The two key things that Christ does for us were symbolised in the water and the oil mentioned here in Exodus 30. The basin of water for washing symbolised the fact that God washes away the guilt of his people (30:17-21). The anointing oil symbolised the Holy Spirit, and the people and objects that were anointed were seen as vessels for the ministry of the Holy Spirit (30:22-33). Jesus Christ has cleansed us from guilt not just to give us entry to heaven when we die. He has done this so that we could become vessels for sacred purposes. We have been cleansed so that God’s Holy Spirit might dwell with us to empower us to bless others. Special anointing oil was used in the tabernacle to ‘sanctify’ (i.e. make holy or set apart) certain vessels for a special purpose. This is a picture of a greater temple/tabernacle of God made up, not of inanimate materials but of people. We followers of Christ are that temple/tabernacle and each of us has been anointed and set apart for a special purpose within it. We should therefore think about our lives differently to the way others think of theirs. We are not ‘normal people’. We do not belong to ourselves but to God. We are part of something bigger than ourselves and we should always live with a view to the bigger picture of which we are a part. We are, as Peter says, “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that [we] may declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Ask God to guide you in his purpose and make you effective and fruitful.
Read Exodus 30:17-38
