Transcript
Tara Leigh Cobble (0:02)
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Leigh Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. Today we read more about Israel's obedience in following God's commands for the tabernacle, specifically as it pertains to the priestly garments. As we've talked about before, these aren't just fancy clothes. They serve a function. In the service of the tabernacle, the priest is acting as a mediator between God and man, bringing the names of the tribes into the holy place and making sacrifices for the people unto God. After everything has been created according to God's plan, they bring all this stuff to Moses, and then we see another parallel of creation, just like we did yesterday. After God finished his work at creation, he saw all that he had made and that it was good, and he blessed it. Today, when Moses saw that all the work of making the tabernacle pieces was finished, it says he saw that all the work was done as the Lord had commanded, and he blessed them. These parallels are intentional. Remember, the tabernacle is a step in the direction of God, restoring what was broken by sin in the Garden of Eden, where he dwelled with Adam and Eve in peace. Then everything fell apart. Now here he is, approximately 2, 700 years later, setting up camp, literally, with a bunch of sinners. God just can't stay away from his people. So now Moses has all these tabernacle parts, and it's his job to assemble it all. I don't know how he pulls it off without those helpful IKEA cartoon instructions, but he does. Fortunately, God gave him detailed instructions on Mount Sinai. Then God tells him to anoint all the furniture with oil and consecrate it to make it holy. Remember, all this stuff is just wood and metal. It's stuff God created that had been owned by the wicked Egyptians, plundered by the Israelites, had a near miss with being part of the Golden Calf, and then it's now in this holy place. There's nothing special about these things, but they're in God's sanctuary, and he said to make them holy, to set them apart for sacred use. So how is Moses supposed to do that? By putting oil on them. It sounds weird, right? How does putting oil on something make it holy? Is your car engine holy? Is your cast iron skillet holy? The point of the oil is not the oil itself. Even though this was a special oil defined by God. The purpose of the oil is in establishing that this thing it's being put on is set apart for sacred use to establish its purpose in this ceremony. When I joined my church, the pastor brought out a little bottle of oil and put a drop on my forehead as he prayed for me. Is the oil special? Probably not. It's probably not even non comedogenic. But that moment served as a reminder to me and to everyone in the room that day that my life is to be set apart for use by God. Yours too, by the way. So go grab the canola if you want. Although to be fair, this particular oil was unique because remember, this oil is the blend that could only be used in service of the tabernacle and nowhere else, just like the incense. So definitely not canola. But I hope you understand the point of what I'm saying regardless. So after Moses consecrates the furniture, he brings in Aaron and his sons, washes them, puts the priestly garments on them, and anoints them, then something important happens. God establishes the line of Aaron as the family of priests to serve before him throughout their generations. If you're only familiar with Catholic priests, for instance, you may think, well, that's a nice promise from God, Teralee. But doesn't that mean this family line of priests will only last two generations since Aaron and his sons obviously can't marry? But that's not what we see in the priesthood here. This line will continue on. Aaron and Moses are from the tribe of Levi, so they're called Levites. And we'll continue to see that the Levites are priests unto the Lord. There's no requirement of celibacy or singleness here. In fact, Abraham and his descendants, including the Levites and the other tribes of.