And this is love that i walk after this commandment this is the commandment that as ye have heard from the beginning ye should walk in it for many deceivers one entered into the warld who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh this is a deceiver and an antichrist looks to your selves that we lose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward
Quote From Commentary by Matthew Henry -- found on this site:
"Four-and-twenty seats around the throne, were filled with four-and-twenty elders, representing, probably, the whole church of God. Their sitting denotes honour, rest, and satisfaction; their sitting about the throne signifies nearness to God, the sight and enjoyment they have of him. They were clothed in white raiment; the imputed righteousness of the saints and their holiness: they had on their heads crowns of gold, signifying the glory they have with him."
Dr. Lyle Lee....I don't think that Jesus preached 2 different Gospels...There is only 1 Gospel which is the Death burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus...1 lord 1 faith 1 baptism....And by 1 spirit ( 1 gospel ) are we all baptised into the body of Christ weather we be Jew or Gentile, Bond or free etc...1 st Cor. 12:13...GB
Holding fast the word of God, your understanding and knowledge is as pure as the driven snow. Pure and white with tiny crystals, that are full of life! Yes, each day is another day closer, in knowing our lives will become part of something much bigger than we could have ever imagined! Each day, is another day closer, no matter wind, rain, sunshine, storms must come and go as we wait for the redemption that is coming! Only because of what Christ has done for us! In the body of Christ, Fred
In the first half of Leviticus 10 we read of the death of Nadab and Abihu . Keeping things in context helps our understanding and I think , can give us clues to things unspoken . After their deaths , in the same chapter , verses 9 - 11 , we read that God prohibits anyone from entering the tabernacle if they have partaken of alcohol . These verses , coming right after the deaths of Aaron's sons , may indicate that part of the reason they behaved so recklessly was because they had had some alcohol in their systems . This is not stated in the narrative , though I have always been inclined to believe that that is what happened .
Thanks to Almighty God The Father for this spiritual words of the eternal life. And all of you who made possible that this original scripture reaches everywhere including Buagyi Boma, Lozoh Payam, Mundri East County ,South Sudan. Thanks.
In 1604, King James I of authorized a new translation of the Bible into English to be started. It was finished in 1611, nearly 80 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526).
A speaker for the Puritans who also wanted to distance England further away from the papacy, "moved his majesty that there might be a new translation of the Bible because those which were allowed in the reign of King Henry VIII and King Edward VI were corrupt and not answerable to the truth of the original." So, King James ordered that a new work be done on the Bible and this was researched, studied & translated by 47 scholars who were very well qualified in the original languages of the Bible.
As was common with most other translations of that period, the New Testament was translated from the Textus Receptus (TR) (i.e. the Received Text), one of several manuscripts on the New Testament. Though these other manuscripts are much older than the TR, the TR was judged to be most faithful & consistent to the original languages and this was used to produce the 1611 King James Bible and then 1769 translation (what we have now) which changed the spelling of the old English words. The Old Testament was translated from the Masoretic Hebrew text.
Hi Chili. To get a more fuller description of King James I & his life, you can use his name to search the Web. Briefly however, he was firstly the King of Scotland (as James VI) & then became King of England & Scotland renamed James I, when the English & Scottish crowns unified. King James lived from 1566 to 1625 AD.
Hello Rodney. I can't think of a specific Scripture pertaining to a "deathbed salvation", though I'm sure there would have been instances in the ministry of the Apostles & the Churches where convicted souls would have confessed Jesus in their final moments.
I could suggest the thief on his cross who turned to Jesus & asked, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" ( Luke 23:42). Even though the thief's salvation was still under the Old Testament period (for Jesus had not died & arisen as yet), we do see both the thief's sorrow for his sins, belief that Jesus was the One from God, & Jesus' response that after this man's death, he would enter "paradise" (v43).
So, in this instance there is no evidence of works manifesting from faith, as death soon followed this sinner's plea. But to those of us who have been given more time on Earth, the faith given to us by Christ's Spirit, must bring forth evidence of its reality, if it's ever to be believed as from God ( James 2:26).
The fat is considered the best part, especially the tail of the sheep (it is a delicacy). God deserves the best of our abundance and what we have had an increase of. We should willingly want to bring Him the best of what we are able to offer. But more importantly, Jesus is the ultimate Best that God could offer for us. There is no one more valuable that Jesus and His sacrifice is beyond any else that could be considered a full payment for our sinfulness. He is the absolute pure and spotless One Who alone is worthy to not only be the One who secured our salvation, but also worthy of all glory, honor, and praise from all created beings.
And, for us, it is the most worthwhile thing for us to have peace with God and be able to enter into fellowship with Him without any encumbrances or obstacles. Jesus is our Peace who has broken down every wall.
In meals that were common (and not this specific peace offering) the Israelites could eat of this fat. But for this sacred ordinance, they could not. Even so, there is unseen fat within all flesh we eat. We may just not be able to detect it. So, allegorically, God has hidden some of the riches of His grace within us that will be revealed to us in the abundance of life we have in the Spirit and in our daily walk. We are being changed from glory to glory into the image of Jesus. Such a beautiful thought.
In chapter 1 was the burnt sacrifice for the atonement for sin. It represents the sacrifice of Jesus shedding His blood unto death on the cross for our sins.
In chapter 2 was the offering of grain, bread, fruits and vegetables. It represents faith and sanctification. We are sanctified and set apart for the Father through the death AND resurrection of Jesus. He won the victory for us over sin and purified believers as a people for God's favor.
In this chapter, the peace offering is detailed. This represents peace with the Father, which Jesus is for us. he is our Peace. It is Jesus who reconciled us to the Father so that we can have harmony, prosperity, happiness, friendship, fellowship, and unity with Him and with one another.
The text describes three types of peace offerings: cattle from the herd; sheep from the flock; and goats from the herd.
Whichever animal one determines to bring to the LORD through the priest, each are to be slaughtered at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The offerer is the one who cuts the throats, and the priest is the one who sprinkles the blood all over the altar.
The priest then cuts up the animal, reserving all of the visible, visceral fat specified to be burned on the altar (being put on top of the burnt offering that is already on the altar from either the morning or evening sacrifice.)
Then the offerer and the priest (and family members of both parties) consume the remainder of the meat from the animal as a meal together. This is to signify that because of the blood sacrifice for the atonement for sin and the sanctifying offering, this peace offering comes next. It follows the two previous works of Christ, our priest and also sacrifice.
The text emphasizes strongly that the fat belongs to the LORD. It is set apart and considered holy. The offerer nor the priests are to eat this fat. it is to be totally burned on the altar for God. The fat represents abundance and health, blessing and richness.
Hello Tekoa. According to Leviticus 10:1,2, Aaron's sons, Nadab & Abihu offered "strange fire before the LORD". As sons of Aaron & set apart for the service of the Tabernacle, they, as all those who served there, had to be meticulous in their service, abiding with the minutest instruction of God.
There seems to be a few errors committed by these two men.
a. "they took either of them his censer." Not any censer that were present with certain people, but the one holy censer ( Hebrews 9:4) that always remained in the Tabernacle, was to be used. And only one person was permitted to do this work.
b. These men erroneously assumed the work of the High Priest, since the Law stated that only the High Priest could perform this work ( Leviticus 16:11-13).
c. "offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not." It seems that they took the fire from an ordinary source & not from the holy fire off the Altar ( Leviticus 16:12). So, it could be that this "strange fire" coupled with their unauthorized work & use of illegal implements, angered the LORD that brought on their immediate judgement & punishment. This also has a lesson for us: our salvation & the new life that Jesus has given us was both undeserved & so precious - we need to take it seriously & live carefully before our Heavenly Father - something those two sons were very careless with.
Tekoa, Sister GiGi, who is presently sharing her observations & thoughts on this Book of Leviticus, is giving some great material to consider & learn from. You may care to follow her presentations, starting from Chapter 1.
Dear Heavenly Father, Please bestow Your favor upon Shon in this evaluation for disability. May You allow Shon to qualify fo SSI benefits after this evaluation is completed. Please help Shon's mental faculties and bring deliverance and healing along with proper medical treatment that truly helps. We ask this of You, Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Glad you mentioned about the Cherubim. Seems kind of odd that they could make these images but not images of YHWH. But I guess God only wanted them to make images He says to make. The cherubim must have been very beautiful and majestic. They certainly indicated that the mercy seat was a holy place and also looked down on it, as if being watchful. guarding it, or, perhaps, inquiring of what God's mercy is ( 1 Peter 1:12).
There were also Cherubim embroidered on the curtains.
Makes me remember that God placed a fiery Cherub with a flaming sword to guard the Gateway into the Garden of Eden. They
have their purposes to fulfill.
Maybe God wanted the Israelites to be mindful that there is a whole spiritual realm full of powerful beings that either work for God or against Him. But these are not to be worshipped. Perhaps having these images of cherubim was also a test by God to see if they will succumb to idolatry again like they had with the golden calf.
I appreciate your input and am glad to hear more from you. Have a blessed evening, Richard.
Lies. No man/woman can heal the unclean. Every man/woman is unclean. They are clean only unto death! Who so much as speaketh a tide and tiddle, their words will fade, and no one in the future millennia will decipher. Bow now and down. You will not see the sun one day. Everything will be torn, disposed of. What will remain?
The Holy Spirit worked within the Israelites to help them complete the tabernacle. I believe it is most likely that He also enlightened them in understanding the significance and efficacy of these sacrifices and offerings. We just do not know for sure what these people experienced at that particular time. But God is good and works things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He had a purpose for this chosen nation. Salt, the preservative, the Holy Spirit, the Preserver, must have been working in this nation because if He was not, on their own humanness, their faith, zeal, and service to God would have diminished and eventually died out. But these were preserved in this nation until Christ came. And then these ordinances were no longer needed, since the Holy Spirit indwells all believers and brings about all that these ordinances brought to the believers. The Jewish nation rejected Jesus, their Messiah, so the Holy Spirit withdrew from them and their worship. And, then, in 66, 70 and 145 A.D. Jerusalem was completed taken over, ransacked, and razed by the Romans. Million + Jews were killed. Many fled the area. The Temple was burned and almost totally demolished (the wailing wall is all that is left).
The temple services were stopped. The ordinances ceased since there was not longer a Tabernacle for them to be performed in.
God's Presence was no longer among the Jews. Most of the Jews other tribes had been long scattered across the globe, preventing a centralized culture, religious life, and national identity of these people for almost 2 millennia. Even with the re-establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948, God has not necessarily renewed His favor nor Presence among these people.
Though His Covenant will be fulfilled before the end of days, He has not worked among these people like He did in the days of Moses in the time between leaving Egypt and arriving at Canaan. Will He do so once again?
Since you have such more detailed commentary than I perhaps it won't help much on what little I have to say. The best analogy I can give is the detailed depiction of the Cherubim; each one facing each other on either side of the mercy seat. There was; to the best of my knowledge only descriptions of faces that appear as man; eagle; lion and one other. The representation emphasizes the holiness and yet doesn't diminish the significance of such powerful praise before the throne by these creations given high authority.
Much of the same could be said about God and/or Christ. There is nothing wrong with the precious jewels and all the other majestic glories of heaven; but the holiness of God when taken away after the fall of Lucifer took the meaningful communion away; much like the original glory of Adam in the garden can never come back; but for His people we are made into His likeness and image by being adopted sons. A simple explanation also is that any artwork becomes an idolatrous object of worship; just as images of Christ do. They vary; of course in appearance in different cultures.
We have; of course symbology as I know you are aware with the O.T. Temple and Christ. The significance throughout each dispensation is obeying God's way of doing things; hence each procedure is to be carefully followed. Sacrifices could never do what Christ did to ultimately remove sin; but they were able to preserve us until the time and space when He was able to provide the atonement. Another way to put it is that Christ's body being marred worse than any man; bleeding and dying for us is a beautiful thing because it secured our redemption. There is really no good way to represent it without it being an offense because Christ was victorious rising from the dead a few days later. Yet we must in our souls remember this atonement securing us as adopted sons.
Thankfully; in heaven we can enjoy such splendour without ever being covetous; or proud or doing any sin
Salt also was an expensive element. Therefore, it would bring even more value to the offering because of its inherent worth and usefulness. The Holy Spirit does empower our service, preserve our faith, purify our hearts from our sin when we bring it to God (as in the meat offering) through Jesus. The Holy Spirit must be present in our lives if we are to come before the Father and find favor instead of wrath. So, unbelievers' efforts to bring an offering or sacrifice are futile and rejected by God. Salt makes what is bland and ordinary something satisfying and rich in flavor. So, the work of the Holy Spirit takes simple humans who are so small in comparison to the grandeur of God and raises us up to be more Christ-like by His sanctifying work.
This chapter really spoke to me tonight. Much to be gleaned from it, for me. God does not need anything from us. There is nothing we can give Him that He does not already possess in infinite measure and perfection. He is altogether self-existing and self-sufficient. He is the ultimate Giver. But He knew that offering these sacrifices (ch.1) and offerings (ch.2) would greatly benefit His people. We think we are serving Him, but really He is serving us. He is ever benevolent to those He has chosen for Himself. He works all things for good to those who love Him and are called by His purpose.
While the sacrifices in Chapter 1 were for sin; the offerings of this Chapter are for expressing gratitude and acknowledging God's provision for us in all that we need and then some! Praise and glory to our God who loves us so and teaches us what we cannot learn of ourselves. Here He teaches the Israelites many lessons in these chapters describing these sacrifices and offerings. I wonder how much He opened their minds to understanding beyond their abilities in these things. In the final chapters of Exodus it says that people were filled with the Holy Spirit to have understanding and skill to make the tabernacle.
Frankincense was a very rare and costly commodity. It was harvested from the boswellia in North Aftrica, India, and Arabia. It comes from a tree related to the turpentine tree. Harvesters shave back a section of bark and over a few months the resin seeps out and forms crystal "tears" along the tree trunk. The harvester comes back and collects the "tears". It releases its aroma best when heated or burned. it has many medicinal and healing properties. Perhaps there were Boswellia trees in the wilderness at that time or maybe in Egypt.
The sweet aroma of frankincense was released when burned with both meat sacrifices and meal offerings. Its aroma is said to be pleasing to God. God does not have a sense of smell like we do. But He has His own ways of experiencing the aroma of incense. Incense is often equated with the prayers of the saints. So, in these meal offerings, the oil of faith and incense of prayers are to be applied with the offering of the work of our hands to God. These offerings are what man brings to God, not what God does for man. So, I don't really think they represent God's gifts to us. But I do think that these offerings represent Christ and His work for us being presented to the Father. Truly, only what is of Christ is acceptable to the Father. he is our Mediator and Intercessor. We serve God in our capacity, but Jesus righteousness and work on our behalf brings us into the Presence of God.
The offering of fruits and vegetables were not burned. Perhaps lain on the altar and blessed with thanksgiving and then the Levites had them for their meals.
The last thing that is emphasized is the adding of salt to all of the sacrifices. Salt is a cleanser, disinfectant, and preservative as well as a flavor enhancer.
So, salt was a element that purifies, that causes something to endure, and as an enhancer to ordinary things.
So, perhaps the salt represents the Holy Spirit, who does all of these things.
In this chapter, Moses is given directions concerning non-flesh offerings. They are:
fine flour, oil, and frankincense
unleavened bread or wafers , oil, and frankincense
fruits and vegetables, oil, and frankincense
These are to be brought to the high priest. He takes some of the offering and offers it as a sacrifice. The rest is for Him and his sons to have for food.
They are not to use leaven or honey in their bread. Most likely, the leaven stands for sin and the honey, worldly pleasure. God does not want any of these mixed in with our offerings to Him. We are told to examine ourselves before partaking of the Lord's Supper. We should ask God to show us sin that we are to confess and repent of. The Holy Spirit will help us when we ask this. We are to bring our offering with clean hands and hearts. We are to worship God without sensuality or with elements of the world. Reminds me of how much we pass off as worship in our church services and especially concerts have adopted the actions, atmosphere, and special effects of the secular music industry.
We are also to purposely set aside some of what we have from our agriculture and from our kitchen for and offering to God. He does not need to eat. So, what is the purpose of offering food to Him? Perhaps it is that we are to be willing to part with some of what sustains us physically and trust that He will give us our "daily bread" both physically and spiritually.
We are to bring enough to that the priests will have a goodly share for their sustenance. So, we should be willing to pay our pastors a worthy salary for their work for us.
The oil, perhaps representing the faith (the ten virgins had oil in their lamps (faith) that the bridegroom would soon come). The offerings of the work of our hands is to be done in faith (that God is a rewarder of those who seek him in faith). Also, oil was used for anointing common things for holy use (set apart for God) So, the oil may represent this.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Yes I meant unregenerated heart.
God bless.
What is ungenerated heart of man, ive heard of unregenerated but not ungenerated , is this in scripture?
You didnt answer my question but it's okay, this is cool too.
"Four-and-twenty seats around the throne, were filled with four-and-twenty elders, representing, probably, the whole church of God. Their sitting denotes honour, rest, and satisfaction; their sitting about the throne signifies nearness to God, the sight and enjoyment they have of him. They were clothed in white raiment; the imputed righteousness of the saints and their holiness: they had on their heads crowns of gold, signifying the glory they have with him."
Faith... Abiding trust in God and His Promises.
Hope... Confident expectation of eternal salvation.
Love... Unselfish Love for others growing out of God's Love for me.
TO ALWAYS REMEMBER.... No matter what situations you are in... Keep God's Love Close.
Thank you both for sharing
"Father" was lineage, "great great._._._ Grand Father) 2 Chronicles 2:12,
You can also do a name, word, phrase search, top left, when reading
James 1:5,
Hopefully these are helpful
GOD never temps us to sin, James 1:13,
Genesis 5:2, Genesis 1:26,27 made Male & female
Genesis 4, seems to clearly prove there were many other people to "subdue the Earth" & "have dominion" Genesis 1:28,
Hopefully these are helpful
Interesting "Adam" transliteration, means mankind Genesis 5:2,
Hopefully these are helpful
A speaker for the Puritans who also wanted to distance England further away from the papacy, "moved his majesty that there might be a new translation of the Bible because those which were allowed in the reign of King Henry VIII and King Edward VI were corrupt and not answerable to the truth of the original." So, King James ordered that a new work be done on the Bible and this was researched, studied & translated by 47 scholars who were very well qualified in the original languages of the Bible.
As was common with most other translations of that period, the New Testament was translated from the Textus Receptus (TR) (i.e. the Received Text), one of several manuscripts on the New Testament. Though these other manuscripts are much older than the TR, the TR was judged to be most faithful & consistent to the original languages and this was used to produce the 1611 King James Bible and then 1769 translation (what we have now) which changed the spelling of the old English words. The Old Testament was translated from the Masoretic Hebrew text.
I could suggest the thief on his cross who turned to Jesus & asked, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" ( Luke 23:42). Even though the thief's salvation was still under the Old Testament period (for Jesus had not died & arisen as yet), we do see both the thief's sorrow for his sins, belief that Jesus was the One from God, & Jesus' response that after this man's death, he would enter "paradise" (v43).
So, in this instance there is no evidence of works manifesting from faith, as death soon followed this sinner's plea. But to those of us who have been given more time on Earth, the faith given to us by Christ's Spirit, must bring forth evidence of its reality, if it's ever to be believed as from God ( James 2:26).
...continued
The fat is considered the best part, especially the tail of the sheep (it is a delicacy). God deserves the best of our abundance and what we have had an increase of. We should willingly want to bring Him the best of what we are able to offer. But more importantly, Jesus is the ultimate Best that God could offer for us. There is no one more valuable that Jesus and His sacrifice is beyond any else that could be considered a full payment for our sinfulness. He is the absolute pure and spotless One Who alone is worthy to not only be the One who secured our salvation, but also worthy of all glory, honor, and praise from all created beings.
And, for us, it is the most worthwhile thing for us to have peace with God and be able to enter into fellowship with Him without any encumbrances or obstacles. Jesus is our Peace who has broken down every wall.
In meals that were common (and not this specific peace offering) the Israelites could eat of this fat. But for this sacred ordinance, they could not. Even so, there is unseen fat within all flesh we eat. We may just not be able to detect it. So, allegorically, God has hidden some of the riches of His grace within us that will be revealed to us in the abundance of life we have in the Spirit and in our daily walk. We are being changed from glory to glory into the image of Jesus. Such a beautiful thought.
In chapter 1 was the burnt sacrifice for the atonement for sin. It represents the sacrifice of Jesus shedding His blood unto death on the cross for our sins.
In chapter 2 was the offering of grain, bread, fruits and vegetables. It represents faith and sanctification. We are sanctified and set apart for the Father through the death AND resurrection of Jesus. He won the victory for us over sin and purified believers as a people for God's favor.
In this chapter, the peace offering is detailed. This represents peace with the Father, which Jesus is for us. he is our Peace. It is Jesus who reconciled us to the Father so that we can have harmony, prosperity, happiness, friendship, fellowship, and unity with Him and with one another.
The text describes three types of peace offerings: cattle from the herd; sheep from the flock; and goats from the herd.
Whichever animal one determines to bring to the LORD through the priest, each are to be slaughtered at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The offerer is the one who cuts the throats, and the priest is the one who sprinkles the blood all over the altar.
The priest then cuts up the animal, reserving all of the visible, visceral fat specified to be burned on the altar (being put on top of the burnt offering that is already on the altar from either the morning or evening sacrifice.)
Then the offerer and the priest (and family members of both parties) consume the remainder of the meat from the animal as a meal together. This is to signify that because of the blood sacrifice for the atonement for sin and the sanctifying offering, this peace offering comes next. It follows the two previous works of Christ, our priest and also sacrifice.
The text emphasizes strongly that the fat belongs to the LORD. It is set apart and considered holy. The offerer nor the priests are to eat this fat. it is to be totally burned on the altar for God. The fat represents abundance and health, blessing and richness.
There seems to be a few errors committed by these two men.
a. "they took either of them his censer." Not any censer that were present with certain people, but the one holy censer ( Hebrews 9:4) that always remained in the Tabernacle, was to be used. And only one person was permitted to do this work.
b. These men erroneously assumed the work of the High Priest, since the Law stated that only the High Priest could perform this work ( Leviticus 16:11-13).
c. "offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not." It seems that they took the fire from an ordinary source & not from the holy fire off the Altar ( Leviticus 16:12). So, it could be that this "strange fire" coupled with their unauthorized work & use of illegal implements, angered the LORD that brought on their immediate judgement & punishment. This also has a lesson for us: our salvation & the new life that Jesus has given us was both undeserved & so precious - we need to take it seriously & live carefully before our Heavenly Father - something those two sons were very careless with.
Tekoa, Sister GiGi, who is presently sharing her observations & thoughts on this Book of Leviticus, is giving some great material to consider & learn from. You may care to follow her presentations, starting from Chapter 1.
Dear Heavenly Father, Please bestow Your favor upon Shon in this evaluation for disability. May You allow Shon to qualify fo SSI benefits after this evaluation is completed. Please help Shon's mental faculties and bring deliverance and healing along with proper medical treatment that truly helps. We ask this of You, Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Glad you mentioned about the Cherubim. Seems kind of odd that they could make these images but not images of YHWH. But I guess God only wanted them to make images He says to make. The cherubim must have been very beautiful and majestic. They certainly indicated that the mercy seat was a holy place and also looked down on it, as if being watchful. guarding it, or, perhaps, inquiring of what God's mercy is ( 1 Peter 1:12).
There were also Cherubim embroidered on the curtains.
Makes me remember that God placed a fiery Cherub with a flaming sword to guard the Gateway into the Garden of Eden. They
have their purposes to fulfill.
Maybe God wanted the Israelites to be mindful that there is a whole spiritual realm full of powerful beings that either work for God or against Him. But these are not to be worshipped. Perhaps having these images of cherubim was also a test by God to see if they will succumb to idolatry again like they had with the golden calf.
I appreciate your input and am glad to hear more from you. Have a blessed evening, Richard.
...continued.
The Holy Spirit worked within the Israelites to help them complete the tabernacle. I believe it is most likely that He also enlightened them in understanding the significance and efficacy of these sacrifices and offerings. We just do not know for sure what these people experienced at that particular time. But God is good and works things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He had a purpose for this chosen nation. Salt, the preservative, the Holy Spirit, the Preserver, must have been working in this nation because if He was not, on their own humanness, their faith, zeal, and service to God would have diminished and eventually died out. But these were preserved in this nation until Christ came. And then these ordinances were no longer needed, since the Holy Spirit indwells all believers and brings about all that these ordinances brought to the believers. The Jewish nation rejected Jesus, their Messiah, so the Holy Spirit withdrew from them and their worship. And, then, in 66, 70 and 145 A.D. Jerusalem was completed taken over, ransacked, and razed by the Romans. Million + Jews were killed. Many fled the area. The Temple was burned and almost totally demolished (the wailing wall is all that is left).
The temple services were stopped. The ordinances ceased since there was not longer a Tabernacle for them to be performed in.
God's Presence was no longer among the Jews. Most of the Jews other tribes had been long scattered across the globe, preventing a centralized culture, religious life, and national identity of these people for almost 2 millennia. Even with the re-establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948, God has not necessarily renewed His favor nor Presence among these people.
Though His Covenant will be fulfilled before the end of days, He has not worked among these people like He did in the days of Moses in the time between leaving Egypt and arriving at Canaan. Will He do so once again?
Much of the same could be said about God and/or Christ. There is nothing wrong with the precious jewels and all the other majestic glories of heaven; but the holiness of God when taken away after the fall of Lucifer took the meaningful communion away; much like the original glory of Adam in the garden can never come back; but for His people we are made into His likeness and image by being adopted sons. A simple explanation also is that any artwork becomes an idolatrous object of worship; just as images of Christ do. They vary; of course in appearance in different cultures.
We have; of course symbology as I know you are aware with the O.T. Temple and Christ. The significance throughout each dispensation is obeying God's way of doing things; hence each procedure is to be carefully followed. Sacrifices could never do what Christ did to ultimately remove sin; but they were able to preserve us until the time and space when He was able to provide the atonement. Another way to put it is that Christ's body being marred worse than any man; bleeding and dying for us is a beautiful thing because it secured our redemption. There is really no good way to represent it without it being an offense because Christ was victorious rising from the dead a few days later. Yet we must in our souls remember this atonement securing us as adopted sons.
Thankfully; in heaven we can enjoy such splendour without ever being covetous; or proud or doing any sin
Salt also was an expensive element. Therefore, it would bring even more value to the offering because of its inherent worth and usefulness. The Holy Spirit does empower our service, preserve our faith, purify our hearts from our sin when we bring it to God (as in the meat offering) through Jesus. The Holy Spirit must be present in our lives if we are to come before the Father and find favor instead of wrath. So, unbelievers' efforts to bring an offering or sacrifice are futile and rejected by God. Salt makes what is bland and ordinary something satisfying and rich in flavor. So, the work of the Holy Spirit takes simple humans who are so small in comparison to the grandeur of God and raises us up to be more Christ-like by His sanctifying work.
This chapter really spoke to me tonight. Much to be gleaned from it, for me. God does not need anything from us. There is nothing we can give Him that He does not already possess in infinite measure and perfection. He is altogether self-existing and self-sufficient. He is the ultimate Giver. But He knew that offering these sacrifices (ch.1) and offerings (ch.2) would greatly benefit His people. We think we are serving Him, but really He is serving us. He is ever benevolent to those He has chosen for Himself. He works all things for good to those who love Him and are called by His purpose.
While the sacrifices in Chapter 1 were for sin; the offerings of this Chapter are for expressing gratitude and acknowledging God's provision for us in all that we need and then some! Praise and glory to our God who loves us so and teaches us what we cannot learn of ourselves. Here He teaches the Israelites many lessons in these chapters describing these sacrifices and offerings. I wonder how much He opened their minds to understanding beyond their abilities in these things. In the final chapters of Exodus it says that people were filled with the Holy Spirit to have understanding and skill to make the tabernacle.
...continued
Frankincense was a very rare and costly commodity. It was harvested from the boswellia in North Aftrica, India, and Arabia. It comes from a tree related to the turpentine tree. Harvesters shave back a section of bark and over a few months the resin seeps out and forms crystal "tears" along the tree trunk. The harvester comes back and collects the "tears". It releases its aroma best when heated or burned. it has many medicinal and healing properties. Perhaps there were Boswellia trees in the wilderness at that time or maybe in Egypt.
The sweet aroma of frankincense was released when burned with both meat sacrifices and meal offerings. Its aroma is said to be pleasing to God. God does not have a sense of smell like we do. But He has His own ways of experiencing the aroma of incense. Incense is often equated with the prayers of the saints. So, in these meal offerings, the oil of faith and incense of prayers are to be applied with the offering of the work of our hands to God. These offerings are what man brings to God, not what God does for man. So, I don't really think they represent God's gifts to us. But I do think that these offerings represent Christ and His work for us being presented to the Father. Truly, only what is of Christ is acceptable to the Father. he is our Mediator and Intercessor. We serve God in our capacity, but Jesus righteousness and work on our behalf brings us into the Presence of God.
The offering of fruits and vegetables were not burned. Perhaps lain on the altar and blessed with thanksgiving and then the Levites had them for their meals.
The last thing that is emphasized is the adding of salt to all of the sacrifices. Salt is a cleanser, disinfectant, and preservative as well as a flavor enhancer.
So, salt was a element that purifies, that causes something to endure, and as an enhancer to ordinary things.
So, perhaps the salt represents the Holy Spirit, who does all of these things.
In this chapter, Moses is given directions concerning non-flesh offerings. They are:
fine flour, oil, and frankincense
unleavened bread or wafers , oil, and frankincense
fruits and vegetables, oil, and frankincense
These are to be brought to the high priest. He takes some of the offering and offers it as a sacrifice. The rest is for Him and his sons to have for food.
They are not to use leaven or honey in their bread. Most likely, the leaven stands for sin and the honey, worldly pleasure. God does not want any of these mixed in with our offerings to Him. We are told to examine ourselves before partaking of the Lord's Supper. We should ask God to show us sin that we are to confess and repent of. The Holy Spirit will help us when we ask this. We are to bring our offering with clean hands and hearts. We are to worship God without sensuality or with elements of the world. Reminds me of how much we pass off as worship in our church services and especially concerts have adopted the actions, atmosphere, and special effects of the secular music industry.
We are also to purposely set aside some of what we have from our agriculture and from our kitchen for and offering to God. He does not need to eat. So, what is the purpose of offering food to Him? Perhaps it is that we are to be willing to part with some of what sustains us physically and trust that He will give us our "daily bread" both physically and spiritually.
We are to bring enough to that the priests will have a goodly share for their sustenance. So, we should be willing to pay our pastors a worthy salary for their work for us.
The oil, perhaps representing the faith (the ten virgins had oil in their lamps (faith) that the bridegroom would soon come). The offerings of the work of our hands is to be done in faith (that God is a rewarder of those who seek him in faith). Also, oil was used for anointing common things for holy use (set apart for God) So, the oil may represent this.