This week I have got to the part which describes the designs
and rules for the tabernacle and its contents, and for the clothes which were
to be made for Aaron and his sons. The
instructions are highly detailed, leaving nothing to chance, and are described
as "a permanent law for the people of Israel and must be kept by all
future generations". (Exodus 27:21 - New Living Translation)
Aarons robes reminded me of the vestments which my more
Anglo-catholic colleagues wear adorned with gold and bright colours. They are something which I have never quite
connected with in my own spirituality, but know how much they mean to others,
and here they are in scripture, as the clothes of the priests as they enter the
presence of God.
Then I thought of how different the Exodus descriptions are
compared to the environment I find most conducive to worship. My personal worship heaven would be a modern,
well-lit room with comfortable chairs, arranged in a curve rather than straight
constricting rows. A good sound system and
worship band to lead and inspire. A
digital projector carving pictures and words in light on a large screen, encouraging
me to look up as I pray, reflect and sing.
Colourful modern banners lining the walls and a lectern standing central
on the stage, bathed in the warm glow of a spotlight for the preaching of the
Word. How different this is to the tabernacle in Exodus!
But then again, we all have our preferences, customs, rules
and rituals when it comes to worship.
I remember an Anglo-catholic priest coming to my Evangelical
theological college to preach. He was
there to help us poor low-church protestants and charismatics understand a
little about what is important to those whose worship is 'further up the candle'. Just as he started to preach, someone rushed
up to him and attached a lapel microphone to his robes and then sat back down,
slightly embarrassed that he had forgotten to do this earlier.
The priest paused for a moment, and then said - "You
know - this is how rituals grow. In the
future this may well become part of our liturgy. Every week, just as the preacher gets up to
speak, someone with come forward and attach a small object with a wire to the
preachers clothes. By then, of course it
will be highly symbolic, with lots of bowing and carefully rehearsed hand
movements. It will be engraved in
artistic writing with the letters ' M I C ' but, following generations of
technological developments, this will be a cryptic word which no-one uses
anymore and few understand. A bell might sound to emphasise the
importance of the moment and to call the congregation to listen carefully as
the Word of God is unfolded. Particularly
devout members of the church may be moved to raise their hands into the air and
cry 'Alleluia' or make the sign of the cross.
And everyone except the most scholarly of church historians will have
exactly no idea why we do it!"
So what about the verses in Exodus that describe its rules
for worship as ' a permanent law for all generations' ? The truth is that every generation fashions
its worship in a way which speaks to them - now even more than in the past - but
shouldn't we be all obeying the permanent law of Exodus 25 to 30, particularly
those who call themselves 'Bible Believing Christians'? Are we living and worshipping in sin because
we do not follow the designs and rituals of this ancient age?
In reality, if I went to preach that in any modern church, I
would be dismissed as utterly mad! On
the way to being thrown out of the door, I would be pointed to John 4:23 where
Jesus said that true believers will worship in spirit and truth. I would be told that the 'permanent law' of
the Old Testament is not as permanent it might first appear, and that reading
the Bible in that kind of simplistic way is not what God calls us to do.
So why do we still apply other parts of OT law as permanent fixed
markers of the will of God today? (eg
Leviticus 18:22) And why do we allow the
prevailing interpretations of Scripture in our time dictate how we should read
and understand the Bible in ways which imply the same permanence?
When Jesus directed us to 'spirit and truth - when Paul says
we no longer live 'under the law' - we are being called to a radically new and
more complex way of living under God. It
is more complex because it does not rely on legal codes, ancient or modern, but
on a relationship with the living God.
Perhaps that is why we need the 'new heart' of flesh that we
are promised in Ezekiel 36:26 to replace our heart
of stone.
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