Post by Zac Loh on Dec 3, 2008 12:21:42 GMT -5
THE COURT
1. The Bronze Laver: Confrontation and Conviction
2. The Altar Of Burnt Offering: Clear the Conscience
3. The Bronze Laver: Cleansing through Consecration
THE HOLY PLACE
4. The Table For The Showbread: Commitment in Covenant
5. The Lampstand: Clarity for Comprehension
6. The Altar Of Incense: Communicate with Consciousness
THE MOST HOLY PLACE
7. The Ark Of The Testimony: Closeness by Christ-likeness
God met and spoke to Moses at a piece of furniture called The Ark Of The Testimony which was situated at THE MOST HOLY PLACE, the innermost compartment within the tent of The Tabernacle.
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. 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. (Exodus 25:21-22)
And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. (Exodus 30:6)
At The Tabernacle, The Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face, as a man speaks to his friend.
So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. (Exodus 33:11)
We are going to trace step-by-step of the actions within the Tabernacle, trailing Moses, Aaron and the priests who entered into THE COURT, and into THE HOLY PLACE, and then into THE MOST HOLY PLACE.
Of course, these are all symbolic of the present day spiritual reality which we can have in Jesus Christ.
The angle of our study, if we are to define: is how to have a close walk with God; how to be in a relationship with God, in an intimate way, on a daily basis.
Some have limited themselves to a certain spiritual distance from the Lord. But we want to experience God …to go really deeper in Him and be intimate with Him in a powerful way …we want a greater reality of God!
1. The Bronze Laver: Confrontation and Conviction
At THE COURT, Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet from the water in the The Bronze Laver twice. First, before burning an offering on The Altar Of Burnt Offering, and second, before entering into THE HOLY PLACE.
In those days, polished bronze was commonly used as a mirror. When a priest went to The Bronze Laver to scoop the water and wash himself; he would have seen two reflections of himself. One reflection made by the bronze mirror. And the other reflection made by the water. He would have seen himself at his original unclean state before the washing.
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing this natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:21-25)
The priest was confronted by the bronze mirror, which represented The Word of God for us today. He was also confronted by the water, which symbolized The Spirit of God. The Word together with the Spirit becomes spirit and life (John 6:63).
God is going to confront our spiritual state, our spiritual condition. We cannot exclude this factor from our relationship with God. Only by The Bronze Laver, we will be able to see ourselves as God sees.
How God sees it, is more crucial than the way we look at it or the way others look at it. This first washing, the contact and rubbing of water; does not clean us, but convict us. Not only we see how God sees it, we feel how God feels about it. The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, will convict us. If we ever going to come nearer to God, we will have to sincerely regret our spiritual shortcomings or apathy.
Let’s go to the next step.
2. The Altar Of Burnt Offering: Clear the Conscience
For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:13-14)
The offered animals were sacrificed, and blood was shed.
At the cross, Jesus died for us. His body was broken, and His blood shed for us. This was prophetically symbolized by the burnt offerings at The Altar Of Burnt Offering.
Jesus took our punishment. All guilt and shame can be removed from our conscience. The death of Jesus meant that we can all be forgiven, and be justified in God’s eyes.
We must have faith of Jesus had done for us, having the assurance that the blood of Christ was effective in redeeming us from the snares and clutches of from Satan. We, who are slaves to the world and sin, can be saved.
Through the death of Jesus, the barrier was taken away. We now can have peace with God. We can access to God, our Father, by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:14-18).
One powerful preacher illustrated repentance as making a u-turn and going the opposite direction. If we have been going towards the things govern by the spirit of this world, then we have to make a u-turn. This action of u-turn is exhibited by the priest because he had to make a u-turn heading back towards The Bronze Laver for the second washing.
We need to acknowledge and confess our sinful living and our sins. Let’s ask God to seriously repent of the lifestyle which contributed to our spiritual backsliding and for being distant from God.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2; underline mine)
In the first part of the above verses, we are urged to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. Anyone who wanted to make an offering of livestock at The Altar Of Burnt Offering, was required to put and lay his hand on the head of the animal. The contact symbolized heartfelt offering and identification.
The animal was, thus, a proxy being sacrificed on behalf of the one who made the offering. The animal died. But the person didn’t. The animal took his place. Jesus took our place and died at the cross at Calvary. The punishment of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Jesus died on our behalf.
Now we are urged to be a living sacrifice. We don’t have to die. But we are called to be a living sacrifice. Jesus took our death. Now we live for Jesus.
The sacrifice of the animals, not only involved the outer parts, but the inner parts as well i.e. the entrails, live and kidneys.
When we offer ourselves to God; God is not only interested in the outer parts of us – the things/issues such as our body, circumstance, situation and other people; but God is also interested in the inner parts of us – the things/issues at the inside of us such as our pain, our vanity, our worries, our secret interests/hobbies, our hidden frustrations/anger, our long term fears/insecurities and our immediate plans/wishes/concerns.
And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. (Exodus 29:13)
The animal fat is basically oil. Therefore, it represented the Holy Spirit. God wants to burn the inside of us by the fire of The Holy Spirit.
3. The Bronze Laver: Cleansing through Consecration
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2; underline mine)
We have referred previously to the first part of the above verses at The Altar Of Burnt Offering. In the second part of the above verses, we read that we are not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
The second part happens here at The Bronze Laver.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25-27; underline mine)
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (John 17:17)
The first washing at The Bronze Laver confronted and convicted us. Now, we’re back at The Bronze Laver for the second washing.
This second washing talks about sanctification, the cleansing of our life.
There is sanctification that comes by reading the Word and having been immersed in God’s presence.
In The Oxford Dictionary, `consecration’ means `make or declare sacred; dedicate formally to religious or divine purpose’.
as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-15)
We are exhorted to be holy. But how do we do that? What does it mean? It is not about our own holiness and self-righteousness; because our righteousness is like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6).
The Holiness Movement, more than a century ago, had perpetuated and popularized the Wesleyan message of sanctification. Its roots originated from John Wesley (1703 – 1791) who studied the writings of the early church father Clement of Alexandria (177 AD), and the Moravians. Wesley was convinced that true holiness is an attitude, a love for God; and not about how much sin we do or didn’t do. Clement called this `a heart holiness’. Wesley had called for perfection to be a goal for all true, converted Christians because God who is great enough to forgive sin must also be great enough to transform a sinner into a saint.
Wesley held that the road from sin to salvation is one from willful rebellion against divine and human law to perfect love for God and man. Following Wesley, Holiness preachers emphasized that the process of salvation involves two crises. In the first, conversion or justification, one is freed from the sins he has committed. In the second, entire sanctification or full salvation, one is liberated from the flaw in his moral nature that causes him to sin. Man is capable of this perfection even though he dwells in a corruptible body marked by a thousand defects arising from ignorance, infirmities, and other creaturely limitations. It is a process of loving the Lord God with all one’s heart, soul, and mind, and it results in the ability to live without conscious or deliberate sin. However, to achieve and then remain in this blessed state requires intense sustained effort, and one’s life must be marked by constant self renunciation, careful observance of divine ordinances, a humble, steadfast reliance on God’s forgiving grace in the atonement, the intention to look for God’s glory in all things, and an increasing exercise of the love which itself fulfills the whole law and is the end of the commandments.
(R V Pierard, American Holiness Movement, Advanced Information)
Next, step into the covered tent, into the first compartment within the covered tent, called THE HOLY PLACE.
4. The Table For The Showbread: Commitment in Covenant
This is first furniture within this first compartment within the covered tent; that the priest will attend to.
You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitches, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always. (Exodus 25:29-30)
“And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. (Leviticus 24:5-6)
These cakes were bread.
Six is the representative number of man because man was created on the sixth day. Two rows of six cakes speak of a covenant between two men.
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)
Two rows of six cakes amounting to twelve cakes. And twelve represented the number of the twelve tribes of Israel, the people of God. But now, the church is the people of God. So the number twelve refers to the church. God is covenanted with the church by the broken body and shed blood of Christ.
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
A covenant is more than a contract. A contract is businesslike, and it is easier broken. This explains the number of legal cases in our courts. But a covenant is personal. We are covenanted to God. Not only we have to have faith for all the benefits and privileges that Jesus had obtained for us at the cross; we have to commit ourselves to Him in the same way that He was committed to us. We have to be given to Him in the same way that He was given to us. A relationship without commitment cannot go any further. A relationship without commitment will not be fruitful. A relationship without commitment has little value. A relationship without commitment will be pointless and meaningless after some time.
As we make a covenanted commitment to God through Jesus Christ based on what Jesus had done; we are closer to the Lord than before. We have left THE COURT and entered THE HOLY PLACE. We begin to partake of the bread of the covenant. We discover all the promises of God, and are fed and nurtured by them. We also partake of the blood of the covenant. We discover that we are in an unbreakable relationship with God because His forgiveness is ever flowing. We are reminded that we belong to the Lord as we were bought at the price of His blood (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Make a commitment of yourself to the Lord, in your relationship with Him. Be it a covenant-like commitment.
Next step…
5. The Lampstand: Clarity for Comprehension
Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations - “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using - according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value (Colossians 2:20-23).
One early afternoon, I was all by myself in the office reading the above verses of the Bible. The eyes of my heart were enlightened so dramatically that my inmost spirit-being experienced such an energy and explosion. Spontaneously, I broke forth very strongly and loudly in the unknown tongues.
Prior to this experience, I was disturbed, as one clouded by a mist of darkness - because of much religiosity coupled with humanism plus worldly philosophies – that I had seen in a local church.
This powerful experience had opened my eyes to see the truth in such a spiritual clarity.
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know (Ephesians 1:17)
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), (Ephesians 5:8)
It is the Lord who anoints our spiritual eyes, enlightening us. We need the oil that fueled the lamps.
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. (Revelation 3:18)
How can we buy from the Lord? What money can we use? Well, the currency is faith. We buy from the Lord by believing that He will anoint our eyes to see.
When you look at the Bible, have faith that you will see! The Light always refers to Jesus. You will see Jesus in the Bible. You will begin to know how the Old Testament (Genesis to Malachi) pointed to Jesus in The Gospels (Matthew to John). You will understand why Jesus did what he did, and said what he said, in The Gospels. You will have the wisdom on how the light of truth of Jesus - is to be applied in your life when you read The Epistles (Acts to Revelation).
Then, when you pray, you will pray in the light of Christ – because He is interceding for us in heaven. You will pray in line with Christ. You will pray like He will pray. You will pray like Him!
Moses was a symbolic typology of Christ. Moses was the shadow of the things to come. Jesus was the light.
Let’s, now, come to The Altar Of Incense.
6. The Altar Of Incense: Communicate with Consciousness
After tending and lighting the lamps of the Lampstand, Aaron burned sweet incense on The Altar Of Incense. He did that twice everyday: in the morning and at twilight in the evening. (Exodus 30:7-8)
Then another angel, having a golden censer; came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the ground. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:3-5)
There are two types of prayer existing in the church-at-large today. The first type of prayer is from our own point of view: what we observed and experienced, and thus, we make requests and petitions to God. As in any relationship, relating our life and our heart – to God – is vital. We are sharing our life with God. But we must go beyond that.
The second type of prayer is from God’s point of view. The second type will draw us close to God. You will begin to seek God to know what is in God’s heart. You will begin to see from God’s own perspective. David did what was in God’s own heart, not what was in his own heart. He did God’s will.
Saul did what was in the heart of man.
Jesus taught us to pray, what is commonly known as The Lord’s Prayer. He began with the Father’s perspective. And He ended with the Father’s perspective (Matthew 6:8-15).
(Do explore this website and read my series of articles on The Lord’s Prayer)
If the Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him, why not pray from what the Father knows? The Father, the Omniscient God, certainly knows better!
Prayer is not about informing God. Prayer is drawing close to God so that you will know Him, as you pray in resonant with Him.
Relationship with God is not a one-way street in which we talk all the time, because then, we will hardly hear God. We could not hear God because we do not want to shut-up and listen.
In this relationship, God is the dominant person. We do not take charge of the conversation. It is better to listen than to speak. So, it is only appropriate that we listen. After we have listened, then we can talk. Then we know what the conversation is to be about.
Even when we don’t hear anything, it is good to wait a while. Waiting is a sign of respect. We wait on a person who is greater than us. God is so great that we have to take time to listen.
Let us wait for God’s presence when we pray. Only with His presence, can our prayer be as incense. We must be conscious of Him.
Moses was close to God because he was such a person. In our relationship with God, we must be conscious of God. And we must be conscious that God is God (true meaning of that word!) and that God is a person (we are not talking to a wall!).
The key to a powerful prayer life is the ability to listen. Moses was such a successful intercessor. He was a type of Christ who is now interceding for us at the right hand side of the Father.
Do you want to be closer to God?
Let’s go to the next step into THE MOST HOLY PLACE.
7. The Ark Of Testimony: Closeness by Christ-likeness
Now, we’ve come into the second compartment, the innermost compartment, within the tent i.e. THE MOST HOLY PLACE where The Ark Of The Testimony was situated.
The Ark Of The Testimony was called that way because it contained the Testimony, which was the second set of the two tablets of stone, which were written the law and commandments by the finger of God.
The first set was earlier given by God. But Moses broke them in holy anger, when he threw them out of his hands at the sight of the idolatry of the people (Exodus 32:19).
The second set was cut by Moses (Exodus 24:12; 31:18; 34:1).
This tells us that the first set of tablets symbolized Jesus who came from God. He was the living Word who became flesh and walked this earth. Jesus was broken at the cross as God released His holy anger at Him because of us; just as Moses broke the first set of tablets out of holy anger because of the people (in this case, Moses was the typology of our Father God).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
The second set of stone tablets represented us. We are the living epistles, having Christ the living Word inside of us. The law and commandments are written on our hearts.
clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:3)
There is a closeness of God when we are being Christ-like. True, genuine and spiritual Christ-likeness draws the presence of God. While Jesus was walking on this earth in flesh and blood; twice the presence of God descended in fullness and in intensity, and the Father declared that He was well pleased with Jesus (Matthew 3:17; 17:5).
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5)
Christ-likeness pleases God.
One Sunday evening in a shopping mall, a close friend pointed-out to me on how couples look alike. Jesus is coming for a bride that is fitting to Him, resembling His character.
God caused Aaron’s rod to be sprouted, put forth buds, produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. Then, God instructed that this rod to be put inside The Ark before the Testimony (Numbers 17:8-10). Alongside the living Word within us, we also bear the fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. ... If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 ... 25).
When we are filled with the Spirit, and as we walk in the Spirit …the presence of God will be upon us, and abide with us.
We are able to walk with God because God-and-us will be alike. There is a saying that `birds of the same feather flock together’. This fact applies.
Enoch walked with God, and was taken-up (Genesis 5:24). He pleased God (Hebrews 11:5). Enoch was a typology of the Christian who will be taken-up in the Rapture.
God does not want us to go in-and-out of His presence. God wants us to walk with Him.
You can walk with God. You do not have to experience Him just in the prayer closet, or just in the car, or just in church services or just in prayer meetings. He wants to walk with you.