The Big Picture

The Big Picture

One of the true masterpieces at the Art Institute in Chicago is a massive painting by Georges Seurat called Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884–1886). When standing close to the picture, an observer can only see tiny dots—millions of them. Seurat pioneered the artistic technique known as pointillism, in which tiny points of color are applied to canvas with the tip of a brush. From a foot away, all anyone can see are the beautiful colors. But from a distance, a picturesque scene emerges. Parisians are sitting in the park on a Sunday afternoon, or strolling with their parasols, gazing serenely at the River Seine. From the proper vantage point, Seurat’s little points of color become part of a bigger picture.

Something similar is happening as we finish our study of Exodus 29. Since the beginning of chapter 25, Moses has been on Mt. Sinai with the Lord and He has been giving Moses exacting detail after detail for the Tabernacle and everything and everyone associated with it. He showed Moses the plans for the Tent of Meeting, the pieces of furniture to put inside, what the courtyard was to look like and the apparatus that was to be in it. Then God gave instructions on who the priests were to be, who would serve Him in the tabernacle, what they were to wear and how they were to be consecrated and ordained. We learned detail after detail about what sacrifices needed to be offered and last week, we learned who was allowed to eat of the sacrifices, what was to happen to the high priestly garments and how Aaron and his sons were to commune with the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

This morning, God will continue to drill down, instructing Moses about the actual seven-day ordination service for Aaron and his sons. It would be easy to get lost in all the details like in Seurat’s painting, all those pretty dots of color. But as we have learned, the Tabernacle, the furniture, and the sacrifices all point us to Jesus Christ and that is such a beautiful picture. At the end of the chapter, God steps back to reveal the big picture, the reason for all the detail, the reason why He brought His people out of slavery in Egypt in the first place, the reason why everything has pointed us to Jesus Christ. And when we step back, a beautiful picture emerges of His ultimate purpose to bring glory to his name by saving and sanctifying his people, and by doing so, able to dwell with His people and be their God. That brings us to our big idea, this morning, which is that God desires to reveal His glory in dwelling with His people.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, we humbly come before you, this morning, seeking your presence and your guidance. Open our hearts and minds to receive your Word and give us wisdom and clarity to understand your message to us. We ask that you speak to us through your Holy Spirit so that our hearts and minds are transformed. Let your Word be a light in the darkness, healing to the sick and wounded, and a source of hope for all who hear. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen."

The first point, this morning, is Do, found in Exodus 29:35-41. This is what God’s Word says, “Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it and anoint it to consecrate it. For seven days, make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy. “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning—a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.

Last week, we ended learning about the peace or fellowship offering which was to culminate in Aaron and his sons eating a communion or covenant meal with the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. As we begin studying our scripture, this morning, God is giving more detail as He instructs Moses on the exact procedure to ordain Aaron and his sons. God first commands Moses to “do” for Aaron and his sons everything He showed him previously. This means getting the sacrifices – the bull and two rams, and the grain offering ready, washing, dressing and anointing Aaron and his sons, and then offering the three sacrifices on their behalf. These sacrifices included a sin offering, a burnt offering and a peace offering. Aaron and his sons were to be marked on the outside of their bodies from head to toe with the blood of the ram for the ordination. And Moses, Aaron and his sons were to make wave and heave offerings to the Lord of the choicest parts of the animal and grain offerings. Lastly, the high priestly garments were to be anointed, and Aaron and his sons were to sit down to a communion or covenant meal with the Lord, which marked the inside of their bodies, signifying that Aaron and his sons were entirely consecrated to the Lord.

We learn that the elaborate ordination ceremony was to last seven days. The process to have access to the Presence of God was not something that could be easily achieved; it wasn’t meant to be quick and easy. This week-long ceremony was to show the Israelites the importance and the seriousness of the holiness of God. His holiness meant that sinful human beings couldn’t approach Him without special provision being made. A holy God could not dwell with them the way they were. So, Aaron and his sons needed to be completely cleansed, being forgiven of their sins and consecrated to the Lord in order to fulfill their duties in the Tabernacle. This is seen in offering seven days of sacrifices.

A bull was to be sacrificed each day for seven days as a sin offering. These offerings were in addition to the three sacrifices mentioned earlier. Only the sin offering needed to be repeated, not the burnt or peace offerings. Aaron and his sons had already dedicated themselves to the Lord and had communed with Him symbolizing having peace with God, but they needed atonement and cleansing of their sin daily. Imagine witnessing these seven bulls being sacrificed for your sins. This would have reminded Aaron and his sons that the animal sacrifices only provided temporary covering. It also would have revealed their sinfulness to them and showed them how deep God’s grace was for them. Gibson says, “They like us needed to be reminded how far they fell short of God’s standards.”

Next, the altar also had to be purified by making atonement for it for seven days. It wasn’t that the altar had sinned, but sin is contagious and even the putting of the sin offerings onto the altar would defile it. So, it had to be cleansed, consecrated and set apart, so it was fit for the holy use that God intended for it. Even the altar needed to have removed what shouldn’t be there, so it could be consecrated as holy. The setting apart of the altar symbolizes God’s acceptance of the blood of the sacrifices made for the forgiveness of the people’s sins. The altar also had to be anointed and consecrated for seven days. This was done by anointing the altar each day with the same special anointing oil used to anoint Aaron and his sacred garments. We see this in Exodus 30:28. The atonement and consecration of the altar for seven days would make it holy and whatever touched it would be holy. “Whatever” could also mean “whoever” and so this probably means that now that the altar was consecrated or holy, only whatever or whoever was holy could touch it. The priests who were consecrated would be allowed to come into the presence of the Lord and use the holy implements and the sacrifices that were consecrated would be allowed on the altar.

Once the altar had been atoned for and consecrated, God instructs Moses about the daily sacrifices to be offered on the altar. Aaron, and his sons were consecrated and ordained so they could minister to the Lord and the people and part of their ministry was the offering of the daily sacrifices. First, they were to make regular offerings each day of two lambs a year old, one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. These continual daily sacrifices would be at the heart of the Israelites sacrificial system. The lambs needed to be young, a year old, and without blemish symbolizing their innocence and purity. A lamb is a docile, submissive animal, willing to go wherever it's shepherd leads them and will even go to their death silently and without a fight. That’s why an unblemished lamb a year old was the perfect foreshadowing of Christ, the pure, perfect and innocent Son of God, who would willingly go to the cross to be the sacrifice for our sins. The twice daily sacrifices were in anticipation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I want us to seriously ponder and realize what God is doing in these sacrifices. Everything is foreshadowing the sending of His son to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. The institution of the morning and evening sacrifices weren’t just random ideas God implemented. Every single day, 360 days a year, morning and evening, young, innocent and unblemished lambs were slaughtered and sacrificed on the Altar of Burnt Offering. That is 720 lambs sacrificed a year. I don’t want us to miss how God is connecting the daily sacrifices to Jesus’ sacrifice, some 1300 years before the crucifixion. Jewish oral law and tradition places the morning sacrifice at about the third hour or 9:00 am and the evening sacrifice at about the ninth hour or 3:00 pm. And so, on the day Jesus was crucified we see this in Mark 15:25, “Now it was the third hour when they crucified Him” and we see this in Luke 23:44-46, “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the entire land until the ninth hour, because the sun stopped shining; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” And having said this, He died.” Jesus was hung on the cross at the time of the morning sacrifice and died on the cross at the time of the evening sacrifice. Do you see what God was doing when he implemented the daily sacrifices in the wilderness? God commanded, as Garrett says, “that these two lambs would be sacrificed, day after day and year after year, as a picture of the ultimate sacrifice of His own precious Son.”

With each meat offering, in the morning and at twilight, they were to also make grain and drink offerings to the Lord. The grain offerings consisted of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives. And the drink offering consisted of a quarter of a hin of wine. A tenth of an ephah of fine flour would have equaled about a bushel. And a quarter of a hin of oil and wine would have equaled about one quart each. Fine flour and oil from pressed olives indicated that the ingredients were of the highest quality. The drink offering would be poured out at the base of the altar to symbolize the priest’s complete devotion to God and to His service. The combination of the meat, grain and drink offerings resembled an ordinary domestic meal symbolizing that all good things came from God and the fellowship that the Lord and the people were to enjoy at the house of the Lord. These offerings would be a pleasing aroma meaning that the Lord would be pleased with His people for their obedience in making these sacrifices to Him.

Now that God had instructed Moses what to do for the seven days of ordination and introduced Aaron and his sons to their priestly duties, He brings it full circle to the main point of it all which brings us to our second point, Dwell, found in Exodus 29:42-46. This is what God’s Word says, “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory. “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

These offerings of two lambs, and a grain and drink offering, were to be made regularly and continually at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord, for the generations to come. This requirement symbolized to the Israelites that they needed their lives to be cleansed and consecrated entirely to the Lord anew each day. The sacrifices would remind the nation of their consecrated status as God’s holy and chosen people. There was never any reason that these sacrifices were not to be made. It didn’t matter what the weather was like or if the nation was at war or even if there was no food or animals available, these sacrifices were still required. Even in exile, when the sacrifices stopped, some like Daniel were careful to observe the offerings by a sacrifice of prayer, petition and confession before the Lord. We see this in Daniel chapter nine. The reason these sacrifices were not to stop was because the Lord, as the source of all things, is still to be worshipped whether as provider or withholder of all things for His people.

The Lord wanted Israel to understand that they were sinful human beings and nothing that they could do themselves could take away their sin. And so daily they needed His atonement and forgiveness so that He could continue dwelling with them. The Lord also wanted them to know that their worship of Himself was not to be limited to the Sabbath day or Feast days, only, but they were to worship Him daily. God desires that his people regularly and continually bring their spiritual sacrifices of prayer, praise, and confession before Him as an act of worship. Matthew Henry says, “Our daily devotions are the most needful of our daily works, and the most pleasant of our daily comforts. Prayer-time must be kept up as duly as meal-time. Those starve their own souls, who keep not up constant attendance on the throne of grace.” That brings us to our first next step which is Bring sacrifices of prayer, praise and confession, continually, as an act of worship, before the Lord.

It was at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, where the Lord would speak to Moses as the covenant mediator, and to Aaron, the High Priest and the people’s representative. And through them, He would meet with His chosen people, the Israelites. He would meet with them through the sacrifices and at the altar where they were offered. And he would meet with them through Moses, Aaron and the priests. In verse 43, we see that the “place” will be consecrated by God’s glory. The place is talking about the Tent of Meeting, but we notice that it’s consecrated in the next verse. So, it seems that God is talking about the Israelites here. They will be consecrated by God’s glory because His presence is in the place, the rituals and with Moses and Aaron. This is important for us today because Jesus is foreshadowed in the place, the rituals and in Moses and Aaron meaning that God speaks and meets with us through the person of Jesus Christ. We must have Jesus in order to meet and speak with the Lord. Once the Israelites are consecrated, God will consecrate the things that allow for the ministering of His people and Himself. This includes the Tent of Meeting, the altar, and Aaron and his sons who will serve Him as priests. Also, notice that God is the one who consecrates everything and everyone here.

And then at the very end of chapter 29, we see the purpose for everything that has come before. The Lord wants to dwell among the Israelites and be their God and He goes all the way back to Egypt. Exodus 6:7 says, “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” He reminds them He is the I AM, Yahweh, the one and only true God and it was Him who saved the Israelites for His glory. He was the one who directed them, sustained them and defended them. He did all this because He loves them and wants to dwell with them, which will reveal His glory to the nations. The reason for building the Tabernacle, the furniture, the courtyard, instituting the priesthood, etc. was so that God could dwell among His people and be their God. He could not do that until they had been freed from slavery to Pharoah, until His “tent” was built in the midst of their tents, and until the priests knew how they were to function in the sacrificial system the Lord was setting up to make atonement for the sins of the people. Because God is holy, he could not dwell with His people until they were made holy. They could only be made holy by offering the ritual sacrifices.

God ends with the statement, “I am the Lord their God.” This was God’s signature on the love letter called Exodus. He loved His chosen people so much that He wanted a relationship with them. He wanted to speak to them, meet with them, reveal Himself to them and dwell with them. All because He wanted to reveal His glory to a lost and dying world. He saved them for His glory and the tabernacle was where He would come in glory. Everything He did was so they would understand the meaning of their salvation and continue in their sanctification. God has done the same for us today. He loves us and wants a relationship with us. He wants to speak to us and meet with us. He wants to reveal Himself to us and dwell within us. He wants to be our Lord and God. But we need to be holy, and He makes us holy much the same way He consecrated and set apart the priests. He washes us with His blood, He clothes us with the righteousness of Christ, He anoints us with the Holy Spirit. He did all this so He could dwell within us. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” ​​ 

It is mind boggling that a holy God would want to come and live inside of us, a sinful people. But He wanted us to know Him as our Lord and God who saved us from our sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I like how Ryken sums this chapter up: “This is the big picture—the ultimate purpose for what God is doing in this world. With all the difficulties and distractions of daily life, it is easy for us to get lost in the details. We are so busy toiling at our work, worrying about our finances, struggling with our limitations, enjoying our entertainments, pursuing our pleasures, and grasping our ambitions that we forget to step back and see what God is doing. So take a look: God is making a holy place for his dwelling, so that our lives will display his glory” (Big Idea). Let us be people who do step back and see what God is doing. Let us be people who take seriously that God dwells in us and wants to display His glory to the world through us. Let us be people who are obedient to the commands of Christ so that the world will take notice and want to have the living God come and dwell inside of them. This is how our lives will display His glory. That brings us to our last next step which is Display the glory of the Lord with my whole life.

As the praise team comes to lead us in a final song and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege of hearing from your word today. As we leave this place, may the message we have received take root in our hearts and guide our steps. Help us to bring sacrifices of prayer, praise and confession, continually, as an act of worship, before you and may we glorify you with our whole life. Empower us to live according to your will and let your light shine through us. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen."

Opening: Ryken Commentary on Exodus

Closing: Ryken Commentary on Exodus