BRAGADAYJAH 259

It is perhaps worthy of note that when God first called Moses, he objected on the grounds, inter alia, that he could not speak, meaning he was not on orator, and therefore, unfit to plead God’s cause before the Pharaoh; but over time, being in the presence of God, His influence must have rubbed off on him; for now we find that Moses was now not only a great orator, but has the power of advocacy as well.  For hearing now how angry the Lord was at Israel’s apostasy, he set about pleading the peoples cause with complete success.

            Of course it is always easier and at least less difficult when pleading before a just and compassionate judge; but be that as it may, Moses was able to cause the Lord to turn away His fierce anger from the children of Israel.

            And so it was that Moses descended the mountain having with him the two double sided tables of stone containing the testimony of God written with the very hand of God. And as Moses reached within earshot of the people in the company of Joshua they heard an uproar whereupon Joshua commented and said to Moses that there was the sound of war in the camp.

            In response Moses said it was not the voice of them who shouted out as per the winner of a contest, nor the voice of one who had been defeated; but the voice of those who are engaged in riotous are singing; in other words it sounded like the shout of those engaged in drunken revelry. And as Moses entered the camp, sure enough, the first thing he saw was the golden calf and frenzied dancing.

            Now it was Moses’ turn to burn with anger, so much so that he smashed the tablets against the side of the mountain. And Moses took the calf and smashed it into pieces, and burnt it, and cast it into the water and made the children of Israel drink it.  More

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BRAGADAHJAH 258

BRAGADAYJAH 258

            While the people were making sacrifices to idols, the Lord was watching them, and He sent Moses down, having given him two tables of instructions for the people.

            But before Moses could depart, the Lord told him that the people had fallen away; they had corrupted themselves, and have soon turned away out of the way of His commandments. “They have a melted calf, and have been worshipping it, and have been making sacrifices to it, and have proclaimed that the idols they worship are the gods that brought them up out of the land of Egypt,” said the Lord.

            The Lord told Moses that He had seen the people, and had seen what they had done, and know that they are a stiff-necked people; therefore said the Lord to Moses, “leave me alone so that my wrath may burn against them, and consume them, and make of you a great nation.”

            Upon hearing the Lord speak of His anger and what He planned to do to Israel, Moses besought the Lord and pleaded with Him, and asked Him how could His anger burn and be against the children of Israel, the very people He had brought out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand.

            In His advocacy before the Lord, Moses interpleaded and said to the Lord, that should he destroy the people, or seriously afflict them, the Egyptians would say that it was for ill that he led them out of Egypt in order that he may slay them, and cause them to perish from off the face of the earth; “so Lord,” Moses begged, “turn thy wrath away from your people and let them live.” 

            “Remember, Lord,” Moses continued, Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel your servants to whom you did swear by your by your own self, and promised to multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and give them all this land for an inheritance for ever.”

            And such was God’s love for Moses and His people that, not withstanding that they had grieved him sorely, the Lord turned his anger away from his people.  More   

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BRAGADAYJAH 257

Broken Law – The Golden Calf           

While Moses was on the mountain with God, the people became restless; not only restless, but they fell away from the God whom they had vowed to serve, and fell into idolatry.  So they gathered themselves unto Aaron and commanded that he make them gods, the excuse they made was, that they did not know what had become of Moses, the man who led them out of Egypt.  Apparently not seeing Moses caused them to forget the Almighty One who had led them, guarded, shielded and protected them and led them through the red sea.

            And so Aaron for whatever his reasons yielded to their pressure and told them to break off all the gold jewelry that they wore, men, women, sons and daughters, and give them to him so that he could make them gods as they demanded. The people complied and gave Aaron the gold ornaments and which Aaron melted down and fashioned into engraved image of a golden calf, and presented it to them saying, “Here you are; this is the god that brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

            After Aaron saw the reaction of the people to the molten image, the very thing God had warned them against, Aaron also built an altar before the golden image and declared, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.”

            And accordingly early in the morning on the next day, the people rose up early and worshipped before the graven images before the alter and offered burnt offering and peace offerings and sat down before the image to revel and eat and drink and sport.

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BRAGADAYJAH 256

And the Lord spoke to Moses telling him that he should speak to the children of Israel and tell them to keep the Lord’s Sabbath for all generations as a sign that the Lord is their Lord, and He had sanctified them for His worship. And God declared that the Sabbath should be kept as a holy day, and that anyone who defiles it shall be put to death, and his soul cut off from among the memory of His people.

            Six days, God declared, may work be done; but in the seventh it is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; and whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.  Further, said the Lord, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe it throughout all their generation as a perpetual covenant. “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”

            And when God was finished speaking, He gave unto Moses with him on Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony written on stone with the finger of God.

            God had been speaking to Moses for some time, most of which He was giving Moses instructions; not only the Ten Commandments; but all the instructions concerning the tabernacle its fixtures and fittings, as well as the vesture, coats and robes for Aaron and his sons.  And when every detail had been provided and the men to do the work identified, God told Moses that the children of Israel should perpetually observe the Sabbath, reminding them of the purpose and significance thereof.  Not once, not twice but several times did God command the Sabbath and also reminded Moses to remember to tell the children of Israel, the consequences for violating the sanctity thereof.  More.

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BRAGADAYJAH 255

Men Chosen and Filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Lord pointed out to Moses, that He had chosen men for the special tasks He had enumerated to him.

            “Look,” said the Lord, “I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design skillful works to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze; in the cutting of stones and to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

            “And I, even I have given with him to help him, Oholiab the son of Ahisamach  of the tribe of Dan; and in hearts of all those who are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee.”

            The Tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, and the table and its furniture, and the pure lamp stand with all its furniture, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its furniture, and the laver and its foot, and the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron, the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office, and the anointing oil, and sweet incense of the holy place, according to all that I have commanded thee, they shall do.

            So while God was talking to Moses, all Moses could say was, “yes Lord.”  Not “How Lord, or what on earth is that Lord?”  God spoke and Moses listened and  tried to remember.  But now what does the Lord say to him?

            “I have men prepared for the tasks; men I have filled with my Holy Spirit, to do all that I have commanded you to do.”

            So now with a sigh of relief, Moses could say once more, “Yes Lord.”  More  

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BRAGADAYJAH 254

BRAGADAYJAH 254

The Cleansed

The second precondition for worship at the tabernacle, the first being the redeemed, were the cleansed.

            For this purpose, the Lord instructed Moses to make a laver of bronze, the foot of which was also to be made of bronze with which to wash.   It was to be placed between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and kept filled with water, so that Aaron and his sons could wash their hands and their feet there.

            They were to wash when they went into the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they went near to the altar to minister, in order that they may not die.  This practice said the Lord was to be taken as a statute forever.

            But there was a third precondition, namely, the anointed.  The Lord told Moses to get sweet spices, namely, stacte, onycha, and galbanum,  together with frankincense of equal weight, and make them into a perfume, by a perfumer and the, so that the mixture is pure and holy. 

            The stacte was the sweet smelling gum of the storax tree; the onycha, was derived from the shell of a mollusk when burnt, and the galbanum, gum from the milky sap of the Syrian Fennel.

            Of this mixture a small portion was to be taken and beaten together and placed before the testimony of the tabernacle of the congregation, where said the Lord, He

 would meet with Moses and sanctify it by His presence.

            And to this end, God warned Moses that this combination or formula for making the holy perfume was not to be used to make similar perfume for himself or anyone else for none temple use, warning him that anyone who did so would be cut of from the children of Israel. More   

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BRAGADAYJAH 253

Who Could Worship.

The Tabernacle of God was not open to whosoever will, at any time or in any old way.

Firstly only the redeemed were eligible for worship in the tabernacle; that is to say the children of Israel; but there were preconditions.

            Moses were ordered to number the children of Israel, and so that everyone being male over 21 who was numbered was required after being numbered to give every man as a ransom for his soul, so that no plague shall come among them, a half a shekel as a gift to the Lord.

            This half shekel was a fixed amount and not subject to or conditioned in accordance with wealth or poverty.  Every man rich or poor was required to give the same amount.   This was presumably based on the simple fact that every man, rich or poor needed the Lord’s protection; and his protection was not based on a man’s wealth or poverty.

            Clearly the stipulation of a half shekel was an amount which the Lord knew was within every man’s means. So the amount was the same for all men twenty years and upwards.  It was given for his atonement.

            The Text does not state silver or gold; but since there were probably not any gold or silver coins in that Hebrew period, it was no doubt a reference to a certain weight of silver, being one of the means of exchange by way of barter, along with cattle, grain, and spices.

            This atonement money did not go to the use or support of the priests, but was specifically designated to be used for the service and or upkeep of the tabernacle.  Thus only the numbered and gift giving fell within the embrace of eligibility for temple worship.  More

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BRAGADAYJAH 252

The Altar

God’s command for an altar, “And thou shall make an altar to burn incense upon.  Of acacia wood shall you make it.”

            The altar of incense was a type of Christ the Intercessor through whom our prayers and worship ascend unto God. It was the medium of the believer/priest praise and worship.  It was the fixed place within the tabernacle to which the forgiveness-seeking one goes to confess sin, seek forgiveness and hope for atonement.

            As usual the Lord gave specifications for the building of the altar;  A cubit, (about 18 inches) was to be the length of it, and a cubit the breath thereof, four square, and the height of it two cubit and the horns thereof the same.

            It was to be overlaid with pure gold, the top, sides all around, including the horns and a rim of gold all around it. Under the rim were to be tow rings of gold on the corner on either side so that it could be borne and carried by two staves.  The two staves were to be of acacia wood overlaid with gold.

            The place for the altar was before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat which is over the testimony where the Lord would dwell.  And Moses each morning as he dressed the lamps was to burn sweet incense on it.  And at evening when he lights the lamps, he was also to burn incense on it, as a perpetual duty within the tabernacle.

            There was to be no strange incense burn on it, nor any burnt offering, nor meal offering, nor any drink poured upon it. And Moses was to make an atonement upon the horns of  the altar once a year, with the blood of the sin offering of atonements; for it was a holy thing unto the Lord through all generations. But the Lord specifically prohibited any strange incense, that is incense for other than that ordained, and no fire or other ritualistic offerings.  More 

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BRAGADAYJAH 251

The Continuous Burnt Offering

“Now this is what you shall offer daily upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually; one lamb to be offered in the morning, and the other in the evening.”      “With each lamb a tenth part of flour mixed with a fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering.”

            We note here that there was a requirement of wine for a drink offering, a fact which makes nonsense of those self righteous individuals who condemn the drinking of wine in any amount and on any occasion as been sinful.

            But we also note that the amount commanded for use was a very small amount, a fourth part of a hin which would be about 2 ounces. 

            The other lamb was offered at evening in a like manner to the meal offering in the morning, and according to the drink offering of the morning, for a sweet savor; an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

            This daily offering was to be a continual offering throughout all generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, where the Lord will meet and speak to his people.

            “In this tabernacle,” said the Lord, “where I will meet with the children of Israel, shall be sanctified by my glory. I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar; I will sanctify also Aaron and his sons, to minister unto me in the priest’s office.”             “And I will dwell among the children of Israel and be their God.  And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.” More

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BRAGADAYJAH 250

With regard to the holy garments of Aaron they were to be passed on to his sons after him, and the son had to be anointed and consecrated in them.  That son which would have succeeded his father would then put the garments on seven days, when he entered upon the office of priest in his father’s stead.

            Furthermore the flesh of the ram of the consecration was to be boiled, and together with the bread that was placed in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, eaten by Aaron and his sons.  And they were to eat those things by which the atonement was made to consecrate and sanctify them; but a stranger were not to eat those things because they were holy, and eaten only by the consecrated.  And if any flesh or the bread was left over until the morning, it was to be burnt with fire and not be eaten, for it is holy.

            It is important to note and to understand the symbolism implied by the word atonement.  The sacrifices of Aaron and his sons did not obliterate sin or even remove it.  By the blood of bulls and rams, sin could only be atoned or covered over, thereby affording divine forgiveness.  It pointed more to man’s sinful state and his need for repentance than his being cleansed from sin.  All of this was done in anticipation of Christ, who by his death and shed blood could fully obliterate or remove sin, not merely cover it over.   

            The period over which the consecration was to take place was seven days. Every day a bullock was to be offered as a sin offering, for atonement, and the altar was to be cleansed and anointed so to sanctify it. For seven days was the altar to be anointed and sanctified each day, so that the altar would be holy and whatsoever touch it would be holy also.  More     

           

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BRAGADAYJAH 249

The Wave Offering.

“And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord, would then be put in the hands if Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and they shall wave them before the Lord for a wave offering.

            Then the elements of bread, and cake, and wafer were to be taken out of the hands of Aaron and his sons and burnt on the altar for a burnt offering; a sweet savor as an offering to the Lord.

            The word wave in context, seems to have a literal meaning, the same meaning as when we colloquially say, “You waved your fist at me,” or “you waved your money in front of my face.”  So Aaron and his sons did wave the bread and cake and wafer before the face of the Lord as a symbol that these were love offerings given to the Lord for a peace offering.

            “And thou shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord. And thou shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering which is waved and which is lifted high, of the ram of the consecration, even that of Aaron’s and his sons. And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons for a statute forever,” said the Lord.  More  www.chaberbooks.com 

BRAGADAYJAH 248

The Sacrifices of Consecration.

A bullock was ordered to be brought to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, whereupon Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of the animal. Then the animal was killed before the Lord in front of the tabernacle. When killed, the blood was to be put on the horns of the altar, using the finger and the rest of the blood poured  at the foot of the altar.

            After that, the fat that covered the inside of the animal, that is to say, the fat from around the liver and the two kidneys were to be burnt upon the altar.  However the flesh, the skin and the dung shall not be burnt within the tabernacle, but outside the camp, as a sin offering.

            Then a ram was to be offered as follows.  It was taken likewise to the door of the tabernacle and Aaron and his sons were to put their hands upon its head.   The ram would then be slain and its blood sprinkled round about the altar of the tabernacle.  The ram was then to be cut in pieces and the inside thoroughly washed and then the pieces placed back together with the head.  And the whole ram was then burnt upon the altar as a burnt offering unto the Lord; a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

            And the other ram was next taken and Aaron and his sons would place their hands on its head.  Then the lamb would be killed, and the blood shall be taken and put on the tip of Aaron’s right ear and also the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand and upon the great toe of their right foot; and the rest of the blood sprinkled around the altar.

            Then the blood from around the altar and anointing oil shall be sprinkled upon Aaron and his garments, and upon his sons and their garments; thus were Aaron and his sons sanctified unto the Lord.   The sacrfifice of Consecration

BRAGADAYJAH 248

So we saw the elements of consecration; the young bullock, the two rams, the unleavened bread and cakes.  These were to be put in a basket and taken along with the bullock and two rams, and along with Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tabernacle, and in the presence of the congregation be washed with water.

            This washing was of course a sign of regeneration, as Jesus was later to say to Nicodemus, “ you must be born of water and of the spirit,” the water being an outward visible sign of an inward spiritual grace.

            Having been thus washed and prepared for consecration the garments made for Aaron, the coat, the robe the ephod, the breastplate, and girded about with the beautifully woven girdle of the ephod.  Then the miter would be placed on his head, and the holy crown upon the miter.  Once the crown was on his head and thus fitted with all the priestly garments, he was to be anointed with the anointing oil being poured upon his head.

            Then Aaron’s sons were to be brought forth and coats put on them, and girded about with girdles, and turbans placed on their heads; and they too consecrated and together with their father Aaron, would serve the Lord perpetually as a priestly
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BRAGADAYJAH 246

The Lord God made three stipulations regarding those who were to minister to Him and unto his people in the office of priest.  They were to be anointed, consecrated and sanctified.

            At the time of the Aaronic priesthood, the anointing was with holy oil, made according to the specification of and in according to the direction of God.  It signified the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit of God was on the anointed one.  Today of course, there is no need for Holy oil, the Spirit Himself entering upon and taking up residence in the anointed one.

            The second requirement was that of consecration.  This was also part of the work of the Holy Spirit as the anointed one was set apart, consecrated unto the work of a priest.

            The third element was that of being made sacred, again a work which can only be completed by God’s Holy Spirit by which the chosen one was made a saint, anointed, consecrated and set apart for the priestly office; in other words made a saint, a pure, holy and sinless one.

            Just as the anointing was symbolized by an external element, namely the oil, so the consecration was also symbolized by external elements, in this case a young bull and two rams without blemish, unleavened bread, and cakes also unleavened and tempered with oil, wafers also unleavened, but without oil, and all made of wheaten flour.     

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BRAGADAYJAH 245

On top of the ephod was to be worn a robe, of blue, with a whole in the middle on the top part thereof, with a binding of woven work around it, (like a button hole), to prevent it from ripping. And upon the hem of the robe there shall be pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet, and bells of gold placed round about the pomegranates.  The bells and the pomegranates were to alternate so that there would be one bell, a pomegranate, a bell alternately.

            This robe was to be worn by Aaron, so that the sound of him could be heard as he went to and from the holy place as he worshiped before the Lord lest he died.

            And upon Aaron’s head was to be a holy crown, made of a plate of pure gold, with the words, engraved upon it, Holiness To The Lord, this engraving was to be upon a blue lace at the forefront of the miter upon Aaron’s head.

            The significance of the miter was a reminder that Aaron bore upon him as he went before the Lord the iniquity of the children of Israel in violation of the Lord’s holiness, that when they gave their gifts to the lord they may be accepted.

            The priestly garments were as follows; Aaron’s was a coat of fine linen, the miter also of fine linen and a girdle of needlework; and for Aaron’s sons, coats and girdles and turbans for glory and for beauty.

            Before Aaron and his sons began to minister before the Lord they were to be anointed, consecrated, and sanctified to perform their priestly offices.

            In addition, Aaron and his sons were to wear breaches from the loins up to their hips that their nakedness be not exposed before the Lord.  And each time they ministered to the congregation or entered near unto the holy of holies they were to be attired as prescribed by the Lord by the mouth of His servant Moses.  More 

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BRAGADAYJAH 244

The Breastplate of Judgment

The orders for the breastplate were that it should be made with skillful work, like the work of the ephod.  It was to be of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet of fine twined linen fabric.  Furthermore it was to be doubled, and a span length long, and a span length wide.  It was to be set in a setting of four rows of stones, the first row of a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle; the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire and a diamond; the third row,  a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper, all these stones were to be set in and enclosed by gold.

            The stones were to have engraved on them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, each stone a tribe, engraved in the manner of a signet ring. Also were to be set on the breastplates, chains at the end of braided works of pure gold. Also on the breastplate were to be two rings of gold, and the two braided chains of gold were to be placed into the two rings which were at the end of the breastplate; and the other two ends of the two braided chains, were to be fastened in the two settings, and put on the shoulder pieces of the ephod.

            In addition there were to be two rings of gold to be placed on the two ends of the breastplate along the border on the inner side of the border. And two more rings of gold were to be placed on the underside of the ephod on both sides towards the front to couple with the other couplings on the outer side thereof.

            Finally the breastplate was to be bound by the rings to the ephod with laces of blue that it may be visible above the girdle of the ephod that the breastplate may not become unattached from the ephod.

            And so it was commanded that Aaron should bear the names of the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goes into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

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BRAGADAYJAH 143

The Priesthood

Take Aaron your brother, and his sons, said the Lord, and have them minister to me in the office of the Priesthood; and make holy garments for Aaron; garments for glory and of beauty. Speak unto all the wise men who I have filled with the Spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments of consecration that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

            The garments for the priestly office consisted of a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered coat, a miter and a girdle. These were the holy garments that Aaron and his sons were to wear, in their priestly offices; they were to be holy garments; and they were to be made of fine linen of gold, blue, purple and scarlet.

            The Ephod, was to be made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, fine linen, and skillfully woven, with two shoulder pieces, shoulder straps, joined at the two edges, sides, thereof, all of gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet.

            The girdle of the ephod was to be beautifully woven and shall also be of gold, blue, purple and scarlet. In addition there were commanded to be made, two engraved onyx stones engraved with the names of the children of Israel according to their births, six names on one stone and six on the other, all set in gold.

            The two stones were to be placed on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones unto the children of Israel, so that Aaron would bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

            Finally there were to be settings of gold, attached to the braided work and fastened to the settings. These were God’s directions for the priestly garments comprising the ephod and its adornment and appendages.   

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BRAGADAYJAH 142

Now the tabernacle was to be surrounded by a court; on the South side there were to be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of one hundred cubits long; and the twenty pillars and their twenty sockets were directed to be of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.

            On the North side there were to be also hangings one hundred cubits in length; and their twenty pillars, and their twenty sockets, and the hooks of their pillars were also to be of silver.  So we see God knows his metals, when to use silver to adorn, bronze a hardier metal near heat and silver where constant stress is implied.

            For the breath of the court on the West side, were to be hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.  And the breath of the court on the East side, fifty cubits.  The hangings on one side of the gate were to be fifteen cubits, the pillars three and their sockets three; and on the other side of the gate hangings fifteen cubits, their pillars three and their sockets three.

            The gate to the court to 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.  And the pillars round about the court were to be banded with silver, their hooks of silver and their sockets of bronze.

            The length of the court ordered to be a hundred cubits, and the breath fifteen everywhere, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen and their sockets of bronze.

            All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the services thereof and all the pins of the court were to be of bronze.

            Moses was commanded to command the children of Israel to donate pure olive oil for the lamps that they should burn always,

            And Aaron and his sons were to watch and see to it that the lamps around the tabernacle were kept burning and attend outside the veil, an obligation which was to continue through all the generations of the children of Israel. More  

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BRAGADAYJAH 241

God left nothing to human imagination or to chance.  He knew what He wanted and He carefully dictated every minute detail with great particularity.  All the frills and fringes of the tabernacle and its adornment had been given; and so now He turns to the construction of the Altar within it.

            Once again, the choice of wood was acacia, five cubits long, and five cubits wide, foursquare and its height three cubits.   It was to have horns at the four quarters, and each the same dimensions and overlaid with bronze. There were to be pans to receive the ashes, and also shovels, and basins, and flesh hooks, and fire pans all made of bronze.

            There was to be a grate under the altar made of a mesh of bronze, with bronze rings for the four corners of the mess.  There were to be staves to the altar to be inserted into the rings in order that the altar may be lifted up as needs be.  The instructions to Moses were that the Altar was to be hollow with boards, as the Lord had shown him while he was upon the mount.

            So the inference is, Moses was not cooling his heals on the mountain. He was in school.  If he could not read and write before, he certainly had plenty of time to learn; and if he had no architectural, carpentry or wood working skills, he had plenty of opportunity to learn a new trade.  More

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BRAGADAYJAH 240

The Inner and Outer veils of the Tabernacle.

“And thou shall make a veil of blue, purple and scarlet, and fine twined linen of skilful work with a network of cherubim.  Then the veil is to be hanged on four posts made of acacia wood overlaid with gold; and their hooks shall be of gold upon four sockets of silver.”

            The veil was to be hanged under the clasps and in such a manner that it was possible to take within, the ark of the testimony; and the veil was to be a division between the Holy place and the most Holy of Holies.

            The mercy seat was to be placed upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place, and the table was to be placed outside of the veil, and the lamp stand over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the South, and the table on the North side.

            “The outer veil shall make a hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fined twined linen wrought with needlework.  And thou shall make for the hanging five pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold, and with golden hooks, and their five sockets shall be of bronze.”   

            The inner veil, it should be pointed out was meant to be a separation of the holy of holies and was to represent Christ’s human body.  The veil was a division between that represented Christ symbolizing that to get to God one must first get to Christ by going beyond the veil which only the High Priest could enter to make intercession for the sins of the people. 

            It is noteworthy that this veil also gave force to the biblical passage which says by the works of the law no flesh can be justified.   It is also significant that when Jesus was on the cross, the veil of the temple was rent in two, removing as it were the partition between the sinner and God, the sinner needing only to make his entrance to God by way of the cross that is to say through Christ.  More

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BRAGADAYJAH 239

The Tabernacle was to be covered with curtains of goat’s hair.  Here too, God stipulated the number, 11, and the way they were to be fitted together, the measurement of each, and the way they were to be arranged around the tabernacle. On top of those was another covering of ram’s skins, and this was to be dyed red, and above this a further covering of badger’s skins.

            “And there shall be made boards of acacia wood for the tabernacle made to stand upright.  The length of the boards were to be ten cubits, and one and a half cubits wide, and two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against the other, and in this way shall all the boards in the tabernacle be made.” (The tenon appears to be another name for a mortise joint), so the end of the boards were to be dovetailed one into the other.

            Twenty boards were to be placed on the South side, and under them forty sockets of silver, fitted so that two sockets were to be placed under each tenon a socket so that there would be a socket under each tenon.

            The same number of boards and tenons and sockets of silver were also to be placed on the opposite or North side, and adorned as on the South side.

            Since the shape of the tabernacle was a rectangle not a square, there were only to be six boards on the Western side, and two boards for the corners, coupled together on each corner.  In all there were eight boards, on this side, with their sockets of silver, so that there were sixteen sockets two under each board; and bars of acacia wood, five for one side and five for the two western side. And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.  

            Not being a cabinet maker or carpenter, I truly have no real concept of these instructions that God gave to Moses.  All I know is that somehow Moses was able to take it all in and pass it on to the workmen, as for certain, he didn’t do all the work by himself, although he doubtless superintended it.  Trying to visualize the tabernacle I see a somewhat oblong rectangular shape, with an entrance on the East side, no solid structure, and the western end completely blocked off by wood with an interior entrance into what would have been the sanctum sanctorum, the Holy of Holies.

And all of the woodwork thus described was to be overlaid with gold, as per a residence fit for a King.  More

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BRAGADAYJAH 238

The Lord was not finished giving instructions.  When one reads these verses, do they not say something about the awesome God we serve?  Many times with us we start making something and add to it as we go along, not knowing sometimes until the end where it will end or how it would look; often with us it’s a matter of trial and error; but God certainly knows the beginning from the end.  To be sure none of there fineries He was dictating were known to Moses or the people; even now some of the designs leave me clueless; but God was talking to Moses and saturating his mind with those images so that he would not forget them, and would gave instructions to have them duplicated.

            So He gave dictation for making special curtains.  There were to be for the tabernacle ten curtains made of fine-twined linen, blue and purple and scarlet with skillfully worked cherubim.  The length of the curtains was to be twenty eight cubits long and four cubits wide. There were to be five curtains all the same measurement and coupled together, and another five curtains also of the same measurement and also coupled together.

            Where the curtains were coupled together there were to be loops of blue between the edge of one curtain and the other so that they had a scalloped effect so that each curtain would have about fifty loops altogether. In addition the curtains were to be held together by claps of gold so that they would give the appearance of being one tabernacle.

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BRAGADAYJAH 237

Now the Lord wants another symbol of Christ, a Lamp stand, symbolizing the light of the world.            So God’s instructions were, a lamp stand of pure gold of beaten work; and its shaft, its branches, its bowls, knobs, and it flowers were also to be of beaten gold.

            It was to have six branches projecting out of the sides of it, three branches on each of its two sides.   There were also to be three bowls each shaped like almonds, with knobs and flowers for each bowl, three on each side making six in all. And within the lamp stand there were to be four bowls also almond shaped with knobs and flowers like those on the sides. All of these were to be made of gold, all six branches projecting out of the lamp stand.

            There were to be seven lamps and they were to be so lit that they gave light to the whole area all around; and the tongues of the lamps, and the snuff dishes were likewise all to be made of gold, each consisting of a talent of gold.

            God had not only described the designs of all of these novel articles of worship to Moses; he apparently showed him the actual drawings or designs of each; for God cautioned him, “make sure that all of these prescribed vessels and articles are made precisely in the manner I have shown them to you while you were on the mount with me.”  More  
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BRAGADAYJAH 236

Instructions for the Ark of the Covenant and for the mercy seat are complete; so now the Lord turns to the Table of showbread.

            “Thou shall also make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.”  The table was to be overlaid with gold and have a golden rim around it; the table was to have a border around it a handbreadth in width, with a golden edge around the border.

            In addition the table was to have four rings of gold, and the rings placed on the four corners corresponding with the four legs thereof; and over against the border the rings were to be placed for fitted staves to bear the table.

            The instructions for the staves were that they were to be made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, that they may be used to carry the table,

            Upon the table were to be various utensils, dishes, spoons, bowls, and covers, all made of pure gold; and upon the table was to be showbread, which should always be placed there.        

            The showbread was a type of Christ; the bread of God.  It also symbolized that manna, angel food, which came down from heaven. It also typified that bread of heaven, the germ of wheat ground in the mill of suffering, and brought in to the fire of judgment.

            So the showbread was a perpetual symbol of the Christ, the bread of life, who was to come down from heaven. More 
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BRAGADAYJAH 235

God also gave instructions for the Ark of the covenant.

You shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide and one and a half cubits high.  It must be overlaid with pure gold, both within and without, and rimmed on top with a rim of pure gold.  It shall have four rings of gold placed in the four corners; and two rings shall be on one side and two rings on the other side.

            There shall also be made staves of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And the staves shall be put in the rings of the ark so that it can be carried by that means.  The staves were to remain in the rings of the ark and should never be removed from it. And the testimony of the law was to be kept in the ark.

            Also within the tabernacle was to be a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half long, and one and a half cubit wide; and two cherubim of beaten gold one placed on each end of the mercy seat,  The cherubim shall stretch forth their wings upwards so that they cover the mercy seat, each cherubim facing the other on the mercy seat. And the mercy seat shall be placed upon the ark, and it is there that I the Lord will meet you, and commune with you.

            The ark then was a symbol of the presence of God.  Was God not very particular about the surroundings for his presence?  Did he not show Himself as the Great Architect, designer, draftsman; the very God who created heaven and earth?  Well it certainly seems very much so. 
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BRAGADAYJAH 234

And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, “Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to bring me an offering; every one that gives it willingly with his heart you shall take it.”

            Now in this is a strong statement of a reason perhaps why God did not have regard to Cain’s offering. Could it be that he did not give it willingly from his heart but grudgingly? Perhaps given just to compete with his brother Abel?  Be that as it may, we see here that God requires a gift willingly given from the heart.

            “And this,” said the Lord, is the type of offerings I am requiring.  “Gold, silver and bronze; blue and purple, and scarlet fine linen; goats hair, and ram’s skin dyed red; badgers’ skins and acacia wood; oil for the lamps, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense; onyx stones and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.”

            “And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.  According to all that I have shown you, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furnishing thereof, even so shall you make it.”

            There are those who criticize some churches as being too ornate, and others advocate and practice worship in the house of the Lord to be attended any old how and any old way; but I have always maintained that the Lord’s House should be the best, at least better then our own houses; and when we enter the Lord’s house we should wear our best garb, not in order to show our finery, but rather in acknowledgment that we are entering into the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

            I must admit I completely deprecate what I have observed as a modern trend for people to wear their beach clothes, tee shirt and jeans to Sunday worship, reserving their finer threads for the more auspicious cocktail and private dinner party.  

            God’s command to Moses was, “Build me a fine house, wherein for me to dwell. More     
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BRAGADAYJAH 233

Then went up Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel; and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone which resembled the body of heaven in its clearness. 

            Upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not his hand; in addition they saw God and did eat and drink.

            And the Lord told Moses to come up to Him upon the mountain, and once there, “I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written that you may teach them to the people.”

            And Moses rose up and his servant Joshua, and went up to the mount of God; but told the elders to wait for him at a distance, and left Aaron and Hur to watch over them, instructing the people that if any of them had any disputes or complaints, that they should take them before Aaron and Hur.

            When Moses went up unto the mountain, he found it had been covered with a cloud. The glory of the Lord was on the mountain; but the cloud covered it for six days. 

And on the seventh day God called unto Moses out of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain as seen by the children of Israel.

            However, Moses was caught up into the cloud and got up into the mount where he remained forty days and forty nights. 
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BRAGADAYJAH 232

Now the Lord had spoken to the people, and made ordinances by which they were to be governed and conduct themselves.  So now he summoned Moses to ascend unto the mountain to worship with Him.

            Moses was to take with him, from among the people, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off.  Only Moses was to go near the Lord, the others keeping a safe distance.

            And so Moses informed the people concerning what was going on.  He told them of all the Lord had said and the people responded as of one voice and promised to all that the Lord had said for them to do.  Further, Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning and built an altar at the base of the hill, surrounded by twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

            In addition Moses sent young men of the children of Israel to carry and offer, burnt offerings, and to sacrifice peace offerings of oxen before the Lord.  And Moses took one half of the blood and put it in basins; and the other half he sprinkled on the altar.

            After that, he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that the Lord has said, we will do and be obedient.”

            And the blood that was saved in the basins, Moses took and sprinkled on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all His words.”  And the people said, “So let it be.”  More

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BRAGADAYJAH 231

So God having given instructions to His people, told them He would send an angel before them, to keep them in their way and to lead them unto the place He had promised them.

            They were cautioned to be aware of him and to obey him, and not to provoke him as he would not pardon their transgressions; for he represents the Almighty.

            On the other hand God told them, if they shall indeed heed the voice of the angel, and do all that they are commanded to do, then He God shall be an enemy unto their enemies, and sn adversary unto their adversaries.

            The angel, God told them further, shall go before them into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites all of whom God would cut off.

            God’s people were not to bow down to nor serve the gods of those nations, nor do their works, but shall utterly destroy them when they come into their land.  They were to serve the Lord their God, as a result of which He shall bless them and provide them with their daily bread.

            Not only would the people be blessed and protected and provided for, their animals would be blessed also and they would give increase in their season. 

            With regard to the nations, God promised not to drive them out all at once, but would slowly drive them out.  Therefore His people were not to make any covenant with them

             “I will eventually drive them out,” said the Lord.  “And I will set your boundaries from the Red Ssea, even unto the sea of the Philistines and from the desert unto the river. I will not allow the people of other nations to dwell in the land with you lest you should follow them and serve their gods and sin against me.”  More            
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BRAGADAYJAH 230

The Ten Commandments which the Lord gave to His people provided broadly for man’s duty towards God, and also his duty towards his neighbor.  So now, as He gave ordinances for man’s moral and legal responsibilities toward one another in matters of property, injury and trespass, God now turns His attention to matters concerning himself.

            Now, He provided that three feasts per year were to be kept.  They were (i)  the feast of unleavened bread.  This feast was commanded to be a 7 day feast when no bread which was made of leaven was to be eaten. This we will remember was in memorial to the Egyptian redemption when they were commanded to eat at the time of the Passover and thereafter in the month abib unleavened bread;  (ii)  The feast of harvest, which was commanded to be symbolized by the first fruits of all that was sown in the field; and  (iii)  the feast of ingathering, which is at the end of the year when all the labor would have been gathered in out of the field.

            Further, God said, three times in the year, all the males shall appear before the Lord God.  Do not offer the blood of my sacrifice, God repeated, with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.  The first of the first fruits of the land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God; and do not boil a kid in its mothers milk.  

            This is how God acts, has always acted;  He is very clear, specific, and certain; and leaves nothing to chance or conjecture with regard to what he wants his people to do, or how they aught to act in keeping or carrying out his commands. More

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BRAGADAYJAH 229

Now we know that God ordained a Sabbath of rest from our labors.  Six days we are commanded to work with rest recommended for the seventh day, proclaimed to be a Sabbath unto the Lord in that He, The Almighty God, Creator of the Universe worked six days in which time He created the Earth and the Heaven, the sea and all that in them is and rested on the seventh day.

            So many misunderstand the purpose and import of the Sabbath; but that is quite another matter for consideration at another time and place.  I’ve often wondered for instance, whether those who sit around day in day, out week in and week out, and do not do a stroke of work is entitled to or commanded to have a Sabbath of rest; but that is quite another matter.  However, as I understand it, the rest was intended to be a rest from work; not from idleness.

            Be that as it may, just as the person was to rest on the seventh day from his labor, so it was mandated by God that the land after being worked for 6 years should be rested the seventh year.  Here again it would seem clear that if the land was lying fallow, that is to say if it had not been worked, then it should not be rested.

            Not only was the land not to be worked during the seventh year, but God declared that if there were any ratoon crop, they were to be left during the period of rest to the poor in the first instance, and then whatever is left over for the birds of the air. More