Thursday, June 14, 2007

Exodus 25

Exodus 25


 




Watch "The Wilderness Tabernacle" DVD


The matter of the tabernacle spans 13 of the 16 remaining chapters of Exodus!


Offerings for the Tabernacle


(1) The Lord said to Moses,


(2) “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved* to offer them.


*whose hearts are moved: God only wanted contributions from those who gave willingly. God is not interested in coerced or manipulated giving. In the New Testament this idea is echoed in 2 Corinthians 9:7: You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”


(3) Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them: gold*, silver**, and bronze***;


*gold: According to Exodus 38, they gave 2,800 lbs of gold. Pure gold throughout the scriptures speaks of divinity, that which cannot be reproduced by man. Gold is made by God and comes down from God. Gold speaks of the deity of Jesus Christ. It typifies the divine glory of the Lord Jesus as "the Son of God" and "God the Son". Where did they get all this gold, silver, bronze, expensive dyes, etc.?


**silver: According to Exodus 38, they gave 9,600 lbs. of silver. Throughout the Bible, silver figuratively speaks of redemption. It was always used as redemption money:

Exodus 30:16: Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle. It will bring the Israelites to the Lord’s attention, and it will purify your lives. The tabernacle stood upon sockets of silver. Both Joseph and Jesus were sold for silver. Judas was paid off in silver as the Scriptures said. Silver is redemption money. Silver is symbolic of the redemption that comes through Jesus Christ and Him alone. It prefigures the preciousness of Christ as the ransom for sinners. There is no silver mentioned in heaven. The people will already have been redeemed.


***bronze: According to Exodus 38 they gave 6,700 lbs. of bronze for use in those places where exceptional strength and heat resistance was important. Bronze has a melting point of 1,985 degrees. It was important in the altar where intense heat was present. Bronze represents judgment. When Moses raised the bronze serpent, it spoke of the power of the serpent being judged through the raising of the Son of God (Numbers 21:9). Bronze typifies the divine character of Christ who took upon Himself the fire of God's wrath, holiness and justice by becoming a sin offering.


(4) blue*, purple**, and scarlet thread***; fine linen**** and goat hair***** for cloth;


*blue: Woven into or embroidered on the linen were blue, purple, and scarlet threads. The Hebrew word for blue means shellfish. A brilliant dye was excreted from this mollusk. 1.4 ounces (40 g.) of this dye requires 12,000 murex snails. This bright color is always mentioned first. The color blue represents heaven, the color of the sky. Blue was always mentioned throughout the tabernacle to remind man that his destination is heaven and because of our Redeemer we are destined to be in God's Presence. Blue speaks of that which comes down from above ("from above" is a Jewish idiom for heaven).


**purple: The Hebrews would get this color from mixing blue and scarlet together. This deep red-purple color was a color of royalty (Kingly). The color purple typifies Jesus as King of king's and Lord of lord's, but there is another important truth. The mixing of blue and scarlet. Blue speaks of that which comes down from above, and scarlet, as we shall see, represents blood and death, sacrifice. Purple is a combination of both, which speaks of Christ as both God and Man, the Man who came from heaven to die. In some mysterious way He took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh. The dye for this color came from the murex snail. It was a purple-red color.


***scarlet thread: The scarlet was derived the dried and powdered eggs and bodies of an Eastern insect (coccus ilicus worm) which attaches itself to the holly plant. It was gathered, crushed, dried, and ground to a powder that produced a brilliant crimson hue. Scarlet speaks of sacrifice and typifies Christ in His sufferings. The crucifixion Psalm 22 quotes Jesus as saying - "I am a worm". God somehow took upon Himself a body of flesh and blood and then died giving His life as a ransom for us all by being crushed in the mills of God's justice.


**** fine linen: Fine linen was made from Egyptian flax, was finely woven, brilliantly white, and bore a special name, "byssus". This material was used for garments for royalty and persons of rank and has been found in the tombs of the Pharaohs. White linen always speaks of purity and righteousness. See Revelation 15:6 and 19:14. The fine-twined, white linen speaks of righteousness and typifies Jesus, the Son of Man, spotless, pure, and sinless. In fine modern linens, there are 86 threads per inch. In Egyptian tombs they have found linen with 152 threads per inch.


*****goat hair: Goats were common in those days for their milk, their meat, their skin which was used for many things such as water bottles, etc., and their hair, which was very long, dark and course, was spun and woven into cloth. The goat was a sacrificial animal. The Goat's Hair covering was the first above the tabernacle curtain. This drab color tells us of Jesus in His humility and poverty. Goatskins were worn by the poor and throughout the Bible represented extreme poverty. An interesting point about the goat is that it was used on the Day of Atonement. After the high priest completed the blood sprinkling in the holy of holies he would go into the court of the tabernacle and lay his hands on the head of the scapegoat, confessing over it all the sins of the people. The goat was then led away, by a man standing ready, into the wilderness, and there let free, to signify the carrying away of Israel's sins which God had forgiven. This reminds us of Jesus, humble and poor, becoming a curse for us, that we might have our sins carried away into the land of forgetfulness.
It is ideal for tenting, since it is loosely woven and allows breezes to pass through, but with rain the fibers expand and prevent water from seeping through. Coverings made from this material were typically black and coarse, similar to our modern felt.


(5) tanned ram skins* and fine goatskin leather**; acacia wood***;


*tanned ram skins: This customarily had the wool removed and was like fine leather. A ram is a grown male sheep and the head of the flock. A shepherd may have one or two rams in a flock of ewes. The ram is forever in the eyes of the Jew as the substitute animal, faithful unto death. This is because God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac on that day when Abraham's faith was revealed. The ram's skins were dyed red to represent the sacrifice of a substitute. So Jesus as the head of the human race, the last Adam, sacrificed His own life as a substitute for all who would put their trust in Him.


**goatskin leather: The meaning of the word Hebrew is debated. The Arabic tuhas or duhas is a dolphin, and so some think a sea animal is meant – something like a dolphin or porpoise. Porpoises are common in the Red Sea; their skins are used for clothing by the bedouin. The word has also been connected to an Egyptian word for “leather” (ths); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 265. Some variation of this is followed by NRSV (“fine leather”) and NLT (“fine goatskin leather”). Another suggestion connects this word to an Akkadian one that describes a precious stone that is yellow or ornge and also leather died with the color of this stone


***acacia wood: also called Shittim Wood. The Shittah tree grew in the deserts of Sinai, and the deserts around the Dead Sea. The wood is hard, very heavy, indestructible by insects, and has a fine, beautiful grain. It was remarkably luxuriant in dry places, sometimes attaining a height of twenty feet. It had lovely yellow flowers and its insect-resisting Acacia wood was used in making mummy cases. This Acacia wood undoubtedly speaks of the incorruptible humanity of Christ, for we are told that His humanity would never see corruption. This wood is harder and darker than oak. It is also very durable because wood-eating insects avoid it.


(6) olive oil* for the lamps; spices** for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense;


*olive oil: The oil was obtained by crushing the olive berries of the land. Oil was the liquid used when the prophet, priest, and king were anointed in Old Testament times. The olives weren't beaten or pressed but crushed. So Jesus was crushed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Hebrew - Oil Press) and then by the very wrath of God on a Roman cross. The anointing oil was restricted for tabernacle use only, anyone violating the command was put to death. The olive oil was to be pure and nothing but pure because it represents the HOLY Spirit of Christ. The word "Christ" is the Greek word for the Hebrew "Mashiach" (Messiah) which means "the anointed One". It literally means "to smear" as with oil. The oil was also used to anoint the Holy Tabernacle and its furniture, and to light the golden lampstand.


**spices: There were three spices to be added to the frankincense and oil according to Exodus 30:34: stacte and onycha and galbanum. Stacte is a powder from the hardened drops of the fragrant resin found in the bark of the Myrrh bush. The word means "a drop". Onycha is a powder from the horny shell cover of a clam-like mollusk found in the Red Sea. When burnt, this powder emits a penetrating aroma. The Hebrew word means- "aromatic shell". Galbanum is a brownish pungent resin that exudes from the lower part of the stem of a Ferula plant. This herb plant is found at the Mediterranean Sea and has thick stalks, yellow flowers, and fern-like green foliage. It has a musky, pungent smell and is valuable because it preserves the scent of a mixed perfume, and allows of its distribution over a long period of time. In these spices or perfumes we see Jesus as the sweet smelling aroma bringing joy to the Father's heart. When mixed with the olive oil we see the sweet illuminating work of the Spirit of Christ, and when mixed with frank-incense we see the sweetness of prayer as a "sweet smelling aroma in God's nostrils". How fitting that these perfumes would point to Christ.


(7) onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece.



(8) “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary* so I can live among them.


*sanctuary: The word here is miqdash, “a sanctuary” or “holy place” or “sacred residence.” The purpose of building it is to enable Yahweh to reside in their midst. God did not need a place to dwell, but the Israelites needed a dwelling place for him, so that they would look to it and be reminded that he was in their midst. The point is fellowship with God. The aim, the goal, the end of worship, the goal of the covenant of grace is everlasting fellowship with the living God. And that tent is right in the center of Israel with the twelve tribes surrounding it - a picture of fellowship with God. God orders construction of the tabernacle that He may dwell among His people. And that shows us that God’s purposes for the ordinances of worship is so that the people will understand that the great goal of His covenant is that they will be His people and He will be their God. The goal of worship, like the goal of covenant, is spiritual communion with the living God. And if our worship aims for anything less than this, it’s not worship. In worship we come to give to God the glory due His name and what do we come to get? Not our fancies tickled. We come to get Him. We come to get Him. We come to give our praise to Him and we come to get Him. It’s like a husband who comes to get his bride. That’s what he wants, he wants his wife. He comes for her. God wants a tent so He may dwell among His people, and remind them that the great blessedness of life and worship is everlasting fellowship with the living God.


(9) You must build this Tabernacle* and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern** I will show you.


*Tabernacle: Several Hebrew words were used for the tabernacle:

Beth: The house

Mishkan: The dwell-place - from shakan (to dwell)

Obel: The Tent

Obel Moed: Tent of assembly or congregation

Ohel Haeduth: The Tabernacle of witness

Kodesh: Sanctuary or Holy Place


**pattern: In this passage Moses is being shown something on the mountain that should be the pattern of the earthly sanctuary. The most plausible explanation of what he was shown comes from a correlation with comments in the Letter to the Hebrews and the book of Revelation, which describe the heavenly sanctuary as the true sanctuary, and the earthly as the copy or shadow. One could say that Moses was allowed to see what John saw on the island of Patmos, a vision of the heavenly sanctuary. That still might not explain what it was, but it would mean he saw a revelation of the true tent, and that would imply that he learned of the spiritual and eternal significance of all of it. The pattern of the tabernacle was according to a heavenly reality. It was a copy and shadow of the heavenly things (Hebrews 8:5). Therefore, it had to be made according to exact dimensions, being somewhat of a "scale model" of the area around God's throne in heaven.


Plans for the Ark of the Covenant.


   From 25:10 onwards the description moves from the inside to the outside: first the furnishings, the ark, table and lampstand (25:10-40), then the tent-covering (26:1-37), then beyond it to the altar and the court (27:1-19)


   "One might reasonably have expected that the ‘building’ would come first and then the things it housed. But this would have been to start from the visible, and the whole tabernacle exists as the necessary ‘wrapping’ for the invisible God when he comes down to be with his people. These materials are listed exactly as God had specified because they would each have specific symbolic meaning relating to the true Tabernacle in Heaven and Jesus Christ. Nothing could be left to chance or man's imagination because if the Lord is to dwell here and pitch His tent with man, then man is to approach Him His way and no exceptions. The details of its construction would pattern in a temporal way, what God would one day do permanently through Jesus Christ. - www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4Preparing_for_the_Tabernacle.htm


(10) “Have the people make an Ark* of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.


*Ark: This section begins with the ark, the most sacred and important object of Israel’s worship. Verses 10-15 provide the instructions for it, verse 16 has the placement of the Law in it, verses 17-21 cover the mercy lid, and verse 22 the meeting above it. The point of this item in the tabernacle is to underscore the focus: the covenant people must always have God’s holy standard before them as they draw near to worship. A study of this would focus on God’s nature (he is a God of order, precision, and perfection), on the usefulness of this item for worship, and on the typology intended. The word “ark” has long been used by English translations to render ’aron, the word used for the wooden “box,” or “chest,” made by Noah in which to escape the flood and by the Israelites to furnish the tabernacle.


(11) Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a molding of gold all around it.



(12) Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side.


(13) Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.


(14) Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.


The Ark didn't have "handles" and was not to be carried by lifting it directly in one's hands. Instead, it was to be carried by inserting gold-overlaid wood poles into gold rings at each corner of the Ark.


(15) These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them.


The poles were to remain inserted in the rings, and to be the only proper source of contact with the Ark. Apart from touching the poles, it was forbidden to touch the Ark of the Covenant. In 2 Samuel 6:6-7, Uzzah touched the Ark to keep it from falling off a cart but he did not touch it at the poles and God struck him dead. Uzzah was wrong in his thinking that God would let the Ark be damaged; in fact, it did not fall off the cart.


(16) When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant,* which I will give to you.


* Hebrew - Place inside the Ark the Testimony; similarly in 25:21. The Hebrew word for “testimony” refers to the terms of the Lord’s covenant with Israel as written on stone tablets, and also to the covenant itself..


(17) “Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.


(18) Then make two cherubim* from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover.


*cherubim: The evidence suggests that the cherubim were composite angelic creatures that always indicated the nearness of God. So here images of them were to be crafted and put on each end of the ark of the covenant to signify that they were there. Ezekiel 1 describes four cherubim as each having human faces, four wings, and parts of different animals for their bodies. Traditions of them appear in the other cultures as well. They serve to guard the holy places and to bear the throne of God. Here they were to be beaten out as part of the lid. We also find them in Genesis 3:24 guarding the entrance to Eden. The Book of Numbers depicts the voice of God as speaking to Moses from between the two Cherubim atop the Ark (Numbers 7:89).


(19) Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold.


(20) The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it*, they will protect it.


The verb means “overshadowing, screening” in the sense of guarding (see 1 Kings 8:7; 1 Chronicles 28:18; see also the account in Gen 3:24). The cherubim then signify two things here: by their outstretched wings they form the throne of God who sits above the ark (with the Law under his feet), and by their overshadowing and guarding they signify this as the place of atonement where people must find propitiation to commune with God. Until then they are barred from his presence.



(21) Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark.


(22) I will meet with you* there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant.** From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.


*I will meet with you: Here then is the main point of the ark of the covenant, and the main point of all worship – meeting with God through atonement. The text makes it clear that here God would meet with Moses (“you” is singular) and then he would speak to the people – he is the mediator of the covenant. The verb here is not the word that means “to meet by chance”, but “to meet” by appointment for a purpose. The parallel in the NT is Jesus Christ and his work. The theology is that the Law condemns people as guilty of sin, but the sacrifice of Christ makes atonement. So he is the “place of propitiation" (Romans 3:25) who gains communion with the Father for sinners. A major point that could be made from this section is this: At the center of worship must be the atoning work of Christ – a perpetual reminder of God’s righteous standard (the testimony in the ark) and God’s gracious provision (the atonement lid). The Lord was enthroned between the cherubim, just above the ark (1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2). Thus, the ark symbolized God's reign on earth.


**Or Ark of the Testimony.


The "mercy seat" (NKJV), the golden lid of the ark, illustrated how God’s throne was not only a throne of judgment, but one of grace (Leviticus 16:2-16).


The Holy of Holies only contained one piece of furniture, but this is not to imply that it was of little significance. The Ark of the Covenant or the Ark of the Testimony could be considered the most important piece of furniture which Israel possessed. The ark served to hold the two tablets of the Law, the pot of wilderness manna Exodus 16:33, and Aaron's rod that budded Numbers 17:7. The mercy seat was the place of the manifestation of God's glory. It was God's throne in Israel. 1 Samuel 4:4 shows God literally sitting between the cherubim. The ark was not merely symbolical of the indwelling of God among Israel, but actually contained Him. The cloud of God's glory, the manifestation of God's presence, rested over the Ark of the Covenant. The mercy seat sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice was the grace of God intervening between the holiness of God's presence in the cloud and the witness of man's sin in the law underneath the mercy seat.


The typology is found in God's presence in the believer's inward fellowship with the person of Christ again symbolized in the Lord's supper. 1 Corinthians 10:16 Also there is the type of the presence of God in heaven itself. Psalm 11:4 heaven was the pattern which the earthly tabernacle was copied. Hebrews 9:24.


Plans for the Table


(23) “Then make a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.


The Table of the Bread of the Presence (Tyndale’s translation, “Shewbread,” was used in KJV and influenced ASV, NAB) was to be a standing acknowledgment that Yahweh was the giver of daily bread. It was called the “presence-bread” because it was set out in his presence. The theology of this is that God provides, and the practice of this is that the people must provide for constant thanks. So if the ark speaks of communion through atonement, the table speaks of dedicatory gratitude. The drawing on the Arch of Titus shows two cross-stays in the space between the legs, about halfway up.


(24) Overlay it with pure gold and run a gold molding around the edge.


(25) Decorate it with a 3-inch border* all around, and run a gold molding along the border.


* Hebrew a border of a handbreadth


(26) Make four gold rings for the table and attach them at the four corners next to the four legs.


(27) Attach the rings near the border to hold the poles that are used to carry the table.


(28) Make these poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.


(29) Make special containers of pure gold for the table—bowls, pans, pitchers, and jars—to be used in pouring out liquid offerings.



(30) Place the Bread of the Presence* on the table to remain before me at all times.


Bread of the Presence: symbolizes Christ, the Bread of Life. Christ is the bread of life (John 6:35) who himself is in the presence of the Father continually (Hebrews 7:25, 9:24). Those who partake of the bread of life, Jesus, experience eternal life, and will be eternally in the presence of God (John 6:35-40). According to Leviticus 24:5-9, showbread was made of fine flower, and twelve cakes of showbread - one for each tribe of Israel - set on the table, sprinkled lightly with frankincense. Once a week, the bread was replaced and only priests could eat the old bread.


The name basically means that the bread is to be set out in the presence of Yahweh. The custom of presenting bread on a table as a thank offering is common in other cultures as well. The bread here would be placed on the table as a symbol of the divine provision for the twelve tribes – continually, because they were to express their thanksgiving continually. Priests could eat the bread after certain times (Leviticus 24:5,8). Fresh bread would be put there regularly.


Plans for the Lampstand


(31) “Make a *lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals.


*Golden Lampstand - symbolizes Christ, the Light of World. The point here is to provide light in the tent for access to God. He provided for his worshipers a light for the way to God, but he also wanted them to provide oil for the lamp to ensure that the light would not go out. Verses 31-36 describe the piece. It was essentially one central shaft, with three branches on either side turned out and upward. The stem and the branches were ornamented every so often with gold that was formed into the shape of the calyx and corolla of the almond flower. On top of the central shaft and the six branches were the lamps.



Aaron would lit the lamps in the evening and extinguish them in the morning. Exodus 30:8. It symbolizes the perfection (7 lamps) with which God's Old Testament people must shine forth before Him as enabled by the oil of the Holy Spirit causing its light to shine in the darkness of this world. Zechariah 4:2-6 The shining forth indirectly results in the praise of God. The typology can be found in the present day as light and truth that radiates from the heart of the consecrated Christian, through Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:14; John 8:12. In Him was life and the life was the light of men (John 1:4 KJV). Jesus said “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12). Therefore, the lampstand points us to Jesus Christ Himself, the light of the whole world.
We not only need to see His light, we need to walk in His light (I John 1:5-7; Ephesians 1:18; 5:5-8). This will involve the Lord shining on many things that do not reflect Him. We should confess anything shined on in our conscience to our Advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who gave Himself for our sins (I John 1:9; 2:1-2). This kind of inner working is the functioning of the light of life: the priests trimmed the wicks of the lamps in the lampstand and re-filled the bowls with oil and the light burned brightly again (compare Revelation 1:12-13).



(32) Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side.


(33) Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals.


The repetition of the almond blossom motif was important because it was the first tree to blossom in the springtime.



(34) Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals.


(35) There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem.


(36) The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold.


(37) Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward.


(38) The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold.


(39) You will need seventy-five pounds* of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.


* Hebrew 1 talent


Located at the highest point of the Via Sacra which leads to the Roman Forum, the triumphal arch, with only one passageway, commemorates Titus' conquest of Judea which ended the Jewish Wars (66-70 AD). One scene depicts the triumphal procession with the booty from the temple at Jerusalem--the sacred Menorah, the Table of the Shewbread shown at an angle, and the silver trumpets which called the Jews to Rosh Hashanah. The bearers of the booty wear laurel crowns and those carrying the candlestick have pillows on their shoulders. Placards in the background explain the spoils or the victories Titus won. The arch was erected posthumously.



(40) “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.



Leviticus 16:2-16 (New Living Translation):


The Lord said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover. “When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on. Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord. Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the Lord. The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the Lord. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the Lord. “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord. After he has slaughtered the bull as a sin offering, he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the Lord. Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain. There in the Lord’s presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant. If he follows these instructions, he will not die. Then he must take some of the blood of the bull, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle it on the east side of the atonement cover. He must sprinkle blood seven times with his finger in front of the atonement cover. “Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat’s blood over the atonement cover and in front of it, just as he did with the bull’s blood. Through this process, he will purify the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites.



Hebrews 9 (New Living Translation):

   That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.
   When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use. This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect. That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.



Bezaleel and Aholiab were the chief constructors, and it is said that they and the other workmen were filled with the Sprit of God, in wisdom and in understanding to make all that God had commanded. The people so freely offered gifts and materials for the tabernacle, that they had to be restrained from bringing any more. The offerings were sufficient for all the work to make the Tabernacle, and more. Exodus 36:1


The Tabernacle accompanied the children of Israel during their wanderings in the desert, and in the different stages of the conquest of the land of Canaan. When the conquest was complete, the Tabernacle was permanently installed in Shiloh as the place which the Lord had chosen. Joshua 18:1 This is where it was found throughout Judges. At the time of the capture of the Ark God abandoned the Tabernacle of Shiloh. Psalm 78:60 The Ark never returned to the Tabernacle, and the Tabernacle was removed from Shiloh. We find it some years later with its priests and its table of Showbread in 1 Samuel 21:1 and in Solomon's time with its altar of burnt offering and ministered at by Zadok the high priest at Gibeon 1 Chronicles 16:39. After the building of the Temple it completely disappeared from history.



When the cloud (Hebrew Sh'chinah) moved off the Tabernacle the people of Israel were to begin to move. Exodus 40:37; Numbers 9:17. A silver trumpet was sounded for the breaking of Camp. On this signal the priests took the veil of the holy place and covered the Ark of the Covenant and placed two other covering over it. Then all of the other pieces of furniture were covered and the tabernacle was disassembled and carried by specific tribes. Numbers 4:7.


The Kohathites carried all the furniture which had poles. Numbers 4:1 The Gershonites carried the curtains which surrounded the Tabernacle, the tent and the brazen altar. Numbers 4:21 The Merarites carried the frames, bars, poles of the structure of the tabernacle. Numbers 4:29 The Levites marched in the center of the camp with six tribes in front of them and six behind them. Numbers 2:17 No one was allowed to touch the holy things on strict punishment of death. Numbers 4:15 -- www.abu.nb.ca/ecm/topics/event8.htm



As the Israelites marched in the wilderness, the Levites (priestly tribe) would disassemble the Tabernacle, and, the ark carried by the priests on two poles would lead them as they went, with the glory cloud hovering over them. There were three principle families of the tribe of Levi who were responsible for the transporting of the tabernacle items. The people of God were to realize that they were pilgrims here and when God said move, they needed to be ready.


After the breakdown of their faith, God created something that would strikingly appeal to their 5 senses so they would remember that they were the people of God. Throughout the Old Testament God had to stimulate the senses because after Adam, and up to the time of Jesus, man was spiritually dead. God is Spirit, and all man knew was the 5 senses (what he could see, touch, taste, hear, and smell). The Lord would begin here at the tabernacle to enshrine the people of Israel with ceremony and rituals so that they would remember Him. God would begin to tie a sense ruled people with something spiritual so that they would have faith simply by what they saw. If you think about the covenant of circumcision, each time a man would go to the bathroom he would remember the covenant. And what was the covenant? That one day Messiah would come of the nation that God raised through the first Hebrew, Abraham. This Messiah would be the savior of the whole world.


He would start by giving them a physical structure called the tabernacle with all its furniture, and priesthood, and offerings. Then He would give them daily rituals (reminders) and prayers, weekly Sabbaths, feasts and festivals, clean and unclean foods, and many other chosen ceremonies and laws that would all be physical reminders that would all point to the one Man who would come, who would be the Messiah. God enshrined them with so much ceremony that when He came they wouldn't possibly miss Him. And guess what? When He came they missed Him. They were so involved in their traditions and rituals that when Jesus came, Who was the fulfillment of all the ceremonies, they were completely in the dark and didn't recognize Him and ended up forcing Pilate, the Roman governor, to crucify Him. But God, in His wonderful foreknowledge knew this and planned it from the start. That is why He instituted blood as the means of redemption.


So the tabernacle was the beginning of the visible reminders of a Spiritual God and His plan. Everything in the tabernacle was a type of Jesus. That is why God was so specific as to what they were to construct it with. They could not use one ounce of human imagination "Lest they die." Gold, silver, bronze, the fine white linen, the four colors, the anointing oil, the incense, it all pointed to the One who, "became flesh and dwelt (literally tabernacled) among us." Jesus said, "I have not come to destroy the Law and the prophets but to fulfill them." It is no wonder that when He hung on the cross Jesus cried, "It is finished." and the veil of the temple was ripped in half. What was finished? The entire Old Testament ceremonial, moral, and civil law was nailed to that tree outside of Jerusalem. He came to be the very embodiment and fulfillment of the Law itself.


Each and every detail and Word about the tabernacle has spiritual significance. As we look to the tabernacle structure itself and its unique pieces of redemptive furniture there is great symbolism and typology found in them. Remember, everything was a finger pointing to the Messiah. The tabernacle, as a type, designed specifically and in detail by God, would point to the character and aspects of the ministry of Christ. When Jesus was accusing the Jewish authorities He said, "You have made My Fathers house into a den of thieves," and by saying "My Father" they knew He was claiming Messianic authority over the temple, and so they said, "what sign do you show us seeing that you do these things?" and notice what He said:


John 2:19-21 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”1 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.


They were looking at the physical structure (Hebrew Mikdash) of the temple but He said, "Destroy this temple" He used the word in Hebrew 'Mishkan' which was the word used in the Old Testament of the Presence that lit the holy of holies on Yom Kippur in the tabernacle or temple. Jesus said I am the temple (Mishkan) of God. When the glory (Hebrew Sh'chinah) would come down like a tornado or funnel right through the roof of the holy of holies and the Presence would manifest on the mercy seat between the cherubim after the blood was sprinkled, that was the mishkan. That Presence was what Jesus said dwelt within Him. And in fact Paul said about the church, "Know ye not that you are the temple (Mishkan) of God?" We, as the body of Christ, have the same Presence dwelling within us. God doesn't dwell in buildings now but within His people. Romans 10 says that If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Yahweh and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. It's that easy. At that point you become the Mishkan of God. When God said, "Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them," He literally said 'in' them. God's ultimate goal has always been to dwell within His people (Jeremiah 31:31-33) and to put His Spirit within us. When you accept Jesus you become the Mishkan of God.


So as you begin this rich and wonderful study of the tabernacle remember that it is all pointing to Jesus Christ. Everything was a picture of Him. If you can grasp this incredible study it will add an element of new strength and joy in your devotion to the Lord.


-- www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4Overview.htm




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1 comment:

Heather said...

Thank you SO much , this has been awesome !! Blessings

4:32 PM

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