I love the imagery being presented in the Old Testament—imagery
that points to what God was planning to do much later. A couple years ago I started studying the book of Exodus and those New Testament/present day connections that can be seen. It was a very enlightening study that enhanced my understanding of the gospel and the holistic meta narrative of the Bible. I subsequently began a similar study of Leviticus and am currently about 2/3 of the way through that book. Here are my notes on Exodus. *Please excuse the formatting issues and don't try to look at this on a mobile device (apparently posting a table on a webpage is complicated!)
Exodus
God’s children, the
Israelites, were in slavery to the Egyptians
Ex 1:11, Ex 2:23, Ex 3:7
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We,
God’s children, are born into slavery to sin.
John
8:34, Romans 6:6, 16-17, & 20, Romans 7:14
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God beckons His people to
leave Egypt and come worship Him.
Ex 3:7-10, 16-17, Ex
4:22-23, Ex 6:6-8
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God
beckons us to leave our sin and live lives of worship to Him.
John
4:23-24, Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 12:28-29
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Pharaoh refused to
relinquish his grip on God’s people.
Ex 5:2
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Sin
refuses to relinquish its grip on us. Try as we might, we cannot get
free of it on our own.
Romans
7:14, 24, Romans 8:7-8
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God sends the plagues on
Egypt, culminating in the visitation by angel of death on every first born
Egyptian. Ex 12:29-30
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God
declares that death is the just punishment for all who sin. Genesis
2:16-17, Romans 6:23
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The Israelites, however
are provided a way to avoid this death through observing the first
Passover. A perfect lamb is sacrificed and the sign of its blood keeps
the angel of death away from their household.
Ex 12:1-30
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Jesus
Christ is our Passover lamb. Through his death and shedding of blood, we are
provided a way of escape from the just judgement for our sin. John 1:29, 1
Peter 1:18-20, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:20, Hebrews 10:5-10
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The Israelites were
instructed to choose a year-old lamb without blemish, take it into their
homes, and care for it for 4 days before slaughtering them together as a
community. Ex 12:5-6
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Jesus
came to the people as a sinless human, lived for 33 years among them, and
then they crucified him.
Also,
it was on the day that lambs were chosen for the Passover that Jesus entered
Jerusalem on a donkey. God, in a sense, was presenting His chosen
spotless lamb, just as all Israelites were choosing theirs. Jesus was
celebrated, and lived in Jerusalem with his people for 4 days. Then
they crucified him as a community.
Mark
11, John 12
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The Israelites were
instructed to eat the meat of the Passover lamb along with unleavened bread
and bitter herbs. Exodus 12:8
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At
the last supper Jesus shared with His disciples, He instructed them to
consider the bread his body, and the wine, his blood.
Matthew
26:26-28, John 6:53-57
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No bone of the lamb was
to be broken.
Ex 12:46, Numbers 9:12
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Not
one of Jesus’ bones was broken
John
19:33
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Immediately after
observing the Passover, the Israelites were to observe the 7-day long
Festival of Unleavened Bread. 7 days, that is, of abstaining from
consuming any leaven. It was to be completely removed from their
houses, and anyone who did eat any was to be cut off from the nation of
Israel.
Ex 12:14-20
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The
timing of this festival is interesting to me because leaven so often
represents sin in the Bible (Matt. 16:5-12, 1 Cor. 5:6-8), and it was
unleavened bread that Christ held up at the last supper declaring it to be
His body (which was without sin). Just as the Israelites were called to
give up leaven after their salvation from Egypt had been secured, we are
called to leave behind our sins as a response to the salvation we have in
Christ.
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The Israelites were
instructed to teach their children regarding the festival of unleavened bread
that it was because of how God saved them from Egypt, that they observe these
seven days without leaven.
Ex 13:7-8
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As
believers we are taught to leave behind sin as a response to the salvation
and freedom from slavery to sin that we have in Christ.
Romans
6, 1 Cor. 5:6-8, Hebrews 12:1, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 John 3:9 and 5:18
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The most direct route to
the promised land God had for His children would have meant an immediate
battle with the Philistines, and God realized that His people were not ready
for that. They would cower and return to Egypt. So instead of
taking them that way, he leads them into the wilderness, where they would
follow Him for 40 years.
Ex 13:17:18
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I
think that just as God had definitive and good plans for the people of
Israel, He has definitive and good plans for us, but He knows us, and knows
the measure of faith He has bestowed upon us, and so sometimes His best for
us is not the quickest route to a destination. Sometimes He leads us
into the wilderness for many years to grow our faith and prepare us for the
good things He has for us later on.
Romans
12:3, Psalm 23, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter
1:6-7
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God leads His people into
a situation where they see the Egyptians coming after them and then
miraculously saves them from the Egyptians through opening up the sea for
them and then closing it again upon Pharaoh’s army.
Ex 14
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Sometimes
as believers we become overwhelmed by our sin and cry out as helpless
children, unable to conquer it on our own. We become desperate, and it
is in that posture that God chooses to show us deliverance. Just as the
Israelites were completely unable to escape the Egyptians on their own, we
are completely unable to escape our slaver to sin on our own. Sometimes
we try, and our trying proves useless. God alone could defeat the
Egyptians for the Israelites, and God alone can bring us freedom from our sin
when we throw up our hands and surrender to His plan. 1 Peter 5:6-10
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After God delivered the
Israelites from the Egyptians, the people rejoice and even write songs to
commemorate what the Lord did.
Ex. 15:1-22
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I
think this is a great example of what we OUGHT to do when God has done
something amazing for us. We should commemorate it in some way and make
a big deal out of it.
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When the people could not
find water, they grumbled against Moses, their God-appointed leader.
Then God miraculously provided for them through Moses’ throwing a stick into
a well. God also chose to give them a special promise, conditional on
their obedience. Then God brought them to a lush oasis in the
wilderness.
Ex 15:22-27
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God
sometimes leads us into situations that don’t seem best to us, and works
through people who don’t seem wise or capable to us. Often there are
beautiful oasis’s not very far away from us, but we can’t see them yet, and
disbelieve the goodness of God’s plan for us.
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The Israelites complain
about their circumstances again and wish that they could be back in Egypt
Ex 16:1-3
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This
desire to be back in Egypt might seem crazy to us since we know they were
slaves in Egypt, but so often we see the lives of non-Christians—people still
in slavery to sin, and wish that we could “enjoy” the fun that they do.
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The Lord provides Manna
for the people, and instructs them to take only what they need for each day
and double on the 6th day so that they can rest on the 7th.
Ex 16:4-31
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God
always provides for His people - even through unusual means sometimes.
He also demands that we rest, and if we do not obey, He often forces it on us
like He did with the Israelites. The choice to rest is an act of faith.
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God commanded the people
to keep some of the manna along with other mementos of His goodness for
generations to come.
Ex 16:32-36
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We
could keep mementos of God’s goodness to us for generations to come as well.
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Ex 17 The people complain,
and God shows up with two miracles - one by providing water from a rock, and
second by giving them a miraculous defeat of their enemies, the Amalekites.
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God
often comes through for us when we feel like we are in dire circumstances and
complain. How much better it would be if we would go to Him in
confidence of His good plan, rather than in a spirit of complaint and with
the Israelite’s attitude that God didn’t have a good plan.
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Ex. 18 God used
Moses’ father in law to show him a healthier way of dealing with the
conflicts among the Israelites. Moses had a plan and seemed to be
handling things alright, but it must have been exhausting and it wasn’t
developing leadership among the people well.
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So
often I stubbornly handle something myself that could be dealt with a better
way if I would humble myself and take advice and help from others. God
often brings others into our lives to lend a hand and help us tackle life in
a healthier way. The question is, will we let them?
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Ex 19 - 20
Timeline:
The Israelites celebrated
the Passover and then left Egypt at twilight on the 14th of the 1st month of
the year (effectually leaving on what would have then been the 15th)
(Exodus 12:2, 6, & 51).
Ex 19:1 states that on
the 3rd new moon, the people arrived in the wilderness of Sainai.
Because a lunar month is about 30 days long, we can conclude that the
people arrived there about 45 days after beginning their journey.
19:2-15 the Israelites
camped while Moses went up the mountain to God, came down again with a
message for the people, went up to the mountain a 2nd time, and then came
down again with instructions to spend 3 days consecrating themselves.
It’s hard to say how many days all of the going up and coming back down took,
but it seems clear that by the time we get to verse 16, we are either 49
days, or 7 full weeks, after the Passover, or very close to it.
Lev. 23:15-22; Acts 2 -
On or near the day in which the Israelites would celebrate the feast of
weeks, or Pentecost, God met the Israelites, called them to be His own
special possession, and gave them the 10 commandments, or marital vows to
demonstrate their devotion to Him. On this day throughout the Old
Testament, the Israelites were to offer their first fruits of grain to the
Lord (the only first fruits offering that included leaven) and sacrifice 7
lambs, a bull, and 2 goats.
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In
the New Testament, on the day of the Feast of Weeks, God gave the Holy Spirit
to his children (Acts 2), and brought in a large “crop” of Jews to the
kingdom of God through the preaching of Peter and the other apostles.
The
fact that the grain offering during this festival included leaven is thought
to signify the sin that is still present in the children of God until
Christ’s second coming. God called His people to himself both through
the Old Testament law and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and we accept
those gifts gratefully though we cannot reciprocate His righteous love fully
as we still live in sin.
Just
as God brought His children out of slavery and brought them through the
dessert of learned dependence to Himself, called them His own treasured
possession and gave them a list of rules to live by, or marriage vows to
keep, so He calls us to Himself, teaches us dependence on Him, and calls us
to obey His word as we follow Him in love.
It’s
interesting to me to note that, in Ex. 19, when God came to meet the people,
they were not allowed anywhere near the mountain where He would be present
because of His Holiness. However, centuries later on the day of
Pentecost, after Jesus has died to give His perfect identity to the children
of God, God Himself comes to dwell within each of His people. What a
contrast! In the Old Testament we see a picture of God’s holiness and
inability to allow sin in His presence, and in the New Testament we see how
completely Jesus has removed our sin from us in God’s choice to come live within
us.
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Ex 20 - 31 God begins to
give His laws to His people—His conditions for the promise of 19:4-6.
The laws cover how the
people should relate to Him, to each other, to their slaves, to their family
members, and to outsiders in the land they would come to. It outlines
how to deal with sin and brokenness. It outlines how to schedule their
work week, and when to observe holidays.
He gave them instructions
on how to worship Him, how to build a place of worship, how to set up the
priesthood and exactly how to rightly come before Him with sacrifices.
An
article by Tim Keller about what Old Testament Laws are in effect today:
another
article on Thirdmill:
http://thirdmill.org/magazine/article.asp/link/http:%5E%5Ethirdmill.org%5Earticles%5Este_lauer%5Este_lauer.ObeyLaw.html/at/Must%20We%20Obey%20the%20Law? |
Ex 21-22 these laws seem
to be aimed at protecting slaves, victims of injustice, and those without a
natural advocate.
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There
are countless verses in the Bible about God’s justice for those who are
underprivileged in some way. In fact, it seems that justice, if you
read all of the verses which mention it, has more to do with lifting up the
broken than with punishing the wicked. Ez. 16:49-50 suggests that of
all of the immoral sin in Sodom, the greatest sin was their pride and
consequential neglect of justice to the poor and needy.
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Ex 23:1-9 are about
personal integrity - a high priority for a child of God, and verses 10-19 are
about personal worship. Many of the things in these verses seem to be a
repeat or are repeated at length later, but in this passage, they seem to
have a more personal nature aiming at the heart of the individual. God
wants to be first in everything and to have the complete trust of his
children. Trust for provision of our physical needs and also trust for
justice in our lives and the lives of those around us.
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These
verses seem to speak to sins that we often justify in particular
instances. Respectable sins, we might call them, because of our
circumstances, or because of the circumstances of others involved.
God
has something much better than compromise for His children.
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In 23:25-33 God gives
further blessings that will come with obedience to his laws and His leading
regarding their conquest of the promise land.
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Ex 26-27 God describes in
great detail exactly how He wanted His tabernacle to be designed. It
was to be very ornate and beautiful in some senses, but also easily packed up
and moved (it was a tent), so in some senses it was very modest.
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The
tabernacle of the Old Testament foreshadowed the temple that Solomon would
construct for the Lord, which itself foreshadowed the New Testament temples -
believers in Christ (1Corinthians 3:16).
In
some sense, the differences between the tabernacle of Moses’ day and the
temple of Solomon’s day harken to the differences between the way in which we
represent the temple of God now, and the way we will do so more perfectly one
day, when sin and death are no more. God’s presence dwelled in the
tabernacle just as truly as he did in Solomon’s temple, and the tabernacle
was still a truly sacred and holy place, but it was still a tent. It
still resided in a desert wilderness and had to be taken apart and
reconstructed on a regular basis. We, like the tabernacle, house the
Spirit of God in a modest tent. We live in a dessert region and we are
regularly undone by life’s circumstances. Yet one day we will possess a
more permanent and perfect body of splendor which reflects more perfectly the
holiness which has been bestowed upon us.
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Ex 28-29, and 39 describes
the priest’s garments and the consecration of the priests. The consecration of the priests is
described in more detail in Leviticus 8.
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The
description of the garments worn by the priests speaks to us of the holiness
of our spiritual clothing in Christ as priests of the new covenant. The
priests were consecrated with water and with oil. Just as sacrifices were
made to consecrate the priests for service to the Lord, Jesus’ death
consecrates us for this holy service (Hebrews 9:11-14)
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In 31:1-11 God tells
Moses that He has uniquely equipped certain men with artistic ability to
create the items and designs He wanted in His tabernacle.
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Ex 32-34 While Moses is
receiving the ten commandments from God, Aaron leads the people in creating
the golden calf. After seeing their sin Moses breaks the two tablets
and God declares that He will not travel among the people to the promised
land because his anger would “consume them on the way.” Moses pleads
with the Lord on the people’s behalf, declaring that it is God’s presence
among them that sets them apart from other people groups. God answers
Moses that He will grant Moses’ request because “you have found favor in my
sight, and I know you by name.” Then Moses asks to see God’s glory and
God agrees to let all of his goodness pass before him and proclaim before him
His name, “The LORD.” He said that no man could see His face and live,
so he would shield Moses from His face while He passed before him, but then
let him see His back.
Moses spends 40 days and
40 nights with the Lord on Mount Sainai without food or water and cuts two
more tablets of stone like the first ones with the ten commandments.
God renews his covenant with the people.
When Moses returns from
the mountain his face is shining because he has spoken with God.
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Interesting
notes:
·
Aaron, who had seen first-hand the power and
providence of God, commits blatant idolatry and leads others in it, and yet
after this incident God still makes him high priest in the tabernacle.
If God did this, then surely anyone with any past can not only be a
Christian, but a leader in the church as well.
·
God chooses to be inclined toward mercy and
grace as a result of Moses’ pleading and arguing with Him. Moses
clearly has a very special relationship with God. I wonder if this kind
of relationship possible for you or me today?
·
It’s interesting to me that Moses’ interaction
with God this time, after the grave sin of the golden calf (and Moses’
hot-headed breaking of the stone tablets), seems to be more intimate than his
interactions with God before - even though the past interactions included the
giving of the original commandments and laws, and the giving of the covenant
promise to make Israel His people. Perhaps the grace afforded by the
people’s sin somehow enabled a deeper relationship for God and His people
than what was possible before. Why was it only now that Moses requested
to see God’s glory? Why did Moses’ face not shine after earlier
encounters with God? Perhaps the realization of Israel’s sin gave him
the boldness to “put it all on the line.” There was not more pretense
of deserving anything from God. Moses now knew He had to either “go big
or go home,” because those were his only options. And as a result, God
chose to lavish His grace on Moses. Perhaps this is why God sometimes
allows His children to fall very far into sin—for the sake of the intimacy
with Him that can follow.
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Ex 35 - 36 When Moses
assembles the people together after their sin and his mediation with God on
their behalf, the first thing He relays from God is instructions on observing
the Sabbath.
Second, he commands that
anyone with a “generous heart” contribute the supplies, time, and talent
needed to construct the Tabernacle.
It seems that the Spirit
moved many people to give generously.
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It’s
interesting to me that instead of going on about idol worship and the
detestableness of their sin with the golden calf, God instead has Moses
instruct the people on proper worship - worship that involves rest from labor
as a pivotal aspect.
God
could have demanded the supplies necessary for the tabernacle from His
people, but instead He chose to encourage giving from those whose hearts
moved them (and He certainly was involved in moving people’s hearts this
way).
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Ex 36:1-7 and 39:21-31
The people bring free-will offerings to the craftsmen for the construction of
the tabernacle. They continue bringing so much, in fact, that they have
to tell the people to stop. The tabernacle would be constructed in its
entirety from freewill offerings by the people.
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1
Cor. 3:16-17, 6:19, and 1 Peter 2:5 all speak of us today as embodying the
temple of God. We are the present-day tabernacle, housing the Spirit of
God and offering spiritual sacrifices.
I
think to some extent, however, our bodies can function as temples only to the
extent that we offer it to the Lord for that purpose. Just as God asked
the people to give toward the construction of the tabernacle, He asks us what
sacrifice we will make, what will we give toward the construction of His
tabernacle within us?
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Ex 36:8- Construction of
the coverings for the tabernacle. The tabernacle had 4 curtain
coverings, each slightly larger than the one under it, so that from the
outside, only the outermost curtain would be exposed and visible:
vs. 36:8-9 and 26:1-6 The
innermost covering was of fine, colorful linen with woven cherubim. This
curtain would be clasped to the second curtain with gold clasps.
vs. 36:14-18 and 26:7-13
the second covering was made of goat hair
vs. 36:19 and 26:14 the
3rd covering was of tanned ram skin, and the final covering was of goat skin
or other durable leather.
The veil covering the doorways
to the Holy Place and Most Holy Place were made of this colorful fine linen
as well, and when the people moved from one location to another, this veil
from the doorway was laid over the ark to cover it as they traveled (Numbers
4:5).
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The
outer covering of goat’s skin would have been better suited to withstand the
elements and it was very plain. Just as to the world’s eyes, we are
nothing special. There is nothing glorious about our appearance.
The
ram’s skin, which lied beneath the goatskin was died red (according to many
translations) which can symbolize the blood of Christ which covers us.
Also, a ram was the animal God chose as a substitute for Isaac, symbolizing
Christ’s future sacrifice, and a ram was also sacrificed to consecrate Aaron
and his sons for the priesthood. To the worlds eyes, we may look like
goats, but beneath our outer covering is Jesus’ sacrificed body and blood
which consecrate us for His service.
This
ram’s skin covering would be surrounding the 3rd layer, which was of goat’s
hair. The goat’s hair curtain represents our fallen sinful nature,
since goats often represented sinners or waywardness in the Bible. An
example of this was the use of goats on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus
16). As plain and scratchy as this curtain would have been, it was
covered by the ram’s skin completely around it and covered by the beauty
of the linen curtain from within.
From
the inside of the tabernacle, the covering which could be seen was that of
fine linen, decorated with cherubim. This represents the way God sees
us from within. We are holy and righteous in His eyes. There may
be a curtain of goat’s hair just on the other side of this fine linen
curtain, and we may fail and sin constantly, but God dwells in us nonetheless
and sees us as His perfect sanctuary because of the work of Christ on our
behalf.
The
veil covering the doorways to the Holy Place and Most Holy Place represent
the body of Christ. When Christ died,
the veil was torn symbolizing the way He had made for us to approach
God. (Hebrews 10:20)
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Ex 37:1-9 Described the
Ark of the Covenant. Also Ex 25:10-22
God would dwell above the
“mercy seat,” the golden cover to the ark, and from there He would speak with
Moses (Also Numbers 7:89).
Inside the ark they were
to place the tablets with the ten commandments (see Deuteronomy 10:2)
Inside the ark was also
placed a golden urn holding manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded (Hebrews
9:4; Ex. 16:33).
Numbers 10:33 when the
Israelites traveled, the Ark of the Lord went before them.
Deuteronomy 31:24-25 God
had the people place the book of the law beside the Ark as a testimony to
them.
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Just
as God dwelled inside the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, so He dwells
inside of us, His people, His present-day temple. He leads us from that
place, just as He led the Israelites, and He commands us to hold dearly both
the law, His words, and the evidences of His work in our life. The
Israelites were to keep the Manna, and Aaron’s budded staff inside the ark,
and I think God would have us hold in our hearts memories of the ways He has
worked in our lives as well (Deuteronomy 6:20-23, and many other places God
has the people set up standing stones as symbols of His work in their lives).
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Ex 37:10-16 describes the
construction of the table that would hold the bread of the presence.
See Lev. 24:5-9 about the bread of presence. 12 loaves of bread made of
fine flour were to be placed on this table at all times, and on the Sabbath,
the priests would eat the bread and replace it with 12 new loaves (12
representing the 12 tribes of Israel). The bread was Holy and only to
be eaten by the priests. It would symbolize how God provides holy and
good food for His chosen people. This table, overlaid with pure gold,
would reiterate the holiness and perfection of the food that God provides for
His people.
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See
New Testament verses about God providing holy and life-giving food for His
people:
John
6:35
John
6:51-58
John
6:63
I
imagine the priests going about their weekly duties in the tabernacle, seeing
this table with the loaves positioned on them and being reminded of their
high calling as priests and of the privilege to be fed by the hand of God
with holy food that commoners were not even permitted to see (as it stayed in
the Holy Place). We, like those priests, have high callings with
privileges such as holy spiritual food from the hand of God that
non-believers know nothing of. The question is, do we choose to see it
and partake of it ourselves?
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Ex 37:17-24 describes the
construction of the golden lampstand that would reside in the Holy
Place, as the only light-giving object in the tent. It was to be made
of pure gold - carved out of a single gold piece. It was to have the
image of almond blossoms on all of its seven branches.
26:35 instructs that the
lampstand should be placed opposite the table (and would shed light on it.)
Leviticus 24:1-4
describes how the people were to bring pure olive oil for the lamp so that
the light could keep burning continually. Aaron, the high priest, was
to be in charge of keeping it burning from evening to morning. It says
that this would be “a statute forever throughout your generations.”
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There
seems to be a lot of symbolism around the golden lampstand.
·
Only pure olive oil would be used to keep it
lit. Olive oil often represented the Holy Spirit.
·
There were seven branches. Seven is the
number of completeness in the Bible.
·
The branches were designed to look like almond
tree branches with almond blossoms. The Hebrew word for the Almond Tree
is from the same root as the word for watchfulness, and throughout the Bible
the Almond tree is a symbol of God’s watchfulness over His people. (See
Jeremiah 1:11-12).
·
It was only the High Priest, who today is
Christ, who was to tend the lamp and keep the fire going.
All
of this seems to represent the way God promises to keep watch over His people
24-7 and light the way for us with continual guidance. Jesus is our
surety that just as the lamp in the tabernacle never went out, neither will
God ever stop watching over or leading His people today, and it is by means
of the Holy Spirit which dwells in each of us, that He watches and leads continually.
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Ex 37:25-29 and 30:1-10
describe the construction of the altar of incense. This altar, overlaid with gold, would
reside in the Holy place, directly in front of the veil leading to the Holy
of Holies. Aaron was to burn incense
on this alter every morning and evening when he tended the lamp. The incense was to burn continually.
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Incense
often represents prayers of the saints in the Bible (see Psalm 141:2 and
Revelation 8:3-4). I find it
interesting, however, that it was the High priest, Aaron who is instructed in
these passages tend this altar and keep the incense burning. In other scriptures it is clear that other
priests would tend the incense altar as well, but perhaps in this passage we
are meant to see the symbolism representing the way in which not only may we
approach the Father in prayer constantly, but Christ (as our high priest) is
interceding on our behalf constantly before the Lord (Romans 8:34).
Article
about the typology of the incense throughout the Bible: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1410-old-testament-and-incense-the
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Ex 38:1-7 and 27:1-8 Describes the
building of the altar of burnt offering.
This largest piece of furniture in the tabernacle was positioned
inside the outer court near the entrance to the tent of meeting (Ex 40:6),
and it is where sacrificed animals were burnt by the priests to make
atonement for themselves and for the people.
Leviticus 1 tells us that when
someone wanted to offer a sacrifice they brought it to the entrance of the
tabernacle and there laid their hand on its head, and then slaughtered it
themselves. Then a priest would carry
the blood to the alter and burn the body as an offering to God.
Leviticus 6:12-13 says that the fire
on the altar was to burn continually and never go out.
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Leviticus
brings more light to the purpose and use of the altar of burnt offering. The people were called to sacrifice animals
in atonement for their sin, just as Jesus would one day be sacrificed as our
ultimate propitiation. This altar,
near the entrance, is where the animals, once killed by the priest or person
presenting the offering, is where the blood of the animal would be offered
and the priests would burn the body of the animal as a pleasing aroma to
God. In the same way Christ offered
His body to appease the wrath of God for us, we must offer our bodies in
service to God each day, as a spiritual sacrifice for the Lord. Jesus, as our high priest, will bring our
sacrifice before the Lord as a pleasing aroma.
Perhaps the
continual burning of the fire on the altar was a reminder of the people of
the continual offer of relationship and atonement that God offers. This is certainly the nature of God’s offer
to us today.
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Ex 30:17-21 and
38:8 God instructed a bronze basin to be made of mirrors for the purpose of
washing for the priests. It would be
placed between the altar of burnt sacrifice and the entrance to the Holy
Place. Anytime a priest was going to
enter the Holy Place or approached the alter to minister, they were to wash
their feet and hands to avoid judgment for uncleanliness
It is
interesting that the basin was made with mirrors. Whenever a priest washed after making a
sacrifice, he would see himself in the basin.
They would know their earthly nature and recognize that the cleanness
being bestowed upon them was not of them but of God.
.
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The position of
the laver seems to be significant. If a priest wanted to approach God in the
Holy Place (or even beyond that in the Most Holy Place) they first would
enter the outer court and approach the altar of burnt sacrifice where they
would offer a blood sacrifice, symbolizing the death of Christ as payment for
their sins. After that they would come
to the bronze laver where they would wash before entering the Holy
Place. The washing with water came
after the sacrifice. We cannot be made
clean to approach Jesus, but Jesus makes us clean so that we may approach
God. We come to Jesus just as we are,
in need of His sacrifice, and only after receiving salvation are we made
clean so that we may commune with God.
http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Bronze_Laver.htm
Similarly, in
John 13, Jesus observed the Lord’s supper with his disciples (symbolizing the
sacrifice He would be for them shortly) and then immediately washed their
feet with water. He then stated that
they were clean, all except one, referring to Judas. However, Judas was among them and surely
had his feet washed as well (or surely some hubbub would have arisen over
it). So, it is clear that in this
washing of their feet Jesus was trying to teach something more significant
than just physical cleanliness or even acts of service for one another.
Just as the
priests would see their reflection in the basin when they washed, we, when we
come to Christ, must acknowledge who we are without Him, and then accept who
we become in Him. Recognition of our
identity is huge as believers in Christ.
He has made us clean. We must see
that and embrace it.
Question: In 1
Corinthians 7:13-14 we are told that not only is a child of God made clean,
but his or her spouse and children are made clean as well, because of their
status as a believer. If the cleansing
in the Old Testament signified one’s ability to now approach God and commune
with Him in His presence, does this hold true now for the children of
believers and even an unbelieving spouse?
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Ex 38:9-20 describes the outer
court. This large enclosed area had
only one entrance at the eastern side, and otherwise was enclosed by a
barrier of fine white linen.
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Similar to the
layout of the outer court, there is only one way to enter the kingdom of
heaven. Also, Revelation 19:8 tells us
that the bride of Christ will be adorned in fine white linen. Here we see the way in which the tabernacle
itself represented the believer—the bride of Christ.
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Ex 40:1-35 the tabernacle is erected,
and all of its furnishings are anointed.
The Priests also are dressed for service and anointed to be a
“perpetual priesthood. And the glory
of the Lord filled the temple.
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When we come
into God’s service, we become like this tabernacle, anointed for Holy
service. We also become dressed and
consecrated like the priests, prepared for perpetual, unending service to the
Lord. The Lord fills us with His glory
– for we have none of our own.
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Ex 40:36-38 describes the way that
God showed His presence among the people over His tabernacle. He led them to stay or move on through the
movement of a cloud over the tabernacle.
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I’m not sure
how much parallel we can really draw from the way that God led His children
in Exodus, except that He did lead them very clearly. He gave them no doubt regarding when it was
time to move on. I think similarly He
leads His priests today. He will be
present with us in the things He calls us to, but if we find ourselves
laboring in an area without His blessing and work, it may be a sign that He
would have us move on to something different where He is at work.
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