King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Wednesday, February
Chapters: Exodus 39-40
Message: The Proper Uniform
Hello My Friend,
Every job I had it was required to wear a uniform, it may have only been jeans and a t-shirt, but I was told what to wear so that I was able to do my job properly. I remember one job that required me to wear a dress or skirt, which was not a problem, but it also required of me to climb a thirty foot step ladder, which was a problem. Needless to say, I did not last very long at that job, in fact, that was the first and only job that I had ever gotten fired from. The reason being was not that I did not do a good job, it was that I was not one of them, and they knew it, they did whatever they could to pin something on me to accuse me of wrong, and there was nothing I could do to prove myself otherwise. I am telling you this because as Christians, we put on a uniform every day, or we ought to be, we are going to look different, and the world will be able to tell that we are not one of them. And that is perfectly fine, because we are not one of them, we are one of God’s. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Galatians 3:26-29.
“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” It is Christ that we have put on, and not just upon our soul, but our bodies, and minds as well. Therefore, we are going to look, think, and act different. We have been reading about the construction of the Tabernacle, all the necessary equipment and furniture had been made as per God’s instructions. Just like any job, the priests had to put on a uniform in order to one; be identified as a worker, and two; be able to perform their duties properly. The linen clothes they were to wear in the sanctuary for the service of God were designed specifically by God, and if they did not have on these garments they could not even go into the Tabernacle, that is if they wanted to live to tell about it.
“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. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work. They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses. And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.” – Exodus 39:1-8.
“that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel;” We are to always keep a reminder with us of what Christ has done for us. And this is why we are to observe communion, it is way to easy to get our uniform dirty the more we are in the world. This is a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and it keeps us clean. Now, all the work was complete, the tabernacle, the clothes, and the furniture. They brought all the materials to Moses, he looks them over to make sure they are just as instructed.
“And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, And the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers’ skins, and the vail of the covering, The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread, The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, The brasen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation, The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest’s office. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.” – Exodus 39:33-43.
“And Moses did look upon all the work,” We must realize we are being watched, watched by other Christians to see if our work lines up with the Word of God, watched by skeptics to see if something can show them Christ is true, and watched by haters, waiting to see if they can catch us doing wrong to prove that Christ is not true. Since Moses was the middleman between God and the people, God used him to set up the Tabernacle, and after two years of their being free from Egypt, the first sanctuary for God was complete, and ready for use.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate. And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” – Exodus 40:1-9,12-15.
“And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar,” The laver was used to wash their hands and feet before entering into the Tabernacle. Jesus requires us to wash our feet, not as part of keeping our salvation, we are saved by grace through our faith in Him alone, it is for the fact that we are in the world, and we get our uniform dirty from being exposed to all the elements, some more than we care to see. “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.” – John 13:10.
“and ye are clean, but not all.” Jesus was referring to Judas Iscariot at this time, He knows whether or not we have put Him on. Now, anyone can put on a uniform, but that does not mean they are an actual employee. In fact, I just read about a couple of men who put on uniforms at a restaurant, got behind the registers, and started serving the customers, then robbed them. Believe it or not, there are many thieves within the Church, they put on that uniform that makes them look like they are one of God’s, but God knows who they really are. I am do glad that my preacher makes it a requirement to be a member of the church in order to work in the church, which means they have to be saved and baptized first, and been attending for a while. Remember, before they could even do anything in the sanctuary they had to be sanctified themselves, even the Tabernacle, and all the items in it. And that is exactly what Moses did, even he washed his hands and feet before entering.
“And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” – Exodus 40:31-38.
“So Moses finished the work.” People often wonder why God never used Moses to be a priest. That may have been because while he was a Levite, he was married to an Ethiopian woman, and had children with her, a priest was to be married to a Levite. “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation,” What a sight that must have been, to see God go into the Tabernacle, there was so much light that Moses was blinded and could not go in. “And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle,” God directed them the entire time they traveled to the promised land, and there were times when He wanted them to stay put. While the cloud of God’s presence remained over the tent they were to remain where they camped, as soon as it began to move they were to take it all down and follow Him. Is that not the command that He gives every person who puts on Him? (John 12:26) We have been given a fresh, clean uniform the second we receive Christ as our Saviour, and it is important that we keep it clean, for obvious reasons, but Jesus has the best answer of all. “No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.” – Mark 2:21.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for making it easy for us to become one of Yours, the sacrifice You made is something we will never fully comprehend, but we can learn to appreciate it by allowing You to do a great work in our lives. You have clothed us with a new set of clothes, and anointed our souls with the blood of Your Son the second we believed in His death, burial, and resurrection, and received Him as our Saviour. Thankfully, we will dwell in Your house forever, and while we are anointed, it is important that we wash our feet to remove the elements that the world covers them in. Lord, Lead us and guide us, forgive us where we have failed You, and cleanse us from our sin. Help us to learn and grow closer to You as we follow Your will, and trust that You are building us into the likeness of Your Son, and we are to keep that upon our shoulders as a memorial of what Christ has done for us. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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