The High Priest had the twelve tribes represented on his breast-plate. Christ our great High Priest has us engraved on His hands and heart.
Exodus 27: The Bronze Altar
1 "You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.
2 And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.
3 You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze.
4 You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.
5 And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar.
6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.
7 And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried.
8 You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.
The Court of the Tabernacle
9 "You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side.
10 Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
11 And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases.
13 The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits.
14 The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases.
15 On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases.
16 For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases.
17 All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze.
18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze.
19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
Oil for the Lamp
20 "You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.
21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
Exodus 28: The Priests' Garments
1 "Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests---Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
3 You shall speak to all the skilful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.
4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.
5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
6 "And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skilfully worked.
7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together.
8 And the skilfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,
10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.
11 As a jeweller engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree.
12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance.
13 You shall make settings of gold filigree,
14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
15 "You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it---of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it.
16 It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth.
17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row;
18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;
19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree.
21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.
22 You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.
23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.
24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.
25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.
26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skilfully woven band of the ephod.
28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skilfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.
29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD.
30 And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the LORD regularly.
31 "You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, so that it may not tear.
33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them,
34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.
35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.
36 "You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy to the LORD.'
37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban.
38 It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
39 "You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
40 "For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty.
41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.
42 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs;
43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
Things to think about…
Even the bronze altar had dimensions to be kept and rings for the poles so it could be carried, Ex 27:7. Dead sacrifices were put on this altar, but we are living sacrifices for Christ and He of course carries us. But of course we are called to die daily to ourselves as we live for Him.
The court of the tabernacle was beautiful with the hangings of purple, silver and bronze, Ex 27:9-19. But there was gold where the holy ark, lampstand and table were. We are reflectors of God’s glory, but we are not God. The glory and the gold belong to Him. Be amazed we can even stand in His court.
Look at the oil for the lamp, Ex 27:20, 21. It was pure and beaten. To keep our light for Christ burning the same is true. He was beaten and pressed as He showed the light of God’s grace and forgiveness. Sometimes we are in the press, so purity comes out that we may shine for His glory in a dark world.
Aaron and his sons represent a shadow of Christ with their garments. The breastplate with the names of Israel shows the Lord’s love for those who are both Jews and Gentiles. Our names are engraved on His heart. Those of faith who are inside and outside of blood Israel are part of the heavenly Israel. Our Lord keeps us close to His heart, we are reflected as gold, silver and precious stones. All these stones can handle heat. We are near the heart of the One who is called a consuming fire. As such we reflect His character and glory through the fires of injustice and persecution.
Aaron had bells as he ministered in the holy place so that he could be heard, lest he die, Ex 28:35. If we are not serving Christ, sin will be killing us in some way. Let’s make sure we are serving the Lord in grace and truth, knowing that His death gives us life. History tells us they actually tied a rope around the leg of the High Priest, lest the Lord kill him and the only way he could be retrieved was if he was pulled out.
Vision Point for Cell groups
CBC's Vision "To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission".
Cell group questions from Sunday morning’s sermon “Feb with bread and water” Ex 15 & 16.
1. The Israelites had experienced a mighty deliverance from the Lord by passing through the Red Sea. Can you think of a time when the Lord delivered you from a stressful situation?
2. After the Red Sea passing they were fed miraculously with Bread (manna) and Water. This was not the same diet that they were used to in Egypt. Even though they were slaves they enjoyed a good variety of food. Have you ever gone through lean seasons in your life, but you knew you were being sustained by the Lord’s hand.
3. Moses begins a long journey where the children of Israel begin to complain. Discuss how it was possible that after the Red Sea parting, the miraculous Manna and water and the enemies of the Lord being fearful that they were on their way to inherit the promised land that they quickly forgot and departed from the Lord. Discuss why you believe this occurred. Do we/Can we do the same things? In what ways do we forget the Lord?
4. Christ said in John 6 that He was the Bread and Water that was given to the Israelites in the wilderness. What did he mean? What did he mean when He said eat my body and drink my blood, John 6:54-56.
5. Pray for new folk that have recently joined us that they be joined into the fellowship of the church. Pray for each other, our city and country.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for new people who have been visiting our church.
2. Pray for people returning from holidays and back at work this week.
4. Continue to pray for our government for wisdom and economic management.
6. Sunday’s messages. The message this week – “What’s with the stones” Exod 28, Doug Horne.
7. Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8. Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1. New visitors and worship on Sunday. Thank you Dan and Suzanne.
2. Finances continue to be maintained.
3. Wonderful spirit of joy in our church. Thank you Jesus.
4. Blessing Beirut ($1500). Thank you!
5. Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
6. Praise God for all those who serve at CBC.
Announcements
1. Prayer meetings back this week. Tuesday and Thursday mornings at church 5:30am – 6:30am.
2. One service at 9:30am Every Sunday morning. This service will also be live streamed on YouTube. No kisses, hand-shakes or hugs are allowed. Hand sanitizer is to be used, tables will be wiped and chairs arranged for appropriate distancing. Families can of course sit together. CBC is allowed up to 50 people inside, then we have an overflow in the cafe.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Kids Church back in the house this week when the message is on.
