Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 30:17 - 31:5
One of the biggest problems we have in modern Christianity is that when non-Christians look at Christians, they don’t see people who are any different from them. Our priorities, choices, speech, and actions do not differentiate us from all the evil in the world.
Yahweh has always desired His followers to be separate from evil. This desire was reflected in the instructions for the tabernacle, and foreshadows the separation we should pursue as servants of Jesus Christ.
The instructions given to Moses at Mount Sinai included specifications for how to build the tabernacle. Today’s passage reveals procedures for anointing and dedicating the tabernacle.
Ex. 30:17 ¶ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Ex. 30:18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
Ex. 30:19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it;
Ex. 30:20 when they come into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to Yahweh.
Ex. 30:21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his seed throughout their generations.”
These instructions were fairly straightforward. The priests were required to wash before they served so that they did not die.
This was the beginning of a long series of events which eventually led to the Christian practice of baptism. As we see in this passage, the Mosaic Law had requirements in regards to washing with water. By the time of Christ, the Jews had developed an elaborate set of rules about using water to maintain ritual purity (see Mark 7:3-5), including the practice of completely immersing oneself in water.
1st century Jews built numerous mikvaot, which were ritual baths, to facilitate their desire to be ritually pure. When John the Baptist began baptizing people, he was not practicing something new. Baptism was very common within 1st century Judaism. What made Christian baptism distinct was being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Ex. 30:22 ¶ Moreover, Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Ex. 30:23 “But as for you, take for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh 500 shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250,
Ex. 30:24 and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.
Ex. 30:25 And you shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
Ex. 30:26 And with it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,
Ex. 30:27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
Ex. 30:28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.
Ex. 30:29 You shall also set them apart as holy, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy.
Notice the words “set them apart as holy”. The tent, ark, table, utensils, lampstand, altars, and laver were to be set apart. That means they were dedicated to the single purpose of being used to carry out the requirements of the Mosaic Law. They could not be taken to anyone’s tent to prepare an ordinary meal. They could not be used to burn anything other than the sacrifices and specific incense.
This is a picture of New Testament teachings about Christians. Christians live among non-Christians. We are tempted to be like those we live among. However, the New Testament tells us to be different. We are servants of Jesus. Our lives should be dedicated to serving Him. Our behavior should be different from the non-Christians who surround us. We see this commanded in Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Ex. 30:30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall set them apart as holy, that they may minister as priests to Me.
Aaron and his sons were also set apart, meaning their only job in life was to serve as priests.
Ex. 30:31 And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.
Ex. 30:32 It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same specifications; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
Ex. 30:33 Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”
Since the tabernacle and everything in it was dedicated to the single purpose of carrying out the requirements of the Mosaic Law, the oil used to anoint the tabernacle needed to be a mixture that was only used to anoint the tabernacle.
Ex. 30:34 ¶ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrances, stacte and onycha and galbanum, fragrances with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.
Ex. 30:35 With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
Ex. 30:36 You shall beat some of it very fine, and you shall put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.
Ex. 30:37 The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same specifications for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for Yahweh.
Likewise, the incense that was made for the tabernacle service needed to be a mixture that was only used in the tabernacle. The particular scent found in the tabernacle was not to be experienced anywhere except in the tabernacle.
Ex. 30:38 Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”
The consequence of misusing the holy incense was to be cut off from the people. Likewise, church discipline for misbehavior, the failure to be different from the world, may result in someone being cut off from the church.
Ex. 31:1 ¶ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Ex. 31:2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
Ex. 31:3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in discernment, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
Ex. 31:4 to devise artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
Ex. 31:5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, in order for him to work in all kinds of craftsmanship.
One of the biggest problems we have in modern Christianity is that when non-Christians look at Christians, they don’t see people who are any different from them. Our priorities, choices, speech, and actions do not differentiate us from all the evil in the world.
Yahweh has always desired His followers to be separate from evil. This desire was reflected in the instructions for the tabernacle. The poles, curtains, and furniture created for the tabernacle were only to be used to perform the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law. The oil and incense created for the tabernacle service had to be unique to the tabernacle.
Likewise, the New Testament instructs Christians to be different from the world. When non-Christians view our lives, they should recognize that we live according to different standards and values.
What do non-Christians see when they view your life?
Do they see a person who is different from the secular world in which we live?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”