The Color of Worship - Silver

 2 Corinthians 6:16, 17

What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of The Living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 

“Therefore come out from among them and be separate," says The Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 

    Silver is the color of sanctification, of purification, of being set apart {separated from} for The Lord's glory and purpose. Thirty pieces of silver was the redemption price of both slave {Exodus 21:32}and under-valued shepherd. {Zechariah 11:10-13; Matthew 26:15; 27:3-10}. 

    In Zechariah 11:10-14 silver shekels forewarn of the breaking of two covenants because of their refusal to listen to Him. The first covenant broken was the covenant of peculiarity, of being singled out by God to be His own {Zechariah 11:10; Matthew 21:43; Romans 11:20-22}. The second covenant broken {Zechariah 11:14; Jeremiah 19:1-13; Matthew 27:9} was the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. No longer would they get along with each other in brotherly love, but now they hate each other because of the abundance of sin in their camps, in their hearts.  

    Only in Christ have the two covenants been restored. Only in Christ has God redeemed a people who were not His own. Only in Christ has God redeemed His elect, the people He called to be His own though they rejected Him time and again. Only in Christ can we love one another with the love of Christ. Only in Christ is anything made possible that seems impossible. 

SANCTIFICATION 

    Hebrews 9:22

According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

    Exodus 30:11-16 tells us that the silver given for the building of the tabernacle was the atonement price paid to ransom each man's life who consented to being numbered in the census. Therefore silver represents the atoning power of Christ to redeem us from sin and death. 

    Romans 3:25 - Christ Our Atoning Sacrifice

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

    1 John 2:2

He Himself is The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. {John 3:16} 

    1 John 4:10

And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins.

    Hebrews 2:17

For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. 

PURIFICATION

    1 Peter 1:22

Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

    Zechariah 13:9

This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My Name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” [Hosea 2:23; Jeremiah 31:33]

    1 Peter 1:6, 7

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

SEPARATED

    1 Peter 2:9 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

     1 Thessalonians 2:4

 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, Who tries our hearts.

    2 Timothy 2:15

Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles The Word of Truth. 

    2 Corinthians 10:18

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

    Jeremiah 9:24

But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

    

    

    

    

    

    

Color of Worship-Silver

 REDEMPTION, SANCTIFICATION, DELIVERANCE

Exodus 30:11-15

"11) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (12) When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. (13) This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. (14) Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. (15)The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."

This half-shekel was silver and this silver was to be paid as an atonement for their souls. (The Tabernacle) 

It was blood money. While some animals were designated to be used as sacrifices for various cleansings, the silver tax on each male person that was delivered out of Egypt was once and for all. They were each able to pay it, as they had left Egypt with as much wealth as the Egyptians could give them to carry out. They were more eager to see the Israelites leave Egypt than the Israelites were eager to go. Who would want to risk more dire plagues upon themselves than this last one which took the firstborn male of every family that had not blood-washed their doorposts?

The first time this silver tax was paid, the half-shekels were melted down and formed into silver sockets, or bars, and used as the foundation for the tabernacle which was a shadow of Jesus Christ and the church. I say "and the church" because each person who comes to Christ, must first come through the blood of Christ on an INDIVIDUAL, PERSONAL responsibility. 

Atonement for sin could only be given through a blood sacrifice and that sacrifice had to be paid for with Silver. And it was. Even in the New Testament. Who does not remember what Judas was paid? Thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15 'they covenanted with him'), in other words for 30 shekels. 

If the silver could not be paid, that person was put to death. If we do not accept God's payment of atoning power for our sins on an individual basis, we must pay the death penalty ourselves. Romans 3:10 "There is none righteous, no, not one."

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." 1 John 5:12 "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 

For it is in Jesus Christ that we are redeemed by the divine blood which was shed for our sins. It is in Jesus Christ that we are made complete, whole, one. It is in Jesus Christ that we are for ever delivered from the bondages of sin. 

Redeemed. Complete. Delivered.