August 4

EXODUS 30

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.” – Exodus 30:11-16

EXODUS 30 CENSUS & ATONEMENT

A census is the numbering or registration of people. It’s generally done for the purpose of taxation or military recruitment. Censuses are reported in the Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In these following verses, the reason for the census was to ensure that all God’s people, rich or poor from twenty years old and over must pay for a ransom for their lives which is also called “atonement.” The instruction to Moses was that when they are numbered in the census, they have to pay a tax of a half shekel when they give the Lord’s offering. The money paid will be a service done for the tent of meeting. According to gospelcoalition.org the function of atonement is ultimately the repairing and restoring of the relationship between the sinner and the Lord. It leads to peace and initiated by God himself.

Inspiredscripture.com comments that This was the first of three census counts that God would order for His people in the wilderness. While the second two counts were focused on men of fighting age, the first count included both men and women aged 20 or older. From these passages, we infer that 20 is the age of adulthood under God’s Law.

Why was it important to God for us to be numbered and pay atonement? I would say that it shows that God wants us to be aware of our role in his church and why our contribution matters in the building of his church. It is a way of being accountable to be in relationship with our Maker.

REFLECTION

• What lesson does the census and atonement teach us as Christians?

August 3

EXODUS 30

“You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. ² 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. ³ 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. ⁴ 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. ⁵ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁷ And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, ⁸ and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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.”– Exodus 30:1-10

EXODUS 30 PRAYER IS THE FRAGRANT INCENSE FOR THE LORD

The psalmist says in Psalm 141:2 “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! Revelation 5:8 describes the prayers of the saints as incense, and the church is called a garden of spices. What a great picture that looks like! When we pray from our hearts fervently, we are lifting up a sweet fragrance of incense to the Lord and he is pleased with that.

Why was God very detailed in instructing the building of the altar and why did he require Aaron to burn fragrant incense on it every morning and at twilight? We may not have a literal altar of incense in the churches that we go to right now, but these are symbols that God reminds us that when Jesus died on the cross, he was the perfect sacrifice that appeased God’s wrath from our sins. Jesus’ death resulted in the physical temple to be a spiritual one, where the Holy Spirit resides in all the hearts of believers. We do not have a literal sense of an altar of incense, but our bodies are the temple and altar which need to be kept pure and holy so that we can pray and be in constant relationship with God.

REFLECTION

• What does verse 9 translate to us as believers after Jesus gave up his life for us?

August 1

EXODUS 29

²⁶ “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. ²⁷ 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’. ²⁸ 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.²⁹ “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them. ³⁰ 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.³¹ “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. ³² 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. ³³ 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. ³⁴ 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.  Exodus 29:26-34

EXODUS 29 THE WAVE OFFERING

In the Mosaic Law, the wave offering is a symbolic act indicating that it was for the Lord (gotquestions.org).  In verse 27, this translation says that the breast of the ram was the one offered and waved to the Lord and the thigh portion becomes the contribution to the priest. According to gotquestions.org, a wave offering was a portion of a sacrifice presented to God, then released by God for the use of those involved in the sacrifice. The meat fed the families of the priests. The Levites served first the tabernacle and then the temple, fulfilling the obligation of the rest of the Israelites. Both were God’s provision for those who sacrificed themselves in service to Him. According to gotquestions.org, this is the only instance where part of the wave offering was consumed by fire in verse 25. The largest wave offering was of an entire tribe. Because of their loyalty during the episode with the golden calf (Exodus 32), God accepted the Levites in the service of His temple in place of the firstborn male of each Israelite family (Numbers 3:12).

REFLECTION

• What is the significance of the wave offering for us as Christians?
• How did Aaron foreshadow Christ as our High Priest?

 July 31

EXODUS 29

¹⁰ “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. ¹¹ Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, ¹² 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 ofthe blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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.¹⁵ “Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, ¹⁶ and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar. ¹⁷ Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, ¹⁸ 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. – Exodus 29:10-18

EXODUS 29 THE HOLINESS THAT GOD REQUIRES

Moses was given instruction by God for the sin and burnt offering to the Lord. Since the altar of judgment had four horns located in the courtyard as mentioned in Exodus 27:2, the Lord specified that the blood of the animal was to be placed on the horns before the rest of it was poured out at the base. These requirements would be repeated throughout the book of Leviticus. In the bible, the horns symbolize power and refuge as mentioned in Psalm 18:2. So, the pouring of the blood on the horns would signify that they were given much more power. According to inspiredscripture.com, the transfer of sins from the sinner to the blood of the sacrifice also points us to what Jesus did for us. In Galatians 3:13, Jesus saved us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. The liver and the kidneys of the animals were burned. Our kidneys and liver are very essential organs in our bodies that keep us clean since they remove toxins in our bodies. They pull out toxins and waste from the blood, regulate blood pressure since it balances water and salt in the body. God requires holiness in his people since he is holy just as 1 Peter 1:16. In Isaiah 35:8, he mentions a highway called the way of the righteous. The unclean will not travel on it. They are only open for the righteous. The wicked and the foolish cannot pass through it because they are unclean. God requires holiness from us since he is holy.

REFLECTION

• Why can Christians not dabble in the ways of the wicked as Psalm 1 warns us?

July 30

EXODUS 29

“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, ² and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. ³ You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. ⁴ You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ⁵ 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. ⁶ And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. ⁷ You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. ⁸ Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them, ⁹ 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.

                                                                   – Exodus 29:1-9

EXODUS 29 THE PROCESS OF CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS

After Moses was directed to have garments made for the priests, the next instructions were on the step-by-step process of sanctifying the priests. A bull and two rams that were spotless and without blemish including unleavened bread and cakes mixed with oil and also unleavened wafers smeared with oil. The requirement that theses bread and cake must be made from fine wheat flour was an important step as well. They were supposed to be placed in one basket and it shall be brought together with the bull and the two rams. The sacrificed animals foreshadowed Jesus’ unblemished body. He had no sin and was the perfect sacrifice to cleanse all of our sins. In 1 Corinthians 5:7, we are instructed to cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. Leaven symbolizes sin and so the priests cannot assume their roles if they were not cleansed from sin.

The next step is washing with water. They were supposed to do this in front of the tent before putting on the garments. Then they poured oil on their heads. Oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. We can only be anointed if we believe that Christ has died for us to save us from sin. So, the priests were required to have this step done so they could now put on their garments and they were ordained to assume their roles.

REFLECTION

·       Why is consecration an integral process for all believers?

July 29

EXODUS 28

⁴⁰ “For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty. ⁴¹ 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. ⁴² You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; ⁴³ and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.  – Exodus 28:40-43

EXODUS 28 GARMENTS FOR PRIESTS

In this account, God specified special garments for Aaron and his sons. They were to have coats, sashes and caps. God wanted them to have a symbol of his glory and beauty. Sadly, we see some denominations that miss the symbol of these priestly garments.  It was to remind them that they are God’s special chosen members of his people. They were to be the intercessor for the people. They were to wear linen undergarments. Linen was symbolic of purity. They were supposed to wear them when they go inside the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place. This was a requirement for them to follow, including the following generations of priests.

In Matthew 22, at the wedding feast, someone came to the wedding without a wedding garment and he was confronted by the king. The king ordered him to be taken and thrown into the darkness where there was gnashing of teeth. Just like proper wedding garments in a wedding feast, believers are also expected to wear purity in order to be part of the wedding feast that Jesus and his people will participate in. Also, in Ephesians 6, we are reminded to wear the armor of God at all times and on every occasion. This way, we will never be defeated by the tactics of the devil. In Revelations 16:15, God’s people are warned to keep on their garments all the time as they wouldn’t know when Jesus would come, like a thief in the night. The priests were anointed, ordained and consecrated. To anoint is to apply the sacred oil on the head. To consecrate according to a commentary by Morgan signifies the perfect equipment of the anointed to discharge his ministry. Sanctify means to literally make clean.

REFLECTION

·       How are these priestly garments applicable to all believers?

July 27

EXODUS 28

²² You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. ²³ And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. ²⁴ And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ 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. ²⁹ So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. ³⁰ And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly. – Exodus 28:22-30

EXODUS 28 AARON BEARS THE NAMES OF ISRAEL ON HIS HEART

Aaron was given a big role to play in being the intercessor for the people of God. He foreshadowed Jesus’ role as High Priest. In his shoulder and in his heart, he would have to bring the people of God to get closer to him and ensure that they are cleansed from sin when they approach God’s presence.

According to inspiredscriptures.com the high priest wore the stones over his heart as a memorial to his love for all the people. His job was to be an intercessor to God for everyone. “It was not enough that the High Priest worked for the people (having them on his shoulders). David Guzik also comments that the high priest must also love the people – that is, bear them on his heart. It isn’t enough for a priest to have a heart for God. He must also have a heart for the people, and bear them on his heart in his entire ministry unto the LORD.”  Jesus as our High Priest loved the world so much that He sacrificed Himself at the cross so that all might live -John 3:16. Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life, but those who don’t will not be able to enter God’s kingdom.

REFLECTION

• How does the breastspiece of judgment remind us of our salvation?

July 25

EXODUS 28

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. – Exodus 28:6-13

EXODUS 28 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRIESTLY GARMENTS

After the Lord God appointed Aaron and his sons as priests, he specified to Moses that they must wear certain garments to identify them apart from the rest of God’s people. They were intercessors for the people and God gave them authority to do so. These garments would indicate and remind the people of God that they had authority to intercede for them. So, this is a special clothing that represents God’s spiritual authority given to the priests.

The ephod was made of gold. In the bible, gold has many symbols and meaning. It could be of material wealth and prosperity, divine sacredness and purity, wisdom, righteousness and tests of faith. Linen was a symbol of purity. Blue, purple and scarlet yarns were also used to make this ephod just like the curtains and coverings in the tabernacle. The onyx stone is a very dark stone which probably represents sin or darkness and adding the engravement of the twelve tribes of Israel will remind them of the sinfulness of God’s people. The priest who will wear the ephod will carry on his shoulder the sins of the tribes of Israel.

Because Jesus has already died for all sinners, we don’t need these garments for priests anymore because he is our High Priest and our intercessor.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think priests in the Catholic Church still wear priestly garments?