Exodus 40:9-15 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. 10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. 12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. 13 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. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: 15 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.
In this closing passage of Exodus we find the culmination of a year's work in preparing the Tabernacle and instruments to be used for worship and service in the Tabernacle. The people have given and the people have labored until all things have been done exactly as God commanded. There is just one problem. The boards, curtains, and skins of the Tabernacle are just common wooden boards, cloth curtains, and animal skins. The furnishings of the Tabernacle are just wood that has been overlaid with brass and gold. The men who have the duty of offering the offerings of the people to the Almighty God are just ordinary men. So what makes these ordinary items and ordinary people holy and useful for God? The anointing oil was poured on each of these and the Bible says they were sanctified and made holy. The mercy seat that Moses would bring and place into the Most Holy Place would, after being anointed, become so holy that for Moses to look upon it or touch it would mean his death. Aaron and his sons who would share in the normal duties of men would have their lives forever changed by the application of this oil and their lives would now be spent in service to God alone. No more would the common, mundane tasks of life command their attention but they would be wholly given to service to God.
So here we are today with no Tabernacle and no anointing oil. Yes, but there is still an anointing by which God makes common men into holy and sanctified servants of God. God has promised the anointing of the Holy Spirit to every Believer. This anointing transforms us from ordinary people to holy and sanctified servants of God. First Peter 2:9 says, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:". As two great missionaries of the past have said, we should not under live our lives chasing the mundane accomplishments of this world but we must live our lives to the fullest attempting great things for God and expecting great things from God.
Daily Devotional: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Isaiah 9:6-7; Zechariah 9:9-10 The Eternal King Promised
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