Clouds&Glory

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled P'kudei, meaning "Amounts of or Accounting of". The reading portion begins in Ex. 39, where we read: "Thus all the work (aboda/abad - work, service, serve, bondservant/serve, servant, work, worshippers, serve as a subject, work for another, make oneself a servant) of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished. And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Moses; so they did." (Ex. 39:32).

     All of the items that had been crafted with which to assemble and furnish the tabernacle were brought to Moses: "Then Moses looked over (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them." (Ex. 39:43).

     When considering the title of this Sabbath portion, what does the LORD want us to take an accounting of? As we see in the first verse above, the aboda/abad work of the tabernacle was accomplished by servants, even bondservants to God, according to the Hebrew meaning of the word. The offerings of required materials for the building of the tabernacle, as we read two weeks ago, were free will offerings from the heart of all of those who felt the desire to give. The fashioning of the materials into the actual furnishings and walls and coverings of the tabernacle was done as a bond service before the LORD which is a form of worship according to the Hebrew meaning of the word. Moses is described in several verses as being a servant ('ebed - servant, bondman, bondage, slave, worshipper) of God (Deut. 34:5, Num. 12:7-8, Josh. 1:1-2). 

     Moses' service, or making himself a bond servant of God, had farther reaching impact as well: "And Moses was faithful in all His (God's) house as a servant (therapon - a menial attendant, servant), for a testimony of these things which would be spoken afterward..." (Heb. 3:5). The purpose of Moses' bond service or worship to God was not just in accomplishing the vision of God for His tabernacle in the wilderness. Moses' bond service also had a prophetic importance pointing to things that would be revealed in the future, according to Heb. 3:5, above. 

     The apostle Paul also referred to his position as a bondservant or slave in service to God and Christ. However, not only did he commit himself as a bond servant, but Paul's calling and purpose were connected to his bond service (see Rom. 1:1-4, Titus 1:1-3). Paul begged all of us as believers in Christ to offer ourselves in the same manner as living sacrifices to God "which is your reasonable service/spiritual worship." (Rom. 12:1). Paul then warns us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (v. 3). Our elevation doesn't come from how high our own thoughts are about ourselves, but rather it comes from how low we can bow as bond servants before the LORD. To truly walk in the purpose, gifting and calling of God, it requires us to make ourselves bond servants to Him (1 Cor. 7:22, 1 Pet. 2:15-16). Slavery in bitter service to another person has an ugly meaning to us and we resist it and reject it, but slavery to God elevates us, completes us, sets us free and prophetically impacts future events, as Moses' bond service to God did. We become a living prophecy.

     Keeping the above information in mind, in Ex. 40, also part of this week's Sabbath reading, the LORD gives Moses this command: "On the first day of the first month you shall set up the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tabernacle of the tent of meeting....And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. So Moses raised up (qum - rise up, arise, raise, establish, to stand, to be fulfilled, cause to arise) the tabernacle..."" (v. 1-2, 17-18). The first month of the year is also the month of Passover.

     The surprising fact in this 40th chapter of Exodus is that Moses assembled and activated the tabernacle himself. All of the verses use "he" as indicating Moses as the one who set up the tabernacle. For example: "He put the lampstand in the tabernacle of meeting, across from the table,...and he lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the gold altar in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the veil; and he burned incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses." (Ex. 40:24-27). As far as we can tell from the language used here, Moses did all that was required to place and activate the elements that had been fashioned for the tabernacle. Moses was even to bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle, and wash and dress them in their priestly garments himself. (v. 12-15). Generations later, during the same first month, at the time of Passover, Jesus would wash the feet of His disciples and dry them with the towel that He had wrapped around His waist. (Jn. 13:1-9).

      Why was it necessary for Moses to assemble the tabernacle himself, rather than the priests or the children of Israel? The verse from Hebrews above tells us that Moses, as the bond servant of the LORD, did what he did in service as a prophetic action of what was to come later. Moses was a prophet, and his obedient actions were prophetic. In the same manner as the tabernacle was raised up (qum - see above), Jesus would say many generations later around the time of the Passover, that the temple (meaning His body) if destroyed would be raised up in three days. In this case referring to His future death and resurrection (Jn. 2:18-22).

     So the prophetic bond servant of God, Moses (see Deut. 34:10-12, Acts 3:22-23), with every action that he personally took concerning the establishment of the tabernacle, was also prophesying future events. This was his office or calling as a prophet.

     The tabernacle was then completed: "And he (Moses) raised up (qum - see above) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) court (haser/hasar - enclosure, court/to sound or blow a trumpet, to sound with clarions) all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) screen of the court gate. So Moses finished (&aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the work." (Ex. 40:33).

     When the bond servant, Moses, finished the work of assembling the tabernacle: "Then the cloud (anan - cloud-mass of theophanic cloud, a cloud as covering or veiling over the heaven, to veil over, a large army, a barrier, a cloud of incense, to make appear, to observe times) covered the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tent (ohel/ahal - tabernacle, dwelling/to be clear, shine, bright) of meeting, and the glory (kabod/kabad - glory, honor, abundance, riches, splendor, reverence/heaviness, grievous, glorious) of the LORD filled the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tabernacle...For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and the fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all of their journeys (massa/nasa - pulling up stakes, setting out, point of departure, a station on a journey/set forward, depart, remove a camp, to take away, cause to go, to cut out stones from a quarry)." (ex. 40:34-35, 38).

     In another reading portion from this Sabbath, we read again of how the temple of the LORD was filled with His cloud and His glory upon its completion: "And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the house (bayit/bana - house, home, temple, habitation, family, families, a house as containing a family of descendants, descendants as an organized body/build, builder, establish, repair, built up of children even of the barren wife, obtain children) of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering (sarat - serve, servant, minister to, attend as a menial or worshipper, wait on) because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the house of the LORD. Then Solomon spoke: 'The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever." (1 Kings 8:10-13).

     As the dwelling place of God went from being a tabernacle to a temple, we can see above from the word bayit/bana meaning temple, the house of the LORD now includes the dwelling place of His family, His children, His descendants. Now, the understanding goes from "the children of Israel" to "the sons (and daughters)" of God through the Messiah/Christ: "But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right/power/authority to become sons (children) of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (Jn. 1:12-13, see also Rom. 8:14-17, Gal. 4:4-7).

     However, both the tabernacle completed by Moses and the temple completed under King Solomon's (selomo/salom/salam - David's son [the King of] Peace/peace, completeness, safety, prosperity, health/recompense, reward, good, restitution, finished) reign, became filled with the cloud and the glory of God, as we see above.

     The manifestation of the cloud and the glory connected to the completion of both of these dwellings of the LORD also has prophetic significance as we also discovered concerning Moses' completion of the work on the tabernacle. We have these scriptures to consider. Jesus said speaking of His return: "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn (see Zech. 12:10-11), and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet (see the meaning of "court"/haser/hasar, above), and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Mt. 24:30-31, see also Mk. 13:24-27, Rev. 1:5-7, 1 Thess. 4:16-17). The prophet Daniel also prophesied: "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancients of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." (Dan. 7:13-14).

     As we also saw above from Ex. 40, the cloud and the glory of the tabernacle were connected to the "journeys" (see massa/nasa above) or departures of the Israelites. The cloud and glory that Jesus spoke about above, and as Paul wrote of in the New Testament, are also connected to a departure point or removal within our spiritual journey. This removal or pulling up tent stakes in our journey is referred to as "the Rapture", which comes from a Latin word meaning "a carrying off, a snatching away". In the Greek of the New Testament the word used is harpazo which means "caught up, caught away, snatch out or away". This is when the dead in Christ and those still living who believe in Him are changed in substance and caught up to Christ in the clouds. We depart to be with Him forever. It is a defining moment in our journey in Christ.

     The work of Moses in Ex. 40 as the bond servant and prophet of God was not confined to the completion of a physical tabernacle but was also a prophecy of the living tabernacle associated with the Messiah/Christ and the point of departure in the spiritual journey of God's people to come.

     If you would like to know more about the meaning of this prophetic work of God's bond servant Moses, you can pray with me: "Father in heaven, You appointed a great work for Moses to accomplish, not only on behalf of the children of Israel, but on behalf of all of Your future sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. I can see Jesus in the cloud and glory that covered and entered Your tabernacle and, later, Your temple. Who could have imagined all of the things that You have planned for us on our spiritual journey with You?! You have hidden those plans in Your Word for us to search out and be enriched by. Lord, lead me in the way of being Your bond servant so that I may accomplish through my life all of the things that You have given me to do and become. Teach me Your Word and fill me with Your Spirit to change me and prepare me for the wonders ahead. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Neglected

      This is Part 2 of a double Sabbath reading, Va-yakheil and P'kudei, meaning "and he assembled" and "accounting of" that began last week. The Part 1 blog entry is titled "Precious" (click here) and dealt with how Moses' assembly of the items of the tabernacle from the innermost chamber (God's beginning work in our hearts) to the outermost curtains reflected how God's work of salvation through Jesus manifests in us. The LORD also had Moses account for every free will offering that contributed to the construction of the tabernacle, the process of the creation of every piece of the tabernacle, and at the end of the process, Moses also had to examine and account for the finished items before they were installed in the tabernacle according to the pattern that God had given him.

     This week's continuing study will begin in 1 Kings Chapters 7 through 9 with the assembling of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem generations later: "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth (represented in the Hebrew letter daleth meaning the earth, material creation, a door, a path, way of life, movement into or out of) year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv (month of April-May, month of flowers,  "brightness", splendor, prominent), which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD." (1 Kings 6:1). It took Solomon seven (represented in the Hebrew letter zayin meaning completion, spiritual perfection, to cut, to pierce) years to complete the building of the temple "in all its details and according to all its plans" in the eleventh (represented by the Hebrew letters yod + aleph meaning imperfection, disorder, incompleteness, man's works as opposed to God's works) year of his reign as king (v. 37-38). 

     If we consider the number meanings above, we might be able to see a second or hidden message: The beginning of the building of the temple represented a work that would affect all of creation. the time period of completion of this work represented spiritual perfection and completion accomplished through Christ's finished work of salvation (the use of the word "pierced"). However, we see a problem in the meaning of the eleventh year, and I think that problem lies with Solomon at this point of his life, because it marks a moment in his reign. The LORD doesn't say this directly, but He does have a Word of warning for Solomon: "I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the (Hebrew written letters aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega in Greek, representing Jesus Christ : see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13) throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father...But if you or your sons at all turn away from following Me...but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight..." (1 Kings 9:4-7). To me, these words of solemn warning are directed to Solomon because the LORD knew that there was a problem in Solomon's heart, even if it was not yet apparent to others. The LORD knows the heart (Jer. 17:9-10, Ps. 139:23-24, Prov. 15:11,1 Sam. 16:7). Jesus knew what was in the hearts of those with whom He dealt as well (Jn. 2:23-25).

      King David, Solomon's father also said to Solomon before he died: "As for you, my son Solomon, know the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now (ra'a - see, perceive, have vision, discern, look intently at, look at the face, visions), for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary (miqdas/qadas - sacred place, holy place, holy thing/consecrate, sanctify, be separate, separate oneself, set apart as sacred, clean); be strong and do it." (1 Chron. 28:9-10). David was telling Solomon that he must know aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega God not from a distance but by the experience of spiritual vision and perception, by "seeing" Him face to face, in order to build His house of salvation. 

     We know that Solomon's heart did become divided as he worshipped the foreign gods of his wives (1 Kings 11:1-8). Solomon's son, Rehoboam, did indeed lose the throne over Israel and Israel became a divided nation under two separate kings (1 Kings 11:11-13,1 Kings 12:1-19), only to be restored in the future as the prophet Ezekiel described the kingdom of the Messiah, the descendant of David (Jesus Christ the aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega), who would come, and His tabernacle established in the midst of them (Ezek. 37:24-28). We also know that the temple that Solomon built would later be ransacked and ruined by a foreign invader, and the people taken into captivity. The LORD indeed knows the heart.

     When Solomon completed the temple after seven years, he made an accounting of all of the materials that had been used to build and furnish the temple, and he assembled the furnishings after the same pattern as Moses did with the tabernacle - from the innermost chamber (1 Kings 8:6), outwards (see previous post "Precious" for details). Then the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD so that the priests could not continue ministering (1 Kings 8:10-11). This also occurred when Moses finished the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex. 40:34-35).

     The innermost chamber of the tabernacle/temple, which was established first in the pattern of assembly, contains both the Ark containing the written Word of God, and the Mercy Seat of the Atoning Blood, reflects the salvation that begins in our hearts and continues outwardly to transform and manifest in our lives. We are the temple of the Spirit of God, and of His glory (1 Cor. 3:16-17).

     From another of this week's Sabbath reading portions, we will see that another King, Joash or Jehoash, restored the worship of God to the southern Kingdom of Judah: "...Jehoash (meaning "given by the LORD"; fire, flames, altar fire, supernatural fire, internal ardor of the mind, splendor, brightness) became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah (sebi/saba - glory, glorious, beauty, honor, pleasant/go forth to battle) of Beersheba (meaning "well of the 7-fold oath"). Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him." (2 Kings 12:1-2). The glorious temple of God that Solomon had built generations earlier had fallen into neglect and disrepair. It was in Jehoash's heart to repair the temple. He told the priests: "All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the LORD - each man's census money (the half shekel of redemption from each person for the upkeep of the tabernacle under Moses' law), each man's assessment money - and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the LORD, let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair  (hazaq - strengthen, prevail, become strong, be resolute, be secure, repair, keep hold of, sustain, fortify, mend, behave valiantly, to bind strongly, gird loins) the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) damages/breaches (bedeq/badaq - fissure, rent, breach, leak, gap/mend, repair) of the temple, wherever any dilapidation/breaches (see bedeq/badak above) is found." (v. 4-5). The prophet Isaiah later wrote a similar Word of the LORD, incorporating the Hebrew meanings that we see used here: "Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'...Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday...You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In." (Isa. 58:8-12, excerpt). This promise of the LORD was given to those who "build" into others' lives, to those who "repair" the broken hearts, because of their delight and pleasure in the LORD, in His ways and Word, thereby sharing in His salvation character as well.

     So what happened to the repairs to the temple that King Jehoash commanded be made by the priests? Absolutely nothing! The aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega breaches of the temple did not touch the hearts of the priests. The neglected temple continued to lay in disrepair for another twenty-three years after the King's command until the King dealt with it again: "Why have you not repaired the damages on the temple?..." (2 Kings 12:6-7). The King forbad them from receiving any more money from their constituency, but to use the money they had been receiving all of those twenty-plus years for the purpose of upkeeping and repairing the temple. The priests refused to make repairs without being able to continue receiving the money from the people (v. 8). Money seems to be a very good test to determine where our hearts are, or are not, in the LORD! The High Priest, Jehoiada, who had been the one to instruct the King in the LORD, came up with another idea of how to receive the funds from the people, and the repairs were made (v. 9-12).

     From these Sabbath readings, I think that the care and attention to the house of the LORD, or its shameful neglect, is not about a physical building, but it is about what the building represents: the dwelling place of God among His people. Again, God's dwelling place, His throne, is not in the inner chamber of a physical building, but in what the inner chamber, the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place, represents - a person's heart. This physical tabernacle or temple represents God's promise to man of His salvation through His Son, Jesus, so that we may dwell with the LORD, and He with us, forever: "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." (Rev. 21:3, see also Ezek. 37:27, Jn. 14:1-4, 6).

     In this double Sabbath reading for these last two weeks, we have seen the important roles of kings and priests in the establishing and upkeeping of the tabernacle or temple of the LORD according to the pattern of His precise instructions. Moses, who was appointed to build the tabernacle, was also considered a prince, as well as a prophet (Heb. 11:24-28, Acts 7:35-36). We also, as believers in Christ, have been made to be kings and priests before God through His Son (Rev. 1:5-6, Rev. 5:9-10, 1 Pet. 2:5, 9, Ex. 19:6).  We may sometimes acknowledge this exalted position with a kind of spiritual pride, but, as we see in this Sabbath double reading portion, the position of king and priest also carries a responsibility to ra'a consider the LORD (see above) and obey His voice, as David told his son, Solomon, to do. Not only are we to be a living part of the assembly of (Va-yakheil) His House of Salvation, but the LORD makes an accounting of (P'kudei) every detail in His House. As the LORD said above in the Hebrew meaning of the words, the establishing of His House according to the pattern which He has ordained has an impact on all of the material creation. Paul also wrote: "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God...the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." (Rom. 8:19, 21).

     We saw how the House of Salvation was neglected and fell into disrepair, and how the priests were slow and uncooperative to obey the king's command to repair it. The author of the Book of Hebrews wrote: "Therefore we must give heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through the angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience  received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect (ameleo - neglect, make light of, have no regard for, don't care about) so great a salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" (Heb. 2:1-4). If we have grown neglectful towards our salvation, and the transformation it creates in us from our innermost being, outward, then we need to make a return visit to the Most Holy Place of our spiritual tabernacle, which is our hearts, to reconnect with the life-giving wells of salvation (Isa. 12:2-3, Jn. 4:10-15). Revival starts within our innermost being, and then flows outward: from out of our bellies "shall flow rivers of living water." (Jn. 7:38).

     If you would like to know more about building and repairing the spiritual House of the LORD, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, You have made a way for me to enter into the Most Holy Place of Your tabernacle, where first I received my salvation, and where You established Your tabernacle in my heart. Help me, Lord, by Your Holy Spirit and Your Word in me to be conformed to Your image and character. Help me to be A Repairer of the Breach, and A Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. As Your spiritual tabernacle in and with me is established and also repaired from my neglect, let the material creation also walk in the glorious liberty of the children of God. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN!"

     

     

Precious

     This Sabbath reading portion are two reading portions combined together which will cover two Sabbaths. The first portion is titled Va-yakheil, meaning "and he assembled/gathered", and the second reading portion is titled P'kudei, meaning "amounts of/accounting of". The readings begin in Exodus Ch. 35. Before we begin there, we read at the end of Ch. 34 that Moses' face began to shine because of his presence before God on the mountain: "So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him...And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face." (Ex. 34:29-35). The glory of God was reflected in Moses' face. 

     Immediately thereafter, "Moses gathered all the (Hebrew letters aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega in Greek letters as the reference to Jesus Christ in Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13) congregation (eda/ed/ud - fixture, assemblage, people/witness, testimony, what testifies, evidence, a recorder, prince/surround, bear witness, enjoin solemnly, stand upright, give warning) of the children of Israel together..." (Ex. 35:1). Moses called the aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega congregation as witnesses, and he told them all that the LORD had commanded for His people to do. Moses told them about the offering to be made from willing hearts only for the crafting of the tabernacle of God's presence and the articles to be used in the tabernacle. Moses listed the various items that would be needed to accomplish this command of God (v. 4-19). "And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD's (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women..." (v. 20-22, 29). Artisans gifted by God by His Spirit with wisdom and workmanship were assigned, and the work began (Ex. 36:1).

     Every precious item that was used to construct the tabernacle and furnishings, including the priests' robes, were willingly brought. An inventory or an accounting of every item that was used was made at the command of Moses (Ex. 38:21, 24-31). Nothing was considered too small or insignificant to be accounted for, even the dyed threads used to embroider the linen. Everything given by these willing hearts was considered to be most precious to the LORD. Both the tabernacle and the later-built temple, while they were natural tents/buildings, also represent something spiritual. The New Testament tells us that we also, each one, are being built into the spiritual temple of God. Each of us is a living stone set into place in the dwelling of God. Each of us who offer ourselves to stand in place with a willing heart in this spiritual temple is precious to and accounted for by the LORD. Not one of us is insignificant to Him: "(you) Coming to Him (the gracious Lord) as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 2:3-5).

     When all the work on the components of the tabernacle and the priests' garments was finished, the children of Israel brought the unassembled (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tabernacle to Moses (Ex. 39:32-33). Every item that had been commanded by God for the tabernacle was accounted for and inspected by Moses: "According to all that the LORD had commanded (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Then Moses looked over all the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) work, and indeed they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them." (Ex. 39:42-43).  "And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up (qum - to rise, rise up, stand, establish, fulfilled, become powerful, to arise as a witness, to raise up a name or posterity)." (Ex. 40:17).

     Keeping in mind that each of us is the spiritual tabernacle in Christ/Messiah, Moses assembled the tabernacle in a certain order. We might picture the tabernacle as something that one enters into from the outside, but this is not how the tabernacle was assembled by Moses. It was assembled from its innermost chamber outward. First, in the most inward chamber, the Holy of Holies, or Most Holy Place, the ark of the covenant was placed (Ex. 40:3). No one would be able to enter this chamber because of the presence of the LORD except the High Priest, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement with the atoning blood of sacrifice. The ark placed in this chamber contained the Word of God written on the two stone tablets and the ark was covered with the solid gold Mercy Seat, also called the Throne of God's Presence. It was on the Mercy Seat that the atoning blood was applied. So the Word of God was the most interior item of the tabernacle. It was contained "within the within". We also know that Jesus is the Word of God (Jn. 1:1-3, 14), and He came to fulfill the Law of the tablets, and the prophets (Mt. 5:17-18). 

     This innermost chamber of the tabernacle, established before the other parts of the tabernacle, is very much like our hearts, and therefore to the LORD it is the most holy of holies because this is where His work of salvation begins in us: "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart that you may do (asa - do, make, produce, act with effect, bring about, accomplish, fulfill, fabricate, create:to be made, branches that bring forth fruit, prepare:make ready, offer a sacrifice) it." ..."that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Deut. 30:14, Rom. 10:8-10).  The LORD also promised that He would write His Word on our hearts rather than tablets of stone (2 Cor. 3:3, Jer. 31:33). The Word in our hearts creates, fulfills, prepares to make ready, brings forth fruit as it effectively "does".

     As we read in Ex. 40:3 above, the next item that Moses installed in the tabernacle was the veil or curtain that separated the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant rested, from the second most interior area, the Holy Place. It is this veil of separation that was torn in two at the moment that Jesus died on the cross, completing His sacrifice (Mt. 27:51, Mk. 15:37-38). The veil remained intact through the ages of Moses, the Kings, the prophets, and up until the moment when the sacrifice to end all sacrifices was completed by the Son of God, Jesus, and the separation placed before the presence of God was done away. We can now approach God with a "true heart" upon which God's Word has been written (see Heb. 10:16-22). The verses from Hebrews use the term a "true heart". The Concordance explains the Greek meaning of "true" (alethinos) as used in this instance in this way: "that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name; real, true, genuine; the opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended." With God's Word written in our hearts, combined with the salvation work of Christ that ended our separation from God, our hearts are not a resemblance to God's heart, but of the genuine character and name of God Himself. What an awesome work! 

     In another explanation of this amazing work of salvation, Paul wrote: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God...For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct (symbibazo - to cause to join together, to coalesce, to unite or knit together, to cause a person to unite with one in a conclusion, to drive together) Him? But we have the mind (nous - the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness and hating evil) of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:12, 16). To know and be united with the mind of God  - Paul said that this was impossible for a natural man by his own spirit, but now is possible because of the Spirit of God whom we have received through Jesus Christ.

     Perhaps we can we see this reality more easily now by seeing our hearts as the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle for the purpose of understanding the spiritual tabernacle that God is building in the earth using each of us. It is not so that we may think more highly of ourselves than we ought to (Rom. 12:3-5), but it is for the purpose of "doing" (creating, fulfilling, making ready, bringing forth fruit) the Word of God, as we saw above. As we are changed in our innermost chamber, we also then bring that change outward into the creation.

   After veiling off the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the tabernacle, Moses assembled the furnishings of the next chamber of the tabernacle moving outward from the center. That chamber was the Holy Place. The three golden furnishings of this chamber represent the Messiah/Christ who was to come: The golden lampstand (menorah) with its seven lamps to be kept lighted continually (Jn. 8:12/Mt. 5:14-16), the golden altar of incense where prayers were offered up by the priests (Heb. 7:24-26), and the golden table of the shewbread or bread of the Presence that was mixed with frankincense (Jn. 6:33, 41, 48-51; Lk. 24:1-4, 1 Cor. 11:23-24). The sacrificial presence of Jesus tore the separating veil which represented His own body torn: "...enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh..." (Heb. 10:19-20). 

     Moving outward from this second chamber, we are in the courtyard of the tabernacle. This courtyard was enclosed about by linen curtains. The tabernacle courtyard is the outermost place of our transformation and assemblage into the living spiritual temple of God. Within this courtyard, the sacrifices and burnt offerings were made at the large brazen altar. Also in this courtyard was the laver where the priests washed themselves and put on their priestly garments. 

     We also find this courtyard to be present in the spiritual tabernacle into which we are being assembled/gathered. The Apostle Paul wrote about this courtyard in a believer's life: "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies (oiktirmos -heart/bowels of compassion) 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 the 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." (Rom. 12:1-2). Paul also wrote of our washing (in the spiritual courtyard laver) this way: "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." (Eph. 5:26-27). This is another reason why I think that our being built into the spiritual temple of God is like the pattern of the assembling of Moses' tabernacle: from the innermost first and moving toward the outermost. We cannot even begin to come to the point of offering ourselves, our lives, as a holy and acceptable spiritual sacrifice to God unless we first have received the heart of God, as Paul wrote above, and the mind of Christ. A natural person cannot even comprehend the scope of what this means, much less offer it, without that heart and mind (see 1 Cor. 2:14). With the courtyard laver, we have the washing, preparing and perfecting of the Church as Christ presents His Church/Bride to Himself. This is found at the culmination of our walk with Christ, not at the beginning of our walk with Him. Then we have the outer curtains of fine linen (the whiteness/purity/cleanness of God's righteousness) that surround the courtyard/tabernacle compound (Ex. 27:9-16). This reminds us of Paul's words above that we are not to be conformed to the world around us but transformed. Jesus said that we were sanctified for the purpose of being sent into the world, but not to be of the world (Jn. 17:14-19, also 2 Cor. 6:14-18, 1 Jn. 2:15-17, James 4:4). These fine linen curtains that separate the tabernacle from the rest of the area also remind us of the fine linen garments of righteousness with which the bride of Christ will be clothed for her wedding to Him (Rev. 19:6-9).

     A final thought here. When Moses had finished assembling the tabernacle from the inner part to the outer, the glory of the LORD filled the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tabernacle. No one, not even Moses who had stood in the presence of God until his face shone with light, could enter the tabernacle of this glory (Ex. 40:34-35).  What kind of glory was this that not even Moses could be present in it? For those of us who are being assembled into God's spiritual tabernacle, Jesus said that He had given us the same glory as He had with the Father from the beginning (Jn. 17:22-24). Paul wrote that this glory is a far greater glory than Moses or Israel had ever experienced (2 Cor. 3:7-11). It is the glory of the Spirit of God which we have been given through Jesus Christ in the new covenant of which Jeremiah wrote. It is the glory of the oneness with God and Christ in the Holy of Holies.

     This is part 1 of a 2-part blog reflecting the double Sabbath reading which will be concluded next week. 

     If you would like to know more about our life in Christ as prophesied by the pattern of the assembling of the tabernacle of Moses, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, Maker of Heaven and earth, Builder of a spiritual house for the families that have been named by Your name, let me be transformed by Your (living) Word, Jesus, in my innermost being according to the assembling of Your tabernacle. Let me have the true heart of Your character and name, and the mind of Christ, according to the promises of your Word. Let my life in Christ be like the walk through Your tabernacle until I am "doing" and being Your Word of creation as I am in the world, but not of the world. Lord Jesus, You have given me the same glory that You had with the Father from the beginning, and Father, You have given me Your Spirit to lead me into the knowledge of the truth. Let my life become a holy and acceptable sacrifice of service before You as I am transformed, and my mind is renewed. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Glory

Last week we looked at the instructions from God given to Moses, regarding the skilled workmen and materials needed to begin to construct the furnishings of the tabernacle. The LORD spoke these instructions to Moses when he was in God's presence on the mountain. Moses then assembled the elders and all of the children of Israel to give them the instructions of God. Only those with a willing heart and spirit were to contribute to this work of the tabernacle. These things brought to mind what Paul later wrote about the building of a living tabernacle by master builders, made from all of the believers in Christ (see the previous post titled "Assembled"). This week's Sabbath reading, called P'kudei, meaning "accounting of/for", from Ex. 39 and 40 deals with the completion of the work of the tabernacle, and its assembly. When the furnishings, curtains, incense, robes of the priesthood, outer coverings of the tabernacle, and more, were completed, they were brought before Moses (Ex. 39:32-41). Then: "According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it. And Moses blessed them." (v. 42-43). This brought to mind the New Testament scriptures in which the saints, the believers in Christ, are being equipped or perfected for "the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-13). There is a work to be accomplished by the believers in Christ. Paul wrote that Christ Himself "gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping (katartismos - complete furnishing, perfecting; perfectly joined together, put in order, arrange, complete, to mend what has been broken, to prepare") of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." According to the Concordance, the use here of the word fulness (of Christ) means "the body of believers as that which is filled with the presence, power, agency of God and Christ". Our personal salvation is just the beginning of the story. There is a great work of God being built of all believers that, when assembled together properly, results in the manifestation of that fulness of Christ as defined above. Don't we all want to see the completion of this great living building project? We also see a shadow of this in the events that took place with the assembling and completion of the tabernacle by Moses and the children of Israel. Moses and Israel began assembling the tabernacle on the first day of the first month according to the specific order and directions given to Moses by God (Ex. 40). First was the placement of the ark of the covenant containing the stone tablets of the commandments, and then the partitioning off (sakak) of the ark by the veils placed around it (v. 3). As something for consideration aside from our main topic, I would like to offer a thought about the placement of the ark, and its veiling or partitioning (sakak), as a possible addition to what we already believe about the purpose of the ark. The Hebrew word sakak used here means "to weave, to entwine as a screen, to hedge, fence about, shut in, stop the approach, to block, to screen, cover, thorns, to protect or guard, to cover with armor". We may also then be able to look at the partitioning off of the ark containing the Word of God, which is Jesus (Jn. 1:1-3, 14), as the covering and protecting of the Christ in the midst of the children of Israel until the time when He would be revealed to Israel and all people. We can see this necessity to hide Christ as a mystery in the following from Paul: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the LORD of glory." (1 Cor. 2:7-8), and also, "...the stewardship...given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, the mystery (hidden truth) which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory...that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." (Col. 1:25-28). Paul also wrote that God sent forth His Son when "the fullness of time had come" (Gal. 4:4-5). If we can consider the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle to be a shadow of this hidden mystery, the children of Israel carried Him in their midst wherever they traveled (the tabernacle was transportable)- hidden, covered, protected, until the time came for Him to be revealed. We also know from scripture, that at the moment of Jesus' death, the covering veil in the temple was ripped in half by a great earthquake, and the ark of the covenant was revealed (Mt. 27:50-53). It is something interesting to think about anyway. Now back to the tabernacle reading from this sabbath - After the placement of the ark in the tabernacle, the order of the placement of the other furnishings was also accomplished according to the directions given by God. Then the Lamp was lit, the sweet incense was burned, and sacrifices were offered on the altar of burnt offering. Moses and Aaron washed their hands and their feet in the water of the laver (see also Jn. 13:5-12), and the people raised up the outer hangings around the tabernacle court, and finally, they set the gate or door to the outer court (v. 21-33). In their assembling of the tabernacle, they started at the most inward place of the tabernacle, and worked their way outward. I think this is the pattern that God follows as He builds each of us as well. When this assembly of the tabernacle was completed, something amazing happened: "Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory (kabod - "glory, honor, abundance, riches, splendor, reverence, majesty, magnificence") of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle." (Ex. 40:34-35). Previously, Moses had met with the LORD on the mountain, and after returning to the camp of the children of Israel, his face would be shining from having been in the presence of the LORD. He had to wear a veil, because his shining face frightened the Israelites! (see Ex. 34:28-35). However, this same Moses could not enter into the kabod glory of the tabernacle - no one could. There is a similar account in another part of this week's Sabbath reading from 1 Kings 8 that occurred later in history. After Solomon completed the building of the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, the glory of God filled the newly built temple: "And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." (1 Kings 8:10-11). The priests, who were consecrated for service in the House of the LORD, could not enter into this glory. However, a great change was accomplished in a prayer spoken by Jesus, before His crucifixion, to His Father in heaven: "...I have finished the work which You have given Me to do, and now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." Jesus continued in prayer: "...I do not pray for these alone (meaning the disciples with Him), but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me...I desire that they also...may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." (Jn. 17:5, 20-24). Through the prayer of Jesus, not only can we enter into the glory, but He gave us the same glory that He was given by His Father. It is the glory found through oneness with Them. The meaning of "glory" written in these verses is from the Greek word doxa, which means "splendor, brightness, magnificence, excellence, majesty (a thing belonging to God or Christ), the kingly majesty of the Messiah, the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ". It is the kabod glory that fills the tabernacle of God. It is interesting that the Greek root word for glory is dokeo, meaning "to be accounted". The Sabbath reading is titled P'kudei, or "accounting of/for". As every item was accounted for by Moses before being placed in the tabernacle, there is also an accounting for every living stone, or believer in Christ, that is being built into the living tabernacle/temple of God (1 Pet. 2:4-5, 1 Cor. 6:19-20), because this living temple contains the Spirit and kabod glory of God. Paul wrote about what God has given to us: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:28-31). Nothing can prevail against the living tabernacle of God, and the glory within it. The pattern established by the tabernacle of God, and later, the temple of God, is of a dwelling built to His specifications, which He then filled with His glory. If God will fill a building of skins or stones and lumber with His glory, how much more will He fill his living temple, the believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, with His eternal glory? When I think about this great work of God for us and in us, I have to see also that our calling in Christ was never meant to be a common calling, or a part time, half-hearted calling, but it is the highest calling there is. Paul wrote: "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward toward those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:12-14). If you would like to know more about the living temple of God, and the filling of it, and of us, with His glory, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You made it possible through Your Son, Jesus, that I can be one with both the Father and the Son. Your Son has given me the glory that He had with You from before the world was made. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can be built together with all the believers in Jesus into a living temple, and into the fulness of Christ. By Your Holy Spirit, I want to press toward the upward calling in Christ. I ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus, AMEN."