{"id":20213,"date":"2022-02-08T22:00:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-09T05:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/exodus-29_29-46-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-02-06T16:56:06","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T23:56:06","slug":"exodus-30_1-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/exodus-30_1-16\/","title":{"rendered":"The Closer You Get"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exodus \u00a030:1-16\u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Exodus 30:1-16.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Exodus 30:1-10 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high–its horns of one piece with it.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding–two on opposite sides–to hold the poles used to carry it.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony–before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony–where I will meet with you.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the\u00a0LORD\u00a0for the generations to come.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the\u00a0LORD.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-10:\u00a0\u00a0In the tabernacle where the Israelites would worship the LORD, out in the courtyard there would be a bronze altar for offering animal sacrifices.\u00a0\u00a0But in addition to that bronze altar, there would inside the Tent of Meeting itself a smaller golden altar for burning incense.\u00a0\u00a0It is this second, smaller, golden altar that verses 1-10 are describing.\u00a0\u00a0This golden altar would be located (most likely) in the Holy Place, together with the lampstand and the bread.<\/p>\n

Incense would burn on this golden altar and the smoke of the incense would travel from the altar of incense in the Holy Place past the curtain into the Most Holy Place.\u00a0\u00a0Likewise,\u00a0as priests in God\u2019s kingdom, when we pray, we can have confidence that our prayers reach the Most Holy Place where God is<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0It is interesting that in the book of Revelation, the prayers of Christians are described like incense going before the LORD (for example, see Revelation 5:8).<\/p>\n

Also, why would this altar for burning incense inside the Tent of Meeting be overlaid in gold whereas the altar for offering sacrifices in the courtyard was overlaid in bronze (Exodus 27:2)?\u00a0\u00a0One interpretation is that, in Moses\u2019 time, bronze symbolized judgment whereas gold symbolized heaven.\u00a0\u00a0Since animals were being sacrificed in the courtyard as a way to judge the sins of the people offering them, it was fitting that such altar would be bronze.\u00a0\u00a0In contrast, it was fitting that the altar in the Holy Place which was closer to the ark of God\u2019s presence should be gold.\u00a0\u00a0What\u2019s a lesson here?\u00a0\u00a0The closer we get to God\u2019s presence through Jesus Christ, the more we are refined like gold.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0As Job says in Job 23:10, \u201c\u2026when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold\u201d.<\/p>\n

Finally, notice that the priest was to burn incense in the morning and at twilight (v7-8) so that incense would \u201cburn regularly before the LORD\u201d (v8).\u00a0\u00a0Likewise, since now we are God\u2019s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16), let it be a reminder that,\u00a0like the incense on that golden altar, we want to keep on praying.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Whether morning or night, look to God.\u00a0\u00a0As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, \u201cbe joyful\u00a0always<\/em>; pray\u00a0continually<\/em>; give thanks\u00a0in all circumstances<\/em>, for this is God\u2019s will for you in Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exodus 30:11-16 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said to Moses,
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the\u00a0LORD\u00a0a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the\u00a0LORD.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the\u00a0LORD.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the\u00a0LORD\u00a0to atone for your lives.
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the\u00a0LORD, making atonement for your lives.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 11-16:\u00a0\u00a0Here the LORD gives Moses instructions on what to do when taking a census to count how many Israelites there are.\u00a0\u00a0The LORD required that to be counted as part of the Israelite people each Israelite, whether they were rich or poor, must pay a ransom of a half shekel.\u00a0\u00a0This ransom was also called the \u201catonement money\u201d (v16).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a reminder for us that, whether we\u2019re rich or poor or whatever our background,\u00a0for you and me to be counted among God\u2019s people for eternity, a price needed to be paid<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0But that is far more than a half shekel of silver.\u00a0\u00a0As Psalm 49:7-9 says,<\/p>\n

7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him–
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough–
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0that he should live on forever and not see decay.<\/em><\/p>\n

In other words, there is no amount of money that could pay our ransom.\u00a0\u00a0The price to be paid for our ransom was nothing less than a perfect life.\u00a0\u00a0That is why no person can redeem the life of another, because no person is perfect.\u00a0\u00a0So\u00a0when none of us sinners could pay the atonement money required to be with God forever, God sent His Son Jesus Christ \u2013 the only perfect One \u2013 to pay our ransom with His perfect life<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0God paid the highest price so that you and I could be with Him forever.<\/p>\n

Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to pay my ransom so that I could be counted among Your people and be with You forever.\u00a0\u00a0And thank You that the closer I get to You, the more I am refined like gold.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Exodus 30:1-16.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Exodus 30:1-10 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0“Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high–its horns of one piece with it.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.
\n4\u00a0\u00a0Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding–two on opposite sides–to hold the poles used to carry it.
\n5\u00a0\u00a0Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
\n6\u00a0\u00a0Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony–before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony–where I will meet with you.
\n7\u00a0\u00a0“Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps.
\n8\u00a0\u00a0He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the\u00a0LORD\u00a0for the generations to come.
\n9\u00a0\u00a0Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.
\n10\u00a0\u00a0Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the\u00a0LORD.”<\/p>\n

On verses 1-10:\u00a0\u00a0In the tabernacle where the Israelites would worship the LORD, out in the courtyard there would be a bronze altar for offering animal sacrifices.\u00a0\u00a0But in addition to that bronze altar, there would inside the Tent of Meeting itself a smaller golden altar for burning incense.\u00a0\u00a0It is this second, smaller, golden altar that verses 1-10 are describing.\u00a0\u00a0This golden altar would be located (most likely) in the Holy Place, together with the lampstand and the bread.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20213"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20214,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20213\/revisions\/20214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}