Special Gifts Exodus 31

 

Exodus 31 – Special Gifts

 

Moses spent a great deal of time on Mt. Sanai, receiving instructions on building the tabernacle.  Men and their helpers were given special gifts for craftsmanship.  They made the tabernacle furniture and the garments.  The Spirit of God equipped them for their work.  Bazaleel was given a special gift from God to do His work.  In one sense this man’s gift is more important than Aaron’s gift.  His gift was essential for the building of the tabernacle. God gives us talents, but He wants us to dedicate them to Him.  Whatever gift God has given you. He would like the Spirit of God to take it and use it for His service.

 

The Sabbath – according to J. Vernon McGee, he declares the Sabbath was given specifically to Israel. The church from the very beginning met on the first day of the week.  When the church was born; the day of Pentecost was on the day after the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was first given to the entire human race, but man turned away from God, and gave the Sabbath exclusively to Israel.  If a man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath Day, he was stoned to death in Israel. In verses 16-17 it expressly says that the children of Israel, not the church, were to keep the Sabbath.  The church is a new creation, and it was given a new day to observe which is the first day of the week.

Even today God wants us to be balanced:  work, rest, worship.

 

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard@blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Be Ye Cleansed Exodus 30

 

Exodus 30 Be Ye Cleansed

 

The Altar of Incense in the tabernacle was a small altar. It was placed right by the veil, and the ark and mercy seat were on the other side of the veil.  It stood in the Holy Place, the place of worship. This was not an altar of sacrifice. Only incense, and only a certain kind of incense, was to be placed upon this altar.  The priests would go in and burn incense every time they would light the lamps of the lampstand.  This altar speaks of prayer.  Incense, therefore, is a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, our intercessor.  When we come to God in prayer, we must come through the Lord Jesus Christ.  It was wonderful for the children of Israel to know that their high priest was in the tabernacle, at the altar of incense, praying for them.  It is wonderful for us to know that Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, is praying for us. Christ does not pray for the world. Why? Because Jesus died for the world.  The Holy Spirit is here to make the offer of Christ real to those who will receive Him.  Christ is in heaven praying for those who have received Him as Savior.  In verse 8, it says “there is to be a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.”  There is to be continual praise in God. “To pray without ceasing” The incense was to be upon the altar in the morning and evening.  When the high priest went inside and offered incense, the incense stayed upon his garments and when he came outside, the people could smell him.  Let your prayers ascend before God as sweet incense, and it will permeate your garments. 

There will be no plague among the Israelites because they are going to be redeemed.  Silver is the metal of redemption and a type of redemption.  Everyone that worshipped had to be redeemed. Not only that, but they must also be cleansed.  The laver is in the outer court and is made of brass.  The brazen laver is where God deals with our sins as saints. The priest could not come into the tabernacle to serve unless he had first washed. If they were going to the brazen altar, they washed before and after. We cannot worship Him, serve Him, or be of use to Him unless we have been cleaned up. The laver of brass pictures our sanctification. The pure water is the Word of God. The women brought their highly polished brass mirrors to make the laver. They did not have mirrors then.  The mirrors revealed dirt and that was the purpose of the laver.  The laver cleansed the priest, and the laver pictures the Word of God.  The Bible is a mirror and when we read it, our sin is revealed.  We then need to confess that sin and be cleansed. The Holy Spirit is the one who can open our mind and heart when we go to work with God to understand His Word.

 

Consecrration Exodus 29

 

Exodus 29 - Consecration

 

Consecration for a believer is nothing that he does for himself.  It is something that God does for him.  It rests upon the finished work of Christ.

The washing mentioned in the passage has to do with regeneration. It, along with consecration is coming to God with empty hands, confessing our weakness and our inability to do anything, then letting God do the rest.

The high Priest and his family put their hands upon the bullock.  The laying on of hand on an animal speaks of identification.  When a sinner came up to the altar and put his hands on the head of the animal he had brought, it meant that the animal was taking his place.  The bullock took Aaron’s place.  It will die for him because he is a sinner.  This is the burnt offering. The main sacrifice, which was the burnt offering and the first one, sets forth the person of Christ – who He is.  The altar speaks of what He has done for us.

The breast of the ram was a wave offering, which was for Aaron, and his sons.  The Levites were not given any land for farming in the nation, and this is the way God provided for their support. 

The continual burnt offering was to be continually offered. This offering was a daily sacrifice; a lamb was offered in the morning and a lamb was offered in the evening, it speaks of the fact that the people needed a continual reminder that someone was needed to take their place and that their sin merited death.  There must be shedding of blood for sin.

The blood of Christ has cleansed us, and our past is gone. Sinful hearts are purified not by religious rites but by faith and baptism in Jesus Christ. We stand in the very righteousness of Christ.  We have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and lives within us.  He enables us to minister.

The continual burnt offering morning and evening reminded them of their complete and constant devotion to God.  We need not to forget our daily presentation of ourselves to God.

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard@blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

 

Servants of God Exodus 28

 

Exodus 28 -Servants of God

 

Now we come to the ones who are going to serve the tabernacle.  The Levites were to care for the tabernacle, and Aaron and his sons were to be the priests.  Aaron was to be the high priest.  For Aaron to serve as high priest he had to have certain garments.  And these garments speak of Christ.  The Hebrew word for Holy means “set apart.”  These garments were set apart for the service of God.  The first garment was the Ephod.  It was worn over the linen garment.  Two long pieces of cloth were brought together and fastened by a stone on one shoulder and a stone on the other shoulder.  The material was gathered in the middle with a girdle.  Six of the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stone and six names were engraved on the other.  When the high priest went into the presence of God, he carried the children of Israel on his shoulders.  That speaks of the strength and power of the high priest.  Jesus is our high priest.  Jesus carries us on his shoulders.

The breastplate is a vest. A very beautiful one that went over the garment.  It was a breastplate of judgment.  We need the breastplate of righteousness today as believers.  The breastplate covers the vile heart within us. The Ephod and the breastplate went together. On the breastplate were twelve precious stones which were arranged three in a row, and there were four rows. Each stone was a different color and together they formed a flashing and beautiful display.  What a picture this is of His Love for us.

I do not know what the Urim and Thummim were.  Whatever they were, they determined the will of God.  God wants us to go to Him for answers.

The pomegranates speak of fruit and the bells speak of witness. The symbols of life and witness would give a sound as the high priest went in and out of the sanctuary.  “That he die not” alerts them to the fact that if he should default in the ritual he would be stricken dead.

Then there was a plate of pure gold that was put on blue lace, upon the forefront of the mitre, upon Aaron’s head. These garments distinguished the high priest from the other priests. These garments were a covering over any work of the flesh.

God supplied their needs as they served the people.  There was no competition or confusion in the holy tabernacle because they served the same Lord and obeyed the same Word. God has a ministry for each of us, and He will equip us to do it.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Outside the Tabernacle Exodus 27

 

Exodus 27 – Outside of the Tabernacle

 

Outside of the Tabernacle we have the brazen altar and the brazen laver, both made of brass. Inside the tabernacle everything was made of Gold. As you get closer to God, the emphasis is on the person of Christ, As you move further out, the emphasis is on the work of Christ. The furniture of brass represents judgment of sin. The sin question is dealt within the outer court. No one can come into the presence of God until sin has been dealt with. Lev. 17:11. Sometimes the brazen altar is called the table of the Lord, and it is called the altar of burnt offering.  This is where God deals with the sinner.  It speaks of the Cross of the Christ.  Christ is our burnt offering. There is no approach to God except by the brazen altar.  There a victim must be sacrificed and must be claimed as the substitute. Man can not worship, pray, or serve God until he came to the brazen altar.  Every priest, Levite, had come to this altar.

Jesus Christ is not only the Lamb that died for us, He is also the risen Lamb.  The brazen altar stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle.  The Cross of Christ stands before Heaven. The shittim wood covered with brass speaks of His strength for sacrifice.  What a picture this is of the Cross of the Christ!

The fence that went around the outside of the tabernacle was covered with white linen all the way around.  It separated those on the inside from those on the outside. The burning light speaks of Christ.  Matthew 5:14 tells us: “you are the light of the world..” You and I do not make much light.  It is only the Spirit of God that can use us. God’s people are lights of this dark world. Be sure you keep your lamp trimmed and your light shining. Matthew 5:16.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard@blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Golden Lampstand Exodus 25-26

 

Exodus 25 continued - The Golden Lampstand

 

The lampstand is probably the most perfect picture of Christ found in the tabernacle furniture.  It sets Him forth as pure gold and speaks of His deity.  It sets Him forth as He is – God.  Christ is the light, as symbolized by the lampstand in the Holy Place. It gave light in the Holy Place. It was the place of worship. The oil in the lamps represents the Holy Spirit.  Christ said of the Holy Spirit in John 14:26 “But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”  It is the Holy Spirit who takes the things of Christ and shows them to us.  Just as the lamps reveal the beauty of the lampstand.  The Holy Spirit reveals Christ as the Son of God, the One who came to earth on our behalf and who lives in heaven to intercede for us.

Exodus 26 – The Curtains

 

Over the tabernacle were four curtains,  the first was made of linen and came down the sides of the tabernacle.  They were not permitted to touch the ground.  They were beautiful and the result of fine work.  The curtains were sown together and held together with loops and rings. This curtain cannot be seen from the outside.  The beauty of the Lord Jesus cannot be seen by the world. We are hidden under His wings, and we should worship Him who is worthy. The second curtain was made of goats’ hair, and it touched the ground. It speaks of Christ’s worth for sinners. It is symbolic of Christ’s death.  The third curtain was made of Rams skin dyed red. It speaks of the strength and vigor of Christ and His offering on the Cross.  The fourth curtain was made of badger’s skin. It speaks of Christs’ walk before men. It had no beauty to reveal. There is no beauty on the outside that we should desire Him. We must go inside to behold His beauty. The curtains were blue, a heavenly color, scarlet – Christ’s blood, purple which speaks of royalty.

The boards of the tabernacle were made of shittim wood.  It was indestructible. There were 20 boards on each side and ten in the rear. Rings were placed in the boards and bars ran through the rings, holding the tabernacle together. The Holy Spirit holds true believers together today. The boards and rings speak of the deity of Christ. The veil speaks of the humanity of Christ. It was made of fine-twined linen and was the only entrance to the Holy of Holies.  When Christ dismissed His spirit on the Cross, the veil was torn in two, representing the fracture of His Spirit and His body. There is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ.

 

The Tabernacle Exodus 25

 

Exodus 25 – The Tabernacle

 

 

The tabernacle was to be the center of Israel’s life because it was there where man would approach God.  Israel had been out of slavery for only a few months, yet the Lord asks them to contribute to help build the tabernacle.  The children of Israel gave so much they were told to stop giving!  In Exodus 12:36 we read “The Lod gave the people favor on the sight of the Egyptians, so they gave them such things as was required.  The tabernacle was small because it had to be carried on the wilderness march, but it was very ornate, rich and beautiful.

The ark was God’s throne, and it was the first piece of furniture that they were to build. The outer court was an enclosed place around the tabernacle proper. The proper was divided into two compartments, The Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies.  The furniture in the Holy place consisted of the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense.  In the Holy of Holies were the ark of the covenant and the Mercy Seat.  In the outer court were two pieces of furniture; the brazen altar and the laver. Enclosing it with a fence of white linen. The ark and the mercy seat above it were the place where God would meet the children of Israel.  It was the place for them to approach God.  The tabernacle was put together when they made camp and taken down when they moved to another place.  Each piece of furniture was equipped with rings and staves so that it could easily be carried.  The ark was covered with gold inside and outside. It speaks of Christ as prophet, priest, and King. It carried the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the ten commandments. Aaron’s rod that budded speaks of the Lord’s resurrection. It was an old stick that came alive. The manna speaks of Christ as the Bread of Life.  The Ten commandments speak of the life He lived on earth fulfilling the Law in all points and fulfilling the prophecies spoken of Him. The Mercy seat rested on top of the ark.  It was the blood that made it the mercy seat. The High Priest who served in the tabernacle rushed into the Holy Place, sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat, and rushed out again. Inside the Holy place is the place of worship. The table of showbread speaks of Him as the bread of Life. It has twelve loaves of bread on it, representing each tribe of Israel. God was providing equality for all. The altar of incense speaks of prayer. The table speaks of sustenance, provision, and supply. It is the table of salvation. The table also speaks of the Lord’s Supper. 

This lesson is to be continued.  Thank you for reading my lessons. God Bless You all.