Exodus 29-31
What I Noticed Today (Exodus 29-31)
Exodus 29
In Chapter 29, God gives instructions to Moses for the consecration of the priests who are to serve the Lord. (These instructions are repeated in Leviticus 8.)
In verses 1-37, God gives specific instructions for the consecration of the priests:
- Bring a bull and two unblemished rams along with unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers made with oil to the courtyard of the tabernacle.
- Wash Aaron and his sons in front of the tent of meeting. Dress Aaron in his high priestly garments, and the sons in their priestly garments.
- Anoint Aaron’s head with oil.
- Bring the bull and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the bull and sacrifice it.
- Take some of the blood and place it on the horns of the altar, and pour out the rest.
- Take the fat around entrails, the liver, and the kidneys and burn them on the altar.
- Burn the bull’s flesh, hide, and dung outside the tabernacle courtyard as a sin offering.
- Bring a ram and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on it and sacrifice it.
- Sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
- Wash the entrails of the ram and place the entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering to the Lord.
- Bring the second ram and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on it and sacrifice it.
- Put some of the blood on their right ear, right thumbs, and right big toes.
- Sprinkle the rest of the blood on the sides of the altar.
- Take some of the blood from the altar and mix it with oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his son’ s garment, and this will make the garments holy.
- Take the fat from the ram along with the liver and kidneys and the right thigh, and one loaf of bread, one cake, and one wafer and put them in their hands and have them wave them before the Lord. Then place them on the altar as a burnt offering.
- The breast of the ram and the thigh are to be waved before the Lord as a presentation to the Lord and then given to Aaron and his sons as their portion.
- The Holy garments that Aaron wears are to be worn by his sons after him. They are to be anointed and ordained in them.
- Take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. Then Aaron and his sons are to eat the flesh and the bread before the tent of meeting. An unauthorized person must not eat them because they are holy. Anything leftover in the morning must be burned because it is holy.
- Sacrifice a bull every day for seven days as a sin offering for atonement. Purify the altar when you make atonement and anoint it to consecrate it. In this way, the altar will become holy, and anything that touches it will be holy.
Note: It is interesting that during the consecration, blood from the sacrificed animal was placed on the priest’s ear, the thumb of their right hand, and the big toe of the right foot (29:20). Perhaps this signifies their need to be attentive to hearing God’s Word, to do God’s work, and to walk carefully in their service to Him.
In verses 38-46, God gives Moses instructions for the daily offerings:
- Two lambs are to be offered every day: one in the morning and one at twilight. Each should be offered with the grain (flour), crushed olives, and wine.
- This is to be a regular burnt offering to the Lord throughout the generations.
- I (God) will meet with you at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and I will consecrate that place. I will consecrate the tent of meetings. And I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests.
- I will dwell among the Israelites. I will be their God, and they will know that I am Yahweh their God who brought them out of Egypt.
Exodus 30
In chapter 30, God gives instructions to Moses for the incense altar, atonement money, the bronze basin, the anointing oil, and the sacred incense.
In verses 1-10, God gives Moses instructions regarding the incense altar:
- The incense altar was to be made of acacia wood with horns and overlaid with gold.
- It is to have rings fastened to the sides so it can be carried with poles made of acacia wood. The poles are also to be overlaid with gold.
- The altar of incense is to be placed in the tent of meeting in front of the veil (the curtain that divides the space).
- Aaron must burn incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps and at twilight.
- You must not burn unauthorized incense on it, a burnt offering, a grain offering, or pour out a drink offering on it.
- Once a year, Aaron is to purify the altar with the blood of the sin offering for atonement. The altar is especially holy to the Lord.
In verses 11-16, God gives Moses instructions regarding the atonement money:
- When you take a census, each man must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord when he registers.
- Every man 20-years old or older must pay a half-shekel contribution to the Lord.
- The wealthy cannot give more, and the poor cannot give less. It is a contribution to atone for your lives.
- The money is to be used in the service of the tabernacle.
In verses 17-21, the Lord gives Moses instructions regarding the bronze basin:
- Make a bronze basin and a stand of bronze. Place it between the altar and the tent of meeting.
- Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet from the basin whenever they come to minister before the Lord.
In verses 22-33, the Lord gives instructions to Moses for the anointing oil:
- Make a fragrant anointing oil from myrrh cinnamon, cane, cassia, and olive oil. It is to be used for anointing.
- You are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the table with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, and the basin with its stand.
- Consecrate them, and they will become especially holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.
- This holy anointing oil must not be used for anointing a person’s body. You must not make anything like it. It is holy. Anyone who makes something like it or puts some on an unauthorized person must be cut off from the people.
In verses 34-38, God gives Moses instructions regarding the sacred incense:
- Gather stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense and blend them with pure sea salt.
- Grind them into a powder and place them in front of the ark of the testimony in the tent of meeting. It must be especially holy to you.
- Anyone who makes something like it must be cut off from the people.
Exodus 31
In Chapter 31, God makes the provision of skilled workers and gives Moses instructions for the observation of the Sabbath.
In verses 1-11, God appoints skilled workers:
- God appointed Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. He is filled with the Spirit, wisdom, and skill in designing artistic works in gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, and carving wood.
- God appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan to be with Bezalel.
- God placed wisdom in every skilled worker to make all of the furnishings, articles, garments, oils, and incense according to His commands.
In verses 12-17, God gives instructions to Moses regarding the Sabbath:
- The Lord reminded Moses to be sure to instruct the Israelites to keep the Sabbath.
- It is a sign between Me (God) and you through the generations. It is a sign that sets you apart.
- It is holy. Anyone who profanes the Sabbath is to be put to death.
- If anyone does work on the Sabbath, he is to be cut off from his people.
- The Sabbath is a perpetual covenant between Me and the Israelites.
In verse 18, God gave the tablets to Moses:
- Once God completed giving all the instructions to Moses, He gave Moses the two stone tablets inscribed by God.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- God called and spiritually gifted with ability, intelligence, and knowledge one man from the tribe of Judah and one man from the tribe of Dan to craft the articles needed for the tabernacle. Also, God provided other gifted men to assist in the endeavor. Where God leads, He equips us for the work and provides resources needed to accomplish whatever it is He has in mind for us!
- God established the Sabbath as a day of rest. Six days’ man was to work and rest one day, just as God did in the creation. Even the construction of the holy tabernacle was to stop on the Sabbath, and anyone who violated the Sabbath was to be put to death. God clearly takes the need for a Sabbath day of rest and refreshment very seriously!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
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Tomorrow: Exodus 32-34
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