Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 29:35-37

35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.

36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.

37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

Today we learn that the seven days of sacrifices is not only to sanctify the priests, but also the altar being used for the sacrifices. By being employed repeatedly in holy rituals, the altar itself would become holy.

This is a good opportunity to consider the question, what is it that makes something be sanctified? Is it our works or is it God’s grace? Can we make something cease to be carnal by our carnal labors? If not, then why do the labors at all?

I would argue that sanctification is a door with two locks. One that we have the key for, and one that God has the key for. We turn our key by our sacrifices, because that which we sacrifice most for becomes that which we hold in the highest regard. When we give up our greatest loves for a thing, then that thing becomes our greatest love. It becomes sacred to us. Regardless of the thing’s inherent nature, because of all we have given to it, it is now an item of worship.

But none of that forces God to hallow the thing also. We might have turned our key on the door of sanctification, but we are not able to make God turn His. And God does not hallow everything that we do. We often sacrifice to our appetites, to our greed, and to our vanity. We make those things sacred in our own eyes, but God will never join us in sanctifying those things. If we are ever to meet God, we must be trying in the right places.

So, is it grace or works that makes something sanctified? I would say both. Our works are important in that they make a space where God is invited, but it is still up to Him to grace us with His presence. In the case of the tabernacle altar, the seven days of repeated would have made it hallowed in the minds of the Israelites, and because it was an approved vessel, God hallowed it from His end also.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 25:8-9

8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Now we see what the offering of riches and valuables is for: to make a tabernacle for the Lord “that he may dwell among them.” If the people were willing to consecrate their very best to God, if they would show great attention in following his building instructions exactly, if they would dedicate their time and labor to building the place, then they would be able to create a sacred place where He could reside. I believe that more important than the valuables, the attention, and the effort, is the sacrifice. What would make this place worthy of God would not be the minerals or man-hours, it would be the heart and will that had been poured into it, prioritizing this cause above all other alternatives. That was what would make this place an acceptable receptacle for the Lord’s presence.

Or, at least, it would make it acceptable for the Lord’s purifying spirit to come and sanctify the place, and then that purification would be what made the place an acceptable receptacle for the Lord’s presence. See Exodus 40:34.

It is the same with our hearts also. When we perform our acts of faith, it is the faith that matters far more than the act itself. It is not what we sacrifice, but that we sacrifice. And the offerings of time and effort that we make to the Lord do not make us worthy of His name, but it does invite His spirit to come and sanctify our hearts so that then we are worthy of His name.