

• This chapter gives instructions of priestly clothing.
• As high priest, Aaron was provided with distinctive clothing to “give him dignity and honor”. Each item he wore had symbolic significance.  The ephod, a vest-like outer jacket featured two stones, mounted one on each shoulder.  The name of each Israelite tribe was engraved on one of these stones.  Whenever Aaron entered the tabernacle, he represented all the people of God.
• Today Jesus, our High Priest, represents the church before God’s throne. The New Testament says that “we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
• All believers are “the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work,” (1 Pet 2:9). We also have the responsibility and privilege to intercede for others.

PRAYER

Let this sink in.  Jesus, your high priest, is representing you and interceding for you before God’s throne.  Continue wait before God.  Notice if God brings anyone to mind.  Is there any hardship, or need that God is reminding you?  Pray for this person now, asking for blessings, and continue to do so for the coming week.  If/when appropriate, speak to this person for comfort and encouragement.  Wait with expectancy that God would listen to your prayer.

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Exodus 27 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Bronze Altar

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. ² And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. ³ You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. ⁵ And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. ⁶ And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ 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. ⁸ You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.

The Court of the Tabernacle

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. ¹⁰ Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. ¹¹ 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. ¹² And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. ¹³ The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. ¹⁵ On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

Oil for the Lamp

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. ²¹ 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.

REFLECTION

• This chapter gives instructions on building altar and the courtyard. Read it over and pay special attention to the portion of altar building.
• A sanctuary is a place where we immerse ourselves in God. We, like the Israelites, gather there to listen to the reading of the Scriptures, from which we hear stories of God’s search for us, His love for us, His embrace of us, and His covenant commitment to us.
• In the sanctuary described in Ex 25-27, we see an altar. In our sanctuaries today, we see a cross.  Through the sacrificial system, God instructed Israel about the consequences of their sins and foreshadowed the need for a sacrificial system in Christ, who gave Himself once and for all for our sins.
• Just as the Israelites brought their offerings to the sanctuary, so we bring our offerings when we come to church. Like the Israelites, we sing hymns, we pray, we confess our sins, we give thanks, and we offer our lives to God.  The sanctuary isn’t a showplace where the audience comes and watches what takes place onstage.  The sanctuary isn’t a lecture hall where students sit, listen to a teacher, and take notes.  The sanctuary is a place of being, of sinking ourselves into the reality of a God-created world, a Christ-saved world, and a Spirit-blessed world.
• And that is what our churches today should be.
• What is your ideal church like? As the church is at the point of looking ahead for further development, do you and all members of your church understand God’s “blue print” so that you may work together to build this sanctuary for God?  Pray for the church development.  Listen for the role God wants you to play in the blue print.