Gary Gleans

The journey to the Promised Land must continue, however the sin and idolatry of the people has caused God to withdraw His presence from the people because He would likely kill them all because of their sin.  God offers to replace His presence with that of an angle who would guide them along the way.  Perhaps one of the most impressive things that the children of Israel have done to this point is how they responded to this news.  They were not willing to accept this reality.  They longed for God’s presence and basically refused to go forward without the assurance that God would go with them.  Learning dependence on the Lord is a very important lesson for all of us to remember. GOD REFUSES TO REMAIN IN THE PRESENCE OF ISRAEL: Sin has consequences, and one of the greatest consequences is broken fellowship with God.  The sin and idolatry of Israel had grieved God greatly.  It was time for the children of Israel to move forward, however God was not will...

It is amazing how quick the people forget the law of God and the promises that they had made to obey the commandments that the Lord had given.  Only a few days earlier they had all promised to obey all that God had told them to do, then they come and ask Aaron to make a god for them to worship.  Moses delayed on the mountain and the people got tired of waiting.  This passage makes it very obvious how important leadership is with people.  Moses was a strong a godly leader that held the people accountable to the will and Word of God.  Aaron proved to be a weak and corrupt leader who wanted to please people more than obey God. THE PEOPLE FORGOT THEIR PROMISE TO GOD: The people had unanimously promised to obey the commandments of God.  Specifically that they would not worship other gods or make graven images.  However, the time that they had spent in Egypt apparently had a huge impact on the lives of the people and they wanted a god like they had seen ...

God is a provider.  He knows exactly what we need and He has made adequate provision for all of our needs.  God had revealed to Moses exactly what the children of Israel were supposed to build.  God gave the materials to them through the families of Egypt and now we can see God equipping His people for the work ahead.  However, God’s provision in the lives of His people goes beyond the physical realm.  God also knows that His people need time for rest and worship, so He made provision for that as well.  It is a comfort and blessing to serve a God who not only knows our needs but also has made provision for all of our needs. GOD EQUIPES US TO COMPLETE HIS WORK: The building plans for the tabernacle were detailed and required special knowledge and skill for those plans to be executed.  Moses may have felt overwhelmed with all of the details and the obvious amount of work that needed to be done.  God makes it very clear that Moses was not the one...

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. ...

God chose Aaron and his sons to be His representatives before the people.  They were to serve God by being mediators of God’s promise to the people.  This was a vitally important job that was not to be taken lightly in any way.  Sinful man cannot live in the presence of a holy God and a Holy God cannot relate to sinful men.  The sacrificial system provided a means through which sin could be forgiven and fellowship with God be restored.  It was a difficult, messy and costly system; but it was a necessary part of restoring a relationship between holy God and sinful men. AARON AND HIS SONS WERE SEPARATED UNTO GOD: God chose Aaron and his sons to be consecrated as His servants in order that they might be used of God in restoring relationships with His people.  This was a serious and needful ministry that God established because He loves His people and created them so that He could commune with them, enjoy their company and live rightly related with them.  ...

Aaron and his sons were set apart by God to represent the people before Him.  As a priest he served the Lord by representing the people before God.  Christ is the true mediator between God and man, but prior to His coming, Aaron and the priestly office was used by God to prefigure the ministry of Christ.  This was a serious position and a vital part of Israel’s worship before the Lord. THE PRIEST’S CLOTHING REPRESENTED THE PEOPLE BEFORE GOD: The clothing that God told Moses to prepare for Aaron and his sons had several aspects that were designed to represent the people.  The names of every tribe were inscribed on several different objects including the breastplate that had a special stone for each tribe.  This is an illustration of how one man could represent many men before God.  Aaron made sacrifices on behalf of the people, but he was incapable of resolving the sin problem before God because he himself was a sinner.  Aaron was simply an illustration...

God created us to worship Him.  Worship is the central purpose of our lives and should be the driving force behind all that we do.  The tabernacle was built to be a place for worshiping the Lord.  It was to occupy the central place in the camp of Israel and was to serve as a constant reminder to the people of their job to worship Him. THE IMPORTANCE OF SACRIFICE: The tabernacle was essentially a center for worship and sacrifice.  Making sacrifice for sin was a vital part of the purpose of the tabernacle.  God was clear that there was to be an altar for the purpose of offering sacrifices for the sins of the people.  We do not make sacrifices today as a part of our worship because Christ has paid the price for sin and has made a complete payment for our sin in His blood.  Since His sacrifice was perfect and complete, there is no need for further or additional sacrifices of animals that were only a prefiguring of what Christ would do.  For that reaso...