Chapter 17
Exodus 27
“What are you going to tell us about tonight?” asked Arthur, as he put away his toys. “Did Moses make any more things, like you told us about?”
“Yes, Arthur, he did,” said Mother. “He made an altar on which they would burn offerings, animals that must be killed to make it possible for a sinful people to come near to God. The shedding of blood was for the remission of sin.
“The altar was to be made of wood, square with horns on the four corners and all overlaid with brass. The pans to receive the ashes and all the vessels of the altar were to be made of brass. Poles also were to be covered with brass and put through rings on the sides of the altar, and by this means it was to be carried.
“The altar was to be just outside the tabernacle, in what was called the court. The court was an enclosure one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and five cubits high. In English measure a cubit is about eighteen inches. It was to be made by setting up twenty pillars on each side and these set into twenty sockets of brass. On one end there were to be ten pillars and on the other end six pillars and four for the gateway. On the pillars were to be hooks of silver on which to hang curtains of fine twined linen, but for the gate they were to make a beautiful one like that for the door of the tent.
“The court with its one gate would tell us that there is but one way to approach God, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. The people would bring their offerings for sin and they would be burned upon the brazen altar, before the door: for none but the priests could go into the tabernacle.
“But this brings us to another subject, called the priesthood; and now we are going to talk about Aaron again. Do you remember when we last heard about Aaron?”
“Oh yes,” answered Sophy. “He was up in the mountain with Moses; but he got tired of waiting, so he went back to the camp.”
“That’s right. Aaron was a man and failed as other men did; but God had chosen him and his sons and they were to be separate from the rest of the people and devoted to the things of God. None but the priests could go into the tabernacle beyond the court and Aaron and his sons were to keep the lamp in the tabernacle burning always before the Lord. Moses commanded the children of Israel to bring him pure olive oil for the lamp.
“They looked different too from the common people for God Himself ordered the kind of dress they should wear for He told Moses to make holy garments, for glory and for beauty; and God gave wisdom to some of the people that they might make them for Aaron and his sons. The same colors we have heard of before were to be used; gold is for the glory of God, blue is heavenly, purple is royal and scarlet is for earthly grandeur and glory — the same as that which the colors in the curtains spoke of. And as God’s high priest, Aaron was a figure or type of the Lord Jesus who is now God’s High Priest in heaven where He is crowned with glory and honor.
“God does not have any priests like Aaron on earth now, nor does He have a tabernacle on earth now. His dwelling place is in heaven. His holy place is there. His glory never comes down on earth as it did at Mount Sinai.
“You remember that Aaron is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was made like a man but He was also God. This wicked world did not want Him here so wicked men crucified Him. In dying on the cross He became an offering for our sins and then God took Him to heaven where He acts now as our High Priest.
“Aaron could not teach the Israelites as Jesus taught the people when He was on earth, for Aaron did not know God as Jesus did. But he did keep the light burning so the people would know that God was a holy God and that He must have a High Priest to offer sacrifices for himself and for the people.”