Today's reading covers more details of the plans for the tabernacle, specifically oil for the lampstand, the courtyard, and the altar for burnt offerings, which stood in the courtyard and was the first thing the Israelites saw when they entered. It served as a constant reminder that they could only come to God by means of a sacrifice, the payment for their sins.
Then we get to the chapter giving all the details for the priestly garments and at first, I rather disinterestedly skimmed over it. But all of a sudden I noticed a couple of new things that I thought were really quite amazing. Well, they're not new things, but my notice of them was new!
The first thing that stuck out was the shoulder pieces of the ephod, upon each of which was a mounted onyx stone with six of the Israelite tribe names engraved in it. This served as a physical reminder of the responsibility the high priest had for the entire nation. The weight of his responsibility to be a godly leader literally rested on his shoulders.
I couldn't help thinking that as a parent, that same responsibility rests on mine. When I think of how heavy that sometimes feels ~ and I have only two children ~ I can't imagine how huge it will have been for these high priests, who were responsible for MILLIONS of people!! And then I think of Jesus, our Great High Priest, who bore that weight on His shoulders when He died on the cross for all the millions of people who lived before Him and the billions who have and are living since then. What great imagery we see here! Not only were these onyx stones a reminder to the priests of their calling, but they pointed towards the Savior!
The other thing that I thought was really quite interesting about the high priest's garment was that he carried the Urim and the Thummim in, or behind, the breastpiece, and "thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD." We seem to know little about these stones, but according to my Life Application Bible, the Urim and the Thummim were used by the priest to make decisions. The words mean "Curses" and "Perfections" and refer to the nature of God whose will they revealed. They were kept in a pouch and taken or shaken out to get either a yes or no answer. There are only seven references in the entire Bible to them, and none actually refer to the use of them, only how to use them or in a mention as part of the priestly function.
What struck me is that phrase I quoted above: "thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD." To me, this is a picture of the Holy Spirit. We don't need stones with words engraved on them to make our decisions anymore because we have something even better ~ God's Holy Spirit living in us! Just as Old Testament priests had to rely on the Urim and the Thummim bound over their hearts to make a decision, we have the power of the Holy Spirit IN our hearts to help us make decisions that will honor God. Again, we find these seemingly boring details looking forward to something far greater to come. I just thought that was so cool!!
Then in Mark we see the passage I've come to call "Jesus' Busy Day." Jesus is preaching in the synagogue, casts out an evil spirit, goes to Peter and Andrew's house for lunch and finds He has to heal Peter's mother-in-law before there'll be any food to eat, then, instead of relaxing with His friends in the evening, the Bible says the WHOLE TOWN was waiting outside the door for His words of hope, the touch of His hand, or the casting out of evil spirits. I think it's safe to say Jesus was SPENT after this particular Sabbath!
But notice what He does: early the next morning, even before the sunrise, Jesus gets up and leaves the house for some much-needed, well-deserved ME time. Wait... what? NO, Jesus has a date to meet with His Father. Time and time again, I marvel at how Jesus dealt with the pressures of His ministry and how His leisure time ALWAYS had a higher purpose than just looking after His own physical needs.
How many times has it happened to me that I've taken some self-indulgent, rejuvenating "ME time" and yet still lost my temper within minutes of being back together with my family?
I wonder if I would include them in my relaxation time or spent my ME time as Father/daughter time instead of just pampering myself, would God not be able to give me exactly what I need to face the rest of my day and finish strong?
I wonder if we trust God enough to try experimenting a little with this one...?
Tomorrow's passages: Exodus 29-30, Mark 2
9 comments:
I had the same thoughts surrounding Aaron bearing the means of making decisions. What actually struck me more so was verse 38 "It will be on Aaron's forehead and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Iraelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron's forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord." The pressure and responsibility that Aaron holds! This is also a foreshadowing of Jesus bearing all of our sins on the cross.
Oh, and your thoughts surrounding the reading in Mark - so true! How often we look at this time with God as "we SHOULD go to God"... Instead, Jesus went to spend time with God to fill up - and so should we! Time with Him will only fill our spirits, never take from it! Good thoughts Tammi, thanks!
Yes, Jody, the sign on or just above Aaron's forehead on the the turban was the other thing that hit me! I KNEW there had been three things about that passage, but I just couldn't remember what the third one was when I posted!! Thanks!! See and there's a reason there was THREE ~ the one represented Christ, the other the Holy Spirit, and this one speaks to God, His sovereignty and holiness. The constant reminder that because God is holy, they had to be as holy as humanly possible as well.
We often joke about being able to remember things better if they were tattooed on our foreheads, and maybe this is where that saying originates!!
Actually, I noticed the same thing. As I read, I thought of how the weight of the stones on the ephod and breastpiece and the gold plate on the turban would serve as a constant reminder of where he was and what he was doing, as you wouldn't be able to move without feeling that weight, or for that matter, hearing the tinkling of the bells on the hem of the robe. I wonder what, if anything, was the significance of the colours chosen, and the pomegranates. Scarlet, I imagine, would represent the blood of atonement. Purple often represents royalty, and blue loyalty... but would that have had the same meaning then? Or are those just God's favourite colours? Does God have favourite colours? I don't think He does anything randomly.
Maybe this is exactly WHY those colours have the significance we still attribute to them to this day. I think you're right, Miriam ~ there is nothing random about what God does!
I thought about weight this week too as I read, but my thoughts had to do with the Tabernacle and its contents. There was a lot of gold involved, and everything accompanied the Israelites as they wandered. Imagine them carrying not only their personal belongings but also all the physical components God required for worship whenever they moved? When I compare the pathetically minimal effort I've been willing to put into worship on most occasions to the many specific acts and articles of worship required of the Israelites I'm rather ashamed of myself.
Thanks for the great post! It's amazing how so much of the OT describes what will happen in the NT.
I must admit, often when I take 'me' time, I don't always include God in that time as much as I should. Thanks for the reminder!
Very cool that the priestly garments and other items symbolize the Trinity, I had never noticed that before. Excellent post!
A great reminder of "me time" as well. Meditating on scripture or praying WHILE relaxing in the tub, or WHILE going for a walk, is so much more beneficial for our soul.
So many interesting things that I would have overlooked had it not been for this blog. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
"Me time" always seems to be selfish and I marvel too at how Jesus balanced His work load and yet still prioritized the time with His father. A wonderful example to follow.
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