Chapter 19
Exodus 29-30
“Tonight I am going to tell you how God told Moses to consecrate Aaron and his four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. It was by the sacrifice of bulls and goats which, as you know, were figures of a better sacrifice to be accomplished when God’s time for it had come. And who made that better sacrifice, Arthur?” asked Mother.
“The Lord Jesus,” replied Arthur confidently.
“Yes, and this is a type of that. God told Moses to take a young bullock and two rams without spot and to put into a basket some unleavened bread and cakes mixed with oil for a meat offering. Then he was to bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle and wash them with water. He was to dress Aaron first with his coat and his blue robe of the ephod. Then came the ephod itself and the breastplate and over all the curious girdle of the ephod. On his head was put the mitre with the holy crown upon the mitre. Now Moses was to take some of the holy anointing oil and pour it on Aaron’s head.”
“Did he pour it on his head?” questioned Arthur. “Wouldn’t it run all down his clothes?”
“Yes, Arthur; I believe it did. You see Aaron was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was God’s Anointed One, and the oil was a type of the Holy Spirit. Aaron’s sons were types of what believers are now in Him. I do not mean that God gives anyone the office of priest on earth now, but in Christ we are made in our hearts and spirits, priests to God and His Father, so that we can praise God by the Holy Spirit as Jesus does, even now. Some day He will take us all home to Himself. Then when He sings a song of praise, we shall sing with Him, just as Aaron and his sons offered their thank offerings together. God was well pleased with their offerings. So will He be with ours.
“After Aaron and his sons were clothed and anointed with the oil, they put their hands upon the head of the bullock which was brought to the door of the tabernacle. This was to show that the bullock was offered to the Lord instead of them. It was killed before the Lord. Moses put some of its blood on the horns of the altar with his finger, then poured all the rest at the bottom of the altar.
The fat and the insides he was to burn on the altar.”
“Was that the altar of brass that was in the court of the tabernacle, Mamma?” asked Sophy.
“Yes, dear. That was for a burnt offering. All the rest of the bullock was to be carried outside the camp, alone and away from everybody, to be burned there for a sin offering. This was because of their own sins, and the sins of the people.
“Next, Moses was to take a ram, and after they had put their hands on its head, it was to be killed and all of it was to be burned as a sweet savor to the Lord. For the offering had been made for the people’s sins in the sacrifice of the bullock.
“Then the second ram was to be killed. Moses was to take some of its blood and with his finger put some on the right ears of Aaron and his sons, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet and the rest of the blood he should sprinkle on the altar; also some of the blood off the altar he should take with some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon Aaron and his sons and upon their garments.”
Both Sophy and Arthur thought this a very strange thing to do, but Mother went on to explain.
“You see, children, God must use His own ways to make His people understand Him. It was to teach them holiness in their behavior. Now Moses was to take part of the ram and the meat offering that was in the basket and put it into the hands of Aaron and his sons to wave it for a wave offering before the Lord. This was to show that they were satisfied with the sacrifices which the Lord had asked of them. Then Moses took the offering out of their hands and burned it for a sweet smelling savor to the Lord.”
“Why did Moses put it into their hands, Mamma?” asked Sophy.
“Well, this wave offering, Sophy, was a figure of the Lord Jesus and it was as if the Lord consecrated His priests by His filling their hands with that which would speak of Himself. This was, as was explained, to show God that they were satisfied with Himself.
“Moses also was to wave an offering before the Lord. This was to be the breast of the ram — Aaron’s consecration. Then Aaron and his sons were to eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that was in the baskets, before the door of the tabernacle.
“Only the priests could eat of the offering and what was left must be burned. Moses was to consecrate Aaron and his sons for seven days and everyday he was to offer a bullock for a sin offering, and to cleanse the altar and anoint it to sanctify it, for the Lord said the altar should be most holy, and whatever touched it should be holy.
“Once they were consecrated, Aaron and his sons always remained priests. Their beautiful garments were to go to their sons when they died, and they were to be consecrated in them in the same way.
“And now Moses was told by the Lord what He wished the priests to offer: two lambs every day upon the altar, one every morning, and one every evening, with flour, and oil and wine. It was to be burned at the door of the tabernacle, for a sweet savor to the Lord, because the Lord told Moses that was where He would meet them to speak to them.
“The Lord also said: ‘There I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar; I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me in the priest’s office. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and I will be their God, and they shall know that I am their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.’
“Arthur, did God dwell among the people when they were still in Egypt?” asked Mother.
The little boy thought for a moment, and then replied, “I don’t think so, Mother, but I’m not sure.”
“No,” Mother explained. “He could not dwell in Egypt where His people were slaves to the wicked king. But He did keep a watchful eye upon them for His servant Abraham’s sake. In the place where He would choose to put His name there, He would dwell with them and bless them.
“Next He told Moses to make a small altar of shittim wood, covered with gold and with a crown of gold all around it and rings of gold, and poles of shittim wood covered with gold to carry it by. He should put the golden altar before the veil, which separated the holy from the most holy place. Aaron was to burn sweet incense on the golden altar each morning when he went in to trim the lamps, and also in the evening when he returned to light the lamps — so that incense was always burning before the Lord.
“The sweet incense spoke of the sweetness and perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every thought, feeling and act of our Lord while on earth went up to God like a cloud of incense. God delighted in it. When we know the Lord Jesus we can delight in Him, too, and our own love, worship and praise will go up to Him like incense. It was only a priest who could burn incense on the golden altar to make intercession for God’s people, and it is only those believers whose hearts are full of the goodness of the Lord Jesus who can offer worship and praise to God now.
“The next thing the Lord told Moses to do was to count the children of Israel. Every man, rich or poor, over twenty years of age was to give a piece of silver money, called a half shekel, to the Lord for a ransom for his soul. The rich man should not give more, and the poor man should not give less. It was called atonement or ransom money, and it was to be kept for the service of the tabernacle.
“You remember that God said the boards of the tabernacle were to stand on sockets of silver. Well, most of the ransom money was used for these sockets, and the hooks and pillars round the court of the tabernacle were also made from it. Silver speaks of redemption, and every ransomed sinner is purchased at the same cost. Each believer now stands before God on the ground of redemption, and the purchase price was the blood of Jesus.
“In closing let us sing that hymn we often sing at the gospel meeting.
“On Christ the solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand.”