Daily Devotions
Exodus
"And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to keep them." Deuteronomy 28:13
Text: Exodus 40 : 9-11
THE ANOINTING OF THE TABERNACLE AND ALL ITS ARTICLES
There was an important piece of work that God wanted Moses to perform. He was commanded to anoint the Tabernacle and all the sacred articles used in worship.
“And you shall take the anointing oil,
and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it;
and you shall hallow it and all its utensils,
and it shall be holy.
You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering
and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar.
The altar shall be most holy. And you shall anoint the laver
and its base, and consecrate it.”
EXODUS 40:9-11
What was the significance of the work of “anointing”? The significance did not lay in the objects then! They remained mere objects! However, once these objects were anointed, they became consecrated to the Lord, and they were now considered sacred religious objects!
1. Anointing represents the work of God in consecrating the articles
Moses was representing the Lord in the work of anointing the tabernacle and all “the utensils”.
2. “You shall hallow it… and it shall be holy”
As soon as Moses hallowed the utensils by anointing them, they became “holy” or “sacred”.
3. “Consecrate the altar… anoint the laver”
Even these articles, found in the outermost part of the tabernacle, would become “most holy” once they were consecrated!
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO REGARD A SACRED OBJECT
When king David wanted to bring in the ark of the Lord into Jerusalem, he made a terrible mistake. Instead of getting the priests to carry the ark of the Lord by poles, he had his army turn out to lead the procession to Jerusalem. Enroute, the cart carried the ark of the Testimony, stumbled. Uzzah, one of David’s men, fearing that the ark would go crashing onto the floor, reached out his hand to steady it. Of necessity, he had to touch the ark of the Lord. He perished for his effrontery. His touch was considered profane! He was not a priest and therefore could not touch the ark of the Lord in any circumstances (Cf. 2 Samuel 6:1-8)!
This historical event serves as a classic example of how Israel was to regard the sacred objects of the Tabernacle.