True Worship (Exodus 29:38-31:17)

When we want to express that something is not overly difficult, we sometimes say, “It’s not rocket science.” What makes rocket science so hard? Determining the right trajectory and thrust requires complex math that must account for things like weather, aerodynamics, gravity, and even the rotation of the earth. If the calculations are slightly off, the result could be catastrophic.

Studying the Bible is not rocket science! But applying the Old Testament Law and its system of sacrificial worship to life today is complex. The New Testament helps us understand God’s trajectory for it. He aimed the Law toward fulfillment in Christ (Mt 5:17). Jesus is the peak of the arc. He perfectly obeyed the commandments, offered his life as the perfect sacrifice, and serves as our high priest (Heb 9:11-14). We are only saved through faith in him. But Christians disagree about where the Old Testament comes back down into life here and now on this side of the cross

Since the Law was given to guide Israel as a nation, some seek to apply it there. They argue that our nation will be blessed if we follow God’s Law. But this view fails to recognize that the Law and its blessings were part of God’s covenant that he made with Israel. It did not extend to other nations. Even if it did, perfect obedience is required. God does not give partial credit. It is all or nothing, and Israel could never achieve that standard. As a result, they faced the curses of the Law (Lev 26:14-39; Gal 3:10).

Others focus on applying the Law and particularly its sacrificial system of worship to the church as an organization. As I mentioned previously, many people relate to church leaders as priests. They view church buildings as Tabernacles where God is present. So, worship is equated with coming to a place to have a spiritual experience. Roman Catholics even view the ceremony of communion as a continuing sacrifice of Christ that must be carried out for people to receive the benefits of his atoning work.

But in our study of the Tabernacle, we have seen that the trajectory of the Old Testament for here and now reaches beyond nations and churches to individuals. Under the New Covenant, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within every believer (Ez 36:27; Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9). We become temples (1 Cor 6:19). The Spirit works within us to help us grow in obedience (Rom 8:13-14). We are given priestly access to the Lord (Heb 10:19-22). So, worship is not limited to particular times and places (Jn 4:20-24). True worship is a matter of offering up your entire life to the Lord (Rom 12:1).

These ideas are not rocket science, but when people fail to understand the New Testament focus on the individual, the results can be catastrophic. Believers can squander their lives and damage the witness of the church by devoting time, resources, and passion to all the wrong things. Others wrongly assume that God will give them eternal life because they are good people in a Christian nation, or because they attend church gatherings. Some do not understand the need for a personal relationship with the Lord. When they stand before him one day, he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Mt 7:23).

So, what should a personal relationship with God look like? What is true worship? Exodus 29:38-31:17 gives us some helpful insights. The Lord’s instructions for worship at the Tabernacle point to five disciplines of true worship for believers to practice today. So, as we consider this portion of Scripture, I encourage you to evaluate your spiritual life and to make a commitment to grow in worshiping God.

Listening

God created us with an amazing sense of hearing. Our ears enable us to perceive the minute vibrations of sound waves passing through the air. We can even tell where they are coming from. Our brains learn to interpret the subtle variations in sounds that form words, so that we can understand when someone speaks.

But there is a difference between hearing and listening. Our ears are always working, but our brains sometimes ignore what is coming in. It happens when you are sleeping, but also when you are busy or bored. That is why someone can talk to you, and it seems as if you have never heard a word. You were not attentively listening.

True worship begins with the discipline of listening to the Lord. In Romans 10, Paul points out that faith comes from hearing. To be saved, you must hear the good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life. You will not call upon Jesus as your Savior, until you listen to that message and accept that it is true.

Listening to the Lord is also essential to your ongoing relationship with him. The Lord includes this discipline as a component of daily worship at the Tabernacle. You might miss it because it is linked to sacrifices, but we need to pay attention to the reason for those sacrifices. In Exodus 29:38-41 the Lord says,

Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

This twice-a-day offering is similar to the third offering used in the consecration of the priests. It is essentially a meal. Of course, the Lord does not eat food, but it communicates the idea of fellowship with his people. So, what is the Lord’s purpose for these times? In verses 42-43, he says,

It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.

The Lord establishes this practice so that every morning and evening the priest will come ready to meet him and to listen to what he has to say. He wants his people to be attentive and expectant day and night. Hearing from him is a privilege. He allows them to know him and understand his ways. In verses 44-46, he explains,

I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

Average people do not participate in this ceremony at the Tabernacle, but in time the Word of God becomes available to them. So, Psalm 1:2 speaks of the blessed man who meditates on God’s Law day and night. This focus on paying attention to God’s revelation continues in the New Testament John 14:26 tells us how Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit as a helper to teach his followers and remind us of what he has said. In Colossians 3:16, Paul calls us to let his word dwell in you richly.

The New Testament does not prescribe a rigid schedule. But are you setting aside regular, focused time to listen to God’s Word? A life of worship is rooted in the personal spiritual discipline of listening.

Praying

When we see or smell smoke, we take it as a sign that something is wrong. We have alarms in our homes and buildings to warn us We associate smoke with fire and destruction. But the Bible uses the image of smoke rising from burning incense as a picture of prayers rising to the Lord. In Psalm 141:2, David said, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!”

As the Lord continues to describe the daily rituals at the Tabernacle, he speaks of the burning of incense in conjunction with the morning and evening sacrifice. The priest is to come ready to listen to God. But he also enjoys the amazing privilege of knowing that God listens to him. The burning of incense illustrates the discipline of praying.

We have seen that the Lord describes the Tabernacle and all its furniture in Exodus 25-27. He then focuses on the priests in chapters 28-29. But in verse 1-3 of chapter 30, he introduces a new piece of furniture.

You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.

This golden altar is much smaller than the bronze one. It is about 18 inches square and stands around 3 feet tall, but it is to be transported in the same reverent way. In verses 45, the Lord tells Moses,

And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

Next the Lord describes the location of this altar. The Tabernacle complex has three distinct spaces. There is a courtyard with the bronze altar and bronze wash basin. The first space inside the Tabernacle, the holy place, contains a golden lampstand and a golden table. Then the ark is kept behind a veil in the most holy place. In verse 6, the Lord describes the location of this golden altar by saying, “And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.”

So, after Aaron offers up the morning and evening sacrifices on the bronze altar outside, he is to come to this golden altar in the holy place. In verses 7-8, the Lord explains,

And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.

But the Lord offers a warning in verse 9. He says, “You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.” Down in verses 34-38 the Lord gives a recipe for the incense that is to be used.

The LORD said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the LORD. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”

Leviticus 10 tells us that when Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, burn a different kind of incense, the Lord consumes them with fire. Perhaps other types of incense were associated with the worship of other gods. If nothing else, they ignored the Lord’s explicit instructions. He demands to be respected and obeyed as the only true God.

It is an awesome privilege to draw near him that must not be taken lightly. Yet the incense altar is still earthly and thus corrupted. It must be purified in the same manner as the bronze altar. In Exodus 30:10 the Lord says,

Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

Now no explicit connection with prayer is made in Exodus 30. But in Revelation 5:8, as John describes his vision of heaven, he sees, “golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” In Revelation 8:3-4, he sees an angel offering up this incense on a golden altar before the throne of God. In response, theLord begins the series of judgments that lead to Christ’s return. So, the burning of incense in the Tabernacle points to the heavenly reality of prayer.

Much more could be said about the discipline of prayer. Morning and evening are not enough. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul calls us to pray without ceasing. But perhaps one application of this exclusive incense of the Tabernacle is that the Lord wants us to rely upon him alone. We should not be double minded. Our faith should not be divided between the Lord and anyone or anything else. That is the goal of the discipline of prayer.

Giving

We can talk a lot about what things are important to us. But our true priorities and values are often reflected in how we use money. Worshiping the Lord should impact our personal financial management. We should practice the discipline of giving.

In Exodus 25, the Lord instructs Moses to collect a freewill offering of materials for the Tabernacle. But in verses 11-16 of chapter 30, he also establishes a required offering.

The LORD said to Moses, “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the LORD. Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the LORD's offering. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD's offering to make atonement for your lives. You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for your lives.”

It is impossible to determine the value of this half-shekel offering at the time of Moses. Scholars think that a shekel is around two-fifths of an ounce. Exodus 38:25-26 indicates that this offering was in silver. So, today that amount of silver would only be worth around four or five dollars. But with over 600 thousand men, the total amount was very significant. It functioned as a tax that enabled the work of the Tabernacle to proceed. In fact, the same offering was required during the time of Jesus. Jesus told Peter to go fishing, and he would miraculously find a shekel in a fish’s mouth to cover the tax for both of them (Matt 17:24-27).

Here in Exodus 30 the Lord calls this offering a “ransom.” We often use that term to refer to a payment made to free someone who is held hostage. It also speaks of the price paid to free a slave. Here it frees the people of Israel from suffering a plague. Whether rich or poor, the same amount is required. They all stand on equal ground before the Lord.

He explains that this ransom will atone for their lives and maintain their relationship with him. Giving money never has this significance in the New Testament. Instead, we find a parallel in the work of Christ. In Mark 10:45, he says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus paid the full price to free us from our sins. So, our giving as New Testament believers is always in response to his atoning work.

The people of Israel demonstrated worshipful giving as they donated materials for the Tabernacle. Exodus 36:3-7 tells us,

And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

Admittedly, it is easier to be excited about a one-time project than ongoing needs. The books of Kings and Chronicles tell us that after Solomon built the Temple, subsequent kings had difficulty collecting money to maintain it. Later in the New Testament, Paul challenges churches to approach their giving as a weekly discipline. In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, he writes,

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

Is the worship of God reflected in your finances? Every believer should be practicing the discipline of giving.

Serving

Earlier we talked about the ears that our Creator made for us. He has also given us amazing hands. Each one has 29 bones, 29 joints, 34 muscles, and 123 ligaments. Our hands set us apart from other creatures, enabling us to do all sorts of complex tasks. These abilities should be used to glorify our Maker. We worship him by practicing the discipline of serving.

The construction of the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and the making of the priestly garments would require exceptional ability. We have also seen from the end of chapter 30, that great skill would be needed to blend the anointing oil and the incense. Exodus 31:1-11 reveals how these tasks will be accomplished. It tells us,

The LORD said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”

Exodus 35:30 through the end of chapter 39 describes the work that Bezalel and his team accomplished. Women also used their abilities. Exodus 35:25-26 tells us,

And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair.

What stands out here is that the first mention of anyone being filled with the Spirit of God does not refer to a prophet, a priest, or a king, but to a craftsman. All creative abilities come from the Lord. They are aspects of being made in his image. In Bezalel, the Holy Spirit seems to amplify those abilities. But there is no indication that anyone else shared that experience.

At the Day of Pentecost, however, the Spirit begins to dwell within every believer, and his presence helps us serve. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” We receive spiritual gifts. He enables us to serve our fellow believers like the various parts of the human body. Paul lists different abilities in both 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, but the lists are not necessarily exhaustive.

Peter describes the discipline needed in using these abilities. In 1 Peter 4:10-11, he writes,

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Are you using your abilities in God’s strength for his glory? Don’t neglect the discipline of service.

Resting

When I was growing up, we hardly ever used our living room. It could have been central to life in our home, but my mom was always concerned about the furniture getting dirty and worn. We did not really mind, because the room was not very comfortable. Mom wanted to keep it pristine, but it felt sterile and cold. Of course, it did not bother us, because we always had other places to go and things to do.

You might have similar feelings about the Sabbath. Some people turn it into something rigid and uncomfortable. So, rather than making it central to our lives, we ignore it. The heart of the Sabbath is a gracious opportunity for rest. But we tend to fill our lives with constant activity, so resting does require a degree of discipline.

The Fourth Commandment recorded in Exodus 20:8-11 addresses the Sabbath. There are also other stipulations related to it in chapters 21-23. The Lord returns to it here at the end of Moses’ time on the mountain with him. Exodus 31:12-13 tells us,

And the LORD said to Moses, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.

This day of rest is a reminder for the people of Israel that they have a covenant relationship with the Lord, a relationship that sets them apart from other nations. To neglect the Sabbath is to ignore that relationship, so the commandment must be strictly enforced. In verses 14-15, the Lord tells Moses to say,

You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.

In Exodus 35:2, Moses communicates the words of verse 15 to the people. In Exodus 35:3, Moses adds a stipulation, saying, “You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.” Together that passage and this one serve as bookends. Chapters 25-31 contain the Lord’s instructions about the Tabernacle and end with the Sabbath. Chapters 35-40 begin with the Sabbath and then recount all that was done to make the Tabernacle. But the story in the middle, in chapters 32-34, recounts how the whole plan almost fell apart. We will consider that passage next time.

For now, we need to consider why the Lord would address the Sabbath here in relation to the Tabernacle. The cherubim, the tree design of the golden lampstand, and his presence above the ark all harken back to the Garden of Eden. God wants his people to remember the perfect goodness of life in his creation before sin entered the world. So, in verses 16-17, he says,

Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

When God’s people rest, they show their confidence in him. It expresses trust in his provision and anticipates the full restoration of blessing in his presence in the future. That is why Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath (Mk 2:27). It is why the author of Hebrews sees in the Sabbath a promise of entering God’s rest (Heb 4:1-7).

Since New Testament believers are not under the Old Covenant and its Law, the strict details of Sabbath keeping do not apply to us today. In Colossians 2:16, Paul tells believers to not let anyone pass judgment over them in questions of the Sabbath. But we must rest in the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must trust in the Lord’s provision and goodness. We must set aside time to reflect on all that he has done, is doing, and will do for us in Christ. True worship requires the discipline of rest.

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Sitting in church for an hour is not worship, but it can provide fuel to help you worship throughout the week. In the rituals of the Tabernacle, we see the disciplines that mark true worship. To worship God is to listen, to pray, to give, to serve, and to rest.

Are you a true worshiper? If not, I invite you to begin today. Turn away from your self-centered way of life. Listen to the gospel of Christ and place your faith in him. If you would like to learn more about worship, many of these disciplines are discussed in Romans 12.

If you are a believer, what could you do to grow as a worshiper of the Lord? Do you need to focus on one of these disciplines? Perhaps you could help someone who misunderstands worship.

May the worship of God grow in our lives and spread throughout the world!