Transcendence 2

Seventeen: The Law

After Moses talked with God he told the people what was expected of them in their daily lives. God had given him the a set of laws, rules, and procedures to live by. God's expectations were precise, along with deathly consequences if they failed. 

Great blessings were numerous if they did things right.

(It's important to be familiar with the instructions, and expectations God laid out in His laws because it shows us a glimpse into the daily lives of the Israelites in that day. In many ways it was extremely hard, and in some ways so much easier when God was up close and personal. He lived with them. But because of Jesus Christ we don't live in that kind of world anymore. Jesus' perfect self-sacrifice made the daily sacrifices and other laws mentioned here unnecessary. He replaced the high priest as our representative before God.)

God told Moses to give the Israelites directions for burnt offerings. Some of which were that the animals were to be male, and have no defect. There was a specific procedure for slaughtering it and for the priest to sprinkle the blood all around the sides and entrance to the tent of meeting. The grain offerings were to be of fine flour. They were to pour oil on it and incense on it, then burn it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. If it is cake or bread it can not have yeast, nor honey. Season every grain offering with salt. The fellowship offering must be a male animal with no defect. No one may consume the fat of the animal. The kidneys and liver must be removed. All of the fat is the Lord's'. If a priest has sinned he must bring a young bull without defect as an offering. If the whole Israelite community sins they must also sacrifice a young bull without defect. ( A priest must sacrifice the same as a whole community because the priest is considered the representative of the whole community before God. The belief that a single purified individual can stand up for a nation prepared the way for Jesus, whose sinless obedience stands before God in our place.)

If a person sins because he has not spoken out when he should have testified about something he knows, or if he touches something ceremonially unclean such as an unclean animal or carcass or an unclean human, or if a person thoughtlessly swears or takes an oath to anything he must first confess and sacrifice a female lamb or goat as a sin offering. If he can't afford a lamb he must bring two doves or two young pigeons. Also, if a person sins and claims he didn't know the law he is still guilty and must cover that unintentional sin. Ignorance isn't an excuse and they were to be held accountable for such wrongdoing. They could overcome their guilt by offering the prescribed sacrifices.

There were specific sacrifices for an Israelite who commits a crime such as stealing or lying - for example they had to make full restitution to their victim and they had to come up with a twenty percent penalty to that person, but they also had to sacrifice a special offering to God. A crime against another person also counted as a sin against God. There were specific regulations for guilt offerings, sin offerings burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fellowship offerings.

(Offerings to God were the Israelites' way of paying for their sin - like a crime in today's world would be punished by fees along with other punishments. Their way of paying or atoning for their inadequacies was with sacrifices. These sacrifices cost dearly. Everyone who sacrificed felt the cost. Some rarely could afford to eat meat yet they smelled the daily sacrifices sent up to God. God enjoyed the pleasing aroma, but He also enjoyed the effort the people put into keeping wood for the fire, keeping it going, and choosing animals without defect. These details showed their respect and love for a God who was giving back by blessing them, protecting them, and fighting their battles at every turn. The act of sacrificing sounds strange to modern people, but that is because one great sacrifice, Jesus, took the place of sacrificing. Jesus paid an even bigger cost than that of the animals they had used previously. He paid the ultimate price , his self sacrifice covered our sin.)

They were never to eat fat from an animal or blood of any animal. Priests had privileges such as exemption from military duty, and the right to keep portions of offerings as food.

Aaron was ordained as High Priest, the first high priest. God told Moses exactly how it was to be done. From washing him and his sons with water, to wearing the ephod, to the anointing oil, then the offerings. The impressive public ceremony during the ordaining lasted eight days. It was a dramatic display of God's approval. A very important and precise duty was set forth by God through Moses. From then on the priesthood remained in Aaron's lineage.

On the eighth day of the ordination Moses explained exactly how to present the burnt offerings so that God's glory would appear to Aaron. Once Aaron made the offerings of burnt, sin, and fellowship exactly the way God wanted he and Moses went to the tent of meeting where everyone was and there the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. When the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face down. 

( Israelites were familiar with the brilliant glory of the Lord, but they had seen it only from a distance on Mount Sinai. Even from that distance it had frightened them, but here the glory of the lord came to the Tent of Meeting in the camp's center. The closeness to God was felt by all, and this time they rejoiced.)

(Life Question: Do you have 'laws' or rules in your household that everyone is expected to abide by? In Moses' day these laws kept peace and structure among a community of people who otherwise would have fell apart without rules and leadership. God knew what they needed, and he knew what He expected. If everyone followed the rules life would have been wonderful and peaceful. God's blessings are and was always bigger than any law or commandment he asked of His people. He wanted respect and to be honored and loved. He was willing to give protection, guidance, health, and even bigger LOVE in return. )