Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Make a sanctuary for me (Exo 24-27)*

Exodus 24:12-27:21; 37:1-38:20

Key Verse – “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” (Exodus 25:8=9).

Introduction:
In last week’s study on Ch. 24, we learned that the covenant between God and Israel was ratified by a burnt offering consisting of a young bull and the sprinkling of its blood, half on the leaders of Israel and the other half on God’s altar. Soon after this, they saw what was below his feet - crystal blue, lapis lazuli; they ate in God’s presence and He did not raise His hands against them. This was a sign of God’s happiness with them because they agreed to do all that He had commanded them through Moses and this opened the possibility for Him to be with them. Soon after ratifying the covenant, God called Moses to Him again and expressed His will to dwell among His people Israel.
This is remarkable, because, since mankind’s fall, the gulf between God and men became so wide and so deep that it looked impossible to reconcile them. Such hopelessness is seen in God’s lament:

“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:2-4.

In this regard, God’s will to dwell among men created a great turning point in men’s relationship with Him, their Creator. Then, how and in what condition would God want to be with men? The answer to this question was given to Moses while he was in the Lord’s presence for forty days at the top of Mount Horeb. His instructions can be divided into two subjects: the first was how to build a tabernacle and all its furnishings, according to God’s glory and holiness. The second set was how men were to approach Him in a right manner, i.e. how or what might be the holiest way to approach God Almighty.

Today’s passage is about the first set of instructions and the next message will be on the second, priestly preparation in man’s approach to God.

1.       God called Moses to meet Him in a heavenly sanctuary

Soon after the ratification of the covenant between Himself and the Israelite leaders, God called Moses to meet with Him:

“The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”” (Exodus 24:12).

To God, it was so important that His people keep the Ten Commandments that He personally inscribed them in stone. This implicitly suggests that God would not tolerate any violations of what was written on the stone tablets. At the same time, this speaks of God’s eager desire to keep the covenant viable.

So He went up the mountain to meet with Joshua and the other leaders of Israel. But on the way, Moses told the leaders that they needed to wait until he and his aide, Joshua, returned from meeting with God. This would take a long time; during this time, his brother, Aaron, and his assistant, Hur, led them. As he approached the mountaintop, Joshua stayed behind and Moses went up alone. As Israel watched, the Lord’s glory settled upon the mountain. To them, His glory looked like a consuming fire as He communicated the Ten Commandments to Moses (19:18). However, Moses entered into that glory. For six days, he remained at the top of the mountain that was covered with clouds, and God did not call him to come closer. However, on the seventh day, God called Moses from within the cloud. He did not give a positive reason as to why, but I believe that He called him on the seventh day, because it was the day of worship to the Lord. This would enable Moses to see the heavenly sanctuary while the worshipping was occurring. Also, this might have served as a time of purification for Moses so he would be holy enough to enter the heavenly sanctuary.

Also, we must not fail to note that Moses called to God, in His consuming fire and full glory. This direct encounter with God’s full glory is well supported by two additional statements; Moses expressed his desire to see God personally during this time and God answered this request (Exodus 33:21-23). Also, when Moses descended, his face was radiant (Exodus 34:29).

So the way in which Moses met God gives us the best example of how we also can meet with Him. At the same time, the changes that occurred in Moses’ life after meeting with God gives us a glimpse of what we will be like after meeting with Him.

In this holy encounter, God showed Moses the heavenly sanctuary and gave him instructions on how to build a tabernacle for Him. So the setting of this message’s delivery reflected the message itself exactly. So as we go through the details of God’s instructions on how to build the tabernacle, we must remember how Moses met God in His glory at the top of the mountain while His glory was seen like a consuming fire.

2.       Have them make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them.

Bring me an offering: the first thing that needed to happen in order for the Israelites to build a tabernacle was for them to offer all of the materials that were necessary for the building of the tabernacle. Moses was told to ‘receive’ these materials from everyone whose heart prompted them to give (Exodus 25:1-7). These offerings were not mandated by any command, but should come from their willing hearts. God, through Moses, received their offerings. What were they? The list is long: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins, durable leather, acacia wood, oils, spices, onyx, and other gems. These were very and expensive precious commodities. This willingness was not in just giving away what was left over; instead, they gave their best and most treasured possessions. This was not actually giving, but rather offering what they had to the Lord. It was an expression of one’s willingness to sacrifice, even the best of his own possessions, and an expression of their trust in the Lord God Almighty and honor to the God who had saved them.

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8).

God decided to dwell among them; the purpose of building the tabernacle was for God to have a dwelling place among them.

Make the sanctuary exactly like the pattern I will show you (Exodus 25:8b).

“Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” (Exodus 25:9).

As we noted earlier, Moses had to wait six days before God called him on the seventh day. It is possible that the seventh day was the Lord’s day, when God was to be fully honored. In order to see the heavenly sanctuary while God was being worshiped, Moses had to wait until the seventh day. This means that, from God’s perspective, it was essential for Moses to see the heavenly sanctuary, because what he and his people were to make needed to follow the same pattern, becoming almost exactly like the one in heaven.

In this respect, God was insisting that the earthly sanctuary should not be different from the one in heaven. Forms and patterns are containers of purpose and meaning. If the earthly sanctuary was to have the same pattern and form of the heavenly one, then it would also have a similar purpose and meaning. In other words, what happened in the heavenly sanctuary must also happen in the earthly sanctuary as well, in regards to worshiping the Lord. In order for the Lord to dwell in this earthly sanctuary, He must be honored and glorified, as He is in heaven. Isn’t this what Jesus taught about how believers should pray?

What was necessary for God to abide with mankind? We can rephrase this question: What pattern or form must the earthly sanctuary carry? God gave Moses the answer in two parts: all of the sanctuary’s furnishings and how the Israelites were to serve the Lord in that sanctuary.

Overall, the tabernacle’s entire set-up or system must be understood as God’s invitation for His people to meet with Him in a very controlled setting. The purpose of this is for us to know and have fellowship with Him. As we have experienced, the best way to know someone is to live together. In order to make this successful, this invitation was given in three parts: the invitation to enter the court, the invitation to enter the Holy Place, and lastly, the invitation to enter the Most Holy Place. In each of these three invitations, the requirement is different and the ultimate requirement is what God mandated in their personal meeting with God, face to face, in the Most Holy Place.

The tabernacle

The Hebrew word for tabernacle is miškān, which means “living place” or “dwelling place.” The tabernacle was a rectangular tent, in which God symbolically lived in Israel’s presence. After being built, it was to be set up in the middle of the entire Israelite encampment so that all the individual, small, simple Israelite tents surrounded Yahweh’s big, fancy dwelling in concentric circles.

His dwelling place faced east and had two rooms. It was made from three layers of fabric; the inner layer (the layer visible to anyone inside) was a beautiful curtain elaborately woven of blue, red, and gold colored cloth, decorated with cherubim. Over that was a middle layer of goat hair, giving thickness and protection to the structure. The outer layer was made of cow hides, providing waterproof security against the elements.
The tabernacle’s east room was an outer, or entrance, room called the Holy Place, that was thirty feet (twenty cubits) long, fifteen feet (ten cubits) wide, and fifteen (ten cubits) feet high.

The tabernacle was located at the western end of a rectangular courtyard, which was made of linen curtains, seven and one-half feet high. The courtyard was one hundred and fifty feet (one hundred cubits) long and seventy-five feet (fifty cubits) wide, with a thirty foot (twenty cubits) wide entrance on the eastern end.

Everything that made up the tabernacle and its courtyard could be disassembled rather quickly, and transported whenever the Israelites moved from place to place. Thus as God moved, the Israelites moved with Him, with the tabernacle always in their midst.

This space was divided in  to thirds, the Holy Place( thirty feet by fifteen feet) occupied two-thirds of the space, and the Most Holy Place (fifteen feet by fifteen feet) took up the last third.

The curtain that closed off the Most Holy Place (the “Holy of Holies”) from the tabernacle’s front room (the “Holy Place”) was manufactured to match the curtains lining the its interior (Exodus 26:1) and the entrance curtain (26:36), so everything inside of the tabernacle shared the same general appearance of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely-twisted linen curtains with cherubim motifs.

Only high priest could enter the Most Holy Place once a year. Most of the Israelites, including most of the Levites, never, ever saw the ark. Whenever the people were encamped and the tabernacle was erected, the ark was subsequently hidden from view (ref. Numbers 4:5–6). God kept the ark and everything in it hidden from almost all people, except the high priests.

What does this mean? God’s presence is immediate and immanent, but His presence is proven to be real, not by seeing but only by faith. God is to be known and believed by faith,  as Hebrews 11 says

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

The same is true for us as well. Jesus’ resurrection was proof of God’s mighty power, but it was witnessed by only about five hundred people during his earthly lifetime. The rest of his followers must believe in him by faith. For now, we all are to come to him by faith; however, the time will come when we will see Him, as Moses saw him in his glory.

The altar of burnt offering

Like the other tabernacle furniture, the altar was composed of acacia wood and overlaid with bronze. The shape was similar to the table that held the bread of presence. It was a seven and a half foot square, big enough to hold any animal sacrifices. This sat just behind the front entrance curtain that opened to the court. So this was the first piece of furniture one saw as they entered the court yard. This indicates that burnt offerings were to be offered first, before one could gain full access to the courtyard and then to the Holy Place. As we have noted in our discussion on God’s ark, the burnt offering was for the atonement of sin and was a must for anyone in order for them to ‘meet God’. The sacrifice must happen as soon as one entered the tabernacle courtyard, the place of God’s dwelling.
The courtyard was 150 feet (100 cubits) long and 75 feet (50 cubits) wide.

The Holy Place

The Holy Place was where the priests ministered daily in order to represent the Israelite people. This place stood between the Most Holy Place and the Courtyard, so it is best to picture it as a staging place before entering the Most Holy Place. In it, there was the table, lamp, and altar of incense.

The table was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. There were four gold rings, one fastened to each corner. These were to insert two poles in order to carry the ark around on Israel’s journeys. There were four utensils made of pure gold, along with plates, dishes, pitches, and bowls. These were to help serve the bread of the Presence. This bread was called the “bread of face,” or “bread of presence,” because it was set before God’s “face” or “presence”. Leviticus 4:5-8 describes this in more detail:

“Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.” (Leviticus 24:5-9).

The bread and wine was replaced weekly, on every Sabbath day. This was a reminder of the manna bread that God had rained down for them in the desert, and was linked to the Sabbath when they did not gather manna. In order to memorialize the bread, they added frankincense. The reason why they kept a small portion of that bread was to memorialize the fact that God had provided food for their life, like ‘the Sabbath manna’. So some portion was eaten by the priests and the other portion was to be memorialized to the Lord as an offering. This is similar to the scene where Israel’s leaders ate the bread in God’s presence, soon after the covenant’s ratification. After all, this show bread reminded them that God provided food for life and that they were to give thanks to Him as the Lord of their life.

In this way, the bread and wine served both as a perpetual reminder of how God provides for the needs of all life on earth, and an offering of deep thankfulness for what God had provided for their lives, acknowledging their total dependence on God’s provision for their physical lives.

The Lampstand

The lampstand stood on the floor on the south side of the Holy Place, opposite the table. Though the height of this structure was not specified, it is believed to have been about five to six feet high. It had seven lamps and was made of pure gold. It was highly decorated with buds and cups, looking like a flowering tree. By its design, it seems that the light would never go out, but would rather remain a constant source of light in the Holy Place. In this way, the lampstand contributed the Holy Place’s splendor, and, at the same time, gave light so that the priests could minister there. What might be the lampstand’s significance? The book of Revelation gives us this insight:

“From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” (Revelation 4:5).

Just as John saw the seven lamps before the throne, so this lampstand had seven lamps and stood just before the Most Holy Place. The light drives out the darkness in the world. Thus, the lampstand is a full representation of the spiritual world, of which God is the prime source of light for eternal life.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105).

So this lampstand stood for God’s truth, which shines in the darkness. Just as Jesus called himself the light of the world, the lampstand symbolized the truth and light that gives his people eternal life. So some believers think that the lampstand resembled the tree of life, which may not be too farfetched from the truth.

In this way, the table and the lampstand spoke about the life that God provides. Both speak the truth that God is the source of life in its entirety, i.e. life in the spirit as well as life in the physical world. So God is the truth and life for men. Men are fed by these two aspects of the truth and are enabled to meet with God.

“Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (Luke 11:36).

When we are filled with God’s truth, we are very close to Him, the only Truth for the universe.

The Ark

The most inner space of the tabernacle was called the Most Holy Place. This was where the ark of the covenant was kept. The ark was a rectangular chest (23” wide, 39” long, and 23” high, based on their use of the cubit as 18”), and was made of acacia wood. It was overlaid with pure gold on the inside as well as the outside. So, looking at it inside and out, the entire box was pure gold; no acacia wood could be seen.

The tablets of the covenant law were kept inside of the ark, so we can say that the ark’s primary purpose or significance was to house the law of the covenant. When I say housing, I mean to keep it from any damage, foul play, or tampering, and preserve the law of the covenant’s absolute value. These two tablets were made of stone and, on them, God had engraved the Ten Commandments. So not only the ark itself but also what it contained, the covenant of the law, was permanent; there wouldn’t be any change or decay. In this way, the ark symbolized God’s presence in His glory, purity, superiority, and covenant blessing.
On top of the ark was an atonement cover of pure gold. This was a simple rectangular gold plate that covered the ark. This is significant, because it covered the covenant and two carved cherubim stood on it and guarded the tablets. They faced each other, with their wings outstretched and their faces looking down on the center of the atonement cover. Actually, all three pieces - the ark, the two cherubim, and the atonement cover - were one piece, overlaid with pure gold.

In this setup, we need to recognize two things: first, the atonement cover provided a barrier between the ark and the tablets inside it, shielding them from the two cherubim’s penetrating eyes. Second, a space was created by the two cherubim on each side and the atonement cover that formed a floor under them. In order to find the significance of this, it is good to determine the cherubim’s role.

Cherubim first appear in Genesis 3:24.

“After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24).

God drove man out of the Garden of Eden and placed a cherub with a flaming sword to guard the entrance. Here, ‘cherub’ is a living being, taking orders from God the Father to protect the Garden from outside intrusions.

A more detailed description is found in Ezekiel 10:1-20.

 “I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of lapis lazuli above the vault that was over the heads of the cherubim.”(Ezekiel 10:20).

 “The LORD said to the man clothed in linen, "Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city." (Ezekiel 10:2).

The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.” (Ezekiel 10:5).

“I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like topaz.” (Ezekiel 10:9).

“As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about as the cherubim went. The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went.” (Ezekiel 10:11).

Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels.” (Ezekiel 10:12).

“Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.” (Ezekiel 10:14).

These were living creatures, stationed just below God’s throne. They had four faces, were full of eyes, and had four wheels, which moved in any direction. They could move anywhere and see everywhere; they had immense power and authority to carry out God’s commands, defending and upholding His power and holiness.

These cherubim looked down on the mercy seat, the top of the atonement cover. The two golden cherubim served as symbols of God’s righteous and holy dominion over every human being. Their role seems to have been to make sure that God’s Ten Commandments were kept, but their hawk eyes were blocked by the atonement cover, on top of the ark. If there was no atonement cover, then they would enforce the commandments’ full authority and power. So the atonement cover symbolized God’s grace and willingness to look at the atonement cover, instead of demanding Israel’s full obedience of the Ten Commandments. So, whether there was an atonement cover or not was important; if there was no atonement cover, then God’s full judgment would come upon everyone who violated the law of the covenant.

How does this translate into God’s will?

“There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the Ark of the Covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.” (Exodus 25:22).

God would meet Israel in between the two cherubim, above the atonement cover. In order to meet with Him, Israel could not escape from the hawk eyes of the two cherubim. Meeting with the God of holiness and righteousness would satisfy God’s two powerful angels. This was not possible, unless there was an atonement cover.

All of these are symbolic, since the cherubim were not real, but only represented real angels. Likewise, the atonement cover symbolized atonement for any violation of the covenant law. However, in these symbolic figures, there is real significance, because God will implement the real truth that each represents. He is invisible, but He is present. Cherubim are invisible, but work on any of God’s command, any time and any place. Likewise, the entirety of the ark of covenant, i.e. the cherubim, the atonement cover, and the ark containing the Ten Commandments, reveals God’s righteousness and holiness, as well as His mercy.

God’s message is clear; He would not allow any violation of the Law of Covenant to go unpunished. There was only one possible exception to this principle - by the atonement cover.

What is the atonement cover? In order to understand its meaning, let’s go back a little and find out exactly what happened during the time when the tabernacle was first established.

“Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.” (Exodus 24:5-6).

They first offered burnt offerings to the Lord, which consisted of offering the entire animal, including its inner parts, by burning it completely before the Lord. Nothing was left or shared. Burnt offerings always preceded all other offerings whenever the Israelites sought God’s mercy. Only after this first offering had been given, other offerings would follow, such as the fellowship offering, as we have noted in this verses. The burnt offering was for the atonement of sin. After this offering, fellowship with the Lord was possible. The bull’s blood was sprinkled on the leaders of Israel and they were able to see, under God’s feet, something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. Unless an atonement sacrifice was made, i.e. the atonement cover was provided, Israel would face terrible judgment and meeting with God would not be possible. Soon after this offering was complete, a fellowship offering was made to the Lord. This offering signified the peaceful fellowship between God and men. So it always followed after the burnt offering. In this way, the Ark of the Covenant as a whole, with the atonement cover and two cherubim, spoke to this truth. In other words, what the Israel leaders experienced as a way of having peace with God was fully captured or reflected in the Ark of the Covenant.

This was unique for a few reasons:

First, it was God’s dwelling place, described as a meeting place. However, God had no form at all and idol making was not possible. Experiencing His presence or meeting with Him occurs by faith in His word through Christ.

Second, in order for this meeting to take place, two things must be satisfied - the Ten Commandments and atonement cover that protected the stone tablets on which they were written.  This represented God’s justice as well as His mercy, His most prominent characteristic in dealing with sinful men. Whether or not His justice and mercy are upheld will be monitored by the two powerful cherubim on the altar cover.  

Thirdly, access to the Lord was strictly controlled by  a demand for conformity to God’s character, especially to His holiness. This process began with a burnt offering to atone for sin and ended with human priests meeting with the Lord between the two cherubim above the atonement cover.

Fourthly, the entire tabernacle structure was portable. Whenever God moved, Israel moved. Thus, the entire system was arranged so that God may dwell in the midst of His people. This is an expression of God’s desire to stay with His people, in order to be their Lord and King.

King David expressed his strong desire to build a permanent ‘tabernacle’ for the Lord. He hoped that God would stay with His nation forever. However, God said this to David:

“I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” (2 Samuel 7:6-7).

As God said here, His primary goal was not to be housed in a particular place, but to be with His people, a people who uphold His righteousness and holiness. In this regard, He valued a relationship with His people above all else. So His first priority was to establish His people and kingdom first, and then have one of them build a house for Him. He said to David:

“The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:11b-13).

This implies that, as long as God’s people are unstable and His kingdom is not well established to uphold His name, He would not ask them to build a permanent place for Him in their midst. Through whom would God accomplish this? As the tabernacle mandated, only someone who could provide atonement for God’s people could establish a peaceful relationship between Him and them. Who would be that person? God said that it would be one of David’s descendants, so Jesus, this promised descendant of David, came and sacrificed himself as an atoning sacrifice for sinners. He is the one who would build the Lord’s house. Those who accept his sacrifice become God’s true children, His genuine people; they become God’s genuine temple.

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

“In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:21-22).

“The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17).

In this way, we, as believers in Christ, have become the place where God resides. Jesus offered himself as an atonement sacrifice for all sinners and became the atonement cover for us. At the same time, through his obedience, even to the point of death, Jesus fulfilled the law of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, and became the meeting place between God and sinners.

God told Moses to build the first meeting place between Him and mankind - the tabernacle. It would serve as a shadow of what is in heaven. This was made possible for us through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. Now, we are his residing place and we can meet our Lord without fear.

In order to meet Him, we are to conform to Him. God said that we must be holy as He is holy; this speaks to the tabernacle’s central theme. Jesus made this possible for all sinners through his atoning sacrifice.

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16). 

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