Exodus 23-25 Chapter Study
Under “G.” we’ve covered 1-8.
and are up to 9. as we start Chapter 23 tonight.
At this
Their
res
So
Moses went back up
This
is a collection of Moral, Civil, and Ceremonial laws that will govern the
nation.
Much
of what we find in these 3 chapters is an elaboration on the basic principles
given in the Ten Commandments.
It
was given primarily to guide the judges as they rendered verdicts.
In fact, here in ch. 23, we
see some commands which speak directly to the justice system of
1 “You shall not circulate a false re
Gossip is out! Specially that brand of gossip which is aimed
at creating legal trouble for
someone.
Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
There are to be no
conspiracies to pervert the courts.
2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.
Since court cases usually
hinge on the evidence of the testimony of witnesses, this is a prohibition of a
group of people conspiring to manufacture a lie, coordinating their false
testimony, and then secure a settlement in their favor.
3 You shall not show partiality to a
While God pays special
attention to the needs of the
Justice in the courts of
4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
This is a simple and
straightforward command to show practical love for your enemy and to do good to
him.
Two other principles are revealed here as well.
1)
V. 4 – Respect your enemy’s property.
This
is an extension of the 10th Commandment not to covet.
There’s
a tendency when we see our enemy’s fortunes decline or when we see Him
suffering, to gloat.
But
this command is one more proof of the sanctity placed on private property.
Over
and over again in the Law of Moses we see this principle, of how we are to
honor and respect, not only others persons, but their
This
respect for property extends even to the
2)
V. 5 – Respect animals.
An
animal that is struggling with a load is to be assisted.
We
find several of these kinds of practical commands to help animals that are
suffering or struggling in the Law.
Altogether
they command a respect for animals as living creatures who deserve a level of
honor and care from man.
God
wants man to honor and respect the sanctity of life; all life, even that of
animals.
6 “You shall not pervert the judgment of your
These guidelines were meant
specifically for the judges of Israel as they doled out verdicts and rendered
judgments in the cases that came before them.
10 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather
in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest
and lie fallow, that the
This rule established the
Sabbath year.
Every
7th year, they were to let their fields lie fallow and only harvest
what came up of its own accord.
The
We’ll
take a closer look at the Sabbatical year later when it’s covered in greater
depth.
12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
The weekly Sabbath was the
main reminder and memorial to their national covenant with God, so He
repeatedly reminded them in the Law about the im
13 “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.
As God has laid down these
commands, He instructs them to be wise in their application – meaning that not
only are they to be obeyed in their letter, but they reveal deeper principles
of justice and righteousness that will apply to every area of life.
Then He tells them to make
sure they identify themselves as a people by no name but His Name.
14 “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in
the year: 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall
eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time ap
Details regarding these
feasts will be given us in Leviticus so we’ll save further comment till then.
17 “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. 18 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. 19 The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
These three feasts were
special in that they were to be observed by all of the people coming together
to one place to celebrate them.
The
feasts were: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
And then we have this rather
strange command at the end of v. 19 which is meant to stand alone -
You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
The pagan Canaanites had a
fertility rite that did just this during their spring celebration, but God
calls for His people to not only not
imitate them, but to show respect for
life, even the life of animals.
The Jewish rabbis understood
God to be saying this.
They
ruled that when an animal from the herd or flock was killed, it was not to be witnessed by its mother.
But
the rabbis didn’t stop there – as is typical for the growth of legalism, they turned this simple
command to not imitate pagan fertility rights and honor life into an elaborate
set of rules that govern diet and cooking.
To
this day, observant Jews cannot eat a kosher
cheeseburger, because they cannot mix meat and dairy.
To
do so, they say, might violate this command to not boil, or “stew” a young goat in its mother’s milk.
The
rabbis insist that the meat in the hamburger may have come from the calf of the
cow that gave the milk for the cheese, and the cheese and the meat would “boil”
together in one’s stomach, and be a violation of this command.
So,
kosher kitchens have separate refrigerators; one for dairy, one for meat.
They
have separate cooking
20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.
This angel is none other than
Jesus Christ.
The
word angel means “messenger” and
that’s what we see this angel doing –
speaking to them the message of God and leading them in the way the Lord wants
them to go.
It’s
clear this angel is of higher station
than your normal, run-of-the-mill angels because God’s name is in Him, and He sits in judgment on Israel.
The
Lord also directs the people to obey
Him and to treat Him with the same kind of deference they treat Him as God.
There’s
another clear sign this refers to Jesus in that v. 21 refers to the angel
forgiving sins – which only God can do.
This angel will bring them into
the place God has prepared, just as the Lord Jesus is our forerunner, who’s gone before us to open the way to eternal life
and prepare a place for us in glory.
24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.
God warned the Jews that when
they finally arrived in Canaan, they were not to settle down with the Canaanites but were to supplant them.
These
sacred pillars were in fact massive wooden phallic
symbols ; abominable images dedicated
to their worship of the fertility gods and goddesses; which practice was
corrupt and unspeakably immoral.
25 “So you shall serve the Lord your God,
Meaning in the ways described
here in chs. 21-23
and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
God promised general physical
health and prosperity to the people as they obeyed and served Him.
27 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
They will run away in battle.
28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you.
God would even use nature as
their allies in defeating the Canaanites and driving them out of the land. But . . .
29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.
It would take a while for the
Jews to grow to a
So
their occupation wouldn’t be something they would complete in just a year’s
time – it would take longer.
As
they grew in numbers, they would also grow in territory.
And
since the fields and vineyards and cities would fall into ruin if the native
Canaanites weren’t there to tend to them, the Lord says they will only be
supplanted as Israel grows in both number and faith in Him.
31 And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, [the region of ] Philistia, and from the desert [of Arabia] to the [Euphrates] River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
God’s plan was to turn all of
Canaan over to the descendants of Jacob, but as we see here, only as they moved
forward by faith and by the blessing of the Lord did they lay claim to it.
As Paul says in 1 Cor. 10 –
the story of the Exodus is an enduring lesson for us as we follow Christ.
Canaan represents the
spirit-filled life.
And
just as the Angel of the Lord led them into the Promised Land, so Jesus leads
us into the life of the Spirit, walking in the blessings of God’s grace.
But the spirit-filled life is
not without challenges.
Just
as the children of Israel had to move in and do battle with the native
inhabitants, there are obstacles to our
pressing forward and taking
God has so much for us – but
we don’t get it all at once.
The
Israelites had to grow and take progressive
Each
battle they fought and every new region they took made them stronger and more
confident in the Lord’s strength and ability.
God
wasn’t just giving them more land, He was growing
them as a people who could
The same is true of our
growth in the Spirit-filled life.
Every
battle we face molds and shapes us into the image of Christ.
As
Paul says in 2 Cor. 3:18 – we are being changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.
Friend, don’t despair or grow
faint in the struggles you face.
Don’t
think walking in the Spirit is a life of smooth-sailing and that there’s some
place you come to in the Christian life where you rise above all trouble and
are never bothered by anything ever again.
No
matter how far you’ve come with Christ, while we walk in these bodies, on this
earth, there is more room to grow, more spiritual territory to take, more
giants to slay, more Jericho’s to smash.
Learn
to be a happy warrior! A soldier who delights to wield the sword and take the
battle TO the enemy.
1 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.” 3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.”
Moses returned to the people
with the contents of chapters 21-23 and read them to the people; v. 4 tells us
that he wrote down all that the Lord had told him.
The
people res
Moses knew this was a solemn
and momentous occasion for it was the formal deliverance of the Covenant Law from
God to the people and their acceptance of
and commitment to it.
Such
a solemn event demanded the offering of a sacrifice, so he built an altar.
4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
You remember our study in
Genesis how when God made the covenant and promise to Abraham how He had
Abraham gather some animals and cut them in two, making an aisle between the
halves.
Abraham
then sat down to wait for God to appear so they could walk through the pieces
together.
This
was the ritual for sealing solemn covenants, and it’s what is pictured here in
Moses’ altar.
The
shedding of blood and the burning of sacrifices will memorialize the covenant
God & Israel are making.
The
altar represents God while the 12 pillars represent the 12 tribes of Israel.
5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”
The blood was applied both to
the altar and to the people, thus uniting both to one another.
This may appear rather bloody
and gruesome to us but we need to understand the union that’s being established by this ritual.
Maybe
the best way to do that is to consider the rite men will occasionally do when
they want to forge a bond as strong as that of family, of brothers.
They
will each take a knife and slice open the flesh of their palms, then clasp
their hands together – thus mingling their blood.
The
idea is that they are exchanging their
lives – the life of one if flowing into the other – and so they become
“blood-brothers.”
When Moses sprinkles blood on
the altar, which represents God and then on the people, he’s formalizing &
memorializing by ritual the covenant
that has just been made between Yahweh and the children of Israel; they have
become, in a sense, blood-relatives.
But there’s one more element
to forging the covenant that has to be carried out – the eating of the covenant meal.
Once
the parties to a covenant had offered sacrifices to memorialize their union,
they would partake of the sacrifices is a special meal that inaugurated their
new relationship.
That’s what happens next . .
.
9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.
As it says in v. 1, at the
end of the previous session with God on the Mt., God had told Moses to come
back after he’d read the Book of the Covenant to the people.
But
this time he was to bring the main leaders of the nation with him; his brother
Aaron and his two eldest sons, along with the 70 tribal and clan leaders.
When they ascended the Mount,
they saw God.
The
thick cloud that represented God’s presence to the nation parted for them as
they rose higher on the mount, and they encountered a new manifestation of the Lord.
Details
aren’t given, but it seems they saw a form that approximated a man’s shape
because it says they saw a clear floor under
His feet.
This
corres
Just Who it was the leaders
of Israel saw is made clear for us in 1 Cor. 10:3-4 –
3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
God invited the leaders of
the nation up on to the Mount to feast with Him at the covenant meal.
They
passed through the lower levels of the cloud and ascended into a place of closer
fellowship in which the Lord came to them in the Person of the Son.
They
then shared the covenant meal.
V. 11 says that the Lord did
not lay his hand on them, meaning He didn’t slay them with the brightness of
His glory.
This
is another evidence it was Jesus they saw and not the Father, for no one can
see God the Father and live.
But
the Son, who is the express image of the Father, manifests God to man.
Once the covenant meal is
complete, God calls Moses to come up higher for more directions.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
Moses had
written the Book of the Covenant which we find in chapters 21-23 on papyrus.
But
God had also written the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone and these would
be given to Moses to take back to the nation as an enduring memorial of God’s
revelation.
Along
with the Ten Commandments, the Lord had further instructions, most of which had
to do with the ritual and ceremonial aspects of religious life in Israel.
13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.
Moses sent the elders back to
the camp of Israel with instructions that if anyone had a problem, they could
deal with it, as they had been previously commissioned to do.
In
Moses’ absence, if anyone had an issue that was too complex for the judges to
unravel, then they were to go to Aaron and Hur who would sub for him till he
returned.
16 Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
The elders departed, and
Moses and Joshua waited for the call of God.
For
6 days they waited while the glory of the Lord swirled over their heads in the
form of a cloud.
Don’t
picture this cloud as a dark storm cloud; this cloud was like a
consuming fire, meaning it was a radiant cloud of light.
For
6 days this brilliant cloud rested on the Mount and Moses waited. Then on the 7th day, the Lord s
He spent
the next 40 days there and during that time he received revelations from the
Lord unlike any others in the entire history of the human race.
In Deut 9:9, we learn that
Moses neither ate nor drank for the 40 days he was on the Mount.
A
man can go just about 40 days without food before he dies, but he can’t go for
more than 4 days without water! So how
did Moses survive?
We read here that he ascended
into the Lord’s presence which manifested itself as a cloud of light.
1
John 1:5 says that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
Einstein’s
Theory of General Relativity says that at the speed of light, time stops!
If
God is light, in the purest and truest sense, then where God is, there is no
time.
As Moses approached the
presence of the Lord, he drew closer an closer to the source, the origin of
light until eventually he arrived in another dimension where time slowed, and
It
was 40 days and nights at the foot of Sinai in the camp of Israel, but in the
Lord’s presence, it was just NOW and Moses was unaffected by the passage of the
days.
You know what this means
don’t you? This means we’ve discovered
the greatest anti-aging method every devised – spend time with the Lord!
Forget
Oil of Olay – use the Oil of the
Spirit.
Forget
Ponds – try Praise!
Who
needs Neutrogena – we’ve got a New Way to God through the Cross of Christ.
Now we enter on a long
section that spells out the ceremonial parts of the Law of Moses.
It
begins with the plans for the tabernacle and moves to the priesthood.
As we read through this
section, let me say that we could dig really deep into what we find here and
examine every little detail as to how it’s a symbol & type of Christ.
The
tabernacle with all its furnishing is an elaborate picture of the person and
work of Jesus.
The
priesthood with its garments and service is just one long prophecy of the Lord.
And
while we could look at the text from
that perspective and learn a lot, it would also mean we’d be in Exodus and
Leviticus for many, many more weeks.
We’re not going to do that.
Instead,
we’re going to take a more summary
review of these things on this trip through the Bible.
If
you’re interested in a more detailed study on the tabernacle and priesthood and
how they’re types of Christ, then I’d encourage you to take a look at Chuck
Missler’s studies on Exodus.
I will
occasionally mention some of the more obvious links to Christ as we work
through the text.
1 Then the Lord
s
This offering will be used
for the building of the tabernacle – a special structure which will become the
heart, the center of the nation, both religiously and literally!
The tabernacle was a
It’s
frequently referred to as the “tent of meeting” because this is where the Lord
localized His presence in the form of the Shekinah cloud.
This
is where the people would focus their worship, bring their offerings, and seek
the Lord’s direction.
The
ministry of the priests was centered at the tabernacle.
And though it was a tent, its
furnishing were of the richest & best materials, as is fitting for that
structure which was to house God’s glory.
So
God told Moses to tell the people to bring an offering.
But
the offering was to be given ONLY if it was brought voluntarily, and even more than that – only if it was brought with
a cheerful and willing heart!
Notice the seeming paradox
there – God tells Moses to tell the people to bring an offering – but only if
they really want to.
The
Why? Well – our giving is not for God so much as
it’s for us!
Did
God need a tabernacle? No! How did need it? The children of Israel!
Does
God NEED anything from us? No!
Do
we NEED Him? You bettcha!
The discipline of giving is
not because God needs what we give – God calls us to give because we need to give it – and not just give
it, but give it readily, willingly, even cheerfully as Paul says in 2 Cor. 9:7.
The habit and discipline of
giving to the Lord renews our trust in Him as our Source & Supply.
It
keeps our touch with the things of this world light.
It
frees us from covetousness and the all too present sin of greed.
If
the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, then giving is spiritual
Round-up that kills that root!
And that’s why our giving has
to be willing and cheerful – because it’s far more a heart issue than an act.
Reluctant,
cheerless giving isn’t really giving at all; it’s ransom!
Those
who give reluctantly see God as a terrorist, a bully Who they’re trying to buy
off with a bribe, ransom, or protection money.
They
give because they’re afraid if they don’t calamity will strike.
Listen, let me say it again –
God commands giving, not because He needs it – but because we need it.
WE
NEED TO GIVE! And, as the Lord makes
clear here, our giving needs to be marked by a willing cheerfulness.
3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
When Moses told them to bring
an offering, he gave them a specific list of what was needed.
All
of what was given was going to be used in the construction and service of the
tabernacle.
The color blue was derived from a shellfish and
since there are so many different shades of blue, different hues were probably
meant here.
Purple was derived from a certain snail that makes a rich purple-red color (the
murex snail).
Scarlet is another word for red. This red was produced from
the dried and
The Egyptians were the
world’s premier manufacturers & weavers of fine linen.
No
doubt the Jews had learned the trade when they were there.
In the
finest modern linens, there are 86
threads per inch; in Egyptian tombs they have found linen with 152 threads per
inch.[1]
Goat hair
was black and coarse and had the consistency of felt.
Rams’ skins had the wool removed and would be like fine leather.
The
word “badger” comes from an archaic
and obscure word which has long troubled translators. More recent discoveries indicate instead of
badgers, it may be best to understand this as seal skins.
This
makes better sense when we consider it’s function – it was the outer covering
which protect the tabernacle from wind and rain.
Acacia wood
is harder and darker than oak and it’s virtually insect-proof.
The
present day value of the materials used in the tabernacle would total about $15
million with their combined weight being some 19,000
We are just now embarking on
a new building project.
God
has given us clear direction on the growth of our church and it’s ministries
and we need a new home.
The
Lord has some wonderful and incredible things in store for us and He’s
directing us to build a new home where we can meet with Him and He can impart
His Word and blessing to this County.
We’ll
be giving more details soon, but for right now, let me just say that as God in
v. 4 told Moses to tell the people to bring blue, purple, and red, He’s calling
us to bring the green so we can get busy with what He’s set before us.
Notice in v. 9 that God was
adamant Moses be precise in his
execution of the plans for the tabernacle.
The
reason for this was because the tabernacle was a living prophecy of the Person
and Work of the coming Messiah and He didn’t want anyone to get confused.
10 “And they shall make an ark [box] of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
There’s still debate among
scholars about the exact length of a cubit.
It seems that over time, it changed.
The
cubit was probably derived from measuring the distance from elbow to tip of the
little finger.
The
question was; “Whose elbow?” And the
answer would always be – “The king’s.”
But
kings varied in size, so so did the cubit.
Most scholars settle for an 18
inch cubit – a foot and a half.
This
means the ark was 3 ¾ feet long, 2 ¼ feet wide and high.
It was made of acacia wood
and overlaid with gold.
11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold,
inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all
around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them
in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on
the other side. 13 And you shall make
The stone tablets containing
the Ten Commandments, written with the finger of God.
The
No
one was ever to touch the ark itself, it was far too holy - it was to be
carried only by the
17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.
This is the lid or covering
for the ark.
18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
Cherubim is the plural form
of cherub – but when I say the word, don’t think of chubby, pink, babies
floating around an white wings shooting toy arrows.
The
cherubim are described in Revelation and Ezekiel as the most august and unusual
creatures imaginable!
Today,
when we see someone with a “baby face” we say they’re cherubic.
Really,
that ought to mean they have four faces; an ox, an eagle, a lion, and a mature
man.
It
means ANYTHING BUT baby-like!
The reason God told Moses to
fashion two cherubim on the cover for the ark is because it was right above
that cover His presence would hover in the form of the Shekinah.
And
since in heaven God’s throne is surrounded by the cherubim, the mercy seat and
ark were to be like his throne.
The
tabernacle, as the tent of meeting was a model of the throne room of heaven.
19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
It’s interesting as we read
the plans here for the tabernacle that they work from the center, from the holiest
place outward.
If
this were being described to Moses from a purely human perspective, it would
start with the outside and work in, up to the climax, the center of the whole
shebang.
But
God starts at the
Every part of the tabernacle
and all of the service the priests will offer find their meaning and pur
Without
His presence, without His life in the center, the rest is just empty and vain.
And so it is in our lives.
Unless
the Lord dwells in our hearts, then all that we do is
He
must be the animating presence and force of our lives.
23 “You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around.
This table was to measure 3
ft. long by 1 ½ ft. wide and 2 ¼ ft. tall.
Like
the ark it was to be made of wood, covered with gold.
25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around.
This frame of about 3” was an
edge to the table which rose from the top to keep things on top of the table
from falling off – like a rim.
26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold,
and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27
The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the
In Lev. 24 we learn that on
this table were placed 12 loaves of bread in two stacks of 6 each.
These
12 loaves represented the 12 tribes of Israel.
The
bread was replaced once a week, on the Sabbath, and the replaced loaves were
eaten only by the priests.
The
loaves were called the “showbread” or literally, “The bread of the presence.”
They
were given this because as they sat on the table they were in the immediate
presence of God.
They
stood as a symbol of the fact that God is in the midst of His people Israel.
Bread
also speaks of the sustenance of life, and the people were to look to God as
their Supply.
Besides the table itself
being made of gold, all the dishes used in the preparation of the showbread
were to be made of gold.
31 “You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side.
Since the tabernacle, when
fully constructed would be covered with several layers, the only light in it
would come from the Shekinah and from this lamp,
in Hebrew, “menorah.”
It was made of solid gold but
no dimensions are given for it.
Like the showbread
represented the tribes of Israel, the lampstand represented the nation in her
missionary calling to be a light to the world as they followed the Lord.
It had a central shaft with 3
branches coming out of each side, to make a total of 7 lamps.
33 Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34 On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold.
The description here is a bit
difficult to sort out.
Picture
the central shaft that rises straight up.
On
it’s length from top to bottom are 4 ornamental knobs in the shape of almond
blossoms.
Out
of the lowest spring two branches that rise up in an arc to the same height as
the top of the central shaft.
Out
of the next lowest ornamental knob comes two more branches.
And
out of the 3rd come tow more branches.
There’s
one last knob above that.
On
each of the 6 branches there are 3 ornamental knobs in the shape of more almond
blossoms.
The almond flower motif for
the artistry on the lampstand looks forward to something that will happen a bit
later.
In
Numbers 17 we read about a revolt by the leadership of Israel against Moses
& Aaron’s.
A
test was given to see whose leadership the Lord endorsed.
The
test was to take the rods of the revolters, along with Aaron’s rod, and place
them in the tabernacle overnight.
In
the morning when they went in to check the rods, Aaron’s had blossomed and put
forth almonds!
This
was God’s way of approving Aaron and affirming his calling.
The lampstand represented
Israel’s calling to lead the nations in the knowledge and worship of Yahweh as
they were filled with the Spirit, symbolized by the oil in the lamps, and as
they followed God’s leading, symbolized by the almonds.
37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it.
The oil lamps which would
crown the top of each branch would be oval in shape – and God is saying they
are to be arranged in such a way that the wicks face toward the front.
38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
God once more reminds Moses
that he must follow the plans he’s seen for the tabernacle.
The word “pattern” in Hebrew
is “tabnith” and refers to written
detailed plans.
God
wants Moses to make an exact replica of what he’d seen.
In
fact, the detail with which we see the tabernacle and priesthood described in
these chapters leads some scholars to conclude that Moses actually came down
from Sinai with a detailed set of plans for the tabernacle.
If this is the kind of
attention God called Moses to pay to the details of a structure that would one
day be fulfilled and superceded by the Person and Work of the Messiah, how much
more careful and attentive ought we be to the things He showed and taught?