The Census Tax

 

 

Exodus 30:11-16

 

October 22, 2024

 

The Census Tax

The Lord said to Moses,  “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.  Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.  Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering.  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives.  You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”

 

What is a Census, and why did God require it of the people of Israel?   A census is used for many reasons today: to count the people in a nation and gather information, but was that what God required them to do? 

 

You may have noticed the requirement was for 20 years and up, and that rich and poor were counted equally.  I believe that it served two purposes: first and most important, as a reminder of who they were and who God was.  It reminded them of slavery and freedom, of a God who was the giver of life to them, and death to the army of Egypt.  So first and foremost, a reminder that God is the only God, and they are the created.

Second, to provide for the priest and those who minister before the Lord.

What should you and I regurgitate from this? Could it just be “It's not about us”; we are the created, and God is the giver of all that we need.  But our flesh desires so much more; we are often drawn by the desires of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.  It is common to all people, not just people who are blind to the ways of God.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Altar of Incense

 

 

Exodus 30:1-10

 

October 19, 2024

 

The Altar of Incense

“You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.  A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.  You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.  And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it, you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.  You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.  And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.  And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it,  and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.  You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.  Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement, he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

Often, when it comes to understanding these truths, I need help, this is one of those times; I went to “Enduring Word”.

a. You shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony: The altar of incense stood outside the veil, in the holy place (not in the most holy place). Therefore, it was fairly close to the Ark of the Covenant, yet separated by the veil.

i. It was in the holy place of the tabernacle together with the golden lampstand and the table of showbread. “The table of showbread represented communion with God, the lampstand spoke of testimony to the world, and now the golden altar speaks of the offering of adoration.” (Morgan)

b. Where I will meet with you: Sprinkled throughout this description of the tabernacle and the furnishings were reminders of the purpose of the tabernacle. It was a place for man to meet with God.

c. Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning: Aaron (and other priests after him) were instructed to burn incense on this altar every day as part of their normal priestly duties, both in the morning and in the evening (when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it).

i. Incense is a picture of prayer, in the sweetness of its smell and the way it ascends to heaven (golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, according to Revelation 5:8, “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” The ministry at the altar of incense speaks of how God’s people should continually come to Him in prayer.

ii. Revelation 8:3-4, Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

 describes the golden altar of incense standing before God’s throne: Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

d. You shall not offer strange incense on it: Priests were not permitted to offer God whatever they wanted on the altar of incense. Strange incense was prohibited.

e. You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it: It was called the altar of incense, but an animal sacrifice or drink offering was never placed upon it.

i. Prayer is not the place sacrificial atonement is made; it is the place sacrificial atonement is enjoyed. We don’t save ourselves through prayer; we pray because of Jesus’ saving work on the cross.

f. Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement: The altar of incense was not a place of sacrifice, but it was a place for atoning blood. On the Day of Atonement, Aaron had to anoint the horns of the altar of incense with blood from the atoning sacrifice.

i. Once a year, the altar of incense received the blood of atonement, but it was a place where atonement was remembered and enjoyed, not made.

ii. This illustrates the principle that prayer does not atone for our sins but must always be made in reference to Jesus’ atoning blood. The Day of Atonement was only once a year, but every day when the priests brought a morning and evening offering of incense, they saw the blood-stained horns of the altar. This was a constant reminder of the work of atoning blood.

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Only Jesus

 

Only Jesus

God . . . is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, even Christ our Lord. 
—1 Corinthians 1:9 (TLB)

The question remains, “How can God be just-that is, true to Himself in nature and true to Himself in holiness-and yet justify the sinner?” Because each man had to bear his own sins, all mankind was excluded from helping, since each was contaminated with the same disease. The only solution was for an innocent party to volunteer to die physically and spiritually as a substitution before God. This innocent party would have to take man’s judgment, penalty, and death. But where was such an individual? Certainly, there was none on earth. There was only one possibility. God’s own Son was the only personality in the universe who had the capacity to bear in His own body the sins of the world. Only God’s Son was infinite and thus able to die for all.

Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, Lamb of God, in adoration I thank You for the love that made You willing to suffer and die on the cross for my sin.

From the Billy Graham Cove

The ordination of Aaron and his sons

 

Exodus 29: 22-34

 

October17, 2024

 

The ordination of Aaron and his sons

“You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination),  and one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord.  You shall put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.  Then you shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the Lord. It is a food offering to the Lord.

 “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion.  And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests' portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron's and his sons.  It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them.  The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, shall wear them seven days.

“You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.  And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting.  They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy.  And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remain until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

 

As you read this, what comes into your mind?  I once more thought about Moses on that mountain with Joshua, and all the details that God had required him to do and remember.  And my mind went to God's unchanging nature found in Malachi 3:6: "I, the LORD, do not change"; and Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" 

People also do not change, concerning Romans 3:21-24, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

 

We all enter the world with a sin problem, and we are condemned by the Law of God, but in Christ Jesus, we can experience the righteousness of God manifested apart from the law.  It is a verse many have read on the paper at “In-N-Out Burger.  But it is also found in the Bible, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Is that not the best news one can hear: that your creator loves you and has allowed His Son, His only Son, to take your guilt and sins to the Cross, and His blood covers all sin?  

 

Now, you do recall we show up on planet Earth with this sin problem, and its main focus is to get our needs met to the best of our ability. Many will look to religion to make them ok with God.  Many have not only joined churches, but have become active in Bible studies, and even become teachers or preachers.  Does that work?  Not according to the Word of God. Look at Ephesians 2: 8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”  Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

The apostle Paul, talking to the Church in Philippi, found in Philippians 3:8-12,  ^“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

 

That describes me up to the age of 26 years, a Baptist, a tither to some degree, who was doing everything I could to look good, but was getting my needs met outside of Jesus.  We are told that the agents who look for counterfeit money study the real thing.  That was how I came to know Christ, by attending a Bible study with 5 men who not only love Jesus but had Him living in them.  I knew a lot about Jesus from church since birth and believed He was God's only Son, born of a virgin, and died for the sins of all people.  But it was when I was exposed to the real thing that I saw that I was the counterfeit, one foot in the world, and put my hope in Church membership.  

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Consecration of the Priests

 

Exodus 29: 10-21

 

October 16, 2024

 

Consecration of the Priests

“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.  Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar.  And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.  But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

“Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar.  Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.

“You shall take the other ram and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.  Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons' garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons' garments with him.”

 

The LORD describes the sin offering required to atone for the sins of Aaron and his sons. Sinful and fallen people must be cleansed before they can minister in the presence of the holy God.  

 

Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. —By this symbolical action, which was commanded in the case of every sin offering; Leviticus 4:4, “He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter the bull before the LORD.” 

 Leviticus 4:29, “And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.”

 

Leviticus 16:21, "Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the wrongdoings of the sons of Israel and all their unlawful acts regarding all their sins; and he shall place them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands ready.”

 

The offeror identified himself with the animal and transferred to it the guilt of his own sins and imperfections. The animal thereby became accursed, and its death paid the penalty due to the sins laid upon it, and set free those who had committed them. Similarly, Christ, our sin offering, was “made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13): ^“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree '—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

Ellicott's Commentary

 

How often do we take for granted the act of Jesus becoming the Lamb that was slaughtered for our sins? Jesus took the full wrath of God's judgment for everyone who has ever sinned.  And many who go by the title of Christian have never grasped what the blood of Jesus did for them.  I did not for 26 years of age, till I saw a group of men who knew the Jesus I was only informed about.  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Consecration of the Priests

 

Exodus 29:1-9

 

October 15, 2024

 

Consecration of the Priests

“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish,  and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.  You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams.  You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.  Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breast piece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.  And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.  You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.  Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them,  and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus, you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

 

You may be wondering why it was important to do all of this, why not just have Moses declare Aaron and his sons as the priestly line?  For God ordained it, and they were the keepers of truth, till Jesus became our High Priest. By dying for the sins of all people, the veil is torn, and we have access to the Father.  

 

It is also important to understand that, unlike Aaron, some of the High Priests drop the ball; we have the example of Eli, whose sons were evil.  Others who were more interested in power and traditions, and the fear of losing it they also became foolish men.  The only source of Truth today is Jesus; the Scriptures are clear that all men are liars, and only God is truth.

 

From the Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice

The Priests' Garments

 

Exodus 28:31-43

 

October 14, 2024

 

The Priests' Garments

“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.  It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, so that it may not tear.  On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them,  a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.  And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

“You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’  And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban.  It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

“You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.

“For Aaron's sons, you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty.  And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.  You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs;  and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.

What is a follower of Christ: a person who, with the faith God has given them, and the grace to ask Jesus to forgive their many sins, and take over the management of their lives.  What does Scripture give as a title for that person?  Words that both the Church and the World are not comfortable with: the word Saint. The Catholic Church is made to be a person whose service to both God and people is exceptional.  Is that what God has said in the Scriptures?  The Scriptures are very clear that all who are in Christ are saints. 

“Got Questions” handles this very well; the following is some of what they said: “The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." It is almost always used in the plural, “saints.” "…Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). "Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda" (Acts 9:32). "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons …“ (Acts 26:10). There is only one instance of the singular use, and that is "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus…" (Philippians 4:21). In Scripture there are 67 uses of the plural “saints” compared to only one use of the singular word “saint.” Even in that one instance, a plurality of saints is in view: “…every saint…” (Philippians 4:21).

The idea of the word “saints” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. Three references refer to the godly character of saints: "that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints …" (Romans 16:2). "For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).

The other word is being called to be Holy and into the  Priesthood.  But Scripture addresses both of these; let’s begin with being holy.  1 Peter 1:15–16: "Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy because I am holy'"  Leviticus 20:7: "Be holy; for I, the Lord your God, am holy." And also in the book of Ephesians 1:4-6, “ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love  he predestined us^[a] for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”  How it is clear that we are saints that sin, so our holiness is not found in our action, but only when we allow and obey our Lord, for it is His holiness that makes us holy.

What about the word priest? Has God said you, as a follower of Christ, have been brought into the holy priesthood?  1 Peter 2:5-9 give a very clear picture of our calling: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So, the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”  and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

In my career as a professional salesman, I was trained to ask questions that would open the door to share what my product would do that exceeds what they were using or doing.  So here is the question: why do followers of Jesus not understand their identity in Christ?  And the second question is, if we do, why do we not act on it?

Could it be you are so busy with all the things of this world that you don’t have time to study the Scripture, to know who you are in Christ?  Maybe you are like the man who brought his son to be healed by Jesus and said, “IF” you can, please do so.  When Jesus addressed the “IF,” the man said, “I believe; help my unbelief.”  I find myself in need of getting my eyes off this dark and evil world and onto what Jesus calls me.  Could it be we just have an identity problem?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice