Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 40:9-11

9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

All the different elements of the tabernacle were in place, but before they could be used, they had to be anointed with oil. Every part of it, inside and out, was to be anointed, which is said to be for the sake of “sanctifying” them.

To sanctify something has a dual meaning. It is used both to mean the cleansing and purifying of something, as well as to choose and set apart something for a holy purpose. Presumably both of those meanings are meant here. Every time the tabernacle was set up, they would be anointed to cleanse them of the world’s detritus, and to consecrate them once again to the service of the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 37:1-9

1 And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:

2 And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.

3 And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.

4 And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.

5 And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

6 And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

7 And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;

8 One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

9 And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.

We continue the record of the tabernacle’s creation, today by hearing the description of Bezaleel crafting the Ark of the Covenant. I would say that this was the single most sacred piece in all of the tabernacle, and an interesting question is at what point did the ark become holy?

Was it holy back when it was a tree in the middle of the desert? Or when it was half-carved on the carpenter’s workbench, with shavings still littering the floor? Or after the main piece was fully formed and overlaid with gold? Or only after the lid, rings and staves were finally attached?

I believe the answer is none of those moments. Those were all stages in the development of a worthy vessel, but I believe that vessel did not become sacred until God’s presence rested within the tabernacle and sanctified everything therein. Before that moment of divine touch, it was just beautiful workmanship. After that moment, it was dedicated to the work of the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 13:1-2

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.

God had spared the lives of all the Israelite firstborn, but that didn’t mean He was leaving them untouched. Just as the Israelites had marked their doors with the blood of the lamb, God had marked all of Israel’s firstborn sons to serve Him.

Notice that God says to “sanctify” the firstborn, not to “sacrifice” them. These boys would not be killed like the Egyptians, but they would still be giving up their lives in the service of God. They would be the priests to carry out the rituals of the temple, performing sacrifice and making atonement for the masses. And just as every family in Egypt was touched by the death of their firstborn, so too every family in Israel would be linked to God, also through their firstborn. Every Israelite would personally know someone who was part of this sanctified work, the firstborn would be the leaven that raised the whole nation.

Of course, this arrangement would only persist for a season. In time, the tribe of Levi would prove itself more faithful, and as a reward God would assign them to be the new priest class. All other tribes would retain their firstborn sons, then depending on the righteousness of more pure families to keep their connection to God.