Exodus 29:36-46
~14 min read
💭 Consider this: When or how do you find yourself forgetting God? Can you think of other words to describe the sin of “forgetting God” that paints a clearer picture of its nature?
TRANSCRIPT
In this physical world, as a daily routine, a man wakes up early in the morning and goes to work. Perhaps, as he sits at his desk in the office, there will be a pile of assignments set before him. He strives to accomplish those assignments, finishes the day's work, goes back home, and one day is gone. We seem to be doing the same thing over and over again, and often, when we get into such a situation, life becomes like a rut. There is little satisfaction in the things we do, and we start to forget the real significance of why we do what we do.
Perhaps you are a doctor or a nurse. You may embark on this journey of work with a passion to save lives, to help and serve the people. Or you are a policeman or a soldier, and you begin with this passion to maintain law and order, to fight for justice, and to protect your country. But as you go through the motions of the work, and on top of that, you have to face the different problems and issues in the course of the work, you are distracted and begin to lose your passion. It happens all the time. Indeed, there's always this danger of going through our duties and responsibilities in such a way that it becomes a tedious routine. We are just going through the motions, and it becomes very difficult to change.
What about our spiritual services? Whether it be worshipping the Lord on Sundays, serving in the various ministries of the church, or even partaking in the Holy Communion, do we adopt the same attitude? Do we allow the worship and service of the Almighty God to become so predictable, tedious, and routine, just like going through the motions? God forbid! Do not be surprised if you are experiencing such a thing, because the Bible says: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man" (1 Corinthians 10:13) I think, at some point, most believers have experienced such a feeling. It is one thing to experience such a feeling, but it is another thing altogether when we become complacent and continue to remain in such a situation.
Remember, in our previous messages, we have been learning about the ordination of the priests. The priests were specially called to serve the one living and true God, to represent the people before Him. It was a high calling—a great privilege. But as human as they were, as they did their work repeatedly, over and over again, and on top of that, had to deal with the challenges and issues of serving with the other priests and facing a problematic nation that was constantly rebellious, they too would be tempted to let the worship and service of the Almighty God become so predictable, tedious, and joyless, just as if they were going through the motions.
Therefore, at the very onset—at the very beginning of their ordination—we are told that the whole ordination process lasted for seven days. Though the Bible does not tell us why it had to be such a long and elaborate process, we can understand from the perspective of the priests. As they went through this long and elaborate process, what would their minds be thinking? They would be constantly reminded of who they were and what they were called to do, lest they forget. This is the spiritual lesson we want to learn from today's passage in Exodus 29:36–46. The title of our message is: ‘Remind Us, for We Always Forget.’
I. A Reminder Of God’s Grace
Our first point is a reminder of God's grace. Let us begin with Exodus 29:36, "And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy." (Exodus 29:36-37)
It took one whole week to ordain the priests, and on each day of the week, a new, fresh bull, which was without blemish, was sacrificed on God's altar. The altar was the place where God would accept the sacrifices for the sins of His people; therefore, it had to be made holy. This was done by sprinkling it with the blood of seven perfect sacrifices.
These sacrifices were for the priests because they first had to understand they needed atonement. They needed their sins to be forgiven. Most certainly, they had been specially chosen to serve God at the tabernacle, but as far as their righteousness was concerned, they were no better than anyone else. They were just as sinful as anyone else. The only reason why they could serve was that God had chosen them. He had saved and sanctified them through the blood of the sacrifice.
The amazing thing was that not just one sacrifice, but seven sacrifices—seven bulls—had to be offered for their sins, one for each day of the week. So you can imagine, as the priests were offering the sacrifices day after day, and bull after bull, they were constantly reminded that it was the blood of those sacrificial animals that had taken away their sins. They saw the grace of God in taking away their sins, so they were constantly reminded—not just one day, but seven days continually—lest they forget.
Sometimes, there are pastors, preachers, and full-time workers who are gifted in so many different ways. They are gifted to preach the Word of God. They have the ability to articulate the Bible in a way that ordinary people can understand and apply to their lives. They are gifted to minister to different age groups—the elderly, the adults, the young people, and the children. They are gifted in almost everything. Then, they become proud. Once, a pastor proudly said to me that he had taught the Book of Genesis so many times—at least 20 times throughout his ministry—and he knew it from front to back. He said all he needed was just 15 minutes to prepare a sermon.
Dear friend, when a person does something repeatedly, over and over again, he becomes so familiar with the thing he does. That is the most dangerous part. He will become proud. He will start to think that it is because of his own ability, his own giftedness, his own talents. He will start to think that he is indispensable. He has forgotten about God. What about you?
This danger does not only apply to pastors and preachers but to every believer. You may be called to play the piano, lead a worship service, or teach the children in Sunday school, and you have been doing it for years. You are so familiar with the music scores that you can play without even looking at the notes. Or you can lead worship or teach the Bible without any preparation, without praying and relying on God for strength. That is when you have forgotten, and you become proud.
We must always be reminded that if not for the blood of Jesus Christ, we would not be saved, let alone serve God. If not for the blood of Christ, we would not be able to do anything that is pleasing and acceptable to Him. Like the priests in those days, we need to be reminded repeatedly that it is the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ reminds us of God's grace. It is all because of God's grace that you and I are able to worship and serve Him.
After God had dealt with the priests, He turned to the people. Once the priests had atoned for their own sins, they had to make sacrifices for the sins of the people. Exodus 29:38-39 says: "Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even." The priests had to offer those sacrifices every day for the people. It was part of their priestly duties. They would offer a lamb in the morning and another lamb in the evening.
According to verses 40 and 41, the sacrifices were combined with grain, oil, and wine (or grape juice). As the sacrifices burned in the flames, the smoke would rise up to heaven as a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Look at verse 42: "This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee." Verse 43 says: "And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory."
Remember, the burnt offering signifies a total dedication and commitment to God. In other words, this was what the children of Israel must do—be totally dedicated and committed to God. When they obeyed His instructions accordingly and continually, the tabernacle would be sanctified, and God would be pleased to meet and speak with them there.
Not only would the tabernacle be sanctified, God said in verse 44, even the altar (where the sacrifices were offered) which means God would accept their offerings; and even the priest (Aaron and his sons) would be sanctified, which means God would set them apart to serve Him.
II. A Reminder Of God’s Preeminence
Remember, the tabernacle represented the presence of God, and it was located at the centre of the Israelites' camp in the wilderness. But what was more important was not the physical location but the spiritual location. Spiritually, the tabernacle had to be at the centre of their lives. When they did that, God promised in verse 45: "And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God." Finally, verse 46 says: "And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God." What can we learn from this passage? This brings us to our second point: a reminder of God's preeminence in our lives.
Just like the other offerings in the Old Testament, these sacrifices were connected to Christ and the Christian life. In the same way the children of Israel were saved by the blood of the animal sacrifice, we are saved by the blood of Christ—the ultimate Lamb of God. In the same way the children of Israel had to offer themselves and be totally dedicated and committed to God, we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice and be totally dedicated and committed to God.
In the same way the children of Israel had to open and close each day with those sacrifices, we are called to begin and end each day with our Almighty God. That is why we must begin and end each day with our own quiet time with God. Every day we must pray and seek the will of the Lord in the decisions and choices we make in life. Every week we must come to church to worship and serve God, giving our tithes and offerings. And as often as we can, we must partake of the Lord's Supper to be reminded that it is all because of the death and blood of Jesus Christ.
In essence, God always has to be the centre of our life, and every day we are offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to serve Him and glorify Him. We often hear people say that the Christian life is not a 100-metre race; it is a marathon. We understand what they mean.
Do you know how we got the name ‘marathon’? In 490 BC, the people of Athens fought a very crucial and decisive battle against the Persians in a little village called Marathon. One of the soldiers was assigned to carry the news of the victory back to the people at Athens. He ran faithfully with all his strength and might, and he was focused on the cause. So much so that immediately when he arrived with the message, he died. Apparently, he ran over 26 miles nonstop. As a tribute to his faithfulness, they named any race over 26 miles a ‘marathon’.
The only difference is that the Christian life is a never-ending marathon, which means we run and run, we serve and serve, until the day the Lord calls us home—whether by way of death or by the rapture. Our attitude must be to run faithfully, to run with all our strength and mind, and to remain focused on God.
Allow me to quote the example of the Apostle Paul, who said in 2 Timothy 4:6: "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." The word ‘offered’ has the idea of being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice, like the way the children of Israel offered their sacrifices mixed with grain, oil, and wine. Since the altar was burning hot, there would be this path of smoke rising up. Almost immediately, it would disappear—one moment the smoke would be there, but the next moment it would disappear.
That was how Paul viewed his life. His entire life was offered to God, and he knew that he would be killed eventually. He would be like an offering being poured upon the altar, which would soon be like a path of smoke—it would disappear in no time. But that offering of his entire life would be a sweet savour, well-pleasing and acceptable unto God. Some theologians feel that Paul was anticipating the kind of death he would suffer. He knew that as a Roman citizen, he would not be crucified. Therefore, most likely, he would be beheaded. So, in a sense, like a drink offering, his blood would be poured out (in his death) for the glory of God.
Whatever the case, note that Paul said, ‘I am ready, and the time of my departure is at hand,’ which simply means the final stage of his life and ministry had come. It was not as if Paul would be dying in a few days or hours. Obviously, he knew that the Romans would take several months to investigate his case. That is why in verse 13 (2 Timothy 4:13), he asked Timothy to bring along his coat that he left at Troas and also the books. Then, in verse 21 (2 Timothy 3:21), he urged Timothy to make every effort to come before winter so he could see him face-to-face before he died.
Some of us who are in our 80s or 90s, or who are in the final stage of cancer, might say, ‘The time of our departure is at hand.’ But it does not mean that we are dying tomorrow—it simply means we have come to the final stage of our lives. How was Paul able to face death so boldly? While he was alive, he was willing to offer his life to God to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable. And now, he was ready to offer himself to God in his death. In other words, he had always been living his life for the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why he was ready to meet his Creator.
Dear friend, this is an important lesson for all of us to learn in our lives. Do you know the reason why some believers are so bold and courageous in the final moments of their death, while others are so fearful, doubtful, and confused? You see, as Christians, our life is to be a living sacrifice unto the Lord (Romans 12:1)—we know that. But the question is, have we done that? If you and I are not ready to meet the Lord in our day-to-day activities, do you think we will suddenly be ready to meet our Creator when we die? Most certainly not. We call ourselves believers, but if God is not preeminent—if God is not the centre of our lives—do you think we will be ready to say, ‘I am now prepared to meet my Creator’? No way.
Every day of our lives, we need to be reminded of God's grace. We need to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice unto Him—as we worship and serve Him, as we immerse ourselves in Bible studies, as we pray, supplicate, and rely on Him moment by moment. As we consider Him in all the decisions and choices of life, as we seek His will and obey Him, we are making sacrifices unto Him. And there will come one ultimate sacrifice we have to make, and that is when we draw our last breath and offer our lives to Him in our death.
There may be times when we are tempted and fall into sin. We must pick ourselves up, confess our sins, and ask the Lord to forgive and deliver us. There may be times when we are distracted by the challenges and issues of life. That is why we pray, ‘Remind us, O Lord, for we always forget.’ When you and I look to the Lord every day of our lives and understand that it is because of His grace that we need Him every moment, our entire life will be a sweet savour unto Him. And when death knocks on our doors, then we will be ready to meet our Creator. We will be prepared to meet our Creator. This is the only way we ought to live our lives—for the glory of God. Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, indeed, as we consider this portion of Scriptures once again, we are reminded of Thy grace. It is all because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Without His blood, we will not be saved, let alone serve Him. If not for His blood, we will not be able to do anything that will be pleasing and acceptable unto Thee.
Remind us always, for we always forget. And also remind us that Thou ought to be the centre of our lives—not only by our profession, but by the way we live our lives every day. We need to open and close each day with Thee and Thee alone. We need to pray and seek Thy will for all the decisions and choices we make in life. We need to understand Thy Word and obey Thy will. We need to worship and serve Thee. We need to engage ourselves in evangelism and discipleship. We need to glorify the Almighty God, who sent His Only Begotten Son to save us from our sins.
This is the only way for us to live our lives. And when we do that, we know that our lives will be a sweet savour unto Thee. It will be pleasing and acceptable unto Thee. So even when death knocks on our doors, we are not afraid, because death is but the instrument to usher us into Thy presence. And we will be able to say, ‘I am ready, for the time of my departure is at hand. I am ready to meet my Creator.’ I pray that all of us will remember to live such a life, so that we will be prepared and ready to meet Thee. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
The Veil That SeparatesThe Veil That SeparatesExodus 26:1-37
A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandA Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandExodus 27:1-19
Who Can Represent Us Before God?Who Can Represent Us Before God?Exodus 27:20-28:14
How Can We Know God’s Will?How Can We Know God’s Will?Exodus 28:15-30
Is Our Worship Attire Really Important?Is Our Worship Attire Really Important?Exodus 28:31-43
The Ordination Of PriestsThe Ordination Of PriestsExodus 29:1-21
The Provision For PriestsThe Provision For PriestsExodus 29:22-29
Remind Us For We Always ForgetRemind Us For We Always ForgetExodus 29:36-46
Sweet Hour Of PrayerSweet Hour Of PrayerExodus 30:1-10
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
