Exodus 27:20–21
The Bible4Jesus.com Podcast
About this episode
We have just received detailed blueprints for the tabernacle, the altar, and the courtyard. Now, we get what seem to be mundane instructions about lamp oil. The God who designed the universe with breathtaking precision is the same God who here specifies the kind of oil to be used in His worship. To neglect these details is to misunderstand the nature of true worship. Our culture champions a vague, sentimental spirituality that is all feeling and no form. The entire sacrificial system, the priesthood, and the tabernacle itself are a massive, glorious testimony to the fact that sinful man cannot just waltz into the presence of a holy God. There is a prescribed way, and that way is laden with meaning. These two verses about the lamp oil are not a fussy addendum to the architectural plans. They are the transition from the structure of worship to the substance of worship.