God's Promised Revelation - Exodus
Preliminary:
Introduction:
One of the true masterpieces at the Art Institute in Chicago is a massive painting by Georges Seurat called Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884–1886). When standing close to the picture, an observer can only see tiny dots—millions of them. Seurat pioneered the artistic technique known as pointillism, in which tiny points of color are applied to canvas with the tip of a brush. From a foot away, all anyone can see are the beautiful colors. But from a distance, a picturesque scene emerges. Parisians are sitting in the park on a Sunday afternoon, or strolling with their parasols, gazing serenely at the River Seine. From the proper vantage point, Seurat’s little points of color become part of a bigger picture.
Something similar happens at the end of Exodus 29. Since the beginning of chapter 25, God has been giving Moses the plans for constructing his holy sanctuary, the tabernacle. God showed his prophet how to build the frame and sew together the tent. He told him what pieces of furniture to put inside and what equipment to arrange outside in the courtyard. Then God turned his attention to the priests who served in the tabernacle—what they should wear and how they were to be ordained.
We get still more details at the end of Exodus 29. We find out what the priests did with the meat from their sacrifices. We discover how many bulls were offered to atone for their sin and what kind of sacrifices they had to offer each day on God’s altar. By this point it would be easy to get lost in all the details, but God steps back to reveal the big picture. At the end of the chapter he explains how the tabernacle achieves his ultimate purpose of bringing glory to his name by saving and sanctifying his people.