Exodus Lesson 9 - Golden Calf

Lesson 9 Exodus



Tell the story of the “golden calf” from Exodus chapter 32 in your own words. Which of the Ten Commandments did Israel break when they made the “golden calf”?


. Israel steps into idolatry.



1. (1) The people make a request.



Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."



a. Moses delayed coming down from the mountain: This troubled the people of Israel. It is true that Moses delayed, but God had a wonderful purpose for Moses' delay, and it would soon be over. Yet because the people couldn't see the reason for the delay they allowed it to stumble them.



i. Moses was gone for forty days (Exodus 24:18). This probably seemed like a long time to the people, but a short time to Moses. Certainly it was a short time related to the outworking of God's plan for Israel.



ii. How we handle God's ordained delays is a good measure of our spiritual maturity. If we allow such delays to make us drift off into sin or lapse into resignation to fate, then we react poorly to His ordained delays. If we allow such times to deepen our perseverance in following God, then they are of good use.



b. The people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him: This sinful impulse came first from the people, not Aaron. The episode of sin described in this chapter happened because they people wanted it. This is an example of where it is not good to rule by democracy and to give the people what they want.



i. When it comes to ministry, it can be so dangerous to start with what people want or what they feel they need.



c. Come, make us gods that shall go before us: They wanted gods to go before them, undoubtedly to the Promised Land. They knew the Lord led them out of Egypt and they knew the Lord God had revealed Himself at Mount Sinai. Yet, they were willing to trust a god they could make to finish what the Lord began.



i. Paul dealt with the same error with the Galatians: Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you know being made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3) It is possible to begin the Christian life trusting Jesus, and then to begin to trust self or one's own spirituality. Following our own gods is no better for us than it was for ancient Israel.



d. We do not know what has become of him: Not knowing led Israel into sin. Instead of leaving this uncomfortable uncertainty with God, Israel turned to the flesh.



2. (2-4) Aaron responds to the peoples' request.



And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!"



a. Break off the golden earrings . . . and bring them to me: God gave Moses instructions for taking a free-will offering to be used in making a holy place for God (Exodus 25:1-7). Here Aaron received a collection, an offering of gold to make an idol.



i. The people were generous in response - all the people broke off the golden earrings . . . and brought them to Aaron. By nature, people are generous in what they give to their idols. We should be even more generous with what we give to the Living God.



b. He fashioned it with an engraving tool: This wasn't the Spirit-inspired craftsmanship of Bezaleel and Aholiab. It was the flesh-inspired work of Aaron. He thought it out, melted the gold, molded it, and fashioned it carefully with an engraving tool.



c. Then they said, "This is your god": Aaron did not anoint this thing as their god. He simply went along with the people as they proclaimed it as their god. He was probably flattered at their admiration of his creation.



i. True leadership would have cried out, "This is idolatry! We must destroy this golden calf. You people are wrong in calling this creation of man your god!" But Aaron wasn't a true leader. He is an example of the one who leads by following popular opinion.



d. That brought you out of the land of Egypt: This shows the foolishness of idolatry. This statue of a calf did not exist the day before, and now they worship it as the god that brought them out of Egypt.



3. (5-6) Ungodly and immoral worship at the golden calf.



So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD." Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.



a. When Aaron saw it: Aaron was flattered by the enthusiastic response of the people. When he saw their devotion to this idol, he built an altar before it. He began to organize the worship of the idol he just made.



i. It was bad enough to have a golden calf the people praised for their escape from Egypt. This second step of Aaron's was worse. He honored and sanctified the idol with animal sacrifice. He made the calf, and then he made the altar to worship it.



b. Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord: This shows that the creation and the worship of the golden calf was not a conscious rejection of the LORD. Aaron and the rest of Israel probably thought that they could give honor to the LORD through the golden calf.



i. Aaron was not crass enough to say, "Let's do away with the Lord God." He simply updated things, making them more modern. In the mind of Israel Aaron didn't take away the Lord God, he simply added the golden calf.



c. They rose early the next day: They served their idol with great energy and personal sacrifice. People usually find a way to rise early for the things that are really important to them. This shows that Israel was willing to give their time, their sleep, and their money in the service of this idol.



d. And rose up to play: This is a tasteful way to speak of gross immorality among the people of Israel. Their worship included eating, drinking (in the sense of drunkenness) and sexual immorality.



i. "The verb translated play suggests sex-play in Hebrew . . . and therefore we are probably to understand drunken orgies." (Cole)



ii. Less than two months before this, Israel heard the voice of God Himself thunder from heaven, audibly speaking the Ten Commandments to the nation. That dramatic experience, in and of itself, did not change their hearts. It made many of them want a less demanding god.



B. The nature and result of Moses' intercession.



1. (7-8) God tells Moses what is happening at the camp of Israel.



And the LORD said to Moses, "Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!'"



a. For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt: God called Israel your people, in the sense that they belonged to Moses, not to God. In this God suggested to Moses that He was disowning Israel.



b. They have turned aside quickly: This is almost an understatement. They didn't wait long to go their own fleshly way.



c. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it: God described to Moses everything that happened, and even quoted the words of the people in their idolatry. God knew exactly what happened. The people ignored God, but He did not ignore them.



2. (9-10) God's amazing offer to Moses.



And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."



a. I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people: God spoke as if He had seen enough, and He made a remarkable offer to Moses. If Moses would only agree, God would consume Israel and start over again with Moses (I will make of you a great nation).



i. Hypothetically, God could have done this and still fulfilled every promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It would completely change the place of Moses, making him the new "Abraham" of God's plan for Israel. Moses had the opportunity to be as revered as Abraham was, and honored by every following generation.



b. Let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them: God did not ask for the opinion or participation of Moses in this matter. He simply told Moses, "Let Me alone so I can do this." The clear impression is that if Moses did nothing, the plan would go ahead.



3. (11-13) Moses intercedes for Israel.



Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"



a. Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God: Moses refused to do nothing. He did not fatalistically say, "Well, whatever God will do, God will do." He pleaded with the LORD, according to what he believed to be God's heart.



i. Moses' prayer was not long but it was strong. "It is not the length, but the strength of prayer that appeals to heaven." (Meyer)



b. Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt: In his prayer, Moses first gave the people back to God. "Lord, they belong to You, not to me. I don't want to be god over these people, only You can do that."



c. Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt: Moses then appealed to God on the basis of grace. "Lord, we didn't deserve to be brought out of Egypt to begin with. You did it by Your grace, not because we deserved it. Please don't stop dealing with us by grace."



d. Why should the Egyptians speak: Moses then appealed to God on the basis of glory. "Lord, this will bring discredit to You in the eyes of the nations. The Egyptians will think of You as a cruel God who led your people out to the desert to kill them. Don't let anyone think that of You, God!"



e. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self: Finally, Moses appealed to God on the basis of His goodness. "Lord, keep Your promises. You are a good God who is always faithful. Don't break Your promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel."



4. (14) God relents from His anger.



So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.



a. So the LORD relented: God answered Moses' prayer. God was going to destroy the nation - all Moses had to do was leave God alone and let Him do it. But Moses did not leave God alone; he labored in intercession according to what He knew of the heart of God.



b. So the LORD relented: In the King James Version this phrase is translated the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Based on this, some believe God sometimes needs to repent of evil, or that God changes His mind.



i. It is helpful to read other translations of this passage.



· · Then the Lord relented (NIV)

· · So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people (NASB)

· · The Lord turned from the evil which He had thought to do (Amplified)

· · The Lord was moved with compassion to save His people. (Septuagint Bible)



ii. Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Some say that these two passages contradict each other, and that Exodus 32 shows God repenting and changing while Numbers 23 says God never changes or repents. We can understand these passages by understanding that Moses wrote with what we call anthropomorphic, or "man-centered" language. He described the actions of God as they appeared to him. Moses' prayer did not change God, but it did change the standing of the people in God's sight - the people were now in a place of mercy, when before they were in a place of judgment.



iii. Also, we can say that God did not go back on His word to either Moses or Israel. We understand the principle that God's promises of judgment are inherently meant to call men to repentance and prayer and therefore avert the judgment (Ezekiel 33:13-16).



iv. Some are frustrated because the Bible describes God's actions in human terms, but they really cannot be described in any other way. "I suppose that I need not say that this verse speaks after the manner of men. I do not know after what other manner we can speak. To speak of God after the manner of God, is reserved for God himself; and mortal men could not comprehend such speech. In this sense, the Lord often speaks, not according to the literal fact, but according to the appearance of things to us, in order that we may understand so far as the human can comprehend the divine." (Spurgeon)



c. The LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do: God did not destroy Israel, and He knew that He would not destroy Israel. Yet He deliberately put Moses into this crucial place of intercession, so that Moses would display and develop God's heart for the people, a heart of love and compassion. Moses prayed just as God wanted him to - as if heaven and earth, salvation or destruction, depended on his prayer. This is how God waits for us to pray.



i. "We are not to think of Moses as altering God's purpose towards Israel by this prayer, but as carrying it out: Moses was never more like God than in such moments, for he shared God's mind and loving purpose." (Cole)



i. Living under the New Covenant, we do not have less privilege in prayer than Moses had. We do not have less access to God than Moses had. The only thing we may have less of is Moses' heart for the people.



C. Moses confronts Aaron.



1. (15-18) Moses and Joshua hear the people in the camp.



And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp." But he said: "It is not the noise of the shout of victory, nor the noise of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing I hear."



a. Moses turned and went down from the mountain: In the midst of this great idolatry, Moses and Joshua came down from their extended time up on Mount Sinai. He carried the two tablets of the Testimony, written direction by the hand of God.



b. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God: It is significant that the tablets were written by God's direct hand. All law and morality must come from God's standard and character, or be up to the opinion or whims of man.



i. "For as he is the sole author of law and justice, so he alone can write them on the heart of man." (Clarke)



c. There is a noise of war in the camp: We might say that Joshua was correct when he said this. However, the noise reflected a spiritual war, not a material war.



2. (19-21) Moses puts an end to the disgrace and confronts Aaron.



So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?"



a. Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them: Israel broke the covenant by their idolatry and immorality with the golden calf. There was something appropriate about Moses breaking the stone tablets of the covenant at Israel's breaking of the covenant.



i. Moses had to deal with anger through much of his life. In anger he killed an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12). In anger he broke the tablets written by the finger of God. In anger he beat the rock God commanded him to speak to (Numbers 20:10-11). This last display of anger kept Moses out of the Promised Land.



b. Made the children of Israel drink it: Moses ground up the calf and made the people drink it for three reasons.



· · To show that this "god" was nothing and could be destroyed easily

· · To completely obliterate this idol

· · To make the people pay an immediate consequence of their sin



c. What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them? This was an extremely perceptive question. Moses understood that this plan didn't originate with Aaron, but that he allowed it and implemented it.



3. (22-24) Aaron's excuse.



So Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, 'Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out."



a. Do not let the anger of my lord become hot: Aaron essentially said, "Moses, settle down! It's not so bad as all that!" Aaron had no sense of the greatness of his sin. He had no significant sense of the fear of the Lord.



b. You know the people, that they are set on evil: Moses knew this as well as Aaron did. But Moses had a sense of his need to restrain the evil of the people, and Aaron did not have this.



c. Make us gods that shall go before us: Aaron quoted the people exactly. But when he described his own actions (I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out) he lied.



i. Aaron no doubt meant that this calf was produced by a miracle - it just happened. But Moses - and everyone else - could see the human engraving marks on it (Exodus 32:4). Aaron claimed this was a miraculous work, but the evidence of his workmanship were all over it.



ii. Aaron gave the classic "it just happened" excuse. But it didn't just happen. Aaron thought it out, melted the gold, molded it, and fashioned it carefully with an engraving tool (Exodus 32:4).



iii. Aaron did this evil thing and made his excuse because at that moment, it seemed harder to stand for the Lord than to go along with the people, and Aaron took the path of least resistance. He was lazy. "Lazy people always find fault with their tools, and those who do not intend to work always find some excuse or other; and then they make up for their laziness by having a delicious spiritual dream. Have the nominally Christian people about us are dreaming; and they consider that thus they are doing the work of the Lord. They are only doing it deceitfully by putting dreaming into the place of real service." (Spurgeon)



iv. Aaron's sin was so great that only the intercession of Moses saved his life. And the Lord was very angry with Aaron and would have destroyed him; so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. (Deuteronomy 9:20)



D. The call to side with either God or idolatry.



1. (25-26) Moses issues a challenge.



Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side; come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.



a. The people were unrestrained: This shows how great the problem was. There is no greater danger than for people to cast off all restraint and do whatever seems right in their own eyes; the darkest days of Israel's national history were characterized by the phrase, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6)



i. In our modern culture we regard the absence of restraint as heaven on earth. But the Bible and common sense tell us that this kind of moral, spiritual, and social anarchy brings nothing but destruction.



ii. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12) When man follows his own instincts, his own inclinations, it leads to ruin. We need to follow God's way, not our own.



iii. God has given many restraints to us: the curbs of the fear of God, of family, of culture, of conscience, of law, even of necessity. But these restraints can be - and are being - broken down.

2. (27-29) The execution of 3,000



Whoever is on the Lord's side; come to me:



And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.'" So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Then Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother."



a. Let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor: In this case, siding with the Lord meant siding against some people. Those who were more interested in siding with all people could never do what these Levites did.



b. About three thousand men of the people fell that day: It seems that the sin of Israel at the golden calf involved more than these 3,000 people. Yet these were undoubtedly those most flagrant in their idolatry and immorality, or these were the leaders of the sinful conduct.



E. Moses' second intercession.



1. (30) Moses returns to intercede for the people.



Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."



a. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin: Moses already interceded for the people in Exodus 32:11-14. But he prayed again for them because now he saw the sin with his own eyes, and was struck with the depths of the people's sin.



b. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin: Moses also learned on Mount Sinai that God's penalty for idolatry was death. He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed. (Exodus 22:20) He was more aware than ever of the distance between the people and God, and sensed the urgency to intercede.



2. (31-32) Moses' bold request on behalf of the people.



Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin; but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."



a. Oh, these people have committed a great sin: Moses did not minimize the sin of the people or put it in soft terms. They were guilty of worshipping a god of gold.



i. People still worship gods of gold. In August of 1990 a man staggered to the steps of his Los Angeles office. Before he died of the gunshot wound to his chest, he called out the names of his three children. But he still had his $10,000 Rolex watch clutched in his hand. He gave his life for a god of gold.



b. Yet now, if You will forgive their sin: Moses knew the enormity of the people's sin, yet he still asked for forgiveness. This was an appeal to the mercy and grace of God.



c. If not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written: Moses asked God to forgive Israel on the basis of his own sacrificial identification with the sinful people. If God would not forgive, Moses asked to be damned in sacrificial identification with his sinful people.



i. Of course, this sacrificial heart was the same heart Jesus had in dying for our sins (1 Peter 3:18 and 2 Corinthians 5:21). The Apostle Paul also had some of this same heart of Jesus (Romans 9:3).



3. (33-35) The Lord's response to the plea of Moses.



And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin." So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.



a. Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book: God agreed to spare the nation as a whole, but He definitely reserved the right to judge individual sinners.



b. Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you: This was God's promise to stay faithful to Israel and to keep His presence with them (My Angel shall go before you).







What was God’s response to Israel’s making the “golden calf”? Who responded to Moses’ call for those on God’s side?
In Exodus, chapter 32. In this passage we are told, that the people of Israel are waiting on Moses to come down from Mount Sinai, where God is giving him the tablets of the Ten Commandments. They have already been waiting for forty days when they ask Aaron “Come, make us gods who will go before us” (Exodus 32:1, NIV). This act is a violation of the first commandment, which God gives to the same people earlier in Exodus, chapter 20:3. Beginning with the disobedience of God’s commandment in the first six verses of chapter 32, the people of Israel set Moses in a position of asking for forgiveness from God. Towards the end of Exodus 32 we see the authority of Moses, and God’s punishment in action, as the Levites, under Moses’ commandment, go through the camp, “each killing his brother and friend and neighbor” (Exodus 32:27 NIV), and finally the people are struck by a plague because of what they have done. Chapters 33
and 34 present the narrative of Moses pleading for the Lord’s guidance throughout the journey which God led them on. The renewal of the covenant between God and the people of Israel in Exodus 34 makes the transition to the next block of chapters – 35-40. Another reason for false worship is disobedience. The nation of Israel did not obey God’s commandment not to make idols, and not to worship other gods, and God was not pleased by that. The story of Israel does not end at the point where they have sinned, and God is angry. The end of the story comes after Moses’ plea to God. The end of the story comes with the recreation of the the broken tablets of the law – Israel receives what God was preparing for them while they were worshiping the calf. Gad has not changed today – His mercy is big, but repentance is needed, for the strictly negative results of false worship and sin are great. The people of Israel were committing adultery at the end of the feast, which was proclaimed to be for the Lord. Yet they received forgiveness. This, however, does not mean that people should offer false worship to God with the attitude that they will easily be forgiven after they repent. As we saw, the people of Israel were struck by a plague despite Moses’ request for forgiveness.

Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side; come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. Whoever is on the Lord's side; come to me:



And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.'" So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Then Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother."



a. Let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor: In this case, siding with the Lord meant siding against some people. Those who were more interested in siding with all people could never do what these Levites did.



b. About three thousand men of the people fell that day: It seems that the sin of Israel at the golden calf involved more than these 3,000 people. Yet these were undoubtedly those most flagrant in their idolatry and immorality, or these were the leaders of the sinful conduct.







Do a time line and list the major events of the exodus of Israel starting with the “Passover” in Egypt until the erection of the tabernacle at Mt. Sinai. How long did Israel stay at Mt Sinai? (Numbers 10:11)
Bondage in Egypt
Pharaoh, fearful of the Israelites' numbers, orders his people to throw all newborn Hebrew (Israelite) boys into the Nile. A Levite woman saves her baby by setting him adrift on the river in an ark of bulrushes. Pharaoh's daughter finds the child, and names him Moses, and brings him up as her own. But Moses is aware of his Hebrew origins, and one day, when grown, kills an Egyptian overseer who is beating a Hebrew man, and has to flee into Midian[1] . While he was herding the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro[2] on Mount Horeb,[3] Moses encounters God, and God tells him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites into(Canaan) the land promised to Abraham.
On Moses' return to Egypt, God instructs him to appear before Pharaoh and inform him of God's demand that he let God's people go. Moses and his brother Aaron do so, but Pharaoh refuses. God causes a series of plagues, but Pharaoh does not relent. God instructs Moses to institute the Passover sacrifice among the Israelites, and then God kills all the firstborn children of the Egyptians. Pharaoh agrees to let the Israelites go. Moses explains the meaning of the Passover: it is for Israel's salvation from Egypt, so that the Israelites will not be required to sacrifice their own sons, but to redeem them.

Journey through the wilderness to Sinai
The Exodus begins. The Israelites, 600,000 men plus women and children and a mixed multitude,with their flocks and herds, set out for the mountain of God. The plausability of this number is suspect to say the least; assuming the "mixed multitude" of women and children swelled the total number to roughly 2.5 million people, a mass of such size would have been a logistical nightmare. Standing ten abreast, the Israelites would have formed a line 150 miles long. Moreover, the desert ecosystem of the Sinai peninsula simply could not have provided enough food and water to sustain that many people. Indeed, the present population of the Sinai is estimated to be no greater than 38,000.[4]
Pharaoh pursues the Israelites,and Yahweh destroys Pharaoh's army at the crossing of the Red, or Reed, Sea - the Hebrew words yam suf can be translated either way. The Israelites celebrate their deliverance with the Song of the Sea. The Israelites continue their journey, but immediately begin to complain of the hardships. In the Wilderness of Sin they complain about the lack of food and speak with longing of Egypt, and Yahweh sends them quail and manna to eat. At Rephidim, he provides water miraculously from the rock of Meribah. The Amalekites attack the Israelites, and Yahweh orders an eternal war against them. The Israelites arrive at the mountain of God, where Moses' father-in-law Jethro visits Moses; at his suggestion Moses appoints judges over Israel.
The term "mountain of God" is problematic. In cases where the mountain is named, it is given two appellations, Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai. Scholars disagree as to whether there were in fact two mountains, and to complicate matters no contemporary geographical correlate for either possibility has been found.[5]

At Sinai: Covenant and laws
The Israelites arrive at the mountain of God. Yahweh asks whether they will agree to be his people, and the people accept. The people gather at the foot of the mountain, and with thunder and lightning, fire and clouds of smoke, and the sound of trumpets, and the trembling of the mountain, God appears on the peak, and the people see the cloud and hear the "voice".[6] Moses and Aaron are told to ascend the mountain.[7] God pronounces the Ten Commandments (the Ethical Decalogue) in the hearing of all Israel.[8]
Moses goes up the mountain into the presence of God, who pronounces the Covenant Code,[9] (a detailed code of ritual and civil law), and promises Canaan to the Israelites if they obey.[10] Moses descends and writes down Yahweh's words and the people agree to keep them. Yahweh calls Moses up the mountain together with Aaron and the elders of Israel, and they feast in the presence of Yahweh. Yahweh calls Moses up the mountain to receive a set of stone tablets containing the law, and he and Joshua go up, leaving Aaron in charge. Yahweh appears on the mountain "like a consuming fire" and calls Moses to go up, and Moses goes up the mountain.[11]
Yahweh gives Moses instructions for the construction of the tabernacle so that God can dwell permanently amongst the Israelites, as well as the priestly vestments, the altar and its appurtenances, the ritual to be used to ordain the priests, and the daily sacrifices to be offered. Aaron is appointed as the first High Priest, and the priesthood is to be hereditary in his line. Then Yahweh gives to Moses the two stone tablets containing these instructions, written by God's own finger.
Aaron makes a golden calf, which the people worship. God informs Moses and threatens to kill them all, but Moses intercedes for them. Moses comes down from the mountain, smashes the tablets in anger, and commands the Levites to massacre the disobedient. Yahweh commands Moses to make two new tablets on which He will personally write the words that were on the first tablets. Moses ascends the mountain, God dictates the Ten Commandments (the Ritual Decalogue)[12], and Moses writes them on the tablets.[13]
Moses descends from the mountain, and his face is transformed, so that from that time onwards he has to hide his face with a veil. Moses assembles the Israelites and repeats to them the commandments he has received from Yahweh, to keep the Sabbath and to construct the Tabernacle. "And all the construction of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished, and the children of Israel did according to everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses",[14] and Yahweh dwelt in the Tabernacle, and ordered the travels of the Israelites.[15]

Israel's Failure in the Wilderness

The history of Israel from the exodus when they came out of Egypt to the time of their crossing the Jordan into the promised land can be sketched briefly like this. The journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai where the law was given took about three months. They leave Egypt in Exodus 14 and arrive at Sinai in Exodus 19; so Exodus 15-18 describes the first leg of their wilderness journey. For almost two years the people of Israel stay at Sinai while the laws are given and the tabernacle for worship is planned and constructed. This period of time is covered in Exodus 19 to the end, all of Leviticus, and Numbers 1-10. So from Exodus 19 to Numbers 10 the people are in the wilderness of Sinai. In Numbers 10:11 the people set out from Sinai toward the promised land. They arrive at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Paran to the south of Canaan, and in Numbers 13 the 12 spies are sent in to spy out the promised land. After 40 days they return. Caleb and Joshua hand in this report: "Let us go up at once and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30). But the other 10 spies oppose this decision with an amazing argument—amazing for people who had walked through the Red Sea and spent two and a half years in the desert with God. They said: "We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we" (Numbers 13:31). My guess is that Caleb and Joshua looked at each other in unbelief and then glanced at Moses and then looked back at the 10 spies and cried out, "So what! What does the relative strength between them and us have to do with whether we can take the land?" People who trust in God are always baffled by the practical atheism of nominal believers. If God has said, "Go up and take the land," it is irrelevant that we look like grasshoppers compared to the inhabitants. In fact, that may be all the more reason to go, since God will get more glory that way. Grasshoppers will surely never be able to boast when God gives them the victory.

But in Numbers 14 the people prove that two and a half years in the wilderness has not been long enough to teach them to trust God alone, and they rebel against Moses and against God. In Numbers 14:11 the Lord says to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs which I have wrought among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them." But Moses, one of the most patient and committed leaders that has ever lived, applied himself in prayer for the people. He argued with God that God's name would be scorned in Egypt if it appeared that he could not bring the people into Canaan (Numbers 14:15, 16); and he argued on the basis of God's self-revelation on Mount Sinai in Exodus 34:6, 7, that God is "slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and forgives iniquity and transgression" (Numbers 14:17, 18).

So God relented from total destruction and said (in Numbers 14:20-25):

I have pardoned according to your word, but truly as I live, and as the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the proof these ten times and have not hearkened to my voice, shall see the land which I swore to give to their fathers; and none of those who despised me shall see it. But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land in which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.

In I Kings 6:1, we are told that it was 480 years from the time the children of Israel left Egypt to the fourth year of King Solomon's reign, when Solomon began to build the temple. This time period spans the period of the Judges. From the 480 years, we must subtract the year it took the children of Israel to reach Mount Sinai, the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, and the approximately 10 to 25 years they took to conquer the land of Canaan. We must also subtract the 4 years of Solomon's reign and the 40 years of David's reign. We probably should also subtract at least a portion of Saul's 32 year reign since it overlaps with Samuel's life. Samuel, the last judge of Israel, died prior to the end of Saul's reign, though we do not know precisely how many years prior. This leaves the period of the judges to be between 338 years and 385 years in duration.
A supporting passage is found in Judges 11:26 where Jephthah, the ninth judge of Israel, states that it has been 300 years since Israel began occupying Ammorite territory. The occupation began just prior to the death of Moses and the conquering of the land of Canaan (Numbers 21:25-26, Deuteronomy 2:36).
It would be nice to simply add up the reigns of each of the judges recorded in the book of Judges. Unfortunately, there are several gaps in the records and it is difficult to detect if the reigns of some of the judges might have overlapped. Each of the judges ruled over a portion of Israel's territory, so one judge could have been reigning in one region while another judge reigned in a different region. This is seen by adding all the years of oppression with the years of peace recorded in Judges up to Jephthah's reign. Even with no information of the length of Shamgar's rule, we come up with a total of 319 years and this does not include the time it took to conquer Canaan nor the three generations of peace after Joshua. Obviously, some overlap must have occurred.
In the commentaries available, there are many attempts to have the period of the judges to be 450 years and still harmonize with I Kings 6:1. Most involve including Joshua as a judge, as well as the reigns of Saul and David. Even with these additions, the time span only reaches 435 years, which still is not close to 450 years.
Of course the most simple solution is to accept the older manuscripts' placement of the 450-year period to the time from Israel's stay in Egypt to the conquering of the land of Canaan. If we assume the stay began with Israel's enslavement (400 years according to Genesis 15:13-14 and Acts 7:6) and continues through the year to reach Mount Sinai and the 40 years wandering in the wilderness, then we find it took Israel about 9 years to conquer the land of Canaan. The periods coincide very nicely and do not require odd interpretations of passages.
This is the reason most translations use the 450 years as a summation of Acts 13:17-19 and not as the length of the period of the judges in Acts 13:20.





Relate the role of the Law, priest, tabernacle, and sacrifice to the worship and work (service) of the Jews.
Before the Exodus, the Hebrew people worshiped God, following a simple pattern of praising Him, providing Him sacrifices, both of the farm animals and from the land with grain offerings (Gen. 4:3-5). Each family unit or clan held their worship as they saw fit. They had a fear of God (Gen. 2:3; Judg. 17:6; 21:25; Prov. 3:5), and knew it was a privilege to be able to be able to draw near to God the Creator. There was no real unity or formula that we know of, other than the praise, sacrifice, and petition, or, as we say today, supplication--seeking help from God. Supplications comprise 99% of our prayers today (not supposed to, but they do, we forget intercession, thanksgiving…etc.), and since human nature has not changed, due to our sinful nature, we can surmise it was the same then too. Perhaps Adam himself established a worship tradition that was followed through the centuries until Moses. We only get a taste of what might have happened through the first few chapters in Genesis, and our understanding of ancient Hebrew culture only comes through archeology, Scripture, Jewish tradition and writings.

After God established a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12), he and the rest of the patriarchs worshiped God with sacrifices, singing, prayer, self-humbling confession of sin, then the retelling of God’s promise and their special place as His chosen people. It was an awesome, special privilege to be allowed to worship the One True God. This pattern kept the Hebrews a close-knit family, and drew them together even during the persecution and turmoil while living in Egypt. In contrast, other ancient ethnic cultures, when faced with such adversity, either blended in with the dominant culture or disappeared. The Jews remained stable, set apart, and strong, and even grew through such tough times.

The Exodus
Then, a more specific model and framework was developed from the Mosaic Law, during, and polished after the Exodus. The primary model of worshiping God was due to a response to His provision and Grace. God laid out specific formulas on how He was to be worshiped; this is what the books, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are all about.

The people are instructed on how to address and come before God, as well as how to deal with sin and human relationships. These new ways of worship were not so much new as they were expansions of what was already being done, cementing its urgency and importance. The new ways included a specific day, a unified way and place of doing a worship service, a Day of Atonement; and three feast days and rituals that formed the worship services and festivals.

Worship was then and still is now a means to honor God, glorify Him, and His good works, gifts, greatness, graciousness, mercy, judgment, power, instruction, and knowledge. The worship pointed to the coming of the Messiah Christ and what He would do. The main difference is the Christian worship today lifts up Christ, and what He has done, whereas the Jewish services of worship looked toward the coming of the Messiah--Christ. Thus, praise and thanksgiving were primary aspects in doing Church.

The major, striking similarities we have today with the Mosaic traditions are that the priests led the service as a large unified assembly. Even Sunday School finds its roots back then, as further instructions and teachings were carried out by the Levites (then, the Rabbis, during the captivity, in Jesus' time, and continued today) to the various tribes, clans, and families. Levites were assigned as teachers to family units who were to care and provide for them, while the Levite taught the Law.

The book of Psalms was and is the collected hymnal of the Jewish church service. Some of the Psalms date back to the Patriarchs, while others are new, written during the time of David and Solomon. They even included music notes for the worship leader. That is what the term, Selah, is!

The pattern of worship from the Law / Moses:

The Sabbath, the seventh day of rest and worship. The Sabbath was instituted at creation. This started on Friday evening and went all day Saturday. This was done at the temple meeting (tent of the Ark) before the Temple of Solomon was built, and then in the temple of Solomon centuries later.
Since the people did not have cars, there were also synagogues in every town, where the Levites led the services. These synagogues were further developed during the Exile. After the Exile, the Sabbath became a day for worship and the study of the Law, as well as a day of rest. Each family unit would take a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem every so often, just as Jesus did as a child with His earthly family. The term Rabbi meant teacher (not necessary a Levite), and they led the service after the captivity, during the time of Christ, and to the present. (Gen. 1:1-2:3; Ex. 16:21-30; 20:8-11; 31:12-17; 34:21; 35:1-3; Lev. 19:3; 30; 23:3f; 58:13-14; Num. 15:32-36; Duet. 5:12-15; Isa. 58; 13-14; Luke 2:41-50)

The Christian church today as a whole recognizes Sunday as the Sabbath and day to do church because it is the day Jesus rose from the dead (the exception is the Seventh Day Adventists, the Seventh Day Baptists and some Christian Messianic groups such as Jews for Jesus). But, Scripture is clear that day now is irrelevant, pointing out that every day is a day to honor God and worship Him (Matt. 12:1-12; Rom. 12:1; Col. 2:16-23; Heb. 4:8-11).

The Sacrificial System was the essential ritual that cleansed their sins. This is where burnt offering of animals, grains, and even baked goods were offered up to deal with their sin, and appeasing God’s wrath. These sacrifices were personal purification and/or collective atonement for the town or the nation. They must be a true sacrifice, where the person would miss and lose out, suffer a loss, and give up any right to the item offered up to God. It must be pure, without blemish, and flawless. The entire universe is a testament to sacrifice, as the lamp's filament is sacrificing itself to give me light to write this article, and our sun burns its finite and limited fuel to warm our earth. All of creation and life is due to sacrifices of some kind. We may not see it; nevertheless, it is there. We need to acknowledge the importance of sacrifice, our Lord’s sacrifice, and our hope to come (Ex. 13:1-16; Lev. 12-15; 17; Num. 19; 28:1-5).
In the church today, we may not have to drag the cat to the altar, or give up a valuable item, but we need to know that all things belong to God, and He provides for us. Christ is our perfect, flawless sacrifice who took our place to appease God’s wrath and atone for our sins. Thus, He is the essential sacrificial Lamb, whose blood was shed for us.

Annual Feasts. Three were held each year to honor God and His provisions, including the Passover (Ex. 23:14-17; 34:23; Duet. 16:16.) These were also known as the pilgrimage festivals, because people would travel by family and clan units, sometimes very far, by foot. The people gathered to offer sacrifices and praise God for the bounty they received from Him. It was a time of great joy, as well as humbleness in the knowledge that God, as the great provider, made them the recipients of His grace and mercy. It was also a time when they celebrated their deliverance. It pointed to how God reconciles Himself to humanity, ultimately, in the final recompense and reconciler to come, Christ.
The Passover, otherwise called The Feast of Unleavened Bread, is celebrated because of God’s mercy in sparing them when the Angel of death took out the entire first born of Egypt, humans as well as animals while he passed over the obedient Hebrews (Ex. 12; Lev. 23:5-8; Num. 28:16-25; Duet. 16:1-8). This was and is the biggest ‘holiday’ and festival, as it celebrated God’s saving mercy shown through the exodus from oppression into the promise land. This was and still is celebrated the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, the month of Nisan (March/April).
The Feast of Weeks, also called First Fruits, Harvests, and Pentecost, this was celebrated on the sixth day of the month of Sivan (May/June). The priest would offer up to the Lord by waving two loaves of leavened bread (made with yeast, versus unleavened made without yeast, for Passover), made from ripe grain that had just been harvested. The characteristic ritual of this feast was celebrated at the end of the grain harvest as thanks for the food, and was held (not celebrated much since, and perhaps before the time of Christ, but some orthodox groups still celebrate today) fifty days after the Passover. The term Pentecost, means fiftieth, because there was an interval of fifty days between Pentecost and Passover. (Ex. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:15-22; Num. 28:26-31; Duet. 16:9-12). And it was on this feast day God chose to send His Spirit in permanence as recorded in Acts (Acts 2).
The Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths, or Ingathering, this was celebrating how God led them through the desert for forty years, providing for them as He continues to do today. This was held in the seventh month of Tishri (Sept./Oct.), which celebrated the end of the agricultural year that began five days after the Day of Atonement and lasted seven days. It marked the end of the harvest, and also commemorated the Jews' forty-year wanderings in the desert.
During this festival, the Jews built and lived in booths or tents near the Temple/Tent Meeting in Jerusalem as a reminder of their ancestors, who wandered and lived in booths (The word, Hebrews meant wanderer). The sacrifices of this feast were usually more numerous than at any other festive day, since they had more with which to celebrate. It corresponds to our New Year's Day, and was celebrated from morning to evening while various types of horns and trumpets were blown. (Lev. 23:34-43; Num. 29:12-38; Duet. 16:13-15).

The day of Atonement was the acknowledgement of sin, today called Yom Kippur. It was not a feast, but rather a fast, as the distinctive purpose of the this day was to bring the collective sins of the people for the whole preceding year to remembrance and confession before the people, so that it might earnestly be dealt with and then atoned for. Once a year the high priest would have the tribes gather on the tenth of the seventh month of Tishri, the tenth day (Sept.), where the high priest sacrificed an animal-- usually a red bull--and then spread the blood over the innermost part of the Tabernacle/Temple. The high priest then made the confession of all the sins of the Twelve Tribes, and entered, on their behalf, into the Most Holy Place with the blood of reconciliation. This was the only time the priest would venture into the inner part of the sanctuary where the Ark was kept. Then he placed his hands on a live goat to absorb all of the sins of the people. The scapegoat, as it was called, was let loose to atone for the sins of the people (Lev. 16; 23: 26-32).
Extra Biblical Feasts that were grafted in:

The Feast of Lights, now called Chanukah, was observed for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev (Nov./Dec.). The eight days were set aside to honor God for allowing the lamp to stay lit for those days, even though there was only enough oil for one. Judas Maccabeus initiated this feast in 164 B.C. when Epiphanes, the king of Syria, defiled the temple. During these days the Israelites met in their town's synagogue, carrying branches of trees in their hands (as they did to honor Jesus in Luke 19:28-40, what we now celebrate as Palm Sunday), and held jubilant services. Then the Temple was cleansed and rededicated to the service of the Lord. Children have been told about the brave deeds of the Maccabees for the last 2000 + years so that they might emulate their character. This was a very minor feat day that arose in popularity in Europe because is corresponds to the time of Christmas.
The Feast of Purim was celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar (Feb./Mar.) The word Purim means lots, as in casting lots or dice. This feast day recalls the time in Jewish history when the lot was cast to decide the day of destruction of the Jewish people and how God intervened so that this plan was not carried out. It was started by Mordecai to commemorate the failure of Haman's plots against the Jews. On the evening of the thirteenth, the whole Book of Esther was read publicly in the synagogue. It was a joyous occasion (Esther 9:20-22, 26-28). This day instills to us that, "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him."
Why were these Feast days and Atonements important? Because, they pointed to the sacrifice of our Lord on the cross to come!

Based on the Old Testament precepts, God has revealed His general truths to us:



1. God is a holy and jealous God, thus we are to honor and worship only Him. He has forbidden us to worship anyone or anything besides Him! Therefore, nothing should get in the way of our heartfelt devotion to Him, and His Lordship in our lives. That He is Lord and ruler of our hearts and mind not things, careers, friends, pride, agendas…



2. God has given us the proper pattern for worship. He calls us to honor Him in an orderly way. This is because our sinful nature will cause us to corrupt all that we do, including the worship of God. We do not have the right to take away any of His essential orders of worship. We cannot just do what we feel like and do church the way we think is best, or by what is popular; we must do what is acceptable and what honors Him!



3. God demands that we remove all of the false and corrupt manners of worship.

Now we are under the New Covenant.

You may think that since this is the Old Testament, it does not apply to us. The answer is both yes, and no. Yes, we do not need to follow the feast days, but we are to follow the pattern of worship that He has set up, and is confirmed in the New Testament. Christ is our supreme Priest, and the means of atonement. The cross supersedes the Law’s requirements, but not the Law itself, because the Law points us to our depravity and need for our Savior (Heb. 7-10).

There are three major points distinguishing the New compared to the Old Testament practice of worship:



1. There is no longer a Temple; therefore there is no one or central place for worship. The Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ have fulfilled the purposes of the Temple ordinances. There is no one true Church, as we have many denominations and churches that we can choose to go to.



2. Christ has also fulfilled the regulation that only the Levitical priesthood performs public worship. Today all Christians are priests in a sense as the doctrine the priesthood of all believers. God will call certain godly people to lead, the role of Pastor.



3. The church no longer needs to practice the sacrificial ordinances, as Christ is our supreme sacrifice.



4. The system of Sacraments or Ordinances (meaning the allegiance, or oath to the teaching of Christ that is sacred, His most important teachings) in traditional Christianity, and practiced by most Protestant and Catholic Churches, have replaced the Feast days and the Day of Atonement, circumcision, Passover, and sacrifices.

The sacraments are the specific things Christ told us to do (Mark 7:19; 1 Cor. 5:7-8; 11:23-26; Gal. 2:3-5; 4:10; 6:12-16; Col.2: 16; 1 Tim. 4:3-4). All denominations look to them as models of worship and practice in the church. They may disagree on how many (throughout church history, as many as thirty have been claimed. Catholics say seven, as they add penance, marriage, conformation or first communion, and the priesthood; most Protestants claim two or three, communion, baptism, and worship (some denominations do not consider worship as a sacrament). The Greek Orthodox adds the washing of feet. The Quakers and the Salvation Army do not practice any of the Sacraments, due to an overreaction to the abuses they observed of them in other denominations, while denominations such has many Baptist, Independent and Fundamental groups use the term Church Ordinances declaring them a ceremony. Most liturgical Denominations see the sacraments as a means of grace where Christ can minister His salvation through them such as the Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans.)

The Reformed view sees Sacraments as the term means the mystery of something sacred: A visible and tangible sign of God working in the elements lifted up to Him, such as the bread and water that show us the His promise of grace. However, the person still receives Grace by faith alone. In other liturgical Denominations the elements are sufficient to communicate God’s grace. Just read the Scriptures listed next to the sacraments below and see for yourself what God’s Word has to say. Salvation is NOT though the sacraments; they are the signposts of God working. Salvation is only by faith in Christ! We are still to respect the sacraments, adhere to them with honor and joyfully partake in them. We are also to guard that they do not get corrupted.

The Major Sacraments:

1. We are to Celebrate the Lord’s Supper/Communion (Isa. 52:15; 53:12; Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20; 1 Cor. 11:20-25) This was instituted by Jesus on the night before His Crucifixion. He told the Disciples that the cup of wine (most Protestants now use grape juice; however, the type of element is irrelevant to the obedience of the statute) represented His own blood, shed to establish a new covenant between God and humanity. The bread represents His body broken on our behalf. Thus, when the Lord's Supper is partaken we meet Christ and are made present with Him (Omnipresence of God) in remembrance of His atoning death and sacrifice on our behalf, and looks to the fullness of the Kingdom of God. As Calvin said, ”we are given a taste of Heaven”)

There is debate amongst denominations whether Christ is actually the elements of bread and wine (Catholic- transubstantiation), physically added in to the elements (consubstantiation- Lutherans), Christ is not physically present as His body is not there but in Heaven; however, He is still really present (Calvin-Reformed), or partially present or it is just a memorial (Zwingli-Baptists).

The Lord’s Super also pointed toward consummation of the Kingdom of God. At first, the Communion was a part of a gathering for a meal in private homes (1 Cor. 11:17). Over time, it became a part of the Sunday worship of the local church. To the Catholics, this became the focal point of the service, observed toward the end. The first parts were the reading of the Word, prayers, singing of psalms/hymns, intercessions, and a homily (the Reformers switch to the sermon as the focal point).

2. We are to Baptize Believers and/or dedicate our children. The Reformed position allows for the baptism of infants as an identification to the circumcision covenant, which looks to their faith to come that becomes sealed when the person professes their faith as an adult. This also dedicates the child to the Lord and governs the responsibly of the parents and church to raise the child in a godly way. Then the child, when he/she becomes an adult, professes that faith publicly to fully receive the baptism they had as an infant. Adult baptism looks to the faith they already have accepted (Matt. 28:19).

3. We are to Worship God the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). Because Christ rose from the dead that day, the service is to praise God, lift up the cross, and celebrate what He did for us.

Our Pattern for Worship
As we can see, the principle pattern of worship has existed from the beginning; it has been refined as humanity grew in understanding of God and as He revealed Himself to us. The standard church meeting we have today still has the original pattern that God instituted. We gather to worship through singing, prayer, liturgy, the reading of the Word, and a message/sermon/homily. Each denomination and individual church has added traditions of man in the mix. Hence, the various worship styles, orders, preaching, and building architectures. These minor differences need not be debated, as there are many ways to express our devotion and love to the Lord. The important thing is to honor Him in the proper pattern and essentials.

The intention of doing church remains steadfast for the most part. There are churches that are apostate and forget God and do their own thing. As a community of believers apart of the universal Church, and the bride of Christ, we are to follow the pattern that the Bible lays out. And, it should be the same through all denominations that acknowledge Christ as LORD.





Relate the role (typology) of the Law, priest, tabernacle, and sacrifice to the worship and work (service) of a Christian.


1) The tabernacle, or “Mishkan” which God commanded Moses to make (Exodus 25:8-9 is a “type” of the church (Foursquare - length, breadth and height being equal - Exodus 26:16: Exodus 27:16; Revelation 21:16). The tabernacle and tent were two separate things. The tabernacle was the small structure which housed the holy place (Exodus 25:23,31; Exodus 26:1,35; Hebrews 9:2) and the most holy place (Exodus 26:31; Hebrews 9:3). The tent, or ‘Ohel, was a covering which was placed over the tabernacle (Exodus 40:19). It was called the “tent of meeting” (Exodus 40 - ESV) because it was here that Jehovah promised to “meet” Moses and the people (Exodus 40:34-35).
2) The Courtyard surrounding the tabernacle represents the world (Exodus 27:18; Exodus 27:12; Revelation 11:2). Since the court is “typical” of the world (Revelation 11:2), the priest must have “left the world” before he entered the first place in the tabernacle, and the first place provided the only entrance to the second. Likewise, we must “leave the world” before we enter the Lord’s church, and all who are accountable must enter the Lord’s church before they can enter heaven (Luke 10:20; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 12:22-23).
3) Under the law of Moses, the priest approached the altar of sacrifice through fear and trembling, and after he made sacrifice, he would start for the tabernacle, stopping only at the laver to wash his feet and hands (Exodus 30:17-21). He then entered the tabernacle. This act of service “typifies” the Christian purifying himself before going to worship.
4) When alien sinners are “pierced to the heart” by the word of God (Acts 2:37) and believe the remedy for sins given in the Word by repenting of their sins, confessing that Jesus is God’s Son, then passing on through baptism (an antitype of the laver - Titus 3:5; John 3:3-5; 1 Peter 3:21), they then become Christians only. They are then separated from the world and “added” to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47).
5) When the priest entered the tabernacle in his morning and evening service, his first duty was to dress the lamps of the candlestick and replenish the oil (Exodus 26:37; Exodus 40:4; Exodus 40:24-25; Numbers 8:2). They were to keep the lights burning continuously (Exodus 27:20; Leviticus 24:2. The candlestick is “typical” of the Bible, our only light in the church today (Proverbs 6:23; Psalm 119:105). This signifies that we should read and meditate upon the teachings of God’s Word daily - even morning and evening (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; cf. Acts 17:11). We should teach our children God’s Word with the same diligence and frequency (Deuteronomy 6:7).
6) The priests next approached the table of shewbread. On top of the bread pure frankincense was placed, which was to be burned on the altar of incense. God instructed Moses that the people should not make any like it for their own use as it was “Holy unto the Lord” (Exodus 30:34-38). The gathering of the sweet incense, and bringing it to the tabernacle as an offering for God is a “type” of the Christian who is commanded to “lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (1 Corinthians 16:2), and bringing it to the worship service as a offering unto the Lord. As the burning of incense is “typical” of prayer, so must the faithful Christian bring his prosperity as a offering to the Lord with the prayer in his heart that it will be used to the glory of God by helping the needy and spreading the gospel to a lost and dying world.
7) The altar of incense was placed by the inner veil, with the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat on the other side of the veil immediately behind. It was above the mercy seat that God came down to commune with man (Exodus 25:22; Leviticus 16:2). Drawing of this parallel, and reflecting on His promise that He hears and answers the prayers of faithful Christians, it shows that He is ever near to listen to our petitions. When we draw nigh to God, He draws nigh to us (James 4:8). Just as the Bible is God’s only way to communicate to man, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
8) Every Sabbath day, it was the duty of the priest to remove the twelve cakes from the table of shewbread and place hot loaves in their place (Leviticus 24:5-8). There were twelve loaves - one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The loaves were removed from the golden table each Sabbath and were eaten by the priests (Leviticus 24:9). The “antitype” of this is the Lord’s Supper which Christians (priests - Revelation 1:6) are commanded to eat on the “first day of the week”, the Lord’s Day (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2).
9) The priests had to cleanse themselves before entering the tabernacle as the passed the laver. They could not “move” the laver from before the door of the tabernacle by moving it inside because it was a sin punishable by death (Exodus 30:17-21; Exodus 40:7,30). How does the location of the laver “fit” the pattern God had in mind for the church? The courtyard is filled with alien sinners as well as with God’s people (Psalm 79:1; Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25; Revelation 11:2). Before any high priest or common priest could perform service unto God as priest, he must have his entire body washed (Exodus 29:4). Following the washing of their bodies, they had blood put upon the tip of their right ears, and on their right thumbs, and on their right foot (Exodus 29:30; Leviticus 8:6-23). We notice that the washing was done before the blood of consecration was applied. Similarly, before we can come to the atoning power of the blood of Christ, we must have our entire bodies washed in the cleansing waters of baptism (Acts 22:16; Hebrews 10:22; 1 Peter 3:21). Whatever was in the “type” must of necessity be in the “antitype”.



Read Hebrews chapter 10. How does Hebrews relate the Law to the work of Christ? What part of the Law has Jesus fulfilled and what is yet to be fulfilled? Relate your answer to Mt 5:17-19.


For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Hebrews 10:1-4

The law: The writer of Hebrews is referring to the Law, meaning the Mosaic system of sacrifice, established in Mt. Sinai.

Having a shadow: The Greek word, skiav Skia (skee'-ah); means an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object. This is only a form of what is to come. This concept of shadow, symbol, type and figure is a theme repeated in the book of Hebrews. (See Hebrews 8:5, 9:9,11,23, Colossians 2:17)

The very image: Shadow is contrasted to picture, or the Greek word eijkwvn Eikon, meaning image, figure or likeness. An icon, as we are familiar with the word, is the painted image of Christ, Mary or some saint, the word is a transliteration of the Greek. The contrast between the Old and New Covenants is the difference between a picture and a shadow.

Can never…make…perfect: The sacrifices of the Law were merely a shadow contrasted to the picture of Christ. The sacrifices needed to be offered yearly, in particular Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement required the High Priest offer sacrifice for himself and the nation.

The sacrifice was imperfect, evidenced in its yearly repetition.

Not have ceased: The author of Hebrews uses this logical point to prove the Law’s imperfection. He asked a rhetorical question in verse 2, if the Law is able to restore those who approach, then why do they keep making sacrifices. If the Law is the end, then sacrifice would have stopped after restoration.

Consciousness of sins: The Greek word suneivdhsiß Suneidesis has to do with man’s innate awareness of wrong in his life and of his sense of guilt because of it. The same word is used in Hebrews 9:9,10:22 and 13;18. The sacrifice of an animal never cleared the guilt of sin, the awareness of debt, as the New Covenant does for those who trust Christ.

Reminder of sins: The sacrifice served the purpose of illustrating the necessity of blood, for sin. The penalty of disobeying God required a penalty, the illustration was imperfect because it is repeated every year. The animal’s death, its blood goes back to the garden where God sacrificed the first animal, as a covering for Adam and Eve, after their sin.


Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.


Genesis 3:21

Blood of bulls and goats: On the Day of Atonement the High Priest first offered a young bull for his own sin, then a goat, chosen by lot, for the sins of the people. (Leviticus 16:1-13). This was in addition to sacrifices for individual sins. Sacrifice by an insincere heart invalidated the sacrifice, God wanted sincere sacrifices, a contrite heart. (See also Psalms 50:8-12; 51:16 Isaiah 1:11-15; 66:3 Jeremiah 6:20; 7:21,22

Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21,22; Micah 6:6-8;)



11 "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
Isaiah 1:11-15

Jesus our perfect sacrifice

Verses 5-10

5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-In the volume of the book it is written of Me-To do Your will, O God.' "
8 Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law),
9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second.
10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:5-10

When he came: The picture of Messiah being God’s perfect sacrifice is revealed in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit through David, spoke of the incarnation a thousand years before the time. Here the author Hebrews quotes from Psalm 40:6-8, demonstrating the incarnation would accomplish what sacrifice and offering of animals cannot. Messiah’s death is pictured in Isaiah 52:13-53:13 and Psalm 22. The Holy Spirit spoke through David, in Psalm 22:1 one thousand years before the crucifixion, David proclaimed Christ’s words, spoken at the cross.

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? Psalm 22;1

He said: The “He” is the Holy Spirit speaking through David in Psalm 40. This quote contrasts the “Shadow” from the “Image’. The shadow is “Sacrifice and offering” while the image is “A body prepared”.

Then I said: Christ fulfilled what was written about Him before the incarnation. The “volume of the book” The whole of scripture testifies to Jesus Christ, either directly through prophecy or indirectly through metaphor, figure or shadow. Jesus after healing the man at the pool, responds to those who questioned his identity. He identified Himself as being the center focus of scripture.

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:39-40

takes away the first: The first system was removed, “The Shadow” was removed or set aside for the “Image” (Icon).

we have been sanctified: The Greek word, aJgiavzw Hagiazo means to be separated out, to separate from the profane, dedicated to God. When a person comes to Christ, they are “born again”, the person is “Sanctified” separated out from the world. The sacrifice of Christ’s body has separated out those who put their faith in him. This is in contrast to the daily and yearly sacrifice of the first system. Christ sacrifice was “once for all”, there was no other sacrifice needed.

A Contrast between Christ and the Law

Verses 11-18

11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," 17 then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

But this Man: In verses 11 and 12 the ministry of the priesthood is contrasted to that of Christ (this man). We see several contrasts in chapter 10, shadow verses image, first verses second, priest (Aaron) verses this man (Christ). The priest was required to offer sacrifices daily verses Christ who offered one sacrifice, Himself.

From that time: From the time of Christ death, until his Second Coming is a period of decision, known as the “Church Age” or time of the Gentiles (Romans 11;25). During this period, the enemies of Christ are manifested. The true nature of man is demonstrated, in this present time. One day all of God’s enemies will acknowledge Him, regardless of their wishes.

9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Made his footstool: The common practice of vanquishing kings was to make the kings and rulers of who opposed victory bow before the victorious king’s feet in submission, this same imagery is demonstrated here. (See also Joshua 10:24,I Corinthians 15:25)

One offering: The sacrifice of Christ is all that God required for payment of sins, nothing can be added to complete our salvation.

Perfected forever: When we are sanctified, we are separated forever, but our righteousness with God is not our own but Christ’s righteousness, given to us who believe as a gift.

17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. Romans 5:17-18

Being sanctified: The process of sanctification, (separation from the world) begins with a call from God’s Spirit.

1. God Calls

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." John 6:44-45,65

2. We Accept Christ

But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:8-9

3. God’s Spirit dwells in us.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

Holy Spirit witnesses: Through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 31;31), God proclaimed a day when a New and better covenant would come. This New Covenant would involve a relationship, where the man would have an innate understanding of God’s law. God’s will would be in hearts and minds of his people.

Remission: The Greek word a[fesiß Aphesis means release from bondage or imprisonment. Jeremiah speaks about the future covenant, this covenant has the distinct feature of forgiveness from sin.

Accepting Christ

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Brethren: To understand Hebrews, we need to understand those addressed. The book of Hebrews has several different audiences. The audience is not just believing or struggling Hebrews, but also those who are searching. Brethren, “adelphos” can refer to spiritual as well as ethnic brothers. The Hebrews’ audience, the “brethren”, were related by a common blood, a common faith, and a common spiritual heritage. When Christ died, the way was open for the Jewish nation to have access to Holy of Holies, not in shadows, but in actuality. Believers have the ability to enter Heaven and petition God, before his throne.


Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.


Hebrews 4:16

The division between obedient and believing “Brethren” and disobedient and unbelieving “Brethren” is demonstrated in the 10th chapter.

In Hebrews 10:25 and 10:39 a distinction is made between these two groups of brethren.

· “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some” 10:25

· 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. 10:39

Here the writer makes a distinction between these two groups. One group forsakes the “assembling of ourselves together” and “draw back to perdition”. The other group believes to the saving of the soul. Both groups are addressed in the 10th chapter.

Having boldness: To enter God’s presence is a bold act, The High Priest could only enter the “Most Holy”, on the Day of Atonement. But with Christ sacrifice, God’s presence is available to all those who are sanctified by the “Blood of Christ” who have the gift of Christ’s righteousness.

Enter the Holiest: In the Law, the “Most Holy” is the room that 10 by 10 cubits, where the “Arc of the Covenant” rests, where God’s “Presence” would dwell. This was only available to the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. This was also a shadow of the reality to come. The reality was fulfilled by Christ’s death, now we have direct access to God’s throne. The blood of Christ has opened the door to God’s presence, contrasted to the blood of bulls and goats, which could not.

Successful Christian Living

Verses 22-25

Let us: The writer is addressing the fellow believers and giving instructions on successful Christian living. We all have power with God in Christ, but to utilize this power requires we approach his throne in Holiness. The Holy Spirit, through Hebrews gives us the reality, which was prefigured in the shadow.

1. Draw Near: The right to draw near to God’s presence was at a great cost. The death and humiliation of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, opened our way. We need to comprehend this privilege. Before we approach God’s Holiness there are some steps we need to take.

a. True Heart: We need to be honest and true. We cannot deceive ourselves.

b. Full assurance of faith: We need to believe fully in God’s promises.

c. Hearts sprinkled: We need to confess our own sinfulness, repenting from our evil thoughts.

d. Body washed: We need confess and repent from bodily sins as well as sins from the heart.

2. Hold Fast: We need to persevere in our faith, not giving up when trials or persecutions come our way.

a. The confession: Our hope is Christ, we need to turn to Him.

b. Without wavering: We must train ourselves to not be moved by circumstances. Many times God allows circumstances to test our faith, because through them He is glorified.

3. Consider one another: Our relationship with God, is related to our relationship to those who are made in His image. (I Corinthians 13) How can we serve God’s kingdom through his people. There are four ways mentioned here.

a. Stir up love: Be an instrument, or as the Greek word paroxusmovß Paroxusmos means, be an irritant for “Agape” or charity. Be proactive in charity.

b. Stir up good works: Be also an instrument to cause the brethren to cause good.

c. assembling ourselves: Church, Bible Studies, Fellowship and service with others.

d. Exhorting one another: Come along the side of others, help and encourage those who are struggling.



Apostasy: Rejecting Christ



26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people." 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. 35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Sinning willfully

Verses 26-2
If we: The writer of Hebrews is referring to his total audience made up of both Jewish believers and non-believers. The non-believers have heard the message of the Gospel, and some have even responded and suffered for Christ. (Verse 33).

Sin willfully: The sin referred to here is the sin of apostasy, turning from the faith, rejecting Christ after hearing the message. Judas Iscariot is the best example of a New Testament apostate, others include Demas (II Cor. 4:10) and Hymenaeus and Alexander (I Tim. 1:20).

Many who hear and respond do not necessarily respond to the biblical “Jesus” but to a other Jesus. Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Muslims all have a Jesus in their respective faiths. Their Jesus however, is different from the Jesus of the Bible, and each other.

After we have received knowledge of the truth: The Greek word for knowledge here is ejpivgnwsiß Epignosis meaning precise and correct knowledge used in the New Testament, of the knowledge of things ethical and divine, contrasted to “Gnosis” which means general knowledge. Judas knew Christ, he lived with Christ, saw the miracles, ate with him and talked with him. Judas turned from Christ, and betrayed Him. The Hebrew Christians were experiencing the same, some were turning back and no longer in fellowship (verse 25, 39).

The truth received by Judas and the other apostates is precise, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, Son of God, who died for our sins and was resurrected on the third day.

No longer: If Christ is rejected, there is no other option available to the apostate. Christ is the exclusive and only way to God.

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.John 14:6

Certain…judgment: Without Christ, there is certain judgment. There is no way to escape judgment for sins. Everyone who dies in their sins will pay for their sins.

Consequences of apostasy

Verses 28-34

rejected Moses' law: The law required 2 to 3 witnesses to put someone to death for violating the law of Moses. (Deuteronomy 17:7) Those who turned against the Law of Moses, faced God’s wrath, those who turn against Christ will also face God’s wrath. Jesus indicated the judgment on the cities and towns of Judah would be severe for rejecting his salvation.

21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 "But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."Matthew 11:21-2

Of how much worse punishment: The wrath of God is on the cities that rejected Christ. In the same way, those who “apostate” from the faith will face a greater judgment then those who never heard, the greater the knowledge the greater the responsibility.

trampled the Son of God underfoot: By turning against Christ, they are rejecting his sacrifice, they are counting it as a common and unworthy event.

he was sanctified: The blood of Christ is what sanctifies the believer. The question many ask is was the apostate ever saved prior to apostasy?

There are several viewpoints on this issue. Each with its own following, here are three.

1. Salvation can be lost.

James Burton Coffman writes the following regarding this verse.

This is a return to the warning uttered in Heb. 6 regarding the final and total apostasy of persons who were once true Christians, concerning whom it was affirmed that it "is impossible" to renew them. Here, the reason for that impossibility is stated in the fact that the rejection of Christ's one sacrifice can only result in the sinner's being left with none at all, "there remaineth no more a sacrifice"! Of course, it would be a mistake to construe every stronghearted and presumptuous sin as "an eternal sin," although the danger that it might become so should never be overlooked.[1]

2. Apostasy of believers will be judged with temporal judgment.(Earthly)

Walvoord and Zuck, write regarding this verse;

The words “Sanctified him” refer to true Christians. Already the writer to the Hebrews has described them as “Made Holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (10:10) and as “Made perfect forever” through this sanctifying work (v. 14)….The author’s whole point lies in the seriousness of the act. To treat “the blood of the covenant” (which actually sanctifies believers) as though it were an “unholy” (koinon, “Common” thing and to renounce its efficacy, is to commit a sin so heinous as to dwarf the fatal infractions of the Old Covenant. To this, an apostate adds the offense of insulting the Spirit of grace who originally wooed him to faith in Christ. This kind of spiritual rebellion clearly calls for a much worse punishment then the capital penalty that was inflicted under the Mosaic setup.
But again the writer was not thinking of hell.[2]

3. Those referred to here were not saved, but only seemed so.

Judas, was with Christ and his disciples, except for Christ they had no idea he was lost. From the beginning, Christ knew Judas was lost and did not believe even though he was a witnesses. He heard the Gospel and received the knowledge of truth. The Gospel never went further then his head, his heart never received Christ as savior.

70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve. John 6:70-71

Scripture clearly indicates, those who are truly saved cannot be lost, but those who turn away were never really saved. Their turning away, “Their Apostasy” is merely only the manifestation of their true state.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. I John 2:19

The writer of Hebrews is warning both Hebrew believers and seekers here, what is at stake. There but were view as part of the Hebrew body of believers. Both are addressed in this chapter. The writer distinguishes the saved clearly in the last verse by declaring

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:39

are two distinct groups indicated in verses 25 and 39. The apostates are not saved.

In Matthew’s record of what is commonly called The Sermon on the Mount, these words of Jesus are recorded: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matthew 5:17-18).

It is frequently argued that if Jesus did not “abolish” the law, then it must still be binding. Accordingly, such components as the Sabbath day requirement must be operative still, along with perhaps numerous other elements of the Mosaic Law. This assumption is grounded upon a misunderstanding of the words and intent of this passage. Christ did not here suggest that the binding nature of the law of Moses would remain forever in effect. Such a view would contradict everything we learn from the balance of the New Testament record (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15). Consider the following points.

Of special significance in this study is the word rendered “abolish.” It translates the Greek term kataluo, literally meaning to “loose down.” The word is found seventeen times in the New Testament. It is used, for example, of the destruction of the Jewish temple by the Romans (Matthew 26:61; 27:40; Acts 6:14), and of the dissolving of the human body at death (2 Corinthians 5:1). The term can carry the extended meaning of “to overthrow,” i.e., to “render vain, deprive of success.” In classical Greek, it was used in connection with institutions, laws, etc., to convey the idea of “to invalidate.”

It is especially important to note how the word is used in Matthew 5:17. In this context, “abolish” is set in opposition to “fulfill.” Christ came “...not to abolish, but to fulfill.” The meaning is this. Jesus did not come to this earth for the purpose of acting as an opponent of the law. His goal was not to prevent its fulfillment. Rather, he revered it, loved it, obeyed it, and brought it to fruition. He fulfilled the law’s prophetic utterances regarding Himself (Luke 24:44). Christ fulfilled the demands of the Mosaic law which called for perfect obedience, or else imposed a “curse” (see Galatians 3:10,13). In this sense, the law’s divine design will ever have an abiding effect. It will always accomplish the purpose for which it was given.

If, however, the law of Moses bears the same relationship to men today, in terms of its binding status, as it did before Christ came, then it was not fulfilled, and Jesus failed at what He came “to do.” On the other hand, if the Lord did accomplish what He came to accomplish, then the law was fulfilled, and it is not a binding legal institution today. Further, if the law of Moses was not fulfilled by Christ, and thus remains as a binding legal system for today, then it is not just partially binding. Rather, it is a totally compelling system. Jesus plainly said that not one “jot or tittle” (representative of the smallest markings of the Hebrew script) would pass away until all was fulfilled. Consequently, nothing of the law was to fail until it had completely accomplished its purpose. Jesus fulfilled the law. Jesus fulfilled all of the law. We cannot say that Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system, but did not fulfill the other aspects of the law. Jesus either fulfilled all of the law, or none of it. What Jesus' death means for the sacrificial system, it also means for the other aspects of the law.





What happened on the day of Christ’s crucifixion in relationship to the Law, the sacrificial system, temple, and priesthood?
The Prophecy of what would happen on the death of Jesus Christ was given in the Book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 61:1 ".......To proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

Jesus gave a parable (Lk. 16:19-31) about the rich man and the poor beggar Lazarus, where both of them die. The beggar Lazarus is carried by the Angels into "Abraham's bosom (also called Paradise). The rich man went to hell. This shows that hell itself was divided into two sections. In one there was torment, in the other, there were prisoners being held without torments. It is to these prisoners that Jesus would appear during those three days between death and rising from death.

From the time that Jesus was hanging on the cross until He rose from the dead, the following events happened. (I believe in the following order.)

Luke tells us that Jesus told one of the thieves that he will be with him (Jesus) in Paradise that day. Jesus does not say heaven, he says Paradise which we saw above is in a part of hell.

Lk. 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

Jesus dies.

Mt. 27:50 "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost."

Then:

The Vail of the temple is torn in two from the top to the bottom - - there is an earthquake where rocks split -- Taken in the order given, the tearing of the Vail, which was very thick, opened the Holy of Holies to man. We no longer have to have a priest to approach God for us, We are now allowed to go before God ourselves. And then there was an earthquake which opened the graves.

Mt. 27:51 "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent."

There were graves that were opened up in readiness for the saints to come out of the graves AFTER Jesus rose from the dead.

Mt. 27:52 "And the graves were opened;..........."

Jesus went into hell.

Eph. 4:9-10 "(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)"

Jesus then preached to those being held in prison (Paradise or Abraham's bosom).

1 Pe. 3:19 "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison."
1 Pe. 4:6 and Jn 5:25 makes it clear that these prisoners Jesus is preaching to are the dead.

All those who truly worshipped God. They were unable to enter heaven because It is ONLY through Jesus that anyone can enter heaven, and then not until after Jesus died to atone for our sins. Therefore all of the Old Testament worshipers of God could not enter into heaven until they could accept Jesus Christ. They were held prisoner in hell, sheol, paradise, Abraham's Bosom. (Take your pick, they are all the same place.)

Acts 4:10-12 "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
1 Pe 4:6 "For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."
Jn. 5:25 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live."

In quoting David (Psa 16:10), tells us that Jesus, even though he goes into hell, that his soul will not stay there, and his body will not see corruption (decay).

Acts 2:27,31 "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (31) He, seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell , neither his flesh did see corruption."

Jesus took the keys of death and hell away from Satan, meaning that Satan could no longer cause the death of anyone and could only bring someone into hell with the permission of Jesus Christ.

Rev. 1:18 "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death."

Now Jesus rises from the dead

Mk. 16:9 "Now when Jesus had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils."
Lk. 24:6 "He is not here, but is risen! Remember how he spoke unto you when he was yet in Galilee."

The saints who were dead now come out of their graves and walk in the city.

Mt. 27:52-53 "......and many bodies of the saints that slept arose. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."



Out line a sermon or Bible lesson from the story of the “golden calf”.
Moses has been on the mountain for forty days. That is over a month. Remember that no one had told the people how long Moses was going to be away. It is perhaps not so surprising that the people began to wonder if he was ever coming back. Once they came to the conclusion that Moses was never coming back, their response becomes quite understandable. In the ancient world, a community was bound together by religion. The way to hold a community together was through a common faith, and perhaps even more strongly, through a common ritual. If you don't share the same beliefs and practices, then it will be very difficult to live together.

Think about the various civil wars that have erupted in the last decades. Civil wars are always about religion--at least in the broad sense. Without a common set of religious beliefs and practices, a community tends to fragment. With Moses gone, the leaders of the Israelite community are concerned to preserve unity. God has told them very clearly not to make any graven image (2nd commandment) so the action of making a golden calf is a direct repudiation of Moses as the covenant mediator.
This, after all, does make sense. If Moses has simply run off into the wilderness, then he is a faithless covenant mediator, and all that he taught them in Exodus 20-24 could be set aside. So the people have consistently rejected Moses as covenant mediator, and rejected the revelation of the Ten Commandments. They come to Aaron and urge him to make gods for them. He commands them to give him all their earrings of gold, and he carefully fashions a golden calf.
Note the different responses of the people and of Aaron: These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD. The people are intent upon worshiping new gods. Aaron is trying to convince them to worship the same god through forbidden practices. Aaron then leads the people in worship (v6) through offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, and after they shared the covenant meal together they rose up to play (combining idolatry with adultery).
Notice the difference between the worship of Exodus 19-24 and that of Exodus 32. In the first it is God who initiates the covenant with his people; in the second it is the people who initiate the covenant with an idol. In the first the Word of God (the book of the covenant) explains and interprets the sacrifices (the blood of the covenant); in the second God is silent and man must interpret the ritual for himself. In the first God commands his people to abstain from sexual intercourse for three days; in the second the result is a shameful orgy. In the first there is an overwhelming sense of the holiness of God; in the second there is an overwhelming sense of the primacy of man. In the first redemption takes center stage; in the second human desire takes center stage.
This is a fair contrast between God's covenant, and all idol covenants; between the worship of God and all idolatrous worship.
Verses 7-10 describe God's response to this sort of worship, and in verse 10 God says: [read].
God declares that he intends to destroy the Israelites and then will make Moses into a great nation. Why does Moses respond the way he does? Why doesn't Moses submit to the will of God? Why does Moses challenge God himself? This passage has puzzled generations of scholars. Is God simply testing Moses? Does God really mean what he says? Would he really have destroyed Israel and made a great nation out of Moses?
To help us understand what God is doing, let us recall his visit to Abraham where he reveals his intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham also challenges God. In that case there were not even ten righteous men in Sodom, so the judgment on Sodom stood. But Moses is simply following in the footsteps of his illustrious forebear in challenging God's intentions.
But why? Why do Abraham and Moses challenge God's intentions? Doesn't this seem a bit preposterous? But remember that Abraham and Moses are both covenant mediators. A covenant mediator speaks to man on behalf of God, but also speaks to God on behalf of man. To put it another way, the covenant mediator is a member of the divine council. The scriptures frequently speak of God consulting with angels or with himself, but also in these passages God consults with man. Adam, after all, was created as the son of God. It is not that God needs man's counsel (any more than he needs angelic councillors), but rather, out of his pure grace, God has chosen to give this honor to his creatures.
Moses, therefore, like Abraham before him, has been given an opportunity to stand in the council of heaven and advise God. This is no place for false modesty, and so Moses comes straight to the point: (v11-13). Moses believes the promises of God. If God is to remain faithful to his promises, then he cannot act in this fashion. Did God need Moses to remind him of this? Of course not! But God revealed his anger to Moses, so that Moses (and we) might understand his wrath against sin. Israel deserved to be stricken from the face of the earth. Moses, as the only faithful Israelite, would take their place as the son of God. But Moses desired no such blessing, because if God would destroy all those who sinned against him, then the descendants of Moses would fare no better than the descendants of Jacob When we see our sin, when we understand the righteousness of God, and what we deserve from him, then our only refuge is in the promise of God. Because now Jesus Christ, the mediator of a better covenant, is seated at the right hand of God for us! Now, we have one who intercedes for us, and pleads before the throne of grace, by the power of his own blood. Now, there is a man who sits in the divine council forever! And so brings eternal life to those who believe in him, and call upon his name.
V14--You might think that this would be the end. God has relented from bringing disaster--isn't that all? No. God will preserve his people, Israel, but he must still deal with their sin. And now Moses, the one who had interceded on their behalf, speaking to God on behalf of man, must now take the lead in speaking to man on behalf of God. Moses came down the mountain and broke the two tablets on the ground. The covenant was broken. The Ten Commandments--which are the covenant of God with Israel--had been violated. Not just by an individual (that could be covered by a sacrifice), but by the whole community. In the covenant at Sinai, individual covenant breaking could be dealt with, but if the whole community broke the covenant together, there was no redress. Israel was the son of God. As long as the community was faithful, individual faithlessness could be dealt with. But what happens when the community itself was faithless?
First Moses burnt the calf, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. The bitter waters are to be a reminder of the results of idolatry--and a foretaste of judgment to come. Then Moses turns to Aaron: 21-24. Aaron's response is pitiful. He sounds like a child trying to convince his parents that it was an accident. A high priest who allows the people to convince him to make a graven image less than six weeks after the commandment was given, is not the sort of high priest that we need! Then Moses calls out (v26-28). The Levites come and slaughter 3,000 of their neighbors out of zeal for the Lord. This is their corporate ordination to the priesthood (not individual consecration). Their faithfulness to Yahweh, in the midst of the idolatry, results in the blessing that they will now serve in the tabernacle and temple as long as Israel exists as a covenant people. Finally, Moses returns to the mountain and seeks to make atonement for the people. Notice how he does this: v31-4.
Moses pleads with God to forgive Israel, and note the way he puts it: "If not, please blot me out of the book that you have written." If you will not forgive Israel, then blot me out of the Book of Life as well. God's response makes it clear that this approach is not possible: "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book."
What does this mean? What is this "book" that God has? In Ps 56:8 David says that "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" Every action of God's people is included in God's book. Ps 139:16 echoes this language, speaking of being knit together in the womb where "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them." This demonstrates that the future is contained in God's book. Ps 69:28 speaks of the wicked, saying, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous," which suggests that God's book has something to do with life, and only the righteous should be enrolled on it.
BUT, there may be some wicked in God's book for a time. They will be blotted out, but while they live, they may temporarily have their name in God's book. (See also Ezek 13:9.) Dan. 12:1 speaks of the future deliverance of Israel, where "your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book." In other words, those covenant breakers whose names have been blotted out, will have no place in the final deliverance of the people of God. Those who remain a part of the covenant people, faithful even unto death, they will see the deliverance. Mal 3:16: "The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. 'They shall be mine,' says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him."
The point of this book, therefore, is eschatological. In the end, it will only contain the names of the righteous. In Luke 10:20 Jesus speaks of this book, saying, "rejoice that your names are written in heaven." In Phil 4:3 Paul speaks of his fellow laborers in Colossae, "whose names are in the book of life." Rev. 3:5: "The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life." The implication is plain. There are those who are blotted out of the book of life--namely, the apostates who turn against God and rebel. So far it may not sound too comforting. But hear this: Rev. 13:8 speaks of the authority of the beast over "everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain." In other words, the elect have had their names written in the book of life from before the foundation of the world. Rev. 17:8 makes the same sort of statement. Rev. 20:12-15 explains the purpose of this book. God has books that contain everything that everyone has done. If your name is found in the book of life, then you will live forever. If your name is not found there, you will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Here is the simple way to understand all this: Before the foundation of the world, God wrote all the names of the elect in his book. Then in the course of history, God writes all the names of all those who become members of his covenant. All of the elect are included since all of the elect do, in fact, come to faith. But there are also some members of the covenant who are not elect. Their names are also written down in God's book. But because they do not have the grace of perseverance, they fall away. They rebel against God, break his covenant, and are blotted out of the book of life. They go out from us, because they never really were a part of us. Their names were not inscribed in the book of life from the foundation of the world; they were temporarily inscribed for the purpose of being blotted out. As Paul puts it in Romans 11:7-8, "What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day. '" Or as he says in 1 Cor 10:11-12, "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." Or to put it simply, as Revelation 13:10 puts it in the context of the book of life: Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
The promise that the elect will endure to the end ought to encourage us to believe God's promises, and endure. For no temptation has seized you except that which is common to man, and God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. Yes, our Savior has been bodily absent for 2,000 years (much longer than Moses' 40 days!). But he has left us the promise of his return in his Word, and the token of that promise is found in the Lord's Supper. Because after exhorting the Corinthians to avoid the pattern of Israel's rebellion, Paul turns their eyes to the Table. If you are going to avoid the idolatry of Israel in the wilderness, then you need a better covenant meal than they had. "The cup of blessings that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?" "The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."

You see, it is a common faith and a common ritual that hold the community together. If the people of God are to escape the temptation to idolatry, then we must be united around God's Word and the Lord's Supper. If we are to live as a faithful covenant community, then we must find our identity in Christ, as he is communicated to us in the Word and in the sacraments. Acts 2:42 describes the central focus of the apostolic church: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the prayers.

Relate the daily duties of the priest in the temple service to our daily duties as New Testament priests.
PRIESTHOOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

One of the basic principles of Israel was that they were in a covenant relationship with their God. Since God was viewed as being holy, the nation of Israel was also to be holy,
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. ( Lev. 11:44,45)
The responsibility of maintaining the nations proper relationship with God was vested in prophet, priest, and king. Our focus, however will be on the priest and the priesthood system.
The usual Hebrew term for priest is kohen. The Hebrew Bible uses the same term to refer to Melchizedek (Gen. 12:18). The word "priest? appears over 700 times in the Old Testament and over 80 times in the New Testament.
The sacramental duties of Israel?s religion by three groups: the high priest, ordinary priests, and Levites. All three descended from the tribe of Levi. All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. The lowest order of service was performed by the Levites who cared for the service of the sanctuary. They took the place of the first-born who belonged by right to God (Ex. 13:2,12,13). The sons of Aaron, who were sanctified for the special office of the priest, were above the Levites. They alone could minister at the sacrifices of the altar. The highest level of the priesthood was the high priest. He represented the purity of the priesthood. He bore the names of all the tribes of Israel on his breastplate into the sanctuary representing all the people before God (Ex. 28:29). Only the high priest could enter the most holy place and he entered one day a year to make atonement for the sins of the entire nation. The main function of the high priest was to administer and direct the sacrificial system. The high priest alone was allowed to go behind the veil of the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:2). He dealt with the sin offerings whose blood was brought into the sanctuary of the temple (Lev. 4:3-21). The high priest responsibilities included the sacrificial activities that took place inside the temple, either with his direct involvement or under his supervision. The restrictions on the high were more pronounced than those applying to the ordinary priest.
The ceremonies connected with the consecration of the priests are described in chapter 29 of Exodus and chapter 8 of Leviticus. They included bathing, anointing, clothing and sacrifices. The washing was to symbolize the cleansing of the heart for the duties that were so intimately related to the purity of the nation before God. The anointing (Lev. 8:10,11) involved poring oil on the head of the high priest and the sprinkling of oil on the garments of the other priest. The consecration sacrifices included a sin offering, burnt offering and a special consecration offering ( Lev. 8:14-32). Ram?s blood was applied to the right ear, thumb, and toe of Aaron and his sons to symbolize complete holy consecration to God.
In Israel, the priesthood represented the nation?s relationship with God. The intention of the Mosaic covenant was for the entire nation to be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6; Num.15:40). The phrase " kingdom of priests" may therefore speak of Israel?s mission as that of bringing other nations to the Lord. The phrase may also mean that each Israelite was to enjoy access to God ( Ex. 19:6; Num. 15:40). The covenant of God was mediated through the priesthood. In biblical theology the concepts of priesthood and covenant are closely related. Because of the covenant of Sinai, Israel was meant to be a kingdom of priests and holy nation (Ex. 19:1-6).
In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.


Priestly Duties and Responsibilities

The function of the priest was primarily concerned with offering sacrifices on the altar in the temples. This included the sprinkling of blood and burning portions of sacrifices. The priests also blessed the people in the name of God (Dt. 10:8; 21:5). Such responsibilities were an important part of the convental relationship between God and Israel. The priests were involved in the treatment and assessment of impurity. The priests dealt with impurities and diseases as a regular part of their profession. The continued presence of impurity would eventually undermine their sacrificial system and the status of their holiness as representatives of the people.
An important function of the priest was to discover the will of God by means of the ephod (I Sam. 23:6-12). The priestly activities also included oracles given for a variety of purposes, from military advice to judging and instructing the people on matters of tribal customs and behavior (Judges 18:5).


PRIESTHOOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

For The most part the priests in the New Testament are extensions of what one finds in the Old Testament. References to priests occur most frequently in the Gospels, where priest are involved in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Also they are found in Acts, where they interact with the apostles and finally in the book of Hebrews where the priesthood of Jesus stands in contrast to the Jewish priesthood.

The Priesthood of Christ

The letter to the Hebrews develops the point of Jesus? priesthood more fully. He starts with the basic notions of priesthood. A priest is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God (Heb. 5:1). His ultimate purpose is to bring men to God (Heb 7:25) and thereby bring them to completion (Heb. 10:14). The way he brings men to God is by offering sacrifices for sins (Heb 5:1). Yet, the earthly priests suffered from the same weaknesses as those they assisted (Heb. 4:15; 5:1; 7:11). This turns out to be the limitation of the Old Testament system. An imperfect priest can only offer imperfect sacrifices (Heb. 9:11-14; 10:1-4).
Jesus perfectly fulfills the role of the priest (Heb. 4:14-5:10; 7:11-8:6; 9:1-10:18). Jesus was sinless; therefore, He is a perfect and eternal high priest. Because He was tempted like all men (Heb. 4:15), He can be sympathetic. Jesus learned obedience through suffering so that being perfected he might be a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:6-10). God had promised that the Messianic king would be " a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4). Such a promise indicates the imperfection of the Aaronic order (Heb. 7:11-14). It is Jesus who perfectly fulfills this promise.
The end result of Jesus? priestly ministry is death to the old system, because Christ now indeed brings men to God and eternal redemption is secured whereby one has continual and confident access to God (Heb. 4:16; 6:19,20; 7:25; 10:19-22).


THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

In the Old Testament the priesthood was not universal. All Israelites were not priests, but the Old Testament exclusivism is not part of the New Testament. All those wearing the name Christian are honored by God as a holy and royal priesthood offering through Jesus Christ, not literal but spiritual sacrifices well pleasing to God (I Peter. 2:5,9). One can not read the New Testament and fail to see that Christians today are priests.
The words of God to Israel in Exodus 19:6, "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." Are applied to the church in the New Testament (I Peter 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). In I Peter 2:5, believers as priests are to worship God, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." In Revelation 1:5-6, " And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Also John recorded a doxology to the slain but risen Lamb because He had bought with His blood people of all nations and had made them priests to God (Rev. 5:9-10). These priests devote their life to Him alone. Thus the New Testament, instead of exalting a priestly class, looks upon all Christians as priests.
Jesus Christ has made every worshiper of Him a priest and He intends to make men feel a personal relationship to God. " To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (I Peter 2:4,5).
Every man who receives something from the divine hand is then made a steward who is responsible for passing it on to others. This means that the love, wisdom, strength, and purity of God are to be seen in the lives of His priests.



Meditate on the sequence of events listed Exodus and Leviticus starting with Israel’s slavery, their exodus, Mt Sinai, Law, tabernacle, priest, sacrifices, cloud & fire, etc. What are some of the spiritual insights you have gained as you have study Exodus and Leviticus?
The Exodus not only provides insights, but also clear and concise application. It is for everyone who wants to understand better what God says to us in his Word. Exodus chapters 19-40, covers the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai and the institution of the Old Testament system of worship, culminating in the consecration of the tabernacle, the visible symbol of God's presence with his people. The account which began with Israel enduring oppression and in slavery to Pharaoh concludes with them enjoying freedom and traveling to the land of promise with the only true God present with them and leading them.

Leviticus is the third of the five Old Testament books ascribed to Moses. It is also called "The book of the Law of the Priests" in that it contains very little historical information, but is mostly priestly legislation and the practice of the law among the people. It records God's instructions, given at Sinai, for worship by His people. In Chapter 8:1-36, Aaron's sons are ordained. Aaron is of the tribe of Levi, and this defines the Levites from now on as being the priests for Israel.

In Chapter 9:1-24, the sacrificial system is defined as the method for the people to seek forgiveness and re-establish God's acceptance. This practice or covenant stood until Jesus came to be the final all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of all. Only through forgiveness and atonement, can a right relationship with God be attained. In Chapter 23, the various 'feasts' were defined. These include the 'Sabboth', 'Passover', 'First fruits', 'Feast of Weeks', 'Feast of Trumpets', 'Day of Atonement', and 'Feast of Tabernacles'. Hanukkah, or the 'Feast of Lights' was added much later after 164 B.C., just before the time of Jesus.