It took blood and guts

2 Chron. 4

2 Chronicles 4 is a description of the temple furnishings. Previously the thing that has most stuck me about these descriptions is the ostentatiously lavish nature of the temple and the objects that filled it. This is certainly very important to the author, and points us to the glory of the God, that the furnishing attempts to mirror and honour. But reading the passage today all I could think of was blood. Almost all of the temple furniture is tied to the shedding of blood... to the butchering of animals. Of course I had always known it but I only really thought about it today - the temple courtyard must have stunk to high heaven (no pun intended).

The humongous sea, and the ten large basins, are described being used for washing by the priests. Exodus 30:17-21 makes clear that priests are to wash their hands before offering up the dead animal, but I don't think we should think of what goes on in Mosques, or RC churches. OT priests killed the animal before offering it up in the temple courts (not on the altar), and so no doubt would have been caked in blood which needed to be cleaned up before approaching a holy God. As well as the washing there were shovels, to deal with the mess left behind by the butchering and fire.

What can we learn about our God from something like this?

I remember a bible study in Hebrews from when I was in Poland when the leader proudly declared that today we were going to talk about 'BLOOD'. I think it was Hebrews 9 which contains 12 references to the word. Not very spiritual is it? The author of Hebrews declares:

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (9:22)

But Hebrews 9 is immensely concerned with spiritual things, as were the OT priests. They were concerned with how sinful people like us could enter the presence of God. The incredible personal sacrifice that animal sacrifices meant to the people of Israel, and the bloody way in which they were administered, showed how seriously difficult the priests thought this was. But as Hebrews points out even this costly arrangement did not really achieve anything spiritually lasting. The horrendous butchery of the OT was only ended by the even more horrendous killing of the Son of God.

Such is the seriousness of our sin. Trembling is in order. But also faithful rejoicing.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (9:11-14)