Lay Me Down

Lay Me Down

“This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day:  two lambs a year old.”  Exodus 29:38

At church on Sundays we sometimes sing a song whose chorus goes like this:  “I lay me down; I’m not my own; I belong to You alone, lay me down, lay me down.”  I often wonder what not-so-used-to-church attenders think when they hear those words—perhaps that the congregation is about to take a rest or that we’re asking someone to help us recline, but the middle phrases hint that something more serious is being stated. The words create the image of an altar topped with an offering willingly surrendered to one worthy of costly worship.

It’s a good song to sing because altars are a big deal to God.  Detailed blueprints on how to build the altar for the tabernacle were given to Moses on the mountain, and he made sure they were followed exactly.  Altars were not a new idea to the Israelites, but they needed a refresher.  The patriarchs of their people, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had made a habit of building altars as they traveled here and there throughout their lives, but several hundred years had passed between their time and this with only one mention of an altar in between.

The altar in the Tent of Meeting would be unique and well-used.  It was not built for a one-time blessing but would be the site of twice-daily sacrifices made by the priests of God for the people of God. “Build an altar of acacia wood…Make a horn at each of the four corners, and overlay the altar with bronze…This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day:  two lambs a year old.  Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight”(Ex 27:1-2, 29:38-39).   Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, life after life would be given, and grace upon grace would be granted.  The altar was the place where the holy demands of heaven crashed into the harsh depravity of earth, and nothing would change until the top of the mountain called Calvary.

Because of Christ’s blood on the cross, sacrifices for guilt are no longer called for, but our offerings of gratitude should be constant.  “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise”(Heb 13:15).  And my worship should move beyond my mouth to all of me—“In view of God’s mercy, offer yourselves as living sacrifices” (Rom 12:1). 

Don’t try to tidy the picture—altars aren’t pretty, but when you give yourself to the One who gave all for you, they are precious.

I lay me down.

Dressed Right

^“Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons to give them dignity and honor.”  Exodus 28:40

At some point in our lives while knocking on the door of a dinner party or walking into a ballroom for a banquet, most of us have worriedly wondered, “Am I wearing the right thing?”  (If this question has never crossed your mind, you can be sure your spouse had already answered it and made sure you would not embarrass yourself—or her!)  Although we know it’s not the clothes that count, appropriate attire shows appreciation for the invitation and respect of the occasion.

This was especially true back in the day when only the priests could come into God’s presence.  Their outfits were of incredible importance, so God gave specific instructions on what should be worn and how these clothes should be made.  Tunics, sashes, capes, and even underwear were fashioned from fine linen, and all embroidery and trim boasted gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn.  Because the priests’ responsibilities and privileges were so precious, they couldn’t just come to work as they wanted; they had to wear the right uniform.  Their special attire gave them “dignity and honor”(Ex 28:40) and enabled them to get close to God’s glory.  Their exquisite clothes were a picture of the perfection is takes to stand before God.

In light of that truth, the closets of our hearts are rather bare, and what we do find to wear isn’t getting us anywhere good.  Jesus’ parable of the wedding banquet (Matt 22) reminds us that our own outfits of “good works” won’t work, and we can only wear robes provided by the King—but, oh, what a wardrobe awaits!  By the grace of the cross we are wrapped royally in the glory of Christ’s rightness instead of shaking pitifully in the tattered rags of our wrongness(Gal 3:27, Isa 64:6).  This amazing attire gives us the dignity and honor we tossed away by our rebellion and enables us to come close to God’s glory.  And the incredibly encouraging thing for me today as I’ve already blown it a bunch before lunch is that my sins can’t stain God’s holiness.  The ever-strong blood of Jesus is an always-available white-out simply awaiting my honest confession.  Our hearts should do the happy dance all day long as we blissfully smile and gratefully sing, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness”(Isa 61:10).

Threads might cover skin, but they can’t conceal sin.

Praise God He dresses us up in what’s always right for every occasion—Himself.

The Night Light

“Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning.” Exodus 27:2

“Give me oil in my lamp; keep me burning, burning, burning.  Give me oil in my lamp, I pray. (Hallelujah!)   Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning; keep me burning till the break of day.”

If you ask how many times I’ve sung that song, I’ve lost count because the catchy kids tune was a favorite at children’s choir, VBS, and music time at school, but if you ask when the words clicked in real life, I’ll tell you right now.  Finally, after over forty years of smiling and singing, the message makes sense because of today’s scripture.  It’s a reference to the directive God gave His people when they built His special tent—keep the lamps lit all night long.

Actually the lights were never to go out— “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually”(Ex 27:20).  The priests were told to “tend the lamps in the morning”(Ex 30:7), but specific instruction was given to Aaron and his sons to “keep the lamps burning before the Lord from morning until evening”(Ex 27:21).  Why? Since the tabernacle had no windows, it made sense to keep the lamps lit during the day to give light for the priests to do their work of worship and offerings, but why have them burn bright at night when no one was around to see?

Perhaps the never-ending night light was a symbol of God’s never-failing love.  Maybe the always-burning, golden lamps were signs of God’s always abiding presence—even in our darkness.  It could be God knew that right now as you read this, you might need the reminder that no tragedy, no transgression, no devil, and no despair can dim His brilliant grace. 

In heaven there will be no need for night lights, for eternity is one long, glorious day where “the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp”(Rev 21:23), but until then, keep your wick trimmed by being in His Word and let the oil of His Spirit shine brightly in your life—even in the darkness.

Sometimes the night is long, but God’s supply never runs short.

His grace will “keep me burnin’ till the break of day!”