Exodus 30:1-38


The Lord had specific purposes for the items and instruments that were made for the tabernacle.  His instructions were to be followed closely and they were unique to His plan for worship.  These instructions were not to be duplicated or replicated for other purposes in secular life.  These were holy things that were to be used only for their intended purpose.  We must never make the grace of God be a common thing but must recognize His holiness and live in awe of Him.
AARON WAS TO BURN SPECIFIC INCENSE: There was a special altar made on which Aaron was to continually burn incense to the Lord.  Every morning and every night there was a specific mixture of incense that Aaron was responsible to see that it was made and then use it in the tabernacle as a means of pleasing God.  We are called to pray without ceasing and I believe that our prayers are much like that incense was before the Lord; a pleasing fragrance that continually came before Him.  When we pray we must be careful to praise Him, demonstrate our gratitude to Him and rejoice in His goodness and grace.  Prayer and praise must be a constant part of our worship before the Lord.
AARON WAS TO CLEANSE HIS BODY: The laver in the tabernacle was filled with water with which Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet before they were to minister in the tabernacle.  Our hands and feet are the quickest to get dirty and must be cleansed more often than the rest of our body parts.  As we go through day to day life we are tempted to sin and will be contaminated by the sinful world in which we live as well as the sinfulness of our own hearts.  If we hope to serve the Lord effectively, we must be constantly cleansing ourselves from sin through confession of those sins before the Lord.  All of our sins are forgiven in Christ through faith in the cross, but we must be faithful to walk in close fellowship with our Lord through repentance and confession.
AARON WAS TO ANOINT THE TABERNACLE: The sacred items in the tabernacle as well as Aaron and his sons were to be anointed with the special oil.  They were set aside for a specific purpose and were to be dedicated for that purpose.  Just as the oil was separated for sacred use, our lives are set apart by the Holy Spirit for special use in worship of our Lord.  The Spirit of God has made us holy and has sanctified our lives for His holy service.  The world and our own flesh will often be tempted to follow and depend on cheap imitations.  However, we must insist on doing the work of God in the power of the Holy Spirit and living for the purpose of worshiping and honoring God.

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