An Invitation to Build God's House - Part 2

by Daniel Yahav

In our first session, we expanded on the process of building the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, in which the whole nation was called to take part. In this letter we want to look at the different items of the Tabernacle and their roles, and compare them to our role as members of God's Spiritual Temple. It is written in Hebrews 10:1 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come..." Therefore we can learn from the physical, from "the shadows", worthy lessons about the spiritual. Now, let us continue and learn worthy lessons from the items which were in the Tabernacle of God.

THE OUTER COURT:

Altar: On the altar the sacrifices were offered to God. As we enter the presence of God, we are called to die to ourselves and live for God. Romans 12:1 says: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service". We are called to offer up our lives as a living sacrifice to God. Ask yourself, am I seeking to glorify God in every aspect of my life, in family relationships, as a neighbour, as a student, at my work place, in the community?

Am I seeking to use the gifts that I have been given, to glorify the Lord, and not my own self?!

Bronze Basin : This was for washing the hands and feet of the priests, before entering into the presence of God. Yeshua taught us to wash our feet regularly, from the sin that makes our feet dirty along the path of this life. We must keep coming regularly, to be washed by the water of the Word of God (Eph. 5:25-26), renewing of our mind and repenting for our sins. It is the whole Word of God, when received by faith and applied daily, which works in us to cleanse our hearts, our minds, our thoughts and actions, transforming us more and more to the image of our Lord, so that we can enter deeper and deeper into the presence of our God.

THE HOLY PLACE

Table of Show Bread: The bread of the presence is representing the bread of life. Yeshua is the Bread that came down from Heaven to live among us (John 6:35). He is the Bread which gives not only physical life but life eternal, He is the Living Word of God. But God has given the responsibility to the spiritual leaders, to share the bread of the Word of God as food for the flock under their care. That includes pastors, elders, teachers, and also fathers, who should teach God's word to their own families. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has put in charge of his household, to give them food in due season?" (Matthew 24:45). It is interesting that in Hebrew, the bread on the table in the Tabernacle was called literally "the bread of face" - 'Lechem Hapanim'. Yeshua said to Thomas that whoever sees Him has seen the Father (John 14:9). Yeshua is the face of God the Father.

The Mennorah : The light in the Menorah was to burn and light the Temple continuously. Yeshua said "I am the light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). He also told us that we are to be the light of the world, allowing the light of His life to shine through us. The light is to be put on the lamp-stand in order for the world to see "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). We have the responsibility to let His light shine through us. This requires us to be filled continually with the oil of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18b).

Altar of Incense : On the golden altar, the priest would offer the incense, which was holy unto God. From Revelation 5:8 we learn, that our prayers go up as an incense before God: "And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." It is also written that "Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God and who intercedes for us" (Romans 8:34). Yeshua, the High Priest of our confession, offers up in heaven, incense of intercession on our behalf. And as we already saw, we too, can offer unto God the incense of our prayers and intercession.

The Veil:

At the very moment Yeshua yielded up His Spirit, and died on the cross for our sins, the veil of the temple was torn in two, opening the way for us to have access to the very presence of God Almighty. The power of death through sin was broken, making it possible for us as mankind, once again to have a close intimate relationship with God, our Maker, as it was before the fall, in the Garden of Eden. Yeshua opened the way for us to receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life in the Kingdom of God!

THE HOLY OF HOLIES:

This was the most holy place - The Holy of Holies, where the presence of God rested. In the earthly Temple access was strictly forbidden. But through Yeshua's sacrifice, we now have access to the very presence of God - we can have a personal encounter with the Living God! And one day we will be with Him in heaven, where the angels cry Holy, Holy, Holy, even three times! The scene is of God's overwhelming glory. If we truly understand the meaning of it, our only response would be to fall down and worship Him with a heart overflowing with thanksgiving and adoration!

The Ark of the Covenant: This contained the manna - the sign of God's grace and provision in the wilderness, and also the tablets of the Law, which Moses received from God on the mountain, symbolizing the righteous requirement of the Law. It also contained Aaron's staff which budded. Yeshua embodies all 3 of them:

He is the bread of life coming down from heaven, He is the new covenant written on our hearts instead of on stone, He is our High Priest. It is interesting to note, that once a year, on the great day of Atonement, the High Priest was required to enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice over the covering of the Ark, on a way that formed the shape of a cross (Lev. 6:14) The Hebrew text says that the priest had to sprinkle the blood 7 times over the top of the covering of the Ark, called the Mercy Seat, and he should sprinkle it eastward. East was at his back. To do so, he had to dip his finger in the vessel of blood, then raise it up and swing it from above, forward and down and past his back - eastward. Then he had to sprinkle the blood in front of the Ark. This produced the shape of a cross made of sprinkled blood. This blood of the sacrifice, stood between God and the broken law, represented by the tablets in the Ark. The blood of the animals was a shadow of the true sacrifice, which was later offered on the cross, to cover for the sins of mankind, to give righteousness as a gift, to all those who believe in Yeshua as their Saviour, and thus the Law would be written upon their hearts: "This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them." (Hebrews 10:16) (Jeremiah 31:33)

As the spiritual temple of God, we should not be ignorant of the spiritual implications of these physical items of the earthly Tabernacle, and of the important role we have, as living stones, representing God to the world around us, in all these different aspects.