That God would tell Aaron how to mount the lamps in the lamp stand reminds me that no detail of our work or worship is too small for His care if we take it to Him. Being a detail-oriented person myself, I appreciate that about God. Do you see revelations about God Himself in the instructions He gives for worship, that make you love Him more?
Once again we see those whom God had called into service requiring preparation for service. We can’t expect to jump into service without preparation when we are called by God. Further, He knows the preparation that is needed. In this case, in order for the Levites to serve in the tabernacle as a substitute for the firstborn of the nation, they had to be separated, they had to purify themselves, they had to be cleansed, atonement had to be made for their sin, and they were presented before the Lord in a ceremony. Do any of those steps speak to you about your own preparation to serve God?
The value of the rituals is lost on us, in our informal culture, but they had their value as marking a starting point of something new, the beginning of important institutions. We don’t observe many rituals today; do you suppose there is any correlation in our culture between our lack of formal rituals and our careless attitudes towards our obligations? I wonder if we could benefit by observing more rituals?
Provision had to be made for people affected by the messiness of life to observe the Passover. They couldn’t observe it in an unclean state, and they couldn’t fail to observe it, at pain of being cut off from among God’s people. Do these seem like harsh requirements? They teach us that God has standards for His people. If He had standards for His Old Testament people, do you suppose that He has standards for His New Testament people? He died to save us from sin, and we are expected to live saved from sin. Although we aren’t told at what point New Testament followers are cut off, we would be foolish to fail to conform to His standards and then find out on the day we come face to face with Jesus that He never knew us.
After the interlude of the making of the covenant, giving of the Law, building the Tabernacle and its furnishings, and institution of worship in the Tabernacle, the Israelites were ready to move on. They were no longer a nation of slaves; the year-long interlude had transformed them into an independent people, God’s people. One year, one month and twenty days had elapsed since they left Egypt; now they were ready to move forward into the land God has promised them – The Promised Land.