Moses was shown many wonderful things on the Mountain, including the ritual to anoint his older brother Aaron and Aaron’s four sons as priests before Him. The overall theme of these two chapters is atonement: atonement for the people and for Aaron and his sons. Even inanimate objects, such as Aaron’s wardrobe, the altar and the Tabernacle itself have to be atoned before they can perform a sacred use.
Category: Torah
There is a lot of information in these next two chapters. We are continuing learn more about the template of the Tabernacle that God gave to Moses on Sinai. “… as it was shown to you in the mountain, so they shall make it” (Ex. 27:8).
We will learn about the altar, the utensils of the altar and the architecture of the outer courts. God also calls upon Aaron and his sons to serve Him as High Priests in the Tabernacle. They were called to be the intermediaries between God and the people. The people are commended to their own service for the Tabernacle as well.
The LORD gave Moshe very specific instructions for the design of the tabernacle, God’s house in the midst of Israel. These are not just meaningless details. Rather, they are symbols that give us understanding into God’s plan to restore the face-to-face interaction between mankind and Himself.
We continue to study the judgements God revealed at Sinai after He revealed by His word the 10 commandments. Remember that the people of Israel were hearing these judgements for the first time. They didn’t have the advantage of the foresight we have and they haven’t been written down yet. They didn’t have the clarifications and admonitions from the Messiah Yeshua.
Nineteenth-century commentator Adam Clarke said of Exodus 21, “There is so much good sense, feeling, humanity, equity, and justice in the following laws, that they cannot but be admired by every intelligent reader; and they are so very plain as to require very little comment.” The Torah is not difficult for God’s beloved to understand and follow. These next few chapters show us many examples of laws and precepts which carried over directly into the British Common Law as well as American jurisprudence. What do we learn about God through these judgments?
Following in Israel’s footsteps, we have arrived at Sinai. Pretend you are listening to the 10 Commandments for the first time. It’s a challenge to hear them anew. Find a new way to make them a part of your life—to bring yourself even closer to Yeshua than you have ever been before.