Day 46, February 15 Bible Reading

Day 46,  February 15

Ex. 30:1-10 Instructions for making the altar of incense

Ex. 30:17-21  … for making the basin for washing

Ex. 30:22-38  … for making the anointing oil and incense

Ex. 31:18 – 33:6    The golden calf / Moses breaks the tablets of the testimony

Ex. 30:1-10 Instructions for making the altar of incense

• Ex 30:1-4 The golden altar of incense, which was about 18” square and 3 feet high, was located in the Holy Place, which was inside the first veil of the tabernacle,  It had horns of one oiuuece and overlaid with gold, with two gold rings on its side and poles to carry them.
  
  

• Ex 30:5-10 The incense was to be burned every morning and evening.  So this duty was added to the tending to the lamps of the lampstand in the holy place every day.  No other offering nor strange incense was to be offered.  When the day of atonement came, on the 10th day of the seventh month, some of the blood of the goats for the sin over were to be laced on the horns.
  
  

• Recall that in the Book of the Revelation of the Christ, the incense represents the prayers of all the saints martyred in the first century, the ones who came out of the great tribulation.  The souls of the martyrs were under the altar when the fifth seal was open.  Their cry and prayer was “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”  [Rev 6:10].  The reply was not much longer.  It was answered when the seventh seal was opened, and the angel took that prayer, offered it with incense, and the smoke ascended before God from the angel’s hand, and he took the censor and threw it on the earth, and thus began the seven trumpets of judgment and wrath upon Jerusalem, Mystery Babylon in the 1st century.  

Ex. 30:17-21  … for making the basin for washing

• Ex 30:17-21 So for any offering to be made with fire, the priests had to wash their hands and feet in water from a bronze laver, lest they die. What does this remind you of? Well the Lake of fire is called the sea of molten brass.  This is the actual Bronze laver in Heaven, when before a testing or offering by free, a washing takes place and all the dregs, impurities are placed there. Therefore all the wicked were placed in the bronze laver, including death and the grave [hell/ hades].  No impurities can enter the gates of the Holy of Holies.
  
  The Word is a fire and the Word washes us. Christ washes the church with the water of the word.

Ex. 30:22-38  … for making the anointing oil and incense

• Ex 30:22-33 The ingredients for the  Holy anointing oil were given: liquid myrrh, cinnamon, sweet smelling cane (calamus), cassia and a hin of olive oil.  This is to be compounded meticulously in the art of the perfurmer.  It is used to anoint everything in the tabernacle of meeting to consecrate it.  After doing so whoever touches them must  be holy. You could not pour it on any man’s flesh.
  
  However whereas, Holiness in the Old Covenant was one where you have to be very careful you don’t bring contamination, you could not touch any man’s flesh, in the New Covenant, holiness is the reverse; it takes away impurities, and makes everything contaminated whole. James said “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”  Anointing the sick is consecrating them to God, to make the holy, or holy, or without corruption, impurities, sickness.  Because of Christ the anointed from the Anointed One can touch flesh and purify them.
  
  

• Ex 30:34-38  Now it is time to make the incense with: sweet spices, stacte, onycham galbanum, and pure frankincense, made salted, pure and holy with a skill perfumer. It anyway tries to reproduce the formula they will be killed.

Ex. 31:18 – 33:6    The golden calf / Moses breaks the tablets of the testimony

• Ex 31:18 This is the conclusion of law delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai. Whew.  Now you know why Moses stayed for 40 days. God gave two tablets of the Testimony to Moses on tablets of stone.

• Ex 32:1 This incident reveals why Moses was chosen and not big brother Aaron.  So why Moses was receiving Israel’s constitution and bylaws during a 40 day and night period, the people started to get restless.  I love how they referred to Moses as “this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  Isn’t it funny that when you no longer want to deal with the issue or associate with someone, you say things like ‘this woman that you give me” or “this man” or “this boy”.  Moses has become “this Moses”.

• Ex 32:2-4 So why Moses was hearing that Aaron was to be made high priest, he same Aaron  was making an idol, a golden calf, and declaring this was the god who brought you out of Egypt.  Now a good audition.

• Ex 32:5-6 The next day, the people had an orgy accompanied with brunt and peace offerings. Maybe they all needed some sexual release from pent up frustration? They may have consecrated themselves for all those 40 days with no sex.  Maybe the heat of the desert sent them crazy.

• Ex 32:7-10 How did God handle this wanton display of whoredom?  By getting ready to roast all of them, and make of Moses a great nation.  God was ready to start over. Imagine that.

• Ex 32:11-14 Moses went into selling and negotiation mode. Did you really think God really cared about his reputation to the Egyptians who would say God couldn't handle a little disobedience?   Moses appealed to God to remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to multiply the descendants, not wipe them out. The funny thing is the covenant would have still still been fulfilled, if the nation came from Moses instead.  What do you think of Moses’ negotiation tactics? Well God relented from the harm he wanted to do. 

• Ex 32:15-18  Joshua was still on the mountain waiting for Moses. Good protege. He thought he heard the noise of war (Joshua was always ready for a good fight) but Moses said, nope, it is singing.

• Ex 32:19-20 Well Moses finally saw what made God so hot with anger; he himself got angry also and threw the tablets out of hands. Notice Moses still had his hot temper and likes to throw or strike things when he is angry.

• Ex 32:21-24 Aaron tried to absolve himself from all responsibility. Have you had anyone also shrink from ownership or taking responsibility for bad decisions, their inaction, or just not having a plan or sense of consequences, a people pleaser, one who follows the whims of a crowd, having no backbone to stand for themselves? 

• Ex 32:25-29 When Moses saw that the people were unrestrained, for Aaron had not restrained them… hmmm.  So good leaders know how to not follow the crowd, and restrain them from doing nonsense, from doing evil. Moses called for those on the Lord’s side, and the sons of Levi responded.  Then they went out throughout the camp and killed 3000 Israelites.  So what made Moses different from God? God wanted to wipe them out,  Moses killed 3000.  Incidentally, this was close to the  Day of Pentecost, at Mt. Sinai.  At the real day of Pentecost in Acts, 3000 got saved. They died and lived. Do you see the parallel?

• Ex 32:30-35 Moses returned back up to the mountain to make atonement for the people’s sin.  He asked would you forgive them, if not blot Moses out of the book which God has written.  This is our first introduction to a book God’s written about humans.  Maybe it is not a literal book, but a figure of speech, to blot him out of the testimony of humans who followed God.  God replied, that whoever sinned against Him, will be blotted out of his book.  He said that instead His Angel will go with Moses, not God Himself anymore.  God will still punish them for their sin. He sent a plague.  So forgiveness does not mean a disregard, or dismissal of wrongdoing, or not having ANY consequences for your actions. It is the not allowing yourself to fully unleash on someone , not having them suffer the full extent of your wrath, not giving them rental space inside of your head, and releasing them for any obligation to make you whole.  Israel had a consequence.  God decided it would be his Angel to lead them. 

• Ex 33:1-6 The people certainly thought this was bad news that the Angel not God Himself would be escorting them.  They mourned, but God told Moses to tell them they are a stiff necked people and if I came in your midst I would consume you in one moment.  So this tells me anyone who cries and say they are sorry, does not mean you react or respond.  Sometimes in that moment you transparently tell them what was the nature of the bad behavior and consequence.  Many people do not change their behavior with a good cry.  Behavior ONLY changes when one experiences the consequences of his actions.  Fake mercy is always rescuing someone. True mercy always overtakes some judgment.