Now the Israelites had a place in which to worship God, and to offer sacrifices.
Every morning the priests offered up a lamb on the brass altar, and burned incense on the golden altar in the tabernacle. And every evening they offered another lamb, and burned some more incense.
God sent some fire down from heaven to burn the sacrifices with, and the priests never let the fire go out; and the priests always kept the lamps burning in, the tabernacle." Every Sabbath-day the priests placed some fresh bread on the golden table; and when they put the fresh bread on it, they took away the old bread, and ate it themselves.
The people went into the great court of the tabernacle to worship God, and to see the lamb killed and burned on the altar. Afterward they saw Aaron go into the tabernacle to burn incense. The people stood in the court while Aaron was in the tabernacle praying for them. They waited till he came out again to bless them. He lifted up his hands and said, "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee."
Who prays for us in heaven? Who will come one day, and bless us?
The Lord Jesus Christ. He is our High Priest.
While the people had been making the tabernacle, they, had stayed. in one place near the great mount, Sinai; but soon after it was finished, the cloud of God moved. Then the priests blew two silver trumpets.
Why did they blow these trumpets?
To tell the people that they were to move to another place.
Then the people packed up their tents and furniture, and put them on the backs of their camels and asses. Then the priests went into the tabernacle, and covered all the things in it with blue cloths. No one might look while they were covering the things. Then they gave them to some men to carry upon their shoulders; but the priests covered the ark with the beautiful veil, and they carried it themselves. There were two long golden sticks fastened to it. The priests held the ends of the sticks, and so they carried it.
Then the priests desired some men to carry the curtains, and the posts, and the boards of the tabernacle. The priests went first with the ark, and all the people followed them, and God in the cloud showed them the way.
When the cloud stopped, the priests and the people stopped, and set up the tabernacle and the tents.
In this manner the Israelites traveled all through the wilderness.
What a happy people they were to have such a God to show them the way to Canaan They ought always to have been praising Him for His goodness. He fed them with manna, and gave them water from the rock, and He had promised to bring them to a sweet land. Besides all this He had promised to send His Son to die for them; and the lambs were killed, you know, to make them remember that promise.
I hope we shall not forget how Jesus died upon the cross. And I hope we shall get to that sweet land, called heaven. God wishes us to get there, and Jesus Christ is praying for us.
Hymn 28
While Israel in the desert stray,
They feel God's tender care;
For heavenly blessings day by day
Are shed upon them there.
At earliest dawn they gather bread,
New fallen from the Skies:
And next the holy courts they tread,
And view the sacrifice.
It is for them the spotless lamb
Is to the altar led!
It is for them the purple stream
Is on the altar shed.
And Aaron lifts for them a prayer,
As he the incense burns;
Filling with odors sweet the air,
To bless them he returns.
Those days are past: Aaron no more
For Israel intercedes;
The skies no more sweet manna pour,
The lamb no longer bleeds.
But we partake of heavenly bread,
In God's sweet word of grace:
For us the heavenly Lamb has bled
For us a Savior prays.
Oh that we may more grateful be
Than Israel was of old!
And sweeter days we yet shall see
Within God's heavenly fold.