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Approaching the Holy God

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  The Presence of God, Prayer, Redemption, Cleansing, Anointing, and Holy Worship The theme of Exodus 30 is the way in which Israel was to engage in the service of their God. Chapters 25 to 29 gave instructions about the sanctuary, its furnishings, the priesthood, and consecration; now, in Exodus 30, there are several items added that give guidelines for continuing fellowship with God, such as the altar of incense, the ransom money, the bronze laver, the holy anointing oil, and the sacred incense. Also, the connection between prayer, atonement, cleansing, redemption, and holiness.   The Golden Altar of Incense The altar of incense was made of acacia wood and covered with pure gold. The altar was quite smaller compared to the bronze altar located in the courtyard area and was situated in the Holy Place and just before the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy se...
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The Consecration of the Priesthood

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The Consecration of the Priesthood The consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests of Israel takes place in Exodus 29. After giving the instructions regarding the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25–27) and the priestly vestments (Exodus 28), the Lord gives the instructions on how to consecrate the priests for their office. God appoint his servants, consecrates them to do His will . To be consecrated as a priest, one did not need to aspire to join this profession since God himself called the people to serve Him as priests. Consecration happened on Mount Sinai soon after the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. God was making Israel a covenant community and through the priesthood the people were going to maintain fellowship with God under the Mosaic Covenant. The consecration ceremony indicates that sinful men cannot serve a holy God unless God provides grace . Through the ordination ritual, God appoints the regular Levites as covenant mediators, rather than because they are so...
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Priestly Garments and their symbolism

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  The Consecration and Garments of the Priests After discussing the sanctuary (Exodus 25-27), God moves on to discuss the ministers that will serve in this sanctuary. Worship of God in a sacred manner involves a sanctuary and holy ministers. The position of the high priest was the position that Israel would use to access God through the Mosaic Covenant. At this point, Israel was camped at Mount Sinai following their departure from Egypt (1446 B.C. or 1260 B.C.). God had redeemed Israel, made a covenant with them, and now had a structured system of worship that would allow a sinful people to live in covenantal fellowship with God. The position of the priests was never meant to exalt anyone above another but to ensure that the covenantal relationship that Israel had with God is maintained by bridging the gap between God’s holiness and humanity’s sinfulness.   God's Appointment of Aaron and His Sons The priests were appointed by God. Ministry was never an outcome of man’s d...
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The Glory of God concealed

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  Introduction The book of Exodus chapter 26 gives detailed directions to Moses on how the Tabernacle was to be erected. The Tabernacle is described as being God’s dwelling place inside the sanctuary besides the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Showbread, and the Golden Lampstand. The Tabernacle is described as having several features including curtains, coverings, frames, bars, veil, and the entrance. The chapter is highly technical in nature, however, the Tabernacle did not only refer to a tent, but God’s presence among His people. God had delivered His people Israel from Egypt and He had made them a covenant at Mount Sinai. However, all other nations of the ancient Near East also had temples for their gods; nevertheless, Israelite sanctuary was unique in the sense that the deity, Yahweh, did not belong to a localized temple. The Tabernacle symbolized an amazing theological paradox: the infinite God who could neither be contained within heavens nor within earth decided to in...
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