Transcript [00:04] Shalom. Tell me, are you carrying the [00:07] names of your loved ones before God [00:09] every day? And is it even important? [00:12] We're going to find that out in this [00:14] week's Torah portion, which is Tets. [00:16] Now, last week's portion was Tumote. And [00:19] God started talking to Moses about the [00:24] pattern of the tabernacle, the Mishkan, [00:27] the place that would be in the middle of [00:29] the camp of Israel, which would be his [00:32] dwelling place. God always wanted to [00:35] dwell in the midst of his children. And [00:37] we know the calling that was on the [00:39] children of Israel. That calling is [00:41] found in Exodus 19:6. And it's, you [00:44] shall be to me a kingdom of priests and [00:47] a holy nation. But we know for anyone [00:51] Jew or Gentile who is in the Lord, we [00:54] also have a calling. And that's found in [00:57] First Peter chapter 2:9. And it says, [01:01] "But you are a chosen race, a royal [01:05] priesthood. We are the priesthood if we [01:07] are in him." And so this week's portion [01:10] is so important for us, a holy nation, a [01:15] people for God's own possession. [01:19] so that you may proclaim the [01:21] excellencies of him who has called you [01:24] out of darkness into his marvelous [01:27] light. That is our calling. And this [01:29] week we're going to be studying the [01:31] priest in this portion. And so it is so [01:34] relevant to us because it is a picture [01:37] for us and it is a pattern for us of [01:41] God's calling upon us. So this week's [01:44] portion title, it's Exodus 27:20 through [01:48] chapter 30:10. And there is an [01:50] additional Torah reading which is uh [01:53] Deuteronomy 25 17-19 because this [01:57] Shabbat is um Shabbat Zahor and it's the [02:01] Shabbat of Remembrance in preparation [02:04] for poor because we're coming right into [02:06] pur. The haftala is 1st Samuel 15:es [02:11] 2-34 [02:12] and the new covenant portion is Hebrews [02:15] 13 10-17. [02:18] So [02:20] starting right off in Exodus 27:20 [02:23] it says you shall charge the sons of [02:25] Israel that they bring you clear oil of [02:29] beaten olives for the light to make a [02:32] lamp burn continually. And remember last [02:35] week we were talking about that this [02:37] lampstand was in the holy place outside [02:40] of the holy of holy holy of holies. And [02:43] God says this lamp is to be burning [02:45] continually. And truly it applies to us [02:48] too because we know that we are supposed [02:50] to be his light. We are supposed to be [02:52] burning continually. And therefore we [02:55] need continuous oil which we get from [02:57] the Holy Spirit and we get from sitting [03:00] in God's presence with his word and [03:02] praying to him. what we were supposed to [03:04] be shining continually. In verse 21, it [03:08] says, "In the tent of meeting outside [03:10] the veil, which is before the testimony, [03:14] Aaron and his sons shall keep it in [03:17] order from evening to morning before the [03:19] Lord. It shall be a perpetual statute [03:21] throughout their generations for the [03:23] sons of Israel." Chapter 28. Then bring [03:26] near to yourself Aaron your brother and [03:29] his sons with him from among the sons of [03:31] Israel to minister as priests to me [03:34] Aaron Nadav and Aviehu Elie and itar [03:38] Aaron's sons you shall make holy [03:41] garments for Aaron your brother for [03:44] glory and for beauty. God loves beauty. [03:47] And as much as it is within our power to [03:50] make things beautiful, I think God loves [03:53] it when we do because it makes things it [03:56] makes our own lives so much better. And [03:57] we see that God appreciates beauty. He [04:01] appreciates order. [04:03] In verse three, it says, "You shall [04:05] speak to all the skillful persons whom I [04:08] have endowed with the spirit of wisdom [04:11] that they make Aaron's garments to [04:13] consecrate him that he may minister as a [04:16] priest to me." These are the garments [04:19] which they shall make a breast pe a [04:21] breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and [04:24] a tunic of checkered work, a turban and [04:27] a sash. And they shall make holy [04:29] garments for Aaron your brother and his [04:31] sons that he may minister as priests to [04:35] me. They shall take the gold and the [04:37] blue and the purple and the scarlet [04:39] material and the fine linen. Now we see [04:43] these these colors um gold and blue and [04:47] purple and scarlet. We see them over and [04:49] over in the work of the tabernacle. And [04:52] I think it makes for really interesting [04:54] study. In verse six, they shall also [04:58] make the effort of gold, of blue and [05:01] purple and scarlet material and fine [05:03] twisted linen the work of a skillful [05:06] workman. Now this effort as we as they [05:09] go through here you see there's so many [05:10] parts to this garment but among other [05:14] things uh the high priest he's wearing [05:16] this robe but above that robe he had [05:20] this what they call ephod which was this [05:22] beautiful u like checkered garment which [05:26] was on that they were going to put the [05:28] breastplate which we will see [05:31] in chap chapter 28:4 [05:35] uh these are the garments garments which [05:36] they shall make, a breastplate and a [05:38] effid and a robe and a tunic of [05:40] checkered work, a turban and a sash. And [05:42] they shall make holy garments for Aaron [05:44] your brother and his sons that they may [05:46] minister as a priest to me. They shall [05:48] take the gold and blue and the purple [05:50] and the scarlet and the fine linen. All [05:52] right. Verse six. They shall also make [05:55] the effort of gold and blue and purple [05:58] and scarlet material and fine twisted [06:00] linen the work of the skillful workmen. [06:04] It shall have two shoulder pieces joined [06:07] to its ends that it may be joined. The [06:10] skillfully woven band which is on it [06:13] shall be like its workmanship of the [06:16] same material of gold, of blue and [06:18] purple and scarlet material and fine [06:21] twisted linen. You shall take two onyx [06:25] stones and engrave on them the names of [06:28] the sons of Israel. six of their names [06:31] on the one stone and the names of the [06:34] remaining six on the other stone [06:36] according to their birth. As a jeweler [06:39] engraves a signate, you shall engrave [06:41] the two stones according to the names of [06:44] the sons of Israel. You shall set them [06:46] in filigree settings of gold. You shall [06:49] put the two stones on the shoulder [06:51] pieces of the Ephod as stones of [06:54] memorial for the sons of Israel and [06:56] Aaron shall bear their names before the [06:59] Lord on his two shoulders for a [07:02] memorial. So we see how important this [07:04] is. These two shoulder pieces which had [07:07] the names of the children of Israel on [07:09] them and the high priest was bringing [07:12] these names before the Lord continually. [07:16] You know, if we think about the book of [07:17] Job, we know Job was always praying for [07:20] his children. And how many people [07:22] possibly pray prayed for you. We need to [07:25] be constantly bringing these names of [07:28] our loved ones, people who are have a [07:31] special place in our heart, bringing [07:33] them before the Lord continually. [07:36] All right. Going on in chapter 28:15, [07:40] you shall make a breastpiece of [07:42] judgment, the work of a skillful workman [07:45] like the work of the ephed. You shall [07:46] make it in gold of blue and purple and [07:49] scarlet material and fine twisted linen. [07:52] You shall make it. It shall be square [07:55] and folded double, a span in length and [07:59] a span in width. You shall mount on it [08:01] four rows of stones. [08:04] The first row shall be a row of ruby, [08:08] topaz, and emerald. And the second row a [08:11] a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond. [08:14] And the third row a jessin, an agate, [08:18] and an amethyst. And the fourth row a [08:20] barrel, and an onyx, and a jasper. They [08:23] shall be set in gold filigree. The [08:26] stones shall be according to the names [08:29] of the sons of Israel. 12. according to [08:32] their names. They shall be like the [08:34] engravings of a seal. [08:37] According to his name, for the 12 [08:39] tribes, you shall make on the breast [08:42] piece chains of twisted cordage works in [08:45] pure gold. [08:47] In verse 29, it says, "Aaron shall carry [08:50] the names of the sons of Israel in the [08:53] breast piece of judgment over his heart [08:56] when he enters the holy place for a [08:59] memorial before the Lord continually. [09:02] You shall put in the breast piece [09:05] breastpiece of judgment theim and the [09:08] tumim and they shall be over Aaron's [09:11] heart when he goes in before the Lord. [09:14] Aaron shall carry the judgment of the [09:16] sons of Israel over his heart before the [09:19] Lord continually. So aside from having [09:22] their names here, he's got this [09:24] breastplate, 12 stones, one for every [09:27] one of the sons of Israel with their [09:29] names there. But also, and we don't know [09:32] exactly how this was connected onto this [09:35] piece, but it says he carries the and [09:38] the tumim also in this breath plate over [09:41] his heart. And we know later on as we [09:43] read through the word that the tum was a [09:47] way that God could communicate to to [09:50] Israel, they could ask sort of yes and [09:53] no questions and get answers from God [09:56] about what they were to do. So this [09:59] again we see these names over the heart [10:02] of the priests coming before God [10:05] continually in chapter 28 31. You shall [10:09] make the robe of the Ephod all of blue. [10:13] There shall be, now this is talking [10:16] about the robe actually that is under [10:18] the EU. There shall be an opening at its [10:22] top in the middle of it. Around its [10:24] opening there shall be a binding of [10:26] woven work like the opening of a coat of [10:28] mail so that it will not be torn. You [10:31] shall make on its hem pomegranates of [10:34] blue and purple and scarlet material all [10:38] around on its hem and and bells of gold [10:42] between them all around. A golden bell [10:45] and a pomegranate. A golden bell and a [10:47] pomegranate all around on the hem of the [10:51] robe. I've often wondered why God chose [10:53] a pomegranate, but I personally this is [10:56] my favorite fruit and I love red and I [10:58] love the fact that it has this little [11:00] crown on the top and inside it has all [11:02] of those beautiful red seeds. Um in [11:06] verse 35, it shall be this robe shall be [11:10] on Aaron when he ministers and its [11:12] tinkling shall be heard when he enters [11:15] and leaves the holy place before the [11:17] Lord so that he will not die. You shall [11:20] also make a plate of pure gold and shall [11:24] engrave on it like the engravings of a [11:28] seal. And it it should say holy to the [11:32] Lord. You shall fasten it on a blue cord [11:36] and it shall be on the turban. It shall [11:38] be at the front of the turban. It shall [11:42] be on Aaron's forehead. So he's also [11:46] supposed to have this gold piece on his [11:48] forehead that says holy to the Lord. [11:51] That means that this priest is totally [11:54] consecrated, totally given unto the [11:58] service of the Lord. If we go down into [12:00] chapter 29 in verse four, then you shall [12:03] bring Aaron his and his sons to the [12:05] doorway of the tent of meeting and wash [12:07] them with water. You shall take the [12:09] garments and put on Aaron the tunic and [12:11] the robe of the Ephod and the Ephod and [12:14] the breast piece and gird him with [12:17] skillfully woven band of the Ephod. And [12:20] you shall set the turban on his head and [12:22] put the holy crown on the turban. Then [12:26] you shall take the anointing oil and [12:29] pour it on his head and anoint him. You [12:31] shall bring his sons and put tunics on [12:34] them. You shall gird them with sashes, [12:36] Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on [12:39] them, and they shall have the priesthood [12:41] by a perpetual statute. So you shall [12:45] ordain Aaron and his sons. Then you [12:49] shall bring the bull before the tent of [12:51] meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall [12:54] lay their hands on the head of the bull. [12:57] You shall slaughter the bull before the [12:59] Lord at the doorway of the tent of [13:02] meeting. You shall take some of the [13:03] blood of the bull and put it on the [13:06] horns of the altar with your finger and [13:08] you shall pour out the blood at the base [13:11] of the altar. So [13:13] there's so much in this because it's all [13:15] a pattern, a pattern of the priesthood [13:18] being set apart and consecrated unto [13:21] God, which is exactly what God wants for [13:23] for for us as well. and them being [13:26] anointed with the oil. And we know that [13:29] this is also so representative of the [13:31] oil of the Holy Spirit just coming down [13:34] to anoint God's people. But at the heart [13:37] of it all, there always needed to be a [13:40] kban, a sacrifice. And from that word [13:43] kban kuf, [13:47] it comes from the word karev ket [13:51] to come close to bring us close to the [13:54] lord. This blood of atonement was [13:56] necessary. But we know that ultimately [13:59] that was fulfilled in the Messiah Yeshua [14:01] who died once and for all for all of us [14:04] to provide this atoning sacrifice. [14:08] Um it says as we go on it there talks a [14:13] lot about uh these sacrifices but I will [14:16] let you read that for yourself. If I [14:18] want to go on to finish this up in [14:21] Exodus um 29 starting in verse 38. Now [14:25] this is what you shall offer on the [14:27] altar. Two one-year-old lambs each day [14:30] continuously continuously. [14:33] The one lamb you shall offer in the [14:35] morning and the other lamb you shall [14:37] offer at twilight. And there shall be [14:40] 1/10enth of an epha of fine flour mixed [14:42] with 1/4 of a hen of beaten oil and [14:45] 1/4th of a hen of wine for a drink [14:48] offering with one lamb. The other lamb [14:51] you shall offer at twilight and shall [14:53] offer with it the same grain offering [14:55] and the same drink offering as in the [14:58] morning for a soothing aroma and [15:00] offering by fire to the Lord. It shall [15:02] be a continual burnt offering throughout [15:05] your generations at the doorway of the [15:07] tent of meeting before the Lord where I [15:10] will meet with you to speak to you [15:13] there. And I just love this verse where [15:15] I will meet with you to speak with you [15:17] there. And that's what God still desires [15:20] to meet with us and to speak with us in [15:22] verse 43. I will meet there with the [15:25] sons of Israel and it shall be [15:27] consecrated by my glory. I will [15:30] consecrate the tent of meeting and the [15:32] altar. I will also consecrate Aaron and [15:35] his sons to minister as priests to me. I [15:39] will dwell among the sons of Israel and [15:42] will be their God. They shall know that [15:45] I am the Lord their God who brought them [15:48] out of the land of Egypt that I might [15:52] dwell among them. I am the Lord their [15:55] God. And that is how this ends this [15:58] week. This whole beautiful portion about [16:02] the priesthood. What is the priest to be [16:04] wearing? And that also really reminds me [16:06] of the armor of God. If you do a [16:08] comparison between those two, but that [16:12] we are supposed to be dressed in [16:13] readiness, dressed in garments of [16:16] praise, coming before him to worship [16:18] him, to bring a pro proper offering to [16:21] him and that he would be our God and [16:23] that we will be his people forever. The [16:26] Lord bless you this week and fill you [16:28] with his joy and his peace. Shalom.
