How are we made holy or “set apart”? Our good deeds or the good deeds of an illustrious ancestor? It isn’t by genealogy — Yokhanan (John the Baptist) made that clear. He counts us among His people when we answer God’s call upon our heart and actions through Mashiakh Yeshua (Christ Jesus). The foundation for that holiness through the Messiah is put down in Torah reading כי תשא Ki Tisa (“when you take,” Exodus 30:11–34:35).
The garments of Israel’s High Priest, detailed in Torah reading תצוה Tetzaveh (“you shall command,” Exodus 27:20-30:10), mark him as the highest representative of the people before God. Messiah Yeshua, equally God and equally man, is uniquely qualified to fill that role completely.
The connection between the menorah, the altar of incense and the people of Israel is equally profound as the work of their hands and their prayers are lifted to God symbolically by Aharon the High Priest and literally in Heaven by Messiah Yeshua, our eternal High Priest.
Many ask how we can know God. A great picture of the heart of Heaven and the work of Messiah Yeshua is the centerpiece of the Torah reading Ki Tisa (“when you take,” Exodus 30:11-34:35). The reason men count a population is for their own reasons: taxation, war, social engineering, redistribution of wealth, etc. The reason God calls for a count of the people is to build up His tabernacle. Man’s census and man’s laws created bondage and slavery while God’s census and God’s laws give us an outlet for holy service and freedom. This is also why Messiah Yeshua went out of His way to heal people on Shabbat. When Messiah healed people on Shabbat, he gave people freedom. They were now free to fully follow God.
Some think the sacrifices detailed in the Torah reading תצוה Tetzevah (“you shall command,” Exodus 27:20–30:10) are simply to appease an angry God. But when you read about the Tabernacle and the sacrifices in the Prophets section of the Bible, you see there’s a lot more here than just butchery and blood.
These were not the sacrifices surrounding pagan nations of the time performed. The purpose of these sacrifices do not mirror the sacrifices of the pagan nations. The foundation of the Torah points to the Messiah. We have the benefit of hindsight to see that.