The Book Of Exodus
Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
The next direction from God for the children of Israel after giving them the law is to instruct Moses on the plans for building the tabernacle. (See figures 1 & 2 below. All pictures in this posting are provided courtesy of Logos Bible Software.) Note from my study Bible: “There are 50 chapters in the Bible devoted to the tabernacle: 13 in Exodus; 18 in Leviticus; 13 in Numbers; 2 in Deuteronomy; and 4 in Hebrews. The final 16 chapters in Exodus are primarily devoted to the instructions and fashioning of the tabernacle.” The tabernacle is to be the focus and center of the Israelite nation, which is a theocracy. God is their king and ruler, and the primary purpose of the tabernacle – and, later, the temple in Jerusalem that Solomon builds – is where God will dwell among His chosen people. (v.8) It is His sanctuary. (Exodus 36:1, 3-4, Leviticus 4:6, 10:4, 21:12, Hebrews 9:1-2) Chapters 25-31 are nothing but the Lord’s instructions to Moses on every detail of the tabernacle’s construction. The blueprints for the layout and size of the tent, the material for the curtains and the wood of the ark of the covenant, the amount of gold, jewels, and other precious metals for the furniture and utensils – all of it is given by God to Moses in a specific order and detail. This illustrates the importance and significance that God places on this structure. The Moody Bible commentators give a threefold purpose of the tabernacle: “(1) The relationship between the nation and the Lord, (2) the proper and acceptable worship of the Lord, and (3) the nation’s overall devotion to the Lord. 'Exodus devotes approximately two chapters to narrating the [actual] exodus from Egypt, [only] two-thirds of one chapter to the Decalogue, but thirteen [chapters] to the tabernacle … That is about one-third of the entire book.' (Hamilton, Exodus, 449)” Verse 2: “…every man that giveth it willingly with his heart…” The most important thing to God about our service and obedience to Him is our heart attitude. Over and over throughout the Bible, God states that the heart condition of His children matters more to Him than any other aspect of our relationship to Him. This is proved by the example of Pharaoh. God wants the children of Israel to give willingly of their time, talent and possessions for the building of His sanctuary. (Exodus 35:4, 21, 1 Chronicles 29:9, Ezra 2:68, Nehemiah 11:2, 2 Corinthians 8:11, 9:7) Verses 3-7: All the materials listed here are a sampling of what the Israelites brought with them out of Egypt, as well as what they plundered from the Amalekites. (Exodus 3:21-22, 12:35-36, 17:13) God is going to use the wealth of the heathen for His divine purpose and plan in the building of His holy sanctuary. All of creation belongs to God, and He uses it as He sees fit. (Psalm 50:12) Oil has great significance throughout the Bible. (v.6) Aside from a food staple for all the peoples of this time in the ANE, it had many other purposes. It was often used to anoint kings (1 Samuel 16:13, 2 Kings 9:6) and prepare bodies for burial (Matthew 26:12, Mark 16:1). Oil was the primary ingredient of a miracle performed by God through Elisha for a widow and her two sons (2 Kings 4:6-7). Oil represented a blessing from God (Psalm 23:5, 45:7, 92:10, Jeremiah 31:12). It was used for certain types of sacrifices (Genesis 35:14, Leviticus 2:1-2). For the tabernacle, the oil will be used for anointing the high priests (Exodus 29:7) as well as fuel for the lamps and the burning of incense. (Exodus 27:20, 30:23) There is an interesting cross reference throughout the Bible for the onyx stones. (v.7) (Genesis 2:12, Exodus 28:9, 20, 35:9, 27, 39:6, 13, 1 Chronicles 29:2, Job 28:16, Ezekiel 28:13) In Revelation 21:19-20 one of the precious stones listed in the twelve layer foundation of the New Jerusalem is sardonyx. There is also a correlation between the measurements and the description of that holy city in Revelation 21 and the description, measurements and precious stones of the tabernacle here in Exodus and Leviticus, as well as the description and measurements of the temple in Jerusalem during the Millennial reign of Christ as described in Ezekiel 40-48. God is a God of order and completeness, and all these details of the tabernacle, the Millennial temple, and the New Jerusalem at the end of time demonstrate God’s perfect, complete and holy nature. Everything in the Bible comes full circle. The ephod, which is part of the garments that the high priests will wear during their ceremonial duties, will have the twelve precious stones, each one representing a tribe of Israel. (Exodus 28:4, 6) Both the ephod and the breastplate will contain the onyx stones. Verses 10-22: The ark of the covenant. (Exodus 37:1, Deuteronomy 10:3, Hebrews 9:4) Shittim wood (v.10) is hewn from the acacia tree. According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary, this particular tree species “…can grow to a height of 20 feet or more, with a trunk up to 2 feet thick. These trees are found in abundance on the Sinai peninsula. Acacia wood is close-grained and is not readily attacked by insects.” It isn’t just the ark of the covenant that is to be built of this wood, but also the boards of the tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering. (Exodus 26:15, 27:1) Once again, here is proof that God always leads His children to the very places with which He supplies all that they need to carry out His divine will and plans. Everything that was needed to build the tabernacle and all its furnishings was found there at Mount Sinai. And that which couldn’t be mined from the earth or crafted from the trees or local wildlife was brought with the Israelites from Egypt. God will never give His children a mission or directions without also providing them the means to carry out those marching orders or guiding them to a place where they have all the resources they need to carry out their holy mission. A cubit is defined as the length of a man’s arm from elbow to fingertip, roughly eighteen inches. (v.10) The ark, which is a rectangular box, is to be covered within and without with pure gold as well as a “…crown of gold…”, or border, around the top of the ark where the lid, known as the mercy seat, would fit. (v.11) Four rings of gold, one at each lower corner, would hold the long staves, or poles, of shittim wood, also overlayed with gold, by which four priests would carry the ark when it needed to be moved. (v.11-14) The staves are to always be with the ark and never removed. (v.15) (Numbers 4:5-6, 1 Kings 8:8) The ark is made to hold the testimony of the Lord, which is the ten commandments and the law that he gave Moses in chapters 20-23. (v.16, 21) (Exodus 31:18, Deuteronomy 10:2, 31:26, 1 Kings 8:9) (It will also have the pot of manna collected by Aaron in Exodus 16:34.) The mercy seat is the lid of the ark. (v.17) (Exodus 26:34, 37:6, 40:20, Hebrews 9:5) Unlike the rest of the ark, the mercy seat is solid gold. The words “mercy seat” were first translated as such by William Tyndale. The original Hebrew word is “kappôreth” which literally translated means “atonement cover”. Martin Luther also used the phrase “mercy seat” in his 1534 translation of the Bible. According to the Moody Bible Commentators, “… ‘atonement cover’ is an appropriate title for this object since ‘atonement’ is a central rationale for the entire tabernacle and sacrificial system, and this object is a focal point of the tabernacle.” On the annual day of Atonement, the only day of the year that the high priest is allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, the blood of a sacrifice is sprinkled on the mercy seat, signifying the “covering of sin” for the Israelite nation for the coming year. The glory of God rests above the ark, in the ark is the law, or the “testimony”, and on the mercy seat itself is the atoning blood. This is the only way in which a holy and perfect God can dwell with his chosen people. This is the whole reason and purpose for the tabernacle itself. On top of the mercy seat, at either end, are two cherubim, facing each other, their wings outstretched towards one another so that they cover the lid of the ark. (v.18-20) (1 Kings 8:7, 1 Chronicles 28:18, Hebrews 9:5) Remember from Genesis 3:24 that cherubim were tasked with guarding the entrance to the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve’s expulsion. The cherubim, as explained by the Moody commentators, is a class of angel often associated in scripture with the transcendent, glorious presence of God. (Ezekiel 10:4-5) Images of the cherubim will also be woven into the curtains that will divide the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle. (Exodus 26:1, 31) Both the tabernacle as a whole, and the ark of the covenant in particular, is where God would meet and commune with his chosen people, usually in the form of a cloud. (v.22) (Exodus 29:42-43, 30:6, 36, Leviticus 16:2, Numbers 7:89, 17:4, 1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Kings 19:15, Psalm 80:1, Isaiah 37:16) The word “commune” in this verse is translated from the Hebrew word “dâbar” which means “to speak” or “converse”. God would use this ark and the testimony of the law within it to not only speak to His people but have fellowship with them. We today, because of Christ’s atonement for us on the cross, can commune directly with God via his Holy word, the Bible. We have the very words that He gave Moses, and we have direct access to the mercy seat any time of day or night through prayer. (Hebrews 4:16) This is why the ark of the covenant was the most revered and holy object of the children of Israel. The ark itself was not worshiped. That would have been idolatry. Rather, the ark was the earthly symbol of God’s presence among His chosen people, same as the cloud and the pillar of fire. This fact is evident throughout the OT, especially during Israel’s conquest of the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. Verses 23-30: The table of shewbread. (Exodus 37:10, 1 Kings 7:48, 2 Chronicles 4:8, Matthew 12:3-4, Hebrews 9:2) The primary use of this table, which is also made of shittim wood and covered completely with gold (see figure 4), is to display the bread of the Presence, a.k.a. the shewbread. Like the ark of the covenant, God commands that four rings of gold be made, each placed at one of the four legs, for two staves of shittim wood overlayed with beaten gold. This is how the table is to be transported. The table is to be placed inside the tabernacle, on the north side of the holy place. (See figure 2.) The shewbread that is to be put out on this table every Sabbath (Leviticus 24:5-8) is not a meal offering to God in the same way that such practices are done to false gods by the other nations and peoples of the ANE at this time. Instead, the shewbread is meant for consumption by only the high priests, and is also meant as a symbol of God’s provision for His people as well as His continual presence among them via the tabernacle itself. The twelve loaves represent each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Along with the table are various dishes and utensils, also made of gold. (v.29) (Exodus 37:16, Numbers 4:7) Verses 31-39: The golden lampstand (menorah). (Exodus 37:17, 1 Kings 7:49, Zechariah 4:2, Hebrews 9:2, Revelation 1:12-13) The lampstand (see figure 6), unlike the ark and the table, is carved from solid gold (v.39), weighs one talent (v.39), and is meant to burn oil, not candles. (Candlesticks made from wax as we know them today were not invented until the age of Roman empire.) It’s comprised of a central shaft with three branches on either side, and atop each branch and the center shaft is a lamp for oil. (v.32-33) Each of the lamps is to be shaped like the bud of an almond tree (v.33-36) (Exodus 37:19), and the whole menorah is meant to represent the Tree of Life. “Although the exact appearance of the lampstand is unclear, the purpose and basic design is plain. In some fashion oil was poured into a reservoir on each branch and in turn each reservoir fed another cup that held the burning oil. The oil used was to be clear oil of beaten (crushed) olives (Exodus 27:20).” Part of the reason for overlaying gold upon all the pieces of furniture was so that it will reflect the lamplight throughout the tabernacle, thus illuminating the whole chamber. God’s instructions for the walls and ceiling of the tabernacle make no provision for windows or any other orifices through which natural light can enter. Thus, the lampstand is to be kept burning continually, serviced each morning and evening by the high priests. (v.37) (Exodus 27:21, 30:8, Leviticus 24:3-4, 2 Chronicles 13:11) Verse 40: God reiterates His command to Moses from verse 9, reminding Him that he and the Israelites are to follow the instructions and patterns for building the tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly as described. (Exodus 26:30, Numbers 8:4, 1 Chronicles 28:11, 19, Acts 7:44, Hebrews 8:5)
The tabernacle was another example of typology in the OT, a shadow of things to come. In this case, the tabernacle represented Jesus Christ. God instituted the Levitical priesthood, the blood sacrifices, the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant as a way to be daily reconciled and have fellowship with His chosen people. Just as there was only one entrance to the tabernacle for the Israelites, so Jesus is the only way to salvation for us today. (John 14:6) Just as the high priest was needed to slaughter the animal for sacrifice and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat for the Israelites’ yearly atonement for sin, so is Christ both our high priest and atonement today. (Hebrews 9:11-12) Just as the light from the lampstand illuminated the tabernacle, so is Christ the light of the world. (John 8:12, 9:5) Just as the shewbread is a symbol of God’s provision and care for the high priests, so is Christ the bread of life for us. (John 6:35) The tabernacle was designed to be the central focus for the children of Israel, the focal point around which revolved their daily life as well as their worship of God. It was placed at the center of the camp, the entrance always facing east, serving as both a symbol of national and cultural unity as well as reminding them always of the One who had freed them from bondage in Egypt and called them to be His chosen people. In the words of the Moody Bible Commentators, “ ‘The wilderness tabernacle brought three dynamics to the worshiping community’; it was established to give ‘order to the worship of God’. Further, it provided a ‘tangible sense of God’s presence.’ And it provided ‘a point of stability’ and a ‘location’ for the nation; even in the wilderness there was ‘the place to be’ (See Hamilton ‘Exodus’ 449). But mostly the tabernacle acted as a symbol of ‘the basic concept…that underlay the theocracy itself: the Lord dwelling in visible glory in His sanctuary among His people. God dwelling with man is the dominant theme of the symphony of the tabernacle. (Feinberg, “Tabernacle,” 583).' ”
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