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Worship - reaching His rest
buildontherock
2021-04-172023-09-13

W hy would I call this mini series worship instead of servanthood or something along those lines? The Children of Israel had left Egypt for the purpose of being servants to God not worshippers.

Exodus 7:16 [KJV] And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
Exodus 8:1 [KJV] And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

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Worship - reaching His rest

A servant is someone who is owned by and looked after by another. The servant does only the will of his master by law. To worship goes even further. It is possible for a servant and master to be fundamentally equal. Worship comes in when one individual accepts his/her inferiority and submits to being in a fundamentally lower class. Bowing to the ground was one expression of worship.

Exodus 12:27 [KJV] That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

Worship is a matter of the heart not law. Law can only control actions not emotions. You cannot legislate worship because it is associated with admiration. You can legislate ritual but that is not true worship. Having brought them out of Egypt God began to instruct Israel in how to serve Him. They were to receive laws for interacting with each other and laws for interacting with Him. Laws for interacting with Him include what we know as expressions of ritualistic worship. In God's case ritualistic worship is supposed to teach us something.

In Exodus 20 God gave the Ten Commandments. The people were terrified and asked Moses to speak with God in the future and relay the information to them (Exodus 20:18-20). Moses encourages them by saying that God is showing that side of Himself so that they would not sin. Nevertheless Moses agrees to be the go-between.

Exodus 20:21-22 (KJV) And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

This as followed by other laws and Statutes. Exodus 20 ends with instructions for an altar of earth. In Exodus 21-23 God continues with various laws. Then in Exodus 24 Moses is called up to the mountain where he remains for forty days and forty nights. While on the mountain, in Exodus 25, Moses is instructed to build a Tabernacle.

Exodus 25:9 [KJV] According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

He is also instructed to create a separate priesthood under Aaron. This may well have been in response to the request of the people.

Exodus 20:18-19 [KJV] And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

But that is not necessarily the case. Up to then God was happy for the whole nation to be priests.

Exodus 19:6 [KJV] 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

And there were actual priests outside of Aaron.

Exodus 19:22-24 [KJV] And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. 23 And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 24 And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

So it was not an attempt to make Aaron the only priest but to set his family as the hereditary high priests.

Exodus 28:1 [KJV] And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons

The instructions continue until Exodus 32. Before he could begin construction Israel sinned with the Golden Calf.

Exodus 32:1-4 (KJV) And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

That led to Levi being the only tribe of priests. Following this the tribe was arranged so that Levi was the only tribe around the Tabernacle.

THE ASH HEAP

This brings us to where we start as Christians. The way to salvation begins outside the camp.

I Samuel 2:8 [KJV] He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORDS, and he hath set the world upon them.

The extract is from a prayer made by Hannah at the temple when she brought Samuel to Eli. She would have come to the place where the tabernacle was and hence where the offerings were disposed of.

There was no dunghill in ancient Israel to compare with the modern dump. That society either consumed or recycled everything. In addition a beggar would be kind of stupid to wait by a hill of putrefying refuse in the hope of encountering someone to give him aid. I believe that the dunghill was actually a ceremonially clean place where ashes were taken and refuse from offerings burned. There you would stand a good chance of encountering someone in a penitent mood who saw the need to have their sin extinguished.

Leviticus 4:12 [KJV] Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.
Leviticus 6:10-11 [KJV] And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.

The book of Hebrews clues us into how important such a place is spiritually. To be regarded as nothing by the world but pure to God is a path taken by Christ.

Hebrews 13:9-13 [KJV] Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

ASHES

Ashes are minerals that do not burn. People sometimes feel that the whole sacrifice was always consumed on the altar when in fact none of it was in some cases, but in every case there were some parts considered not worthy to be eaten or burned for various reasons. Those inedible parts were taken to a special place outside the camp and burned there. For large offerings, the vital organs and the fat (the ceremonial best) were burned on the altar but the rest that could not be eaten was burned outside the camp (Leviticus 4:8-12) in a clean spot. Leviticus 4 is actually the special case of a sin offering for a priest.

The ashes were always east of the altar i.e. as far from God as possible.

Leviticus 1:16 [KJV] And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:

Since the front of the tabernacle was the east end this would mean towards the gate. This is the first indication that these ashes are something that God wants as far away from Him as possible. We just read Leviticus 6:10-11 showing that only the priest could remove them and he took them to the ceremonially clean place but he could not do it in priestly garments.

Notice the second indication that these ashes are undesirable: they were taken outside the gate i.e. away from God's presence. The death of God's Son also took place outside the gate. Christ was condemned in the city but was crucified outside (maybe this is the clean place).

Does God want the ashes? The ashes were removed before the equipment was handled by the Levites.

Numbers 4:13-15 [KJV] And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: 14 And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers skins, and put to the staves of it. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

The red heifer is an exception. It was used as purification for defilement from a dead person.

Numbers 19:18-19 [KJV] And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

The whole of it was burned outside the camp in a ceremonially clean and otherwise unpolluted place and the ashes collected.

Numbers 19:9-10 [KJV] And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin. 10 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.

For other sacrifices everything that was consumed by the holy fire was eventually put in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. The blood represents life and the blood was removed first. Ashes seem to indicate completely dead and lifeless.

Normally grief, suffering and debasement were indicated by some ashes on the head, but in the Bible we find that there is also a symbolism of the actual coals and fire

Proverbs 25:21-22 [KJV]   If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:  22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
Romans 12:20 [KJV] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

The coals are what caused the sacrifice to burn to ash.

Song of Solomon 8:6 [KJV] Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love [is] strong as death; jealousy [is] cruel as the grave: the coals thereof [are] coals of fire, [which hath a] most vehement flame.

Malachi 4:1-3 [KJV] For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Coals and ashes are very different. Coals burn but contribute nothing to the smoke that we see because coal is carbon and carbon burns by turning into carbon dioxide which is colourless and odourless. Ashes are minerals that do not burn. We talk more of coals when we get to inside the Sanctuary.

Christ was taken outside the gate undeservedly but we come from the ash heap area naturally. We are dead spiritually and worthless except to God who gives life. We come from beyond the ash heap to approach the Sanctuary. The courtyard of the tabernacle was made of gleaming white curtains which contrasted with the black goat's hair tents of nomadic Israel. An alien would have to pass through the tents to reach it. The only way to do that safely would be to become an Israelite first.

THE TENT OF MEETING/ THE TABERNACLE

The Tabernacle picked up where the Law left off. Embodied in the Tabernacle is how we approach God. The story and the method has always been the same. I go into more deatail on the Tabernacle in another article.

God chose three ways to emphasize that the tabernacle was chosen and approved by him as His home, His safe place, His sanctuary. The Tabernacle was anointed with oil (Numbers 7:1). Anointing signifies a divine election and empowering by the Holy Spirit. The relationship and everything it covered was redeemed with blood (Hebrews 9:21). And finally God demonstrated his approval and sanctified it (identified it for holy use) by his Glory (Numbers 9:15). The cloud of God rested on it, by night and day during its abode in the wilderness (Numbers 9:15-16).

Numbers 9:15-16 [KJV] And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

Israel's movement was regulated by the cloud and fire (Exodus 40:36-37) hence the same God that lead them through the fire and cloud was with them in the tabernacle..

Moses was commanded to make the tabernacle after a pattern of things that relate to heaven (Hebrews 8:5)

Hebrews 8:5 [KJV] Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

He made it from the free-will offerings of the people (Exodus 35: 21-29). God did not leave anything of the construction up to chance (Exodus 31:2-7) but guided the hands of Bezaleel to do the intricate work (Exodus 31:2-7).

The dimensions of the Tabernacle are indirectly given in (Exodus 26:15-28) so again we see the option. From the size of the panels the dimensions of the tabernacle work out as 30 x 10 cubits. This was divided in two the Holy place 20 x 10 and the holy of holies 10 x 10. By various sources a cubit varies from about 18 to 21 inches. Eastons uses 18 inches for the calculations of the dimensions of the Tabernacle and I follow this because it is easy.

Eastons 1897 Bible Dictionary
Tabernacle
The tabernacle was a rectangular enclosure, in length about 45 feet (i.e., reckoning a cubit at 18 inches) and in breadth and height about 15. Its two sides and its western end were made of boards of acacia wood, placed on end, resting in sockets of brass, the eastern end being left open (Exodus 26:22). This framework was covered with four coverings, the first of linen, in which figures of the symbolic cherubim were wrought with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet threads, and probably also with threads of gold (Exodus 26:1-6; Exodus 36:8-13)...

It appears that each section of the layout is closer to God. The courtyard has no cherubim and would suggest that it represents things that relate to Earth. The Holy Place and the Most Holy Place are concealed. They are covered in cherubim picturing Heavenly things under God's protection. Since we cannot see beyond the courtyard let us see if the things there somehow relate to activities on Earth. Only selected people can approach the sanctuary. The first gate is protected by cherubim just as the Garden of Eden was. Mankind was shut out and only a few have been picked out to approach God since then. These are called the Israel of God. Once we are of Israel we have the option of worshipping at our tent door or drawing close. Drawing close means going through the first gate and the first thing that we encounter is the Passover. All of the sacrifices actually represent Passover which is the same as the crucifixion. It employs the sacrifice of Christ to save us from eternal death. Next we go to the bronze sea where we are bapized. All those coming into the service of the sanctuary were washed in the bronze sea. That is as much as is done on Earth. The rest must be done through the Holy Spirit. We can connect to the heavenly activity through prayer and study. That takes us beyond the second gate.

THE PRIESTS

The Tabernacle represents the place where God dwells or meets his people. The only person that could traverse the whole of the sanctuary was the High Priest. He actually met face to face only once a year but earlier Moses was able to meet regularly. The High priest was always the firstborn son and heir of the previous High Priest thereby provididng a continuous line. The High priest has other duties on the outside. Christ is our High Priest but what about the other priests. After Sinai all of the priests came form Aaron's line but that does not appear to have been God's original intention. Israel was to be a kingdom of priests.

Exodus 19:6 [KJV] 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.

Whover can come close to God is a priest.

Exodus 19:22 [KJV] And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

There were several priests that went up to Sinai but afterwards it was restricted to Aaron's family.

Exodus 28:1 [KJV] And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priests office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aarons sons.

Exodus 19:24 [KJV] And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

The levites were given to Aaron as his in place of the remainder of the firstborn of Israel

Numbers 3:9-13 [KJV] And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priests office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; 13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.

Every head of household was originally a priest because they were able to kill the Passover lamb.

Exodus 12:3 [KJV] Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

Since Sinai it has been a fuction only of the sons of Levi. Priests are the sons of Levi not Aaron

Deuteronomy 21:5 [KJV] And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:

Priests lived a life of service to God. Their lives were completely controlled by their responsibilities to the sanctuary. Christians are priests to God.

I Peter 2:9 [KJV] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

The objective of a Christian is to become a priest.

Revelation 1:6 [KJV] And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 5:10 [KJV] And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

As a result we journey from Passover to Baptism in order to be accepted.

THE GATES/CURTAINS/ENTRANCES

There were three entrance ways in the Tabernacle: the gate to the outer court (Exodus 27:16-19). the door to the Holy Place (Exodus 26:36-37; 36:37-38) and  the vail to the Holy of Holies/ Most Holy Place   (Exodus 26:31-33). All of the gates form a narrow straight line to the Ark and its Mercy Seat.

Matthew 7:13-14 [KJV] Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

In this passage the word straight in old English means narrow so it is emphasizing that the gate is not huge like those to the pagan Gods. Although the gates are narrow and there is a direct path most of us wobble around a bit except for at the gates.

The Tabernacle was divided by a veil (or curtain) of blue, purple and scarlet, which separated the holy place from the most holy place.

Exodus 26:31-33 [KJV] And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: 32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. 33 And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

The red would signify his blood, the ultimate sacrifice, and that is confirmed by the veil being torn at His crucifixion. The purple his sovereignty because as King He was entitled to rein with God within the veil. Blue apparently was similar to purple but was used by priests. It was used with all holy things and indicates that they are in the service of God, implying that it represents the Holy Spirit and anchors us to God (Hebrews 6:19). Notice that everything in the service of God had blue (Exodus 39, Numbers 4). The linen was of course righteousness. The veil was therefore Christ represented in sacrifice, sovereignty, service and righteousness.

It had 50 hoops.

Exodus 26:5 [KJV] Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.

Fifty is the countdown to freedom and unity with God as with the Jubilee and the count to the Second Omer or Pentecost. It was joined together by Jubilees which represent redemption by God.

The ceremonial garments of the High Priest was made of the same material as the curtain indicating that they were the same. Chist was the curtain Hebrews 10:20, 2 Corinthians 3:14.

Exodus 39:1 [KJV] And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Christ is the way and that is demonstrated in the Tabernacle. All of the entrances and designed in the same way. They have the same materials and the same colours.

The dimensions of the east side includes the gate. The width of the side was 75 feet and the two sides of the gate occupied 45 feet of that leaving an opening of 30 feet for the gate.  Numbers 3:38 records that Moses camped at the front (the side with the door) and that was on the east side.

Numbers 3:38 [KJV] But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

A person was constrained to enter the Tabernacle only through one gate, which was always located to the east (Numbers 3:38) therefore persons faced the west. This is the exact opposite of the still popular pagan practise of sun worshippers who always face east. This practice is to continue indefinitely.

Ezekiel 43:1-4 [KJV] Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

There is only one way to enter God's presence and that is through the gate to the court, then the gate to the Holy Place and finally the gate to the Most Holy Place. In each case there is only one gate and compared to the surrounding territory it is extremely small.

Only righteousness is expected to enter through the gates of the tabernacle

Psalms 118:19-20 [KJV] Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:  20 This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
Matthew 5:20 [KJV] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

in earlier times hard cases were referred to the sanctuary (compare Exodus 18:19-22; Deuteronomy 17:8; 19:16,18; Numbers 27:2,3, etc.).

The original sanctuary, the tent that Moses built, could be reached from any direction but now it is protected by the courtyard but in the future God will again be reached from any direction but again only through one of the tribes of Israel. What ensues that only the righteous enter is the same thing that did it since the Garden of Eden: cherubim. Cherubim are on all of the gates/curtains and you can read more on cherubim here where I deal with the imagery and symbols of angels .

THE COURT

The tent was enclosed by a court (Exodus 40:8). This court was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide (Exodus 27:18). It contained the brazen altar and laver of brass (Exodus 40:29-30). The court seems to represent Earth or Earthly things.To enter the court one needed to pass through the gate.

Exodus 27 13:16 KJV And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
Psalms 100 [KJV] Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

After we leave the ash heap, the court is where we come to perform our service to the Lord. In that regard it is like our journey from Egypt through wilderness to the Promised Land. God is there and leading us. Every activity is laid bare before Him. Out path leads straight to Passover, represented in the Brazen Altar, and then on to baptism, represented in the laver.

THE BRAZEN ALTAR

The altar is where we appeal tot he sacrifice of Christ. Through that sacrifice we become His and are lead by Him. Egypt offers solutions to our problems but they are temporary and cannot offer true life. A general description of the altar is given in Exodus 27.

Exodus 27:1-5 [KJV] And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. 5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. KJV

The brazen Altar is where the sacrifices were made. It measured 7 1/2 feet in length and breadth and 4 1/2 feet in height (Exodus 27:1). Its fire burned continuously (Leviticus 6:13) and the blood of sacrifices were put on the horns of it and poured at the foot (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7, 18, 25; Leviticus 8:15). This altar was placed in the court before the door of the tabernacle (Exodus 40:6, 29) while the altar of incense was placed in the holy place before the veil (Exodus 30:6; Exodus 40:5, 26). They seem to be necessary in order to gain access to God. They each figured in a key component, Incense.

The altar had four horns (v2). This suggests that it represents everywhere because four winds and four quarters are repeatedly used to represent everywhere. Consequently sacrifices at the altar cover everywhere.

Jeremiah 49:36 [KJV] And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
Matthew 24:31 [KJV] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

(Comp. Ezekiel 37:9 , Daniel 7:2 , Daniel 8:8 , Daniel 11:4 , Zech. 2:6 , Mark 13:27 , Rev. 7:1)

The altar symbolizes Passover and Christ's blood shed to cover the whole world (john 3:16).

Christ said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me , John 14:6 [KJV], so Christ is the only portal in the universe to God. The altar represents everywhere and is Christ just as the High Priest is Christ. The fire is Christ that consumes evil and simultaneously purifies the whole thing. God is fire (Deut. 4:24 , Deut. 9:3 , Hebrews 12:29), God's word is a fire (Jeremiah 23:29), Christ came to send fire on the earth (Luke 12:49) [KJV], the Holy Spirit is represented as fire (Matthew 3:11, Acts 2:3) an there are numerous other reference which associate Gods presence with fire (Exodus 14:19; Numbers 11:1-3; Judges 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10, 12; 2 Kings 2:11) including the famous burning bush (Exodus 3:2-5 , Acts 7:30) . So the priest serving at the altar is really keeping the way open to God.

The brazen altar had a grid (Exodus 27:4) which came to halfway up the altar (about 2 feet). Presumably the coals went under this grid and the meat remained on top. The ash collected at the bottom.

Blood represents life. Blood was poured at the base of the altar. In other places we see that the lives of saints are under the altar. An altar appears to be a high place or place where things take place in the sight of God. Stephen's death was represented in this way. The Bible pictures Christ on his feet over the incident.

Acts 7:55 [KJV] But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, [KJV]

The Temple was built by David/Solomon. It was more permanent and rested in the place where God placed His name but it was just an enhancement of the Tabernacle and on a larger scale.

THE LAVER

The laver of brass (also called the sea of brass in the Temple) contained water for the priests to wash with before coming before God.
Exodus 40:30 [KJV] And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

This to me is really strange and another one of those things that makes me want to understand what God was thinking. The laver was made from the mirrors of women who served at the door of the Tabernacle.

Exodus 38:8 [KJV] And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Also notice this statement in the New Testament

Ephesians 5:25-27 [KJV] Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

and this one

James 1:23-24 [KJV] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Then there is of course this one.

James 1:23-27 [KJV] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.  27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 

They all seem to go together and maybe they have to do with God requiring us to cleanse ourselves before we enter his presence.

The laver of brass was placed between the altar and the entrance to the tabernacle (Exodus 30:18; Exodus 40:7, 30) and the priests washed in the water from it before being conscripted (Exodus 40:12) before entering the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:19-20) and before approaching the altar (Exodus 30:20).

We are to be kings and priests. We are to be washed (baptized) before being conscripted but we must also do some washing.

John 13:8-10 [KJV] Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

Priests work with their hands in serving God's people so cleaning one's hands has to do with how we serve God. It must be uncontaminated by evil.

James 4:7-10 [KJV] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

So we end where we began with the ash heap. It is the ash heap attitude that endears us to God.There is also an association with women's mirrors.

Exodus 38:8 [KJV] And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

They would have seen themselves reflected in the water and the polished brass. We see ourselves in God's word and must fix anything wrong in order to continue serving God.