Thursday, February 29, 2024 – Exodus 27, 28 – Additional reading, Patriarchs and Prophets, chapter 30, “The Tabernacle and Its Services”

1. From whom did Moses receive the details? Exodus 27:8

2. Where was the Altar of Burnt Offering situated? Exodus 27:9

3. What was the purpose for the Urim and Thummim? Exodus 28:30

4. Why did Aaron have to wear the Urim and Thummim over his heart? Exodus 28:30

At first blush, these two chapters seem to be a long list of “things to do”. As a pre-teen in church, I use to follow the “Bible Year”, which was a way for us to read the entire bible in a year, and I always found these “list” text a bit daunting, so much so that I would oft times skip over them.

 
In these two chapters, God continues to give to Moses the specifics regarding the sanctuary and its furnishings. The specifics cover the altar of burnt offering, 27:1-8; the courtyard, 27:9-19; the care of the lampstands, 27:20,21; and the garments for the priest, 28:1-43. Nothing is left up to chance or to Moses’ imagination.

 
A closer look at the “list”, reveals three very important things about God and His desire to save us. First, we see that God is a God of details. He gives Moses specific instructions regarding every aspect of this sanctuary of salvation. Note that each instruction is preceded by the phrase, “and you shall” (NKJV). This attention to details, should remind us that God is interested in every aspect of our lives.

 
The second important thing we learn about God in these chapters, is that our salvation is God initiated and God designed. This portable sanctuary that was constructed during Israel’s journey to the Canaan, was a life-size illustration of God’s plan to save us. For example, as per the SDA Bible Commentary,

 
“The altar of burnt offering, with its shed blood, represents the great gospel truth of atonement for sin through the vicarious sacrifice of Christ,” Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978. It further states that “The altar witnessed to man’s guilt and his need of atonement and reconciliation, and then assured him that these had been made.”

 
The plans of the sanctuary and its furnishings were initiated and designed by Him and were shown to Moses “on the mountain”, Chapter 27:8. You and I must always bear in mind, that our salvation is not of our doing, and that God is pulling out all the stops to save us.

Finally, the Chapters reveal a God who always has us on His heart. In the instructions regarding the garments of the priests, and namely Aaron’s garments 28:15-30, we find that the breastplate was to be placed on his shoulders, with the Urim and Thummim stones placed over his heart. “In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chest piece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord.

 
My wife and I had the awesome privilege of having our house built from the ground up. It was quite a journey of some fifteen months. There were a lot of details to keep track of. So many times, I felt swamped by the process. I thank God for Christine, who is a stickler for details. I am more a big picture type of guy. Through it all, we both knew that God was in the details with us. That we were always in His heart.

 
It is so assuring to know that God has us on His heart. That we are always on His mind, and that He desires to be with us. Will you spend some time with Him today? Remember He cares about every aspect of your life. He is the God of details.

 
May you have a blessed day today, it is my prayer.