Atoned and Washed

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 27.

Exodus 27 · chapter mention

It's good to be with you this morning.

I'm going to preach from several passages all dealing with the same subject matter,

27.1-21, 31-21, and 34-38, 37.25-29, and 38.1-20.

But because the second half of it is the implementation,

the actual carrying out of the instructions in the first half,

and it's almost identical word for word.

I'm not going to read it out loud right now.

I will incorporate it into my sermon, throughout the course of the sermon.

But I will read 27.1-21 and 31-21.

So let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Father, we have gathered in your Son's name,

and we humble ourselves before you.

waiting to hear from you.

As you always do, speak to us in and from your word

to exalt your Son, Jesus,

and to cheer our souls with the consolations that we have in him.

Meet with us now in Jesus' name, we ask.

Amen.

If you would please stand, if you are able,

for the reading of God's word from Exodus 27, 1-21,

and Exodus 30, 1-21.

Amen.

You shall make the altar of acacia wood,

five cubits long and five cubits broad.

The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits,

and you shall make horns for it on its four corners.

Its horns shall be of one piece with it,

and you shall overlay it with bronze.

You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes,

and shovels and basins and forks and firepans.

You shall make all its utensils of bronze.

You shall also make for it a grating,

a network of bronze,

and on the net you shall make four bronze rings

at its four corners.

And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar

so that the net extends halfway down the altar.

And you shall make poles for the altar,

poles of acacia wood,

and overlay them with bronze.

And the poles shall be put through the rings

so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar

when it is carried.

You shall make it hollow with boards,

as it has been shown you on the mountain,

so shall it be made.

You shall make the court of the tabernacle.

On the south side of the court

shall have hangings of fine twine linen

a hundred cubits long for one side.

Its twenty pillars,

and their twenty bases shall be of bronze,

but the hooks of the pillars

and their fillets shall be of silver.

And likewise,

for its length on the north side

there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long,

its pillars twenty,

and their bases twenty,

of bronze.

But the hooks of the pillars

and their fillets shall be of silver.

And for the breadth of the court

on the west side

there shall be hangings for fifty cubits

with ten pillars and ten bases.

The breadth of the court

on the front to the east

shall be fifty cubits.

the hangings for the one side of the gate shall be 15 cubits with their three pillars and three

bases on the other side the hanging shall be 15 cubits with their three pillars and three bases

for the gate of the court there shall be a screen 20 cubits long of blue and purple and scarlet

yarns and fine twine linen embroidered with needlework he shall have four pillars and with

them four bases all the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver their hooks shall

bronze the length of the court shall be 100 cubits the breadth 50 and the height five cubits with

hangings of fine twine linen and bases of bronze all the utensils of the tabernacle for every use

and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court shall be of bronze you shall command the people of israel

that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn

in the tent of meeting outside the veil that is before the testimony aaron and his son shall

tend it from evening to morning before the lord it shall be a statute forever to be observed

throughout their generations by the people of israel now turn a couple pages to chapter 30

with me and i'm going to read verses 1 to 21 you shall make an altar on which to burn incense you

shall make it of acacia wood a cubit shall be its length and a cubit its breadth it shall be square

and two cubits shall be its height its horns shall be of one piece with it you shall overlay it with

pure gold its top and around its size and its horns and you shall make a molding of gold around it and

you shall make two golden rings for it under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make

them and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it you shall make the poles of acacia wood

and overlay them with gold and you shall put in it put in put it in front of the veil that is above

the ark of the testimony in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony where i will meet with

you and aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it

and when aaron sets up the lamps at twilight he shall burn it a regular incense offering before the lord

throughout the generations you shall not offer unauthorized incense on it or a burnt offering or a grain

offering and you shall not pour a drink offering on it aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a

year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year

throughout your generations it is most holy to the lord the lord said to moses when you take the

census of the people of israel then each shall give a ransom for the life to the lord for his life to

the lord when you number them and there be we that there be no plague among them with when you number

them each one who is numbered in the census shall give this half a shekel according to the shekel of

the sanctuary the shekel is 20 gareth half a shekel as an offering to the lord everyone who is numbered

in the census from 20 years old and upward shall give the lord's offering the rich shall not give more

and the poor shall not give less than the half shekel when you give the lord's offering to make

atonement for your lives you shall take the atonement money from the people of israel and shall give it

for the service of the tent of meeting that it may bring the people of israel to remembrance before the

lord so as to make atonement for your lives the lord said to moses you shall also make a basin of bronze

with its stand of bronze for washing you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar

and you shall put water in it with which aaron and his son shall wash their hands and their feet

when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister to burn a food

offering to the lord they shall wash with water so that they may not die they shall wash their hands

and their feet so that they may not die it shall be a statute forever to them even to him and to his

offspring throughout their generations this is god's holy and authoritative word please be seated

we live in a in an egalitarian society where people enjoy historically unprecedented levels of

equality of course there's some kind of hierarchy and leadership in every society but generally speaking

we can speak to whomever we want and expect to be treated as well as everyone else so this idea of

being unworthy of being unworthy of someone or being unworthy to be at some place is something that's

foreign to most of our day-to-day experience so let's do a thought experiment for a moment imagine that you

are attending a red carpet event and you are in sweaty pajamas in in in a flip-flops that are kicked with dirt

and dust and dust and you didn't have a chance to shower so you stink and you have a bedhead

okay and now imagine how you would feel in that place you'd feel completely out of place you would

feel unworthy to be there you would be desperate for a shower you'd feel desperate for designer dress

designer suit maybe some fame and celebrity go with this way you can feel like you can actually be there

and you would maybe even also want thick layers of makeup to cover up your blemishes

so if you feel so exposed and so helpless and unworthy in the presence of celebrities

who are merely human if you feel so exposed and insecure in front of the rolling cameras

and bright lights of a red carpet event how much more unworthy are we to be in the presence of god

himself the infinite creator of heaven and the earth who with his all-seeing eyes dwells in

unapproachable light god who is a consuming fire himself how do we meet with him how do we dwell in his presence

that's the problem that this passage addresses starting in chapter 25 where the lord's instructions

to moses and the israelites for the construction of the tabernacle began the tabernacle has been referred

to exclusively as the dwelling the english word tabernacle just means tent but it's translating a hebrew word

that means dwelling place the dwelling place of god god's residence but notice in chapter 27 20 to 21

which we read that the tabernacle starts to be called something else for the first time

it says you shall command the people of israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light

that lamp may be regularly be set to burn in the tent of meeting outside the veil that is before the testimony

aaron and his son shall tend to it from evening to morning this is the first time that the expression

tent of meeting is used in the book of exodus to refer to the tabernacle so from exodus 25 to 27 19 the

tabernacle has exclusively been called the dwelling 19 times but starting here in 27 20 until 30 38

it is exclusively called the tent of meeting a total of 14 times so when describing the most holy place

and the holy place within the tabernacle proper its golden fire furnishings the ark of the testimony the

atonement cover the golden lamp stand and the table of the presence and the covering and the veils the

tabernacle is called the dwelling to emphasize its function as god's residing place his dwelling place

but when describing the priests who facilitate the sacrifices and the bronze altar for atonement sacrifices

and for and the bronze base and for the washing inside the courtyard the tabernacle is called the

tent of meeting to emphasize its function as the mediating place there and the meeting place between god and his people

so in describing this function of the tabernacle this passage teaches us this important main point that we can

meet with god because we have been atoned by the blood of christ and washed by the water of the spirit

we're going to look at four different points we're going to start with god's holiness and the tent of

meeting first by looking at the descriptions of the enclosure of the outer courtyard in 27 9 to 21

in 38 9 to 20 so the tabernacle proper the dwelling place of god was further enclosed by a series of

interconnected curtains made with fine twine linen these curtains were connected to the pillars made of

acacia wood or overlaid with bronze and then but their capitals at the top and the hooks and the fillets

fillets or fillet we think of fillet of meat but it's just a strip of metal that's decorating the top of

the column the capital the fillet and those the top part is silver that's on the outside these pillars

and the enclosure forms a large rectangle around the tabernacle the longer side is north and south

it's a hundred cubits which is about 150 feet long and then the two shorter sides are uh 50 cubits

west and east and they're about 75 feet long and so if you want to imagine a tennis court the larger

enclosure is about almost exactly twice as large as the tennis court both in its length and its breadth

so that's the the outer enclosure of the courtyard and on the east side there is a 30 feet long screen

at the center that's where the entrance is at the gate of the enclosure is and we have highlighted this

a number of times over the last few weeks that entrance to the east is significant because the

entrance to the garden of east was garden of eden was on the east and the entrance to the later temple

will also be in the east the entrance to god's dwelling place always is faces an easterly direction where

the sun rises like christ was raised from the dead but not only that it reminds us also of the fact

that the israelites and all of us by extension are sinful people who live east of eden as john steinbeck

put it in exile from the presence of god from the garden of eden and and so the material that the gate

the screen is made of also reinforces the sense of distance uh 27 16 and 38 18 both tell us that the

screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns

in fine twine linnet uh it's made of the same material uh of as the veil that separates the most

holy place from the holy place the only thing that's different is that it doesn't have the cherubim

worked into it so it's not god it doesn't represent god's heavenly dwelling place it in the holy of

holies but it still has the all the royal markings of these colored yarns i mentioned to you a few weeks

ago that the colored yarns were very expensive in those days because they didn't have synthetic dyes

so the dyes had to be extracted manually from the glands of sea mollusks and plant barks and leaves and

berries and precious metals and minerals so you'd have to scar the land to find the right plants and or

wade through the sea to collect the right clams and snails that can be pressed and used to produce

the dyes for these yarns and so these were very uncommon artifacts the scarlet yarn blue and purple

yarns were uncommon materials of royalty and luxury so you would not see these kinds of materials in the

common people's houses the same is true for the fine twined linen which the all the rest of the curtain

of the outer enclosure is made up of it's not made of typical linen made from the fiber of beaten

flax which which was coarse uh it's it's it's made of the same material but this is very fine it has

fine twine linen of the silkiest variety in genesis 41 42 when pharaoh appoints joseph as second in

command in all of egypt guess what he puts on joseph he puts on him a linen fine linen garments of fine

linen like the curtain that's around the enclosure so again this is royalty material so then the entire

450 foot perimeter is made up of rich materials like this and if we're in the israelite shoes

we wouldn't marvel at it it's if you were children you'd probably want to go up and touch it wow look

at how smooth that is look at how fine that material is and on top of that it's pretty imposing the

curtains are 7.5 feet tall five cubits that means even some of the tallest current and former nba players

like yaoming or taco fall who are 7.6 feet tall are not tall enough to look over it on flat foot

which means none of us have any chance of looking over it and so only the top most part of the

tabernacle would be visible from the outside so if you consider these details we can see that the

tabernacle is not exactly a picture of approachability or accessibility the tabernacle was not meant to be

a common ordinary place that anyone can casually walk into and stroll around like a public park

this distance between us and god is also communicated through the gradation of holiness we see in the

design of the tabernacle i've mentioned this to you before that that all the furnishings in the

courtyard are made of bronze there the pillars on the outside are made of bronze but the top of the

pillar the capitals are made of silver but then when you get to the tabernacle the tent inside proper

the the pillars are made of silver but the not the the whole pillar the bottom of the pillars are made

of silver but the top is made of gold the rest of the pillars made of gold so it's like the tabernacle

has three levels or almost layers like three stories even though it's flattened on level ground it's like

their stories the the the top of the outer enclosure fits to the the outside of the tent the bottom of

that and then once you go furthest in inside the most holy place everything is gold you don't you see

nothing but gold and so there's this gold level silver level bronze level it's kind of like how i feel

when i when i uh ever travel on flights it's like the you you're waiting to board and there's this the gold

level people who get to board before everybody else and they get to sit in the best seats and they get

to eat the best food and get the best drink and and they have their own bathrooms and uh you know and

then there's the silver level people i don't know what they get and then there's the bronze level people

and then there are people like me right and so there's this distance between you and those people

and and that's exactly what this tabernacle is supposed to convey there's the gold there's the silver

there's the bronze and then there's you right i i want us to feel this gap between god and us you

know not just in a theoretical way but in a visceral way at an emotional level before we move on to the

next point because we can't appreciate what god does to bridge that gap unless we first feel that that

chasm that we can't ever cross on our own in esther 4 11 when mordecai asks esther for help saying we

are about to be exterminated as jews say state sanctioned pogrom they're about to kill us all

and he asks esther pleased with her to go and talk to the king because she's the queen

and then esther tells mordecai i can't just go into the king i have to be summoned if i go without

being summoned the only sentence is death unless the king graciously extends the scepter to show mercy

that's the kind of that's the kind of respect and honor that an earthly king gets how much more

the divine king

you can't go to a king whenever you want you have to be summoned you have to be worthy

and so we are no members of the royal family we're no queen we're common folk dirty sinful

how are we supposed to enter the tent of meeting to meet with god you and i are not worthy it doesn't

matter how many followers you have on social media it doesn't matter that you're the ceo of a fortune 500

company it doesn't matter that you have a phd and a postdoc and a post postdoc from harvard and mit

it doesn't matter that your iq is off the charts or that your eq is off the charts it doesn't matter

that you're a pretty good person who's never had a scandalous sin in your life you and i are not worthy

and that's the reality between yahweh the lord god the holy one and us there is a gaping chasm

that's impossible this is where the furnishings of the courtyard come into the picture

and we're on to the second point our sinfulness and the altar of atonement

the word atonement is seldom used outside of church nowadays but it means something similar

to the word reparations which i'm sure you've heard more frequently it refers to the making of amends

for some kind of injury or wrong done to another and atonement it covers over sin and offense

it's a payment that satisfies divine justice chapter 30 verses 11 to 16 speak of this please turn there

with me chapter 30 verses 11 to 16 when moses conducts the census of the people of israel

everyone 20 years old and above is required to pay half a shekel as an offering to the lord

and later in exodus 38 25 to 26 there is an actual accounting of all the silver that was collected

through this census tax and we are told that all the men over 20 years old were 603 550 there was

that many of them and each of them paid a half a shekel resulting in a hundred talents and 1775

shekels of silver it's about 7601 pounds of silver in our in our rendering reckoning another passage in

numbers one also mentions a census and it it has the same number of males 603 550 so it's probably

referring back to the same census that exodus 30 speaks of and that's illuminating because in numbers

it specifically mentions that this census was intended to count those from 20 years old and upward

every man able to go to war in israel so census here it serves a military purpose in part to count the

possible number of conscripts into the army which is the reason why the women and children are not

counted this is the israelite equivalent of the selective service system have you guys gotten letters

from the selective service system i guess well maybe i'm too old to get that now but um when you it's

the it's the agency in the u.s government that keeps track of all eligible u.s citizens who are to

who can be conscripted to serve in the army in a military draft the lord says to moses in chapter 30

verse 12 read with me when you take the census of the people of israel then each shall give a ransom

for his life to the lord when you number them that there be no plague among them when you number them

and then he continues in verses 15 to 16 the rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give

less than the half shekel when you give the lord's offering to make atonement for your lives you shall

take the atonement money from the people of israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of

meeting that it may bring the people of israel to remembrance before the lord so as to make

atonement for your lives this is a very fascinating passage why does every israelite man of military age

need to make an atonement for his life and then give a ransom for his life to the lord when being

counted in the census why is there a threat of a plague breaking out among them when a census is

conducted the words ransom and atonement which is repeated throughout this passage give us clues about

the nature of this payment what it does what its purpose is these men have been numbered to go to war

later on in the conquest of the promised land their lives are essentially forfeit which is why they need a

ransom payment this is their way of acknowledging that their lives are ultimately in the lord's hands

the census tax is simultaneously a tribute and petition it's a tribute to the king acknowledging

their subjection to his authority we're in your hands we're at your disposal it's also a petition

asking the king to remember them with favor and protect and spare them so the silver collected through

the census tax will be used for the construction of the tent of meeting so that it may bring it says if

bring the people of israel to remembrance before the lord so as to make atonement for their lives

since the rich man's life is not more valuable than the poor man's life

and vice versa all pay the same half shekel no more and no less but there's still more meaning to this

census tax there's this threat of a plague breaking out when the israelite men are being numbered

there are a number of censuses taken throughout the old testament and here in exodus the census is

taken before the construction of the tabernacle and then later similarly in second chronicles 2

a census is taken before the construction of the temple before solomon builds the temple in numbers 1

and 26 a census is taken to number the soldiers before the conquest of canaan and in numbers 4

the levites were specifically omitted from the census are counted for the service within the tabernacle

because they don't serve in the military there's only one census in all of the old testament that

does not serve a specific divinely sanctioned purpose and that's recorded in second samuel 24 and

first chronicles 21 when king david orders a census of israel's men eligible for military service

without god's express approval or command and guess what happens god punishes israel with a plague

so that 70 000 men of israel die this account appears to be connected related to this passage in exodus

30 why is god so upset with david taking a census he's the king after all we can infer the reason from

what his military commander joab who is charged with taking this actual census says to david in objection

he says this may the lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are are they not my lord the

king all of them my lord's servants why then should my lord require this why should it be a cause of guilt

for israel for kings and nations taking a census is a way of estimating their power

it's their way of sticking out their chest and flexing their muscles

it's this is why it's their way of saying look at what vast army i have and my command don't mess with me

and this is why taking a census is inherently offensive to god it's an act of hubris it's an act of

independence and rebellion rather than humble submission to god in duranami 7 god specifically

said that to hit to the israelites that he that he chose them as his treasure treasure of possession

and set his love upon them out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth quote not because

they were more in number than other people for they were the fewest of all the peoples

god chose them because he said his love on them because he's keeping the promises he had made to

their forefathers he did not choose them because they were a powerful numerous people because they

deserved his affection so by counting the men eligible for military service david showed that his

heart had strayed away from god that he believed in strength in numbers more than strength in the lord

he trusted in his own hosts rather than in the lord of hosts

this is another reason why exodus 30 requires the payment of atonement money

when a census is being taken that there will be no plague among them when you number them

what are some ways that you have taken a census in your own life

do you look at your bank statements and investments with satisfaction and put your trust in them

rather than in the lord

do you look at your list of friends or look around at your family and put your trust in them

rather than in the lord do you count your genealogy or your academic pedigree

do you take stock of your talents how much smarter you are than others how much prettier you are than

others how much stronger and more athletic you are than others how much cooler or funnier you are than

others how much more liked you are than others stop counting those trivial numbers

what truly matters is do you have god is god on your side rather are you on god's side

for the foolishness of god is wiser than men and the weakness of god is stronger than men

christ jesus is for us wisdom from god righteousness and sanctification and redemption

let the one who boasts boast in the lord

not in our own senses

at the bottom of sin bottom of it sin is simply this it's displacing god with something or someone

else in our lives and all of us have done that by taking various censuses in our lives

and for that reason all of us need atonement

but the payment of this atonement money only applied to men eligible for military service

so the half shekel census text was a one-time only prescription

to collect silver in part for the construction of the tabernacle

so the more general atonement is needed and that's where the bronze altar in the courtyard comes in

the fact that god commanded moses and israelites to build

a bronze altar might be surprising to some of you

if you remember god's specific instructions regarding altars in the book of the covenant in exodus 20

there god said this you have seen for yourselves that i have talked with you from heaven

you shall not make gods of silver to be with me nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold

an altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burned offerings and your peace offerings

your sheep and oxen if you make an altar of stone you shall not build it of hewn stones

for if you wield your tool on it you profane it

so note there's an interesting phrase in verse 20

you have seen for yourselves

that i have talked with you from heaven

it's very interesting

what have they seen

not god's face

but god's voice

that god speaks

so this is why there is a prohibition

in the bible of making carved images or idols for worship

because god does not rule through images

the pagans thought that gods

their gods dwelled these images and idols

and that they bowed down before them and worshiped them

but god rules always our god through his word

by speaking to us

that's why they're not supposed to make images

and that's why they're also not supposed to make altars

that are meant to displace god

and to represent god in a sense

and so that's why when they're building an altar for sacrifice

they must only build it out of earth

out of dirt

and if they are to use stones

they are to use hewn

they're not to use hewn stones

only stones as they naturally exist in nature

so that they are not

they don't wield human tools on it

put artistic representations on it

it's just a common ordinary altar

because you're not supposed to relate to god

through the images

but through his word

by offering sacrifices to him

in obedience to his word

and so then this bronze altar

in the courtyard of the tabernacle

is an exception to that

because this is where the priests of god themselves

will regulate the worship

they will be there to prevent idolatry

and they will offer sacrifices

according to the biblical prescriptions

and so this is the one exception to that

but outside of that

any altar that they build

for example later

in Deuteronomy 27.4

Moses commands Israelites

to build an altar

when they cross over the Jordan

and there they are told

specifically to obey that command

to build either an earthen altar

or an altar with stones

that are not hewn

that are uncut stones

so that command still applies

in other places

it's on this bronze altar

that many sacrifices and offerings

would be offered to god

Leviticus 1-7

tells us about five different kinds

of sacrifices and offerings

that would be offered

on this bronze altar

first is the burnt offering

which is the most costly kind of offering

because it entailed the burning whole

of the entire animal sacrifice

with nothing left remaining

as a pleasing aroma to the lord

the second kind of offering

is the grain offering

which is an offering of the first fruits

thanking god for the harvest

third is the peace offering

featuring an animal sacrifice

that was actually consumed

by the worshippers and the priests

in the presence of god

enjoying fellowship with god

so sometimes it's called

the fellowship offering

the fourth is the sin offering

which served to purify people

from the defiling effects

of unintentional sins

and then fifth is the guilt offering

which was an atoning sacrifice

for guilt incurred by causing damage

or loss to god or to your neighbor

for sins that require restitution

making restitution

so all these offerings and sacrifices

are ultimately fulfilled in jesus

because we know from hebrews 10

that these sacrifices

were merely a shadow

of the good things to come

instead of the true form

of those realities

these sacrifices

that the israelites offered

could not

as the bible says

atone for sin

in an ultimate sense

they only pointed

to the once for all sacrifice

that jesus would make

on the cross

by dying for our sins

and all five

of these sacrifices

point to that

four of them

feature a ram

an unblemished ram

which points to jesus

who is the passover lamb

unblemished lamb

sacrifice for us

and then the fifth

the grain offering

or the peace offering rather

is

the grain offering

also represents us

jesus bringing us

the first fruits of god

sorry

and

there's still other ways

that the bronze altar

point to jesus

and this is

it term

in terms of its

physical appearance

it's square

7.5 foot square

and it stands

4.5 feet tall

and it's placed

right inside

the courtyard enclosure

so it's the first thing

you see as you enter

the courtyard

and it would dominate

your view

as you enter it

it's an unmistakable

message

no human being

may approach god

safely

unless there's sacrifice

unless there is

atonement

it's made of wood

which might seem

counterintuitive

for an altar

because it'll burn

but it's

remember it's

overlaid with bronze

to protect it

and the

one very significant

feature of it

is that this altar

has horns

on its four corners

that's one piece

with the altar itself

and

there's a practical

purpose for this

psalm 118

27

tells us that

the sacrifices

were tied

using the horns

on the four corners

maybe to stabilize it

or maybe it makes it

easier to lift it

in and out

of the hollow

altar

but there's

an even more

important

way more important

symbolic meaning

to this

because animals

often use their

horns to demonstrate

their strength

and to establish

dominance

in the ancient world

horns came to

symbolize strength

and power

and victory

so

in Daniel 7

he sees in his

vision a picture

of a beast

with ten horns

and we are told

that that represents

ten kings

so

horns can represent

powerful kings

psalms frequently

feature prayers

to God

asking God

to cut off

the horns

of the wicked

but to exalt

or lift up

the horns

of the righteous

but

even more

the horn

is often associated

in scripture

with the Lord

God himself

or with his

anointed one

with his Messiah

the king

so Psalm 18

2 cries out

the Lord

is my rock

and my fortress

and my deliverer

my God

my rock

in whom

I take refuge

my shield

and the horn

of my salvation

my stronghold

in 1 Samuel 2

Hannah prays

for the day

when the Lord

will break

his adversary

to pieces

and give strength

to his king

and exalt

the horn

of his anointed

Psalm 130

to 17

prophesies

of a day

when the Lord

will make

a horn

to sprout

for David

and finally

in Luke

1 68

to 69

shortly before

Jesus' birth

Zachariah

prophesies

of his birth

blessed be

the Lord

God of Israel

for he has

visited

and redeemed

his people

and has

raised up

a horn

of salvation

for us

in the house

of his servant

David

so Jesus

is

the horn

of salvation

who shatters

the enemies

of God

to save

God's people

Jesus'

very name

means the Lord

is salvation

it's no wonder

then that in

Exodus 29 12

and Leviticus 4 7

God commands

that after you

make a sacrifice

a sin offering

you are supposed

to daub

its blood

on the four

horns

of the altar

representing

the blood

that Jesus

sheds

for us

to save us

and it is

because of this

what the horn

represents

the horn

of salvation

that there

is a practice

that is

attested

throughout

the Old Testament

that when

people sin

and the evildoers

are about to be

punished for their sin

if they are repentant

and they acknowledge

their guilt

they can go into

the tabernacle

the courtyard

and they can grab

hold of the horns

of the altar

as a way of

pleading for amnesty

asking for mercy

from the king

who is about

to punish them

so this is what

Adonijah does

in 1st King

150

he is guilty

of sedition

he was trying

to usurp

the kingdom

from right

under the noses

of King Solomon

but he is caught

and his party

is dispersed

and he knows

he is about

to be cut down

to death

so he runs

into the tabernacle

he grabs hold

of the horns

of the bronze altar

and Solomon

because of that

spares him

at least for that time

and so

that is what

Jesus represents

for us

remember that

Jesus is the horn

that sinners

can run to

to grab hold of

and cling to

death

is hounding

you

perhaps even

this very day

because you are

a sinner

you are guilty

of sedition

you have rebelled

against God

our rightful king

by serving other gods

and living for yourself

you will surely

be cut down

you will surely

die

you will surely

be condemned

to hell

but there is a refuge

you can run to

you can run

into the quarry

you can grab hold

of the horns

of the altar

you can cling

to Jesus

whose blood

was poured out

for us

as an atoning sacrifice

so that we might

be forgiven

and reconciled

to God

maybe you feel

like running away

maybe you feel

that guilt

and shame

that's not reason

to run away

from God

that's reason

to run to him

to run to Jesus

say I have no salvation

apart from you

Lord Jesus

I cling to your

horn of salvation

it's then

and only then

that you will find

mercy

let's now look

at the other

furnishing within

the courtyard

the bronze basin

for washing

Exodus 30

17 to 21

tells us that

this bronze basin

stood between

the tent of meeting

and the bronze altar

and this is where

Aaron and his sons

the priests

were to wash

their hands

and feet

before ministering

at the altar

so that they don't die

later in 38-8

when this bronze

altar basin

is actually built

it gives us

one additional

tidbit of detail

that's fascinating

it says that

the bronze basins

was made

quote

from the mirror

of the ministering

woman who ministered

in the entrance

of the tent of meeting

so even though

only Aaron

and his sons

served as priests

within the tabernacle

there were women

who served

in the courtyard

of the tabernacle

isn't that amazing

I think that's

even at this stage

of redemptive history

we see a clear example

that women

were intimately

and indispensably

involved in the ministry

of God's dwelling place

men and women

had distinct roles

but they both had

indispensable roles

and it's the same

in the church today

which is the new

covenant temple

of God

though only certain

men serve

as elders

of the church

there are many

women who are

vitally involved

in the ministry

of God's house

and it's also special

that it's there

these ministering

women's contribution

of their bronze mirrors

that is used

to build this bronze basin

at that time

in those days

they didn't use

clear reflective glass

as mirrors

they used bronze

and so they offer up

their bronze mirrors

which makes

this bronze basin

instead of using

their mirrors

to beautify themselves

they offer up

their bronze mirrors

so that God's people

the priests

can be purified

it's a very special way

to give of yourself

to God

and so when you enter

through the enclosure

into the courtyard

of the tabernacle

so you'd first see

the bronze altar

it's imposing

fixture there

and then you go past

that and you'll see

the basin

the bronze basin

which is like

a sea of water

the basin's

later equivalent

when Solomon

builds his temple

is actually called

the sea

it's called

the bronze sea

and so once you

pass through that water

you go into

the tabernacle proper

which is the

dwelling place of God

so imagine

for a moment

in the bird's eye view

what this progression

looks like

going further

and further in

to the tabernacle

does that remind you

of anything

you've seen

so far in Exodus

when the Israelites

were slaves in Egypt

they had to sacrifice

the Passover lamb

an unblemished lamb

then they had to pass

through the Red Sea

right

and then

in the wilderness

they were guided

by the pillars

of fire and smoke

and fed with manna

the bread from heaven

and inside the holy place

what do you find

the lamp stand

and the bread

of the presence

now and then

you go further in

and then you find

the most holy place

the very footstool of God

where God dwells

with his people

and that's exactly

what God promised

what happened

when the Israelites

entered the promised land

where God will dwell

with them

so the tabernacle

you go with the sacrifice

cross the water

into the wilderness

where you are fed

and guided by the light

and fire and smoke

pillar

and you go into

the promised land

where God dwells with you

the tabernacle

is a reenactment

of Israel's salvation history

and that too

is ultimately fulfilled

by Jesus

because Jesus

makes his once for all

atoning sacrifice

on the cross

and dies for us

and when Jesus died

it says in John 1934

that a Roman soldier

just pierced his side

with the spear

just to make sure

that he is dead

and then at once

there came out

blood and water

from his side

and John's there

making an intentional

theological point

in John 7 38-39

Jesus said

whoever believes in me

out of his heart

will flow rivers

of living water

and now this

he said about the spirit

John tells us

the image of water

is frequently used

throughout the Bible

to refer to the rinsing

the reviving

and the renewing

and regenerating activity

of the Holy Spirit

so when Jesus

dies on the cross

and makes satisfaction

atonement for our sins

the spirit of God

is symbolically

poured out

in the water

that pours out

from his heart

out of his heart

flows rivers

of living water

which is a fulfillment

of the prophecies

in Zechariah 12 and 13

that the one

whom that they have pierced

will save them

and that he will become

for them

quote

a fountain

that cleanses them

from sin

and uncleanness

so Jesus

is the one

who was pierced

and who became

the fountain

from whom the spirit

of God

comes gushing out

to cleanse us

from all sin

there's a

I don't know

if you guys

have dreams often

but there's a widely

observed

attested dream

throughout the world

and it's one

of people feeling

dirty

and then washing

themselves

again and again

in the dream

this kind of dream

sometimes occurs

when people feel

like they are

in a morally

compromising situation

when they feel

they lack

integrity

or honesty

and this is

the spiritual reality

for all of us

we are morally

spiritually

grubby people

and we need

the water

of the Holy Spirit

to cleanse us

to be

have you ever

tried washing

yourselves

without water

you could use

soap all you want

I mean you could use

put hand sanitizer

all over your body

if you want to

you're not going to

feel clean at all

you're going to feel

more achy

if you want

a real wash

you need

water

no matter

what you do

to try to

wash yourself

with your own

good works

you cannot

make yourself

clean

you need

the water

of the Holy Spirit

to rain on you

to pour out on you

to cleanse you

and that's what's

represented in the

washing of baptism

and receive the Holy Spirit

if you repent of your sins

and believe in Jesus

and make a public

profession of your faith

and get baptized

you will receive

the Holy Spirit

and that brings me

to my short

final point

our holiness

and the living sacrifice

I mentioned to you

earlier that

all five types

of offerings

were offered

on this bronze altar

in the courtyard

but there is one

particular offering

that is specifically

especially associated

with this bronze altar

and that is

the burnt offering

throughout the book

of Exodus

the bronze altar

is repeatedly called

the altar of burnt

offering

Leviticus 1 9

specifies

the burnt offering

was the most costly

kind of offering

because you burn up

the entire animal

and leave nothing behind

and it's

as a pleasing aroma

to the Lord

and in this way

burnt offerings

signify that

God's people

are to be

completely

consecrated to him

totally devoted

to him

and that idea

is connected

to the altar

of incense

which is a furnishing

inside the holy place

the golden incense

immediately before

the veil

that separates

the most holy place

from the holy place

we intentionally

didn't talk about that

when we were talking

about furnishings

inside the holy place

because the Bible

intentionally

puts it together

with the bronze altar

and associates

those two things

theologically

just like the

bronze altar

just like the bronze altar

the golden altar

of incense

in the holy place

is square

it too

has four horns

on its corners

and it too

is supposed to be

the horns

are supposed to be

daubed with the blood

of the sin offering

and in the same

it's just the same

as the bronze altar

it says in the

bronze altar

you were supposed

to offer

a burnt offering

twice a day

once in the morning

once at twilight

in the same way

there's supposed

to be incense

offered on this

golden altar

in the holy place

twice a day

once in the morning

and once at twilight

at exactly the same time

so whenever the priests

offer the burnt offering

at the bronze altar

an incense

is being offered

on the altar

golden altar

of incense

so do you see

the connection there

it's the burnt offering

is entirely

burned up to God

to be a pleasing

aroma to God

and then the pleasing

aroma ascends

to the very

dwelling place of God

in the form

of the smoke

and the incense

in the golden altar

that's what's happening

there

and this aroma

would have been

so pleasant

it says in

30, 34, 35

it says to take

sweet spices

stacti and

anica and

galbanum

sweet spices

with pure frankincense

and make an incense

blended as by

the perfumer

seasoned with salt

pure and holy

this was a distinct

smell that was to be

associated with

God's dwelling place

only

no one else

was to use

this specific

combination

of spices

and perfumes

and this represents

God's lavish

hospitality

toward us

imagine a family

Christmas dinner

with the

resinous

scent

of

pine trees

just imagine that

and the cinnamony

aroma

of mulled wine

and gingerbreads

you smell that

when you walk

into a house

you feel at home

you feel loved

you feel cared for

that's what

these smells

evoke

as the priests

are ministering

in the holy place

God's hospitality

God's

welcome

God's fellowship

with his people

and where does

that aroma

come from

it comes from

the sacrifices

that we make

it comes from

the burnt offerings

as people

who have been

sanctified

by the Holy Spirit

we ourselves

get to offer

up sacrifices

of worship

to God

and it ascends

to the very heavens

where God dwells

that's what Paul

is speaking of

in Romans 12

I appeal to you

therefore

by the mercies

of God

to present your bodies

as a living sacrifice

Revelation 5

and 8

speak of

how the prayers

of the saints

when we pray

that they come up

to God

as smoke

of the incense

from the golden

censer

and an altar

as a pleasing

aroma to God

Hebrews 13

15

says that

continually

offer up

sacrifice

of praise

to God

that is

the fruit

of lips

that acknowledge

his name

so when we

acknowledge God

and praise him

with our lips

when we cling

to him

and depend

on him

in prayer

when we live

a life of faith

and obedience

instead of being

conformed to the

patterns of this world

we are offering up

a living sacrifice

to God

that's how we

ought to live

and remember

this is a burnt

offering

you don't offer

a part of it

you offer the

whole thing

all of you

your whole life

every minute

of it

everything you

have

head to toe

all that you

are

completely

devoted

to him

because that's

what God

deserves

and that

comes up

to him

as a

pleasing

aroma

is there

a greater

privilege

than that

to offer

yourself up

wholly

to God

and say

I am

yours

it's when

we do

that

that we

also bear

witness

to others

as Paul

says in

2nd Corinthians

we become

the aroma

of Christ

to God

among those

who are

being

saved

and among

those

who are

perishing

let's pray

that we

would be

that

as a

church

together

yes

father

we do

offer up

our whole

selves

to you

we want

to be

devoted

to you

we want

to be

a whole

not partial

a whole

burnt offering

we want

to be

a pleasing

aroma

to you

father

that we

can be

a pleasing

aroma

in your

living room

that we

can please

you with

our worship

that we

can please

you with

our prayers

that we

can please

you with

our obedience

God is

too much

of a privilege

for us

to bear

help us

never to

lose sight

of it

take our

lives

Lord

and let

it be

consecrated

all to

you

Lord

in Jesus

name we

pray

amen