Christ-Light Connections: God’s Rules for Worship & The Day of Atonement

The Christ-Light theme this week is God’s people worship him. This week we will wrap up the book of Exodus and move into Leviticus. God gives his people many and specific details about how to worship him. Worship for the Israelites was always about the foreshadowing of the coming Messiah.

The Bible Project has a great video about Leviticus. It summarizes well the organization of the laws and explains why God designed worship the way he did.

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OT 2 5A

God’s Rules for Worship — Exodus 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 35, 36, 40, Leviticus 6, 7

Context

Moses received instructions about worship during the long forty days he was absent from his people on top of Mount Sinai. Meanwhile, the Israelites created the golden calf in his absence.

The tabernacle was designed to prepare the Israelites for the incarnation. As you teach this lesson, help your children visualize the tabernacle and make connections to the coming Messiah. Worship before Christ and after Christ is different for good reason.

Big Ideas

Visualize the tabernacle

Free Bible Images can be a great resource. Here is a basic slide show that shows all of the tabernacle parts in a simple way.

Tabernacle

The word tabernacle in Hebrew means dwelling or settling. This was the place that God would use to live among his people. He did not choose a faraway place, but a tent that would be set up in the center of the Israelite camp.

The Gospel writer John picks up on this as he writes, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John1:14)

Conversation Starters:

• What does the name Emmanuel mean?
• How did Jesus replace the tabernacle?

A structure set up for separation

The irony of the tabernacle was that it was designed to be among the people, but access was extremely restricted. There were many rules about who, when, and how the Israelites could approach or enter the various areas. Disobedience was punishable by death.

The Holy of Holies, with the ark and atonement cover inside, was the throne of God. Once each year, only one man, the high priest, could enter this room. Jewish tradition says that they would tie a rope around his ankle so they could pull him out should something go wrong.

The Holy of Holies was separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a large thick curtain. At the moment of Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:51) the curtain was torn from the top down ending the separation between God and people.

Conversation Starters:

• Why was access to God so limited?
• What is the significance of the curtain being torn from the top down?
• How did Jesus change our access to God?

Digging Deeper

The Seeds of Faith resource provides great Law and Gospel points as well as thoughtful discussion questions.

In the 40 Minutes in the Old Testament podcast, they go into great detail about the tabernacle. There about a dozen episodes. Here’s a link if you are inspired to learn more.

OT2 5B

The Day of Atonement — Leviticus 16:1-25, 29-34

Context

At the very center of Leviticus and the Torah is the Day of Atonement. The details of this day point ahead to the coming Great High Priest and his sacrifice.

Big Ideas

Insufficiency

As God lays out the instructions for this day, he makes it plain that everything and everyone is insufficient. It is the one day each year that the high priest enters the Most Holy Place. But first, he must create a smoke bomb with coals and incense in the room so that he cannot see the atonement cover, God’s throne, or else he would die. He also must atone for his own sin by sacrificing a bull.

Did you notice that the Most Holy Place and the altar needed to be atoned for too? These objects, like the rest of creation, were infected by sin from the people around them.

Finally, this day was to be repeated year after year. Once was not enough.

Two goats

The fate of these two goats foreshadowed the work of the coming Great High Priest who would one day make the sufficient sacrifice.

The first goat had to die. His blood was sprinkled on the atonement cover. Blood represented life. This goat’s life was a substitute for Israel’s to make reparations their sins. Death was required as payment.

The second goat was the scapegoat. As the high priest prepared to send it off into the wilderness, the text emphasizes that all of Israel’s wickedness, rebellion, and sins were to be placed upon this goat. (Exodus 16:21-22) This goat, carrying everything, was banished to the wilderness never to return. Imagine watching this goat scampering away gradually getting smaller and smaller and finally disappearing over the horizon.

Conversation Starters:

• How was Jesus’ sacrifice like the first goat’s?
• How was Jesus’ sacrifice like the second goat’s?
• Why is worship so different for Christians now?

Digging Deeper

40 minutes in the Old Testament Podcast

• Episode 119: Start at minute 17 for the Day of Atonement
• Episode 120: A bit more about the Day of Atonement