“MORAL AND RELIGIOUS [BIBLICAL] CONVICTIONS”

Then women began to use “four letter” words. Soon it didn’t matter who was
present when an “ugly word” slipped out.

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Tonight is Monday November 2, 2009 and I have been watching a T.V. Show of the Oak Ridge Boys Quartet that began as a Gospel Quartet at Knoxville Tn. in 1947. Their personnel has changed many times over the years; But the greatest change is that they no longer sing Gospel Music; but over the years as they became popular they began to add “Country Music” to their program to please their audience. Soon they dropped “Gospel” all together.
In like manner I have seen Community Morals and Convictions change from considering drinking liquor and cursing and swearing in public as being immoral; to the present where there is no shame or blush when this is heard in public. This did not happen overnight; First foul language was not used when women, children or the preacher was present. As time progressed there was no embarrassment when women were in the group. Then women began to use “four letter” words. Soon it didn’t matter who was present when an “ugly word” slipped out.

Perhaps the greatest visible change came in the Church Community that at one time reflected the “Standard of Conduct” for the others in the community. There began a change in dress code for both men and women when they went to church. Both sexes wore their best when they went to the House of God. If the best a man had to wear was a “new pair” of bib overalls; they were washed, starched and ironed. The same applied to women’s dress; If a “print cotton” dress was the best they could afford they added special sleeve cuffs” to wear with it and the shoes were newly polished. And of course the “skirt length” was at least to mid-calf. The collar was buttoned at the neck and the legs were covered with “cotton stockings”. It was a sin to wear “worldly nylon’s”.

The arrangement of a man and woman “living together” without the benefit of marriage and for a woman to “get pregnant” and give birth to a bastard child was disgrace no one wanted to bring upon the family.
Yesterday a young man that was raised in a “Holiness Church” brought his “live in girlfriend” to the same church and put his hand on her belly and bragged about what she was carrying inside. And when I spoke to them about their sin and the burden the child would bear because of their sin; they left the church.
A notable change has developed in the manner of “conducting church services” over the years. Seating arrangements in the early 20th; Century were the women and small children sat on one side of the church and the men and “older boys sat on the other side.

Some churches did not allow any type of music to be played in the church. Some allowed the Organ to be played, but all “stringed instruments” were worldly and not allowed.
I grew up in DeKalb County in North Alabama that was a “dry county” no liquor or beer was sold there by law. Drinkers had to drive @ 40 miles into Georgia or find a “moonshiner” to buy a drink. In Georgia they had “Road Houses” along the highway that sold “booze” by the bottle or by the drink. A man could usually find a “loose woman” there to tempt him to cheat on his wife and take his money. Now they don’t have to go to Georgia; all of this is available close to home. As morals deteriorated, first beer and then “hard liquor” was kept in the home and served at the dinner table.

This change is the result of men [and women] having no personal convictions about what is sin. And this is partly the result of Pastors and Preachers failing to “Preach against” common sins from the Pulpit.

In the Old Testament in the “Books of the Law” Moses met with the” Lord [Yehovah] thy God [Elohiym] which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”. Then he proceeded to give him the “Ten Commandments” that became the “Basis of the Law of God” given to the Children of Israel.
#1; Thou shall have no other gods before me.
#2; Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
# 3; Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;[S#7733; deceitfully, consider to be worthless, empty] for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
# 4; Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [ OT:6942 qadash —“to consecrate, to sanctify, to prepare, to dedicate, to be hallowed, to be holy, to be sanctified, to be separate”]
# 5; Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
# 6; Thou shall not kill. [ OT:7523 jx^r* ratsach (raw-tsakh'); a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder: KJV - put to death, kill, (man-) slay (-er), murder (-er).]
# 7; Thou shall not commit adultery. [ OT:5003 [a^n* na'aph (nawig-af'); a primitive root; to commit adultery; figuratively, to apostatize: KJV - adulterer (-ess), commit (-ing) adultery, woman that breaketh wedlock.
# 8; Thou shall not steal.
# 9; Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
# 10; Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s house, wife, manservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor’s.Jesus modified these commandments in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:-7. Where he said; “Ye have heard that it hath been said of them of old time” then he would name the commandment and then say; “But I say unto you”; then he would give strict information giving his word that superseded the words of the Law.
Jesus had made a tour of the region about Galilee and selected one of the mountains of the area and began the Sermon on the Mount that is recorded in Matthew’s Gospel chapters 5-7.

GALILEE: [GAL ih lee] (circle or circuit) – a Roman province of Palestine during the time of Jesus (see Map 3, B-2). Measuring roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) north to south and about 58 kilometers (30 miles) east to west, Galilee was the most northerly of the three provinces of Palestine-Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. Covering more than a third of Palestine’s territory, Galilee extended from the base of Mount Hermon in the north to the Carmel and Gilboa ranges in the south. The Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River were its western and eastern borders, respectively. See Nelson’s dictionary. Copyright © 1986,

GALILEE; Galilee had such a mixed population that Solomon could award unashamedly to Hiram, king of Tyre, 20 of its cities in payment for timber from Lebanon (1 Kings 9:11). After conquest by Tiglath Pileser, king of Assyria, (about 732 BC), Galilee was repopulated by a colony of heathen immigrants (2 Kings 15:29; 17:24). Thus the Galilean accent and dialect were very distinct (Matt 26:69,73). For this and other reasons, the pure-blooded Jews of Judea, who were more orthodox in tradition, despised the Galileans (John 7:52). Rather contemptuously Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
(from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

JUDAISM; and practices of the Jews. One of the three great monotheistic world religions, Judaism began as the faith of the ancient Hebrews, and its sacred text is the Hebrew Bible, particularly the Torah. Fundamental to Judaism is the belief that the people of Israel are God’s chosen people, who must serve as a light for other nations. God made a covenant first with Abraham and then renewed it with Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. The worship of Yahweh (God) was centred in Jerusalem from the time of David. The destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (586 BCE) and the subsequent exile of the Jews led to hopes for national restoration under the leadership of a messiah. The Jews were later allowed to return by the Persians, but an unsuccessful rebellion against Roman rule led to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the Jews’ dispersal throughout the world in the Jewish Diaspora. Rabbinic Judaism emerged to replace the beliefs and practices associated with the Temple at Jerusalem, as the Jews carried on their culture and religion through a tradition of scholarship and strict observance. The great body of oral law and commentaries were committed to writing in the Talmud and Mishna. The religion was maintained despite severe persecutions by many nations.

Two branches of Judaism emerged in the Middle Ages: the Sephardic, centred in Spain and culturally linked with the Babylonian Jews; and the Ashkenazic, centred in France and Germany and linked with the Jewish culture of Palestine and Rome. Elements of mysticism also appeared, notably the esoteric writings of the Kabbala and, in the 18th century, the movement known as Hasidism. The 18th century was also the time of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskala). Conservative and Reform Judaism emerged in 19th-century Germany as an effort to modify the strictness of Orthodox Judaism. By the end of the 19th century Zionism had appeared as an outgrowth of reform. European Judaism suffered terribly during the Holocaust, when millions were put to death by the Nazis, and the rising flow of Jewish emigrants to Palestine led to the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948. In the early 21st century there were nearly 15 million Jews worldwide.For more information on Judaism, visit Britannica.com. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Copyright © 1994-2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Christianity; is a faith based religion that stands on the foundation of the fact that Jesus that was conceived of the Holy Ghost in the womb of a virgin named NT:3137 “Mariam”; [Greek translation; or Mary in English](from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.) That fulfilled the prophecy of Isa 7:14-“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. And Isa 9:6-7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform”.

Isa 53:1-10 “ Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. We like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and make intercession for the transgressors.
This Jesus was rejected by the Jews as the “promised Messiah” because they expected him to be born of Royalty and restore the “National Kingdom” to Israel Acts 1:5. Jesus the “only begotten son of God” was sent by Jehovah to become the “sinless sacrifice” that would end the annual animal sacrifices made by the Jews on the Day of Atonement.

Heb 10:12-17 “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more”.

Not only did they reject him as their Messiah; they conspired with the Romans and “cried crucify him”; Give us Barabbas. At his death on the cross Jesus prayed; “Father forgive them, They know not what they do”.
Now many “Christian Churches” are little more than a social organization with the preachers suggesting that the people use the political system to change or challenge the morals of the community.
Let us now look to the “Word of God” and examine with honest hearts and sober minds what God said to his people and what we will be held accountable for at the White Throne Judgment at the end of this “age” or world.
The Hebrew word for Holy in the O.T. is S# 430 “qodesh” and means; separateness, apartness, Sacredness, consecrated, [to God and his service] dedicated, Saint and Sanctuary. And is used 430 times in the O.T.

The Greek word for Holy in the N.T. is S# 40 “Hagios, hagia or hagion”, and means in a moral sense; pure, upright, sanctified or holy and is used 181 times in the N.T. This condition is obtained by the act of sanctification or “being sanctified”. The Greek word for “sanctify” is S# 37 “hagiazoo” and means to render holy, consecrated to God, or separated from things profaned or unholy. This word is used 29 times in the N.T and is a “work of grace and is accomplished by the act of “sanctification”; by “truth” John 17:19, by the “word of God and prayer” 1st. Tim. 4:5, by faith in Jesus Acts 26: 18, by the H.G. Rom. 15:16, by the offering of the “body of Jesus” Heb. 10:10 and the “blood of Jesus” Heb. 13:12.

About the year of 28-29 A.D. as the know world had wondered from the righteousness of God into the worship of idols and even to the point of bowing to the Caesars of Rome at their command. A major event began in the Judean wilderness; along the Jordan River. A man dressed in clothes made of Camel’s hair and wearing a girdle made of leather. He lived in the “out country” and his diet was Locusts a “grasshopper” like creature that was “approved” as “clean food” for the Jews by God. See Lev. 11:22. This man named John was sent of God to preach repentance and to baptize those that repented. He was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. See Matt. 3:3, Mk.1:3 and Lk. 3:4.

John became very popular among the religious leaders of the land and many came “to be a part of the crowd” without repenting. Luke 3:4-10” As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias [Isaiah] [ch. 40:3] the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves; We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Jesus; When he was set, his disciples came unto him and he began to teach them; beginning with the Beatitudes. Then he said unto them; don’t think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. Heaven and earth will not “pass away” till every jot and every tittle be fulfilled. Then he begins to define the difference in the Law and the doctrine of Grace.

Matt. 5:21; “You have heard by those of old time [Law]; Thou shall not kill; Ex.20:13; but I say unto you; Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment”.

Matt. 5:27; You have heard by those of old time ]Law]; Thou shall not commit adultery; But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matt. 5:31; It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her writing of divorcement; But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife saving [except] for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery

Matt. 5:33; It hath been said by them of old time; Thou shall not forswear thyself, but you shall perform unto the Lord thy oaths. But I say unto you, Swear not at all: Neither by heaven, for it is Gods throne: Nor by earth for it is his foot-stool: Neither by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great King: Neither by thy head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your communication be Yea, yea and Nay nay: For whatsoever is more than these commeth evil.

Matt. 5: 39; You have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth: [Lev. 24:20] But I say unto you, That you resist not evil; But whosoever shall smite you on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Paul writes in 2 Cor 6:17-18; “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”. The introduction to this text is that the Corinthian Church had become “Yoked together with unbelievers and were having fellowship with things and people that were “unrighteous” and were involved with idol worship. Paul makes it very clear that the “Church” [Christians] must not be a part of unholy living.

I will close this discourse with a quote from Lev 20:7 “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am the Lord your God”. And from 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because, It is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy”. Take notice from the Leviticus quote; God said. Sanctify yourselves; before we can expect to be sanctified by the “Blood of Christ Jesus” there are some actions that we must take as convicted individuals. See the Hebrew definition of the word “Sanctify”.

OT:6942 qadash —to consecrate, to sanctify, to prepare, to dedicate, to be hallowed, to be holy, to be sanctified, to be separate
a) (Qal)1) to be set apart, to be consecrated2) to be hallowed3) consecrated, tabooedb) (Niphal)1) to show oneself sacred or majestic2) to be honored, to be treated as sacred3) to be holyc) (Piel)1) to set apart as sacred, to consecrate, to dedicate2) to observe as holy, to keep sacred3) to honor as sacred, to hallow4) to consecrated) (Pual)1) to be consecrated2) consecrated, dedicatede) (Hiphil)1) to set apart, to devote, to consecrate2) to regard or treat as sacred or hallow3) to consecrate) (Hithpael)1) to keep oneself apart or separate2) to cause Himself to be hallowed (used of God)3) to be observed as holy4) to consecrate oneself.
This action is to; “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”: Hebrews 12:14.

Bible Study

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THE SCAPEGOAT

THE SCAPEGOAT
THE CEREMONIAL PART OF THE SIN OFFERING
MADE ON THE “DAY OF ATONEMENT
LEV. 16: 1-34: A brief history of the Egyptian captivity of Israel. Jacob [heal catcher; supplanted] was the second son of Isaac and Rebekah. After an encounter with God; who appeared to him at the brook Jabbok and wrestled with him until the “break of day” until his thigh was “out of joint” because Jacob refused to let him go until he received a blessing. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. [Prince of God] See Gen. 32:22-32. As a result of this incident Israel walked with a limp the rest of his life; And Jews will not eat of the meat of that part of an animal around the “hollow” of the thigh that shrank when it was touched by God until this day. See Gen. 32:32.
As a result of Jacob’s marriage to the two daughters of Laban, Leah and Rachel and their “handmaids” [Jacob loved Rachel but was required to marry Leah the eldest first because of the customs of the Hebrews at that time. See Gen. ch. 29-31] Jacob; now Israel fathered 12 sons Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Issachar, Gad, Asher, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin. These men became fathers of the 12 “Tribes of Israel. At a later time the tribe of Joseph was divided into two half tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim and the tribe of Joseph ceased to exist.
Joseph Jacob’s first son by Rachel became known as “My son of old age” and received special favors from Jacob including a “coat of many colors” that was made of material and decorated as a garment of Royalty. This made his brothers very jealous and they developed a scheme to deceive their father into believing that he was dead. They killed a kid of a goat and dipped his coat in its blood and took it to Jacob and convinced him that Joseph had been slain br ravenous beast. In the mean time they sold him to Midianite merchantmen for twenty pieces of silver. These men in turn sold him to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh of Egypt and he was carried into Egypt as a slave. See Gen. ch. 37.
While he was in Egypt he grew in favor with the Pharaoh because of his wisdom and ability to interpret dreams and was soon married to Pharaoh’s daughter and advanced his authority over all of Egypt.
While in Egypt Pharaoh had a dream about 7 well favored kine [cattle] that grazed in a meadow and 7 ill favored kine [cattle] that were on the brink of the river. And Pharaoh slept and dreamed a second dream about 7 ears of corn came up on one stalk full and good and 7 thin ears of corn that were blasted with an east wind came up afterward and they devoured the 7 full ears .Pharaoh called for his wise men who failed to interpret the dream. Then he was informed of a young man among the Hebrews that was able to interpret dreams and when Joseph was brought to Pharaoh he gave him a warning of seven good years of harvest and seven bad years of harvest that would bring famine upon Egypt and adjoining nations that would eat up the bounty of the seven prosperous years. See Gen. ch. 41. After this warning Pharaoh recognized that Joseph had the “spirit of the Gods” with him and made him ruler over all of Egypt. by giving him the title of Prime Minister and gave him the Asenath the daughter of the priest of On for his wife.
At this time Joseph was @ 30 years of age. In his position as Prime Minister of Egypt during the seven years that the ground produced plentifully Joseph ordered that the excess of grain be placed in storage for future need.
Gen 41:55-57 “And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all land”.
Now to avoid a lot of typing I suggest that the reader continue to read from the book of Genesis chapters 42-50 to learn how Jacob and his family that totaled “seventy souls” that became permanent residents
of Egypt. See Gen. 46:26 and Ex. 1:5. From this time of @ 1060 BC to @ 1490 BC 430 years the Israelites had multiplied to an estimated three million Jews that were happy in Egypt until “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph“. Ex 1:8. And great persecution were put upon the children of Israel including the slaying of every male child born to a Jewish family but save the female babies in an attempt to stop the growth of these people of God. And the people of Israel began to “call on God” and God heard them and sent them a man named Moses and his brother Aaron to be his spokesman. The story of the ten plagues and the Passover is found in the book pf Exodus chapters # 6-12 After the LORD commanded Pharaoh to “Let my people go”. See Ex. 5:1, 7:16, 8:1, 21, 9:1, 13, 10:3-4. Then after the LORD passed over Egypt at midnight on the 14th. day of Nissan the tenth plague of death to the first born of of the Egyptians in every household died because the doorposts were not marked with blood as the houses of the Israelites who believed God when he said; Ex 12:13-14 “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. [Note: most people have heard that "At midnight the death angel will pass over you"; No place in the Bible is the words "death angel" mentioned. It was the God Jehovah that passed over Egypt that night and caused those without faith to feel his wrath.]
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever”. Thus they celebrated the feast of “Unleavened Bread in the land of Egypt.
After this the Jews began their long journey from Egypt to Canaan, the land of promise.
Exodus; 19:1-2 ” In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount”.
At this point God commanded Moses to Sanctify Mt. Sinai and to set bounds that the people not touch the mountain for it is Holy unto the LORD. Then God instructed Moses to meet him on the mountain and there he gave him the “Law of God” written on tablets of stone. In addition to this he gave him specific instructions concerning the Feast Days; [Holy Days] and the ceremonial law recorded in the book of Leviticus. See my article; “The five offerings of Leviticus”.
One of the “High Holy Days” was the Day of Atonement. See Leviticus chapter # 16.
Remember that at this time the Priesthood was “set in order” with Aaron as the High Priest and his sons making up the Aaronic Priesthood. The Tabernacle has been erected according to instructions from God. The “Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat between the Cherubims” is in place behind the Holy vail. The Golden Candlestick and the Altar of incense are in place in the Holy Place within the Tabernacle. The “Laver” for the Priest to bathe in before entering the Tabernacle was in place just outside of the door. “LAVER

1. “In Solomon’s temple there was one great brazen “sea” for the priests to wash in, and ten lavers on bases which could be wheeled about, for washing the animal victims for burnt offering, five on the N., five on the S. sides of the priests’ courts; each contained 40 “baths” (1 Kings 7:27,39; 2 Chron 4:5-6). Ahaz mutilated the bases; and Nebuzaradan carried away the remainder (2 Kings 16:17; 25:13). No lavers are mentioned in the second or Herod’s temple. Solomon’s “molten sea” was made of the copper captured from Tibhath and Chun, cities of Hadarezer king of Zobah (1 Chron 18:8), five cubits high, ten diameter, 30 circumference; one hand-breadth thick; containing 3,000 baths according to Chronicles, but 2,000 in Kings; 2,000 is probably correct, Chronicles reading is a transcriber’s error. It is thought that it bulged out below, but contracted at the mouth to the dimensions in 1 Kings 7:23-26. A double row of gourds (“knops”), 5 + 5 or 10 in each cubit, ran below the brim. The brim or lip was wrought curving outward like a lily or lotus flower. Layard describes similar vessels at Nineveh, of smaller size. The 12 oxen represent the 12 tribes of Israel the priestly nation, which cleansed itself here in the person of its priests to appear holy before the Lord. The sacrificial animals, the oxen, represent the priestly service. The “oxen” in 2 Chron 4:3 instead of “gourds” or “knops” in Kings is a transcriber’s error“.
(from Fausset’s Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database Copyright © 1998, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
And the Altar of Burnt Offerings was in place with wood stacked in place so that the “fire would never go out”. Lev 6:12-15 “And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the altar“. This was a type of the “Tongues of Fire” that fell at Pentecost see Acts 2:1-4. It is the responsibility of the Church Elders to see that “Pentecostal Fire” never go’s out in the Church of today.
Le. 16:2; God tells Moses to relay a message to Aaron that he not come into the Holy Place within the vail at any time; but only once each year when he appears in a Cloud between the Cherubim in the “Mercy Seat”. At this time Aaron is instructed to first remove his royal robe of the Priesthood and wash himself in the Laver and put on the ” Linen coat, linen breeches and girded with a linen girdle and with a linen mitre [head piece] shall he be attired. And since these are holy garments he shall first wash himself in water in the laver in front of the Tabernacle, and then he shall put them on.
Then shall Aaron come into the holy place: With a young bullock [a full grown male of the cattle family [Bull, Bullock. terms used synonymously with ox, oxen, and properly a generic name for horned cattle when a full age and fit for the plough. It is variously rendered "bullock," Isa 65:25, "cow," Ezek 4:15, "oxen," Gen 12:16. Kine is used in the Bible as the plural of cow. In Isa 51:20, the "wild bull" ("wild ox" in Deut 14:5) was possibly one of the larger species of antelope, and took its name from its swiftness. Dr. Robinson mentions larger herds of black and almost harmless buffaloes as still existing in Palestine, and these may be the animal indicated.]
(from Smith’s Bible Dictionary, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
for a “sin offering” and a ram for a “burnt offering” for himself and his family. This is a type of the N.T. ministry; “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.” 2nd. Tim. 2:6.
Then he will take of the “Congregation of the children of Israel two kids of goats [male "he goats"] for a sin offering, and one ram for a for a burnt offering. Note these animals must be taken from the congregation of Israel.
These two goats were to be presented before [the face or presence of] the LORD [Jehovah] at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation Lev. 16:7. Both of these goats are to be presented as a “gift to God”. And through the Lot process God chooses which animal is to die and which will become “the scapegoat”.
[LOTS, CASTING BY;
Early used to decide an issue; so in choosing each of the two goats on the day of atonement (two inscribed tablets of boxwood were the lots used according to Joma 3:9), Lev 16:8, and in assigning the inheritances in Canaan (Num 26:55; 34:13), in selecting men for an expedition (Judg 1:1; 20:10), in electing a king (1 Sam 10:20), in detecting the guilty (14:41-42), in selecting an apostle (Acts 1:26), as formerly priests' offices among the 16 of Eleazar's family and the eight of Ithamar (1 Chron 24:3,5,19; Luke 1:9), in apportioning spoil (Obad 11; Joel 3:3), in dividing Jesus' garments (Matt 27:35; Ps 22:18). In Prov 16:33, "the lot is cast into the lap," i.e. into an urn or cap in the judge's lap; "but the whole disposing (Hebrew: judgment) thereof is of the Lord." Only in weighty cases resort was had to judgment by lot; it was entered on with solemnity, as God is arbiter. Sanctification of the people preceded in Josh 7:13-18.
(from Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database Copyright © 1998, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)]
Notice verses # 8-19 The goat that the Lord chooses is the goat that must die that the blood might be first sprinkled on the “horns of the Altar” and the rest to be poured on the base or in front of the Altar as a sin offering.
Next the goat that the lot fell on “Azazel “[ Hebrew; S# 5799 Lev. 16:8,10 and 26] Goat of departure; scapegoat] would also be presented by Aaron alive before the Lord and “Aaron shall lay both of his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of Israel, and all their transgressions and all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and he shall be led away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness”. Note the words iniquities, transgressions and sins; this covered all of the faults or errors of the entire nation of Israel. This ritual ended when Jesus died on the cross for the sin “# 264″ of the world. See Rom. 10:4. 1 John 2:1-3 “If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments”.
When the “fit man [one especially selected] led the scapegoat into the wilderness; [an uninhabited place] it represented the promise of God to make a “New Covenant with his people; Heb. 8:8-13 and 10:16-22.
” This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more”.
After he released the Goat and before he returned into the camp he was commanded to “wash his clothes and bath his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. Lev. 16:26.
After Aaron had completed his part of the ritual he was instructed to come into the tabernacle and “Take off the linen garments that he wore when he entered which he put on when he entered and “leave them there” and wash his flesh with water and put on the other garments and then he can make atonement for himself and the people. This describing the statement of Jude 23-” And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh”.