Tabernacle in the Wilderness

Introduction

The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 "Tell the Israelites to take an offering for Me. You are to take My offering from everyone whose heart stirs him to give. 3 This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and manatee skins; acacia wood; 6 oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx along with other gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece. 8 "They are to make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make it according to all that I show you-the design of the tabernacle as well as the design of all its furnishings." HCSB

Heb 8:1-5 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. KJV

Hebrews 9:11-12

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

THE MESSAGE OF THE TABERNACLE

1) God's Appearance To Man In Grace.

2) Man's Approach To God In Faith

God begins with the Ark and Concludes with the Brazen Altar.

Man begins with the Brazen Altar and moves to the Holy of Holies.

Gospel- God humbled Himself to the death of the Cross.

Man approaches God by faith.

The Tabernacle beautifully illustrates the seven steps of Salvation.

Exodus 25:8 says And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. Christ is to Tabernacle among us. The Tabernacle shows the person and work of Christ.

I. Way of Introduction - the Gate of the outer court.

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.KJV

Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

Acts 4:12

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 10:9

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

II. Way of Reconciliation - Brazen Altar

2 Corinthians 5:19, 21

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Five Offerings

Two were Substitutionary

1) 1 Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

2) Ephesians 5:2

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

Fragrant Offering

Only Christ can be both the Offerer and the Offering. We can be martyrs for Christ , but we cannot be substitutes. Only Jesus can do that.

We can give our lives to God as a living sacrifice , but not as a blood sacrifice.

It reminds me of a story that came from the years of the Great Depression. A Missourian named John Griffith controlled the railroad drawbridge across the Mississippi. In the summer of 1937 he took his 8- year-old son to work with him. At noon he put the bridge up to allow ships their passage. He then began to enjoy the presence of his son, Greg, and lost track of time. At 1:07 he was startled by the Memphis Express whistle in the distance. He dashed to the controls and prepared to let down the bridge. Just before releasing the master level, he panicked at the sight of his son. Greg had slipped from the observation deck and now had his left leg caught in the cogs of the two main gears. Griffith quickly thought of a plan to rescue his boy, but there was too little time. The express was carrying 400 passengers, and the salvation of his son would cost the lives of many. In total anguish, John Griffith threw the lever and simultaneously, killed his son while saving the train riders. Greater heartache followed when Griffith looked at the passing train. Do you know what he saw? He saw businessmen casually reading the newspaper, ladies sipping their coffee in the dining car, and children eating ice cream. Nobody even looked his way to acknowledge his sorrow. Through tear-stained eyes, he looked at the train and cried out, "I sacrificed my son for you people. Don't you care?"

God sacrificed His Son so that those of us who are alienated from Him might be reconciled. And I think sometimes God may look at us and see our carelessness and our indifference and our casual attitude toward spiritual things. And He may be saying to us, "I sacrificed my Son for you people. Don't you care? Is it nothing to you?"

III. Way of Separation - the Laver

John 13:10

Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

John 15:3

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

The laver, or basin, was a large bowl filled with water located halfway between the brazen altar and the Holy Place. Although God did not give specific measurements for the Laver, it was to be made entirely of bronze. The priests were to wash their hands and their feet in it before entering the Holy Place.

The laver was located in a convenient place for washing and stood as a reminder that people need cleansing before approaching God. The priests atoned for their sins through a sacrifice at the brazen altar, but they cleansed themselves at the laver before serving in the Holy Place, so that they would be pure and not die before a holy God.

The application for believers today is that we are forgiven through Christ's work on the cross, but we are washed through His Word. We need to be washed daily in His Word to cleanse ourselves, so that we can serve and minister before Him.

"...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27)

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [with blood] to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22)

After washing their hands and feet at the laver, the priests could enter the Holy Place, which was the first room in the tent of the tabernacle. There were three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place: the menorah, the table of showbread and the golden altar of incense.

IV. Way of Illumination - The Lampstand

The menorah, also called the "golden Lampstand" or "candlestick," stood at the left side of the Holy Place. It was hammered out of one piece of pure gold. Like for the laver, there were no specific instructions about the size of the menorah, but the fact that it was fashioned out of one piece of pure gold would have limited its size.

The lampstand had a central branch from which three branches extended from each side, forming a total of seven branches. Seven lamps holding olive oil and wicks stood on top of the branches. Each branch looked like that of an almond tree, containing buds, blossoms and flowers. The priests were instructed to keep the lamps burning continuously.

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually.'" (Leviticus 24:1-3)

The lampstand was the only source of light in the Holy Place, so without it, the priests would have been moping around in the dark. The light shone upon the table of showbread and the altar of incense; enabling the priests to fellowship with God and intercede on behalf of God's people. Just as the lampstand was placed in God's dwelling place so that the priests could approach God, Jesus, the "true light that gives light to every man" (John 1:9) came into the world so that man could see God and not live in spiritual darkness anymore. Jesus said:

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 9:46)

The Cave and the Sun

There is an allegory written for the little ones, but serviceable to the grown folks: Once upon a time a Cave lived under the ground, as caves have the habit of doing. It had spent its lifetime in darkness. It heard a voice calling to it, "Come up into the light; come and see the sunshine." The Cave retorted, "I don't know what you mean; there isn't anything but darkness." Finally the Cave ventured forth and was surprised to see light everywhere. Looking up to the Sun the Cave said, "Come with me and see the darkness." The Sun asked, "What is darkness?" The Cave replied, "Come and see." One day the Sun accepted the invitation. As it entered the cave it said, "Now show me your darkness!" But there was no darkness. (Sunday School Times)

Jesus is represented by the main branch of the lampstand, and we as believers are represented by the six branches that extend from original branch. Having believed, we are now living as "children of light" (Ephesians 5:8) who draw our source of light from Jesus, the true light. Jesus calls us "light of the world" and commands us to "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5: 14, 16). Not only so, but the branches serve as a picture of Jesus' description of our relationship with him: "I am the vine, you are the branches ... apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Two other significant symbols that can be seen from include the fact that it was made of pure gold (not gold plated) and had seven branches. Pure gold is a representation of the deity and perfection of Jesus Christ, and seven is the number of completeness in the Bible. The believer is made complete by the perfection of Christ.

V. WAY OF SATISFACTION - The Table of Showbread.

The table of showbread was a small table made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. It measured 3 feet by 1.5 feet and was 2 feet, 3 inches high. It stood on the right side of the Holy Place across from the lampstand and held 12 loaves of bread, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. The priests baked the bread with fine flour and it remained on the table before the Lord for a week; every Sabbath day the priests would remove it and eat it in the Holy Place, then put fresh bread on the table. Only priests could eat the bread, and it could only be eaten in the Holy Place, because it was holy.

"Showbread" also was called "bread of the presence" because it was to be always in the Lord's presence. The table and the bread were a picture of God's willingness to fellowship and communion (literally speaking, sharing something in common) with man. It was like an invitation to share a meal, an extension of friendship. Eating together often is an act of fellowship. God was willing for man to enter into His presence to fellowship with Him, and this invitation was always open.

Jesus exemplified this when He ate with tax collectors, prostitutes and the sinners of Jewish society. But this was more than just a gesture of friendship on earth. Jesus came to call sinners to Him, make them right with God, so that they could enjoy everlasting fellowship with God.

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. ... Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die." (John 6:35, 49-50)

God so desires our fellowship that He was willing to come to earth from heaven as our "bread of life" to give eternal life to all those who would partake in it. At Jesus' last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus described Himself as bread again:

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" (Matthew 26:26)

Jesus' broken body is our only access to fellowship with God. Today, we celebrate the Lord's Supper, or communion, to remember this important truth. And today, as in the day of Moses' tabernacle, God still desires to have fellowship and sit down for a feast with His people.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelations 3:20)

VI. Way of Intercession - the alter of Incense.

Hebrews 13:15-16

Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. 16 Don't neglect to do good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.(HCSB)

The golden altar of incense, which is not to be confused with the brazen altar, sat in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This altar was smaller than the brazen altar. It was a square with each side measuring 1.5 feet and was 3 feet high. It was made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. Four horns protruded from the four corners of the altar.

God commanded the priests to burn incense on the golden altar every morning and evening, the same time that the daily burnt offerings were made. The incense was to be left burning continually throughout the day and night as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It was made of an equal part of four precious spices (stacte, onycha, galbanum and frankincense) and was considered holy. God commanded the Israelites not to use the same formula outside the tabernacle to make perfume for their own consumption; otherwise, they were to be cut off from their people

(Exodus 30:34-38).

The incense was a symbol of the prayers and intercession of the people going up to God as a sweet fragrance. God wanted His dwelling to be a place where people could approach Him and pray to Him.

"...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:7)

The picture of prayers wafting up to heaven like incense is captured in David's psalm and also in John's vision in Revelations:

"May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." (Psalm 141:2)

"Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand." (Revelations 8:3-4)

The golden altar, furthermore, is a representation of Christ, who is our intercessor before God the Father. During His days on earth, Jesus prayed for the believers. He was like the high priest of the tabernacle, who bore the names of each of the Israelite tribes on his breastplate before God. Just before He was betrayed and sentenced to death, Jesus interceded for His disciples and all believers, asking God to guard them from evil and sanctify them by His Word, and that they may see God's glory and be a witness to the world (John 17:1-26). Today, Jesus still is our high priest at the Father's side, interceding for God's people:

"Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:34)

Since we have been forgiven of our sins through the blood of Christ, we also come boldly in prayer in Jesus' name. When we pray in Jesus' name, we are praying based on the work He has done and not on our own merit. It is in His powerful name that we are saved and baptized, and in His name we live, speak and act.

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:13-14)

Through the Veil

Within the Holy Place of the tabernacle, there was an inner room called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place. Judging from its name, we can see that it was a most sacred room, a place no ordinary person could enter. It was God's special dwelling place in the midst of His people. During the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness, God appeared as a pillar of cloud or fire in and above the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube - its length, width and height were all equal to 15 feet.

A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. This curtain, known as the "veil," was made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty. They also guarded the throne of God. These cherubim were also on the innermost layer of covering of the tent. If one looked upward, they would see the cherubim figures.

The word "veil" in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides. What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, God's chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement.

The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between man and God, showing man that the holiness of God could not be trifled with. God's eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The veil was a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into God's awesome presence. Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins.

"But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance." (Hebrews 9:7)

So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning that God tore the curtain.

As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. God's presence was now accessible to all. Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus' death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus' body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. As Jesus cried out "It is finished!" on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that God's redemptive plan was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.

We can now boldly enter into God's presence, "the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf." (Hebrews 6:19-20)

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body ...let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith." (Hebrews 10:19-22)

The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself, God's dwelling place, which we have access now through Christ. In Revelations, John's vision of heaven - the New Jerusalem - also was a perfect square, just as the Holy of Holies was (Revelation 21:16).

"For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ...But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:24-26)

VII. WAY OF COMMUNION -The ark of the covenant

1 John 1:3

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Within the Holy of Holies, shielded from the eye of the common man, was one piece of furniture comprising two parts: the Ark of the Covenant and the atonement cover (or "mercy seat") on top of it. The ark was a chest made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold inside and out. It was 3 feet, 9 inches long and 2 feet, 3 inches wide and high. God commanded Moses to put in the ark three items: a golden pot of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written. We will discuss these three objects in further detail below.

The atonement cover was the lid for the ark. On top of it stood two cherubim (angels) at the two ends, facing each other. The cherubim, symbols of God's divine presence and power, were facing downward toward the ark with outstretched wings that covered the atonement cover. The whole structure was beaten out of one piece of pure gold. The atonement cover was God's dwelling place in the tabernacle. It was His throne, flanked by angels. God said to Moses:

"There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites." (Exodus 25:22)

"Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover." (Leviticus 16:2)

In the ark The three items in the ark that served as a sore reminder of man's shortcomings have taken on a different meaning since Jesus Christ redeemed us from our sins. Let's review the three articles and see how they point to Christ.

1) Manna- Miraculous Provision in the Wilderness.

First, the pot of manna: When Jesus came and walked on earth, he didn't reject God's provision. Rather, He became God's provision to us. Manna, the bread from heaven, in itself did not impart life. But Jesus told us that He is the true bread from heaven.

"Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.'" (John 6:32, 48-50)

2) Rod of Aaron Bloomed- Only God's Ordained one could remove the plague of death.- Christ gives us grace and Power to live the Christian Life

Second, Aaron's budding staff: Jesus didn't reject God's authority. Instead, He submitted Himself to the Father's will and died on the cross.

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38)

But He came back to life like Aaron's budding rod, "the firstfruits from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:20).

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:15-26)

3) Law of Moses- The Ten Commandments

Jesus didn't reject God's right standard of living. He lived a sinless life and obeyed God's law perfectly, becoming our perfect sacrifice and intercessor. His sacrifice instituted a new covenant that was not based on the Law.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." (Romans 3:20-22)

The New Covenant in Christ we are given grace and power to live the Christian life.

Conclusion

An expert swimmer taught college men how to swim and dive. One night he couldn't sleep. He decided to go to the swimming pool and have a swim, hoping that the exercise would induce sleep. Said he, "I didn't put the lights on. I knew every inch of the place, and the roof was made of glass. The moon shone through, throwing the shadow of my body on the wall at the other end of the pool. I started to dive. My body and arms made a perfect sign of the cross! I cannot explain why I did not dive at that moment. I had no premonition of danger of any kind. As I stood looking at the shadow of the cross, I began to think of the cross of Christ and its meaning. I was not a Christian. I found myself repeating the words of a hymn I had learned as a boy: 'He died that I might be forgiven.' I cannot tell you how long I stood poised on the diving board, or why I did not dive. I came down from the diving board and walked along the pool to the steps that I knew led to the bottom of the pool and began to descend. I reached the bottom and my feet touched the cold, smooth bottom of the pool! The night before the caretaker had drained the pool dry and "I knew nothing about it. I realized then that had I dived, I would have dived to my death! The cross on the wall saved me that night. I was so thankful to God for His mercy in sparing my life I knelt on the cold bricks and asked the Christ of the cross to save my soul. I experienced a twofold deliverance that night!" -The Listening Post