Exodus 29:38–46 (ESV)

“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”

Two lambs a day, every day, forever. And that’s just to keep the doors open. Sacrifices for specific people and specific sins are extra (see most of Leviticus).

Let’s play word association. I say the word “sin;” what do you think of?

Corruption. Selfishness. Stupidity. Deceit. Universal. Original. Evil. Hell.

Did you think of “expensive”?

That’s what this passage is about. Two lambs a day will eventually add up to more than the staggering cost of building and furnishing the tabernacle.

And this is all just to atone for sin. Actually, it’s not even that. It’s just to set the place up to for someone to atone for sin.

This displays the incredible cost that sin has laid on the world. Just try to imagine the sum total of all the pain and grief caused by sin.

That’s what drove Christ to the cross.

But wait. The whole of creation isn’t worth five minutes of pain suffered by the Creator. Why go there?

We’re not going to figure this one out (not in this life anyway). All that’s left is to celebrate it. Many of God’s priorities are beyond understanding. Accepting that often means accepting things we’d rather argue with.

But not this priority. Because God gives priority to our eternal destiny, we catch the ultimate break.

Remember that the next time you feel like complaining. His love is a wonder.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.