Leviticus 8:1-5, “The LORD
spoke to Moses, saying, (2) "Take Aaron and his sons with him, and
the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two
rams and the basket of unleavened bread.
(3) And assemble all the
congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting." (4)
And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the congregation was
assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting. (5)
And Moses said to the congregation, "This is the thing that the
LORD has commanded to be done."”
Leviticus 9:22-24, “Then
Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down
from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace
offerings. (23) And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of
meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the
LORD appeared to all the people.
(24) And fire came out from
before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the
altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”
In these two chapters we have repeated for us the
ordination and consecration ceremonies for the tabernacle, Aaron and his sons.
This ceremony took place over eight days, during which the tabernacle and all
its utensils were purified by the blood of a sacrifice. Aaron and his sons were
also cleansed, set apart and anointed, by both the blood of a sacrifice and
oil. A number of sacrifices were offered up during this time, sacrifices for
sin and for thanksgiving. The ceremony reached its climax on the eighth day,
after Aaron had offered up the sin, burnt and peace offerings, he pronounced
the blessing upon the people. As he and Moses came out of the tabernacle both
God’s glory and the fire of God appeared. The fire consumed the offerings and
the glory of God shone before all the people, causing them all to fall on their
faces in worship, awe, fear and reverence. It must have been an incredible and
memorable moment for all who witnessed it.
The conclusion of this ceremony was not only dramatic
because it ended with the fire and glory of God, but also because it marked the
beginning of the ministry of the tabernacle. The people of Israel now had a
place of worship, a means through which they could seek after a relationship
with God, show their sorrow over their sin, their desire to repent of it and to
seek after the forgiveness of God. They had a means of showing their love,
devotion and thankfulness towards God, as well as their trust in God and faith
in who He is and His promises. This all served to form an integral part of the
covenant relationship they had with God. He was their God, who promised to
bless, prosper and protect them, and who had thus far proved Himself faithful
to this covenant promise. The people of Israel were to now demonstrate their faithfulness
to the covenant by showing themselves to be the people of God, through their
willing obedience and service of God, and by their commitment to worship God
and God alone, through the means that God had now provided by way of the
tabernacle. Therefore the tabernacle was a constant reminder to them of the
covenant relationship they had with God.
Sadly, it would be a reminder that they often failed to
take note of, and therefore neglected to worship God and remain faithful to
their covenant promises of obedience to and service of God. What made this
failure and neglect all the worse was that the people of Israel still expected
and even demanded that God should remain faithful to His promises to them. Even
in the midst of their rebellion, they still demanded that God provide, prosper,
protect and bless them. When God punished, or disciplined Him, they grumbled
and complained against God.
All this serves to teach us that even though one can know
the promises of God, have a means and system of worshipping God, that doesn’t
mean that they will truly love, serve and worship God. Faithfulness towards
God, true obedience and true worship can only take place when there is a change
of heart. In their sinful state our hearts are naturally and constantly
inclined to worship ourselves or gods of our own making, thus it is impossible
for us to truly worship God. A supernatural work is required, whereby God
changes our hearts, so that He becomes the single object and desire of our
worship. This clearly shows us that although the tabernacle was a wonderful
provision of God’s grace, it served as a sign of a coming provision of grace,
the greatest provision of grace, the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ brings about that change of heart by dealing with and taking away our
idolatrous hearts. He turns us away from the worship of self, back to the true
worship of God. He frees us from all the false promises and bondage that comes
with the worship of self, the world or idols and brings us into the truth and
certain reality of God’s promises. He brings us back to life and leads us into
eternal life. He gives us an inward sign and evidence of God’s covenant promise
with us, through the indwelling on the Holy Spirit, who helps us on a daily
basis to worship God in faithfulness and in obedience. In Christ we have
something far greater than the tabernacle.
Faithful Father, we thank You
today for the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the greater than the tabernacle, who is
the fulfilment of all that the tabernacle pointed to. Thank You that He has
turned our hearts back to You and given us new life. We rejoice in the fact
that because You now live within us through Your Spirit, we can worship You and
serve You with our lives, and know Your daily presence, protection and blessing.
Thank You that You had made us Your people and that You are our God. May we
worship and serve You in faithfulness today. Amen.
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