Through the Tabernacle Along His Way
With JESUS in His SANCTUARY
Leslie Hardinge, Ph.D.
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FIRST EDITION
Published by American Cassette Ministries, Book
Division P.O. Box 922, Harrisburg, PA 17108-0922 USA Printed in the
United States of America by Review and Herald Pub. Assn.
Copyright C 1991 by Leslie Hardinge, Ph.D.
Library of Congress Catalog Number 91-073692
ISBN 0-91183-01-3
Also by Leslie Hardinge
Stones of Fire
Shadows of His Sacrifice
The Celtic Church in Britain
These Watched Him Die
Dove of Gold (also in Korean)
Elisha Man of God
Victors
The Conquerors!
Outline Studies of the Sanctuary (also in Korean)
Christ Is All (also in Spanish)
Abbreviations Used In This Book ----- ------------------------ AA The Acts of the Apostles ARV American Revised Version BC SDA Bible Commentary, volumes I-IX BDB Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew Lexicon CDF Counselson Diet and Foods CH Counsels on Health COL Christ's Object Lessons CSD Counsels on Stewardship CT Counsels to Teachers DA The Desire of Ages Ed Education Ev Evangelism EW Early Writings FE Fundamentals of Christian Education GC Great Controversy GW Gospel Workers KJV King James' Version LS The Life Sketches of Ellen G White LXX The Septuagint Old Testament in Greek MB Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing MH Ministry of Healing MLT My Life Today NASB New American Standard Bible NEB New English Bible PK Prophets and Kings PP Patriarchs and Prophets RH The Review and Herald RSV Revised Standard Version RV Revised Version SC Steps to Christ SD Sons and Daughters of God SG Spiritual Gifts, volumes I-IV Signs The Signs of the Times SM Selected Messages, volumes I-III SP Spirit of Prophecy, volumes I-IV SR The Story of Redemption SDABD SDA Bible Dictionary (SDABC no. X) T Testimonies to the Church, numbers 1-IX TM Testimonies to Ministers YI The Youth's Instructor DEDICATION To Molly my dearest friend and most helpful critic this book is dedicated. VERSIONS USED IN THIS BOOK A New Translation of the Bible (James Moffat) A Translation of the Old Testament Scriptures from the Original Hebrew (Helen Spurrell) Greek New Testament Hebrew Old Testament King James' Version Latin Vulgate New International Version The American Revised Version The American Standard Version The Bible: An American Translation (J.M. Powis Smith and E.J. Goodspeed) The Emphasized Bible: A New Translation (J.B. Rotherham) The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments: An Improved Edition (American Baptist Publication Society) The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts (George M. Lamsa) The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation The Jerusalem Bible The Living Bible: Paraphrased (Keneth Taylor) The Modern Language Bible: New Berkley Version in Modern English The New American Bible The New English Bible The Revised Standard Version The Septuagint (Charles Thomson)
PROLOGUE Part I With Jesus in the Camp - Freedom from Sin's Environment 1 Israel's Camp Organized - All My Plans Are Christ's 2 Purposes for the tabernacle - All My Insights Are Christ's 3 Methods of Study - All My Enlightenment Is Christ's 4 The Heavenly Sanctuary - All My Reality Is Christ's 5 Beq'a Foundations - All My Ransom Is Christ's Part II With Jesus in the Court - Freedom From Sin's Guilt 6 Three Entry Veils - All My Ways Are Christ's 7 Altar of Burnt-offering - All My Sufferings Are Christ's 8 Laver and Its Foot - All My Filth Is Christ's 9 Fountain for Sin - All My Wages Are Christ's 10 Daily Ministry - All My Needs Are Christ's Part III With Jesus in the Holy Place - Freedom From Sin's Power 11 Seven-branched Candlestick - All My Light Is Christ's 12 Table of Shewbread - All My Nourishment Is Christ's 13 Altar of Incense - All My Breath Is Christ's Part IV With Jesus in His most Holy Shrine - Freedom From Sin's Presence 14 Ark of the Covenant - All My Hope Is Christ's 15 Cherubim of Glory - All My Challenges Are Christ's 16 Laws of Jehovah - All My Ideals Are Christ's 17 Rule of Love - All My Affections Are Christ's 18 Aaron's Budding Rod - All My New Life Is Christ's 19 Hidden Manna - All My Food Is Christ's 20 The Shekinah - All My Glory Is Christ's Part V With Jesus My Priest - Freedom From Sin's Companionship 21 Call to the Priesthood - All My Orders Are Christ's 22 Dedication of Aaron - All My Energies Are Christ's 23 Priestly Garments - All My Righteousness Is Christ's 24 Breastplate of Judgment - All My Security Is Christ's 25 Foundations of Jewels - All My Growth Is Christ's 26 Priestly Anointing - All My Power Is Christ's 27 Dedication of the tribes - All My Purposes Are Christ's Part VI With Jesus on Calvary - Freedom From Sin's Bondage 28 Whole Burnt-offering - All I Am Is Christ's 29 Meal-and drink-offerings - All I Have Is Christ's 30 Peace-offering - All My Joy Is Christ's 31 Sin-offering - All My Sins Are Christ's Part VII With Jesus in Life's Cycles - Freedom From Sin's Assignations 32 New Moons and Trumpets - All My Times Are Christ's 33 Passover and Unleavened bread - All My Protection Is Christ's 34 Day of Pentecost - All My Gifts Are Christ's 35 Festival of Tabernacles - All My Rest Is Christ's 36 Sabbatic and Pentecostal Years - All My Release Is Christ's Part VIII With Jesus in Holy Living - Freedom in All Its Fullness 37 Two Sparrows - All My Healing Is Christ's 38 Red Cow - All My Contagion Is Christ's 39 Two Goats - All My Atonement Is Christ's Part IX With Jesus In the Great Assize - Freedom From Sin's Stigma 40 Models of Judgment - All My Destiny Is Christ's 41 Consummation of His Ministry - Christ Does It All CHRIST IS ALL Outline studies of the Significance of the Heavenly Sanctuary
The subject of the Sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time, or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. . . . The Sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living upon the earth. It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time, and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin. It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects, and be able to give an answer to everyone that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them" (GC 488, 489).
"The great plan of redemption, as revealed in the closing work for these last days, should receive close examination. The scenes connected with the Sanctuary above should make such an impression upon the minds and hearts of all that they may be able to impress others. All need to become more intelligent in regard to the work of the atonement, which is going on in the Sanctuary above. When this great truth is seen and understood, those who hold it will work in harmony with Christ to prepare a people to stand in the great day of God, and their efforts will be successful" (5T 575).
"The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the Sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began the work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, `whither the Forerunner is for us entered.' There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption" (GC 489).
"The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. . . . He who grasps this thought has before him an infinite field for study. He has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure-house of God's word. The science of redemption is the science of all sciences; . . . This is the highest study in which it is possible for men to engage. As no other study can, it will quicken the mind and uplift the soul" (Ed 125, 126).
Freedom From the Environment of Sin
God's plan for the encampment of Israel was that it should be an example of how He wished all His people to live wherever a group of them congregated. The twelve tribes were carefully positioned so that those who had inherited like dispositions should associate together, congenial spirit with congenial spirit, the weak helping the strong. No groups, however, were forced to integrate, but all were to be united in their worship of God, and their tolerance of each other's characteristics and foibles.
The people were settled around the Tabernacle, and were bound together in a single worship. There was one God, one great Sacrifice, one purpose for all--freedom from guilt--and one goal to which they were all headed, the Promised Land.
Let us summarize the divine scheme which we shall study in detail. Far off was Egypt with its horrible association, and keeping the people from it was the great moat of the Red Sea. Around them was the waste desert with nothing to distract, and mountains to point them to the skies. And then there was the camp, and within it a quiet plaza within the inner circle of the priests and Levites. At its heart was the place of worship and the throne of God.
On the march the Shekinah led, and the priests directed, carrying the ark of God. Then came the first contingent of tribes. Next the Gershonites and Merarites carrying the curtains, boards and bars led a contingent of tribes. These were followed by the Kohathites and priests carrying the furniture, and leading the third and forth groups of tribes. The dwelling place of God was distributed between the people, as if reminding them of His presence.
There was nothing extravagant or luxurious about the camp. Every one stood on the bare earth, and every one walked toward the goal which God had set before them, led by the guiding cloud. Every one was guilty of sin, and every one had access to the same cleansing blood ministered by the same priest appointed by God.
1-ISRAEL'S CAMP ORGANIZED
All My Plans Are Christ's
The pyramids were new on the Egyptian desert. Karnak's massive stone pillars awed the worshipers who streamed to its shrines. Pharaoh sat astride the Nile, master of the world. Regarded as a god, his people loved him so, and ground their heels into the necks of the Hebrews who had built their structures to show Egypt's superiority over Jehovah. But in His good time the Lord displayed His mighty power to the viewing nations, and freed His people from their cruel thralldom. With faith and courage burning in their hearts, and nurtured by His wonderful works on their behalf, they were ready for whatever lay ahead.
By cloud
and fire Jehovah led His sons and daughters across the Red Sea and
into the seclusion of the desert, providing bread and water and
shelter for their daily needs. As they slowly trudged toward the
Promised Land, the cruelty and degradation of their years in bondage
faded. Their love for God deepened as their hope for rest and home
brightened. When they paused to organize at Horeb, the Master
Teacher continued their education amid the mountain solitudes. He
summoned their revered leader to Sinai's summit for special
instructions.
Sinai's Dramatic Setting for the Sanctuary Revelation
The grandeur of the peaks reaching for the skies; the dense clouds shrouding the massifs in mystery, and roiling in the valleys; the rolling thunder riving the rocks to herald the footsteps of approaching Deity, with lightnings signaling His power and illuminating His path,--all combined to inspire awe in the hosts of the Hebrews. By this display the Lord sought to impress His people with the holiness of His presence, and the importance of the revelations He was about to make (Heb 12:18-29).
On the mountain-top the Father and the Son stood side by side, within the circle of eternal light into which no man might enter unbidden. The heavenly trumpet sounded louder and louder, and suddenly there was a great silence. Then They proclaimed Their law in the language of men (1BC 1103-4; Historical Sketches of SDA Missions 231; PP 372). Their voices rolled as a majestic duet over the hills and echoed through the valleys, and the trembling people listened to Their words in quiet awe. After this Christ spoke with "Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Ex 33:11). And in the mysterious luminescence surrounding him the "still small voice" of the Spirit impressed the soul of the legislator with the light of everlasting truth.
What converse Moses had with Deity! I imagine that through Christ the Father talked of what was closest to His heart, the Gift of His Son for the salvation of His lost family. Jesus unfolded the steps He would take to redeem the rebellious, reconcile the hostile, and restore fellowship to the straying. By shadow pictures He depicted His own dying love and sacrificial ministry, and unfolded before Moses' enraptured mind, more clearly than ever in human history, the means by which guilt might be pardoned, and sin eradicated from the universe. He portrayed His compassion through priestly types, and pictured His understanding of human need through striking symbols. By these He also displayed the mysteries of the Spirit's work, Who all the while, had clarified these concepts and fixed them in the heart of His servant.
Moses Instructed by Christ Regarding the Sanctuary
During six weeks of quiet communion, the Great Teacher patiently revealed to Moses phase after phase of His plan for man's salvation, and explained how each was to be carried out. To clarify these profound truths for after-generations He embedded these enacted parables in the lovely and complex tableau of the Tabernacle. He proposed that this structure should stand in serene isolation at the heart of Israel's encampment. By means of its enclosed court and symbolic furnishings, involved sacrifices and comprehensive festivals, He provided vehicles for the revelation of truths otherwise inscrutable. The climax of His unfolding was the heart-warming and all-sufficient intercession of the high priest who personally represented the mediation and ministry of the Saviour.
David perceived this (Ps 29:9, margin), and Paul later agreed (Heb 8:1ff) that every facet of the Sanctuary was designed to glorify God and keep before His people the hope that one day Christ would stand in His celestial Tabernacle as their pleading Advocate and deciding Judge; and by His death and arbitration, made irresistibly eloquent through His nail-pierced hands and feet, and omnipotent through His living blood, release every penitent soul from satanic bondage and eternal death. Eternal Spirit, grant us the insights given to these saints of old to read these signs aright.
Moses Commanded to Erect the Tabernacle
To keep these ideas constantly in the minds of Israel, the Lord commanded Moses to construct the most elegant and complex pavilion ever erected. Means and materials, talents and effort, were to be lavished upon it unstintingly. And to ensure the perfect coordination of all its elaborate parts, God gave him precise plans for making this "tent of meeting" (Ex 29:42). In His instructions He included detailed descriptions of its fabric and furnishings, together with a comprehensive materials list. This information Moses was to share with artisans who, in turn, were to be gifted with special skills by the Holy Spirit to do the actual work.
To inspire Moses to immediate and enthusiastic action, the celestial Architect showed him a "miniature model" (4SG 5; Heb 8:5) of the original Tabernacle which He had Himself "pitched" in heaven (Heb 9:2). He was told to replicate it as closely as terrestrial materials and human abilities made possible. God required Moses to record its measurements, take notes of what he had observed and heard, and write them all in a book of instruction for the workmen. In later ages these details were to be considered by all who wished to "measure" (Rev 11:1,2) the Sanctuary in order to understand the meanings and relationships of its intricate parts and profound activities, since they pointed to what would ultimately transpire in the greater and more perfect heavenly Tabernacle.
Twentieth century Christians should never forget that "it was Christ Who planned the arrangements for the first earthly Tabernacle" (COL 349), and that it was made at His command according to His blueprints. His purpose was to display through it aspects of His plan for man's salvation which could not then, and, according to the New Testament, cannot today, be adequately illustrated without it.
The Tabernacle was the Hub of Israel's Daily Life
During their sojourn in the wilderness Jehovah ordered the Hebrews to construct the Tabernacle at the very heart of their encampment wherever they might be located. Its precincts were to be kept separate from all their secular activities. His arrangement required that concentric sacred enclosures should surround it. The tents of the leaders of Israel were to form the perimeter of a large open space in which no secular activities might be carried out. Within this plaza a much smaller area was designated "the court" of the Tabernacle. This plan emphasized that everything they did was to revolve around the Sanctuary, and that Jehovah's dwelling place was the center of His government.
God ruled that while on their march His people should maintain a distance of 2000 cubits from the ark (Josh 3:4). The Hebrews concluded that this was "a sabbath day's journey." Since the nearest tents were pitched 2000 cubits from the oracle, the result was a hollow square 4000 cubits to the side. With the Sanctuary at its center, the people were "far off about the Tabernacle" (Num 2:2), lest they die. God thus taught that, although He longed to be as near to His children as possible, He could come only as close as His divine majesty and their fragile sinful natures permitted. His design kept before them that while He sought intimacy with humanity, He was still the eternal and all-powerful God.
Away from the Environment of Sin
This sacred area, as well as the encampment as a whole, were to be kept scrupulously clean, for Jehovah promised to walk up and down the camp (Deut 23:12-14), as He had done in Eden's groves (Gen 3:8). "The leaders of the people were to give strict heed to the sanitary condition of the armies of Israel, even when they went forth to battle. Every soul, from the commander-in-chief to the lowest soldier in the army, was sacredly charged to preserve cleanliness in his person and surroundings; for the Israelites were chosen by God as His peculiar people. They were sacredly bound to be holy in body and spirit. They were not to be careless or neglectful of their personal duties. In every respect they were to preserve cleanliness. They were to allow nothing untidy or unwholesome in their surroundings, nothing which would taint the purity of the atmosphere. Inwardly and outwardly they were to be pure" (1BC 1119).
The demarcation between the sacred precincts and the homes of the people was formed by segments of the tribe of Levi. Aaron's four sons, who were priests (Num 3:2-10, v. 7, 38), pitched their tents "before the Tabernacle," along the eastern perimeter of the square. The households of Moses and Aaron were probably located at its mid-point. The three Levitical families, Kohathites, Mararites and Gershonites, spread themselves along the southern, western and northern boundaries as guardians of the hallowed plaza (Num 3:23, 29, 35).
The Twelve Tribes Encamped Around the Tabernacle
Beyond this line of ministerial dwellings the twelve tribes spread out in all directions, each mustered around the ensign of his ancestor (Num 2:2, 32-34). Flags were placed strategically within the tribes themselves to indicate the location of each family.
On the east rose the standard of the prince of Judah emblazoned with a lion (Gen 49:9; Rev 5:5). With him were ranged the tribes of Issachar, his flag embroidered with an ass (Gen 49:14), and Zebulon, his ensign depicting a ship (Gen 49:13). This was the most prestigious location because it was opposite the entrance to the Tabernacle (Num 2:3-9).
To the south (Num 2:10-16) fluttered the flag of Reuben, showing the figure of a man (Deut 33:6). With him were Simeon, his colors depicting buildings clustered together (Gen 49:5), and Gad, his ensign displaying "a troop" of people (Gen 49:19).
To the west (Num 2:18-24) Benjamin surrounded his wolf standard (Gen 49:27), and Manasseh, his emblazoned with a "unicorn" or wild buffalo (Deut 33:17), both spread out on the flanks of Ephraim, his sign displaying an ox (Deut 33:16, 17).
To the north (Num 2:25-31) Dan was encamped by his flag portraying a flying eagle killing a serpent (Gen 49:16). He was at the center of the clans of Asher, ranged about his ensign representing a fruitful tree, and Naphtali near his portraying "a hind let loose" (Gen 9:21).
While this tribal arrangement represented God's ideal plan, there were probably many camp-sites during the forty years' wandering where this would have been well nigh impossible. System and the general order He suggested, however, were always to maintained, and the Divine plan followed as closely as practicable.
Twelve Tribes Later Organized into Twenty-four Courses
As the organization of God's people was gradually perfected through the centuries, the twelve tribes were eventually divided into twenty-four courses, each led by a prince. We observe that this plan of government contained various ranks. Through the Shekinah God was in charge. Aaron, "the ruler of Thy people" (Acts 23:5), was the crowned king-priest under God. He was aided by his four sons, who were regular priests, and they were supported by twenty-four princely elders who were the representatives of the people. This three-fold earthly plan of organization will be replicated with a three-tiered heavenly one. John was shown the throne of God, on which Christ sat as Victim, Priest and Royal High Priest, surrounded by four living beings as well as twenty-four elders, all "redeemed from among men" (Rev 4 and 5; cf. Zech 6:9-15).
When viewed from a height, the sight of the encampment lying beneath the towering mountains of Horeb, with the variegated colors of their pavilions showing brilliantly against the backdrop of the desert, was a moving and impressive spectacle. Near the close of Israel's meanderings, a similar panorama was described by the prophet Balaam. Enchanted by what he saw, he exclaimed: "From the top of the rocks I see Him" [referring to Jehovah, represented by the pillar of cloud rising above the Tabernacle], "and from the hills I behold Him." "Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel?" [referring to one of the segments of the tribes]. "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted [as the tents which God pitched, LXX], and as cedar trees beside the waters" (Num 23:9, 10; 24:5, 6). Rank upon serried rank, the bivouacs of Israel marched over the landscape, and, as Josephus suggests, covered an area more than twelve miles in diameter.
At the
center of the plaza the Lord located the court of the Sanctuary.
This space was enclosed by white linen curtains, and measured 50 by
100 cubits, or 90 by 180 feet. It was devoted solely to holy
purposes. Inside this rectangle the sacred Tent was erected,
measuring 10 by 30 cubits. This Tabernacle was divided into two
compartments, the holy place was 10 by 20 cubits, and the most holy
10 by 10.
The Length of the Cubit
A word regarding the length of the cubit used in the Tabernacle is apropos. The ordinary or secular cubit is the distance along the forearm from the elbow to the end of the middle finger. It measures about eighteen inches (see SL 28, where 60 cubits equal 90 feet), and varies from person to person. The sacred cubit, sometimes called the royal cubit, consisted of this secular cubit plus a hand-breath of about four inches (Ezek 40:5; 43:13). It would thus be l.8 feet, or a fraction shy of 22 inches. It is also called the "great cubit" (Ezek 41:8). By using it the Tabernacle is found to be eighteen feet high and wide, and almost fifty-five feet in length (PP 347), while the court would be ninety by one hundred and eighty feet. The dimensions of the various pieces of furniture found in the Sanctuary, and given in cubits, can be calculated in feet and inches from this unit.
God's Purpose for the Organization of Israel
This plan of organization displayed several concentric areas of increasing sanctity for His people's consideration. It is a symbolic map of the Christian's journey to glory. Let us review its structure and significance.
The first element of Jehovah's design was the unpopulated desert which spread around His people to the horizon. Israel had been called out of the teeming darkness of Egypt as God's redeemed nation, and had left the atheism and materialism of its people far behind (cf. GC 269). The Lord then entered into a covenant with them and placed His "church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38) where they might grow into "a holy people" (Ex 19:5, 6). They were to live in the country, away from the haunts of men, far from the allurements, conflicts and temptations which threaten from association with the world of sin.
This has been God's plan from the Garden of Eden. For instance, when Inspiration predicted the method to be used for establishing Christ's church in the New Testament, the same idea was introduced. A prophetic voice was heard crying,
In the wilderness, prepare ye the
way of the Lord,
In the desert, make straight a highway for our
God.
(Isa 40:3, according to the Hebrew punctuation, see Samuel
Green's Hebrew Grammar).
Within this country environment Israel was carefully organized, so that the "mixed multitude" was kept lurking on the outskirts. Each of the tribes was placed within touch of companions whose characters God judged to be helpful and encouraging for their growth and development. Here they were to grow in grace away from the environment of sin.
The tribesmen were arranged so as to form a plaza bordered by the Levites. These dedicated ministers helped to keep this area clean, and free from encroachment by the surrounding Israelites. To it the people might repair for meditation and prayer. God thus provided a quiet place away from the distractions of sin caused by associations even with other Israelites.
At the center of this area the Lord positioned the court of the Tabernacle, enclosed within its snowy drapes. This was reserved only for priests and serious worshipers. The court typified the provisions the Lord made for the justification of His people. This would result in their freedom from the condemnation and guilt of sin. But more on this later.
Standing silent and aloof at its heart, was the twin-chambered Tabernacle itself, draped in blue-black seal-skins. This typified the provisions which God made to help His covenant people to dwell in the secret places of His holiness, isolated from the sights and sounds of people.
No layman might ever enter the first room of this Sanctuary. It was reserved for the ministry of the priests only. Is the Lord calling our attention to the privileges granted His "royal priests?" This area typified the place where God's people, as represented by their priest, might grow in sanctification. The holy place provided freedom from the power of sin.
The most holy place or oracle was the second room of the Tabernacle. It was dedicated to the presence of God alone. Symbolized by the Shekinah, He was represented as seated on His throne of grace and mercy. This chamber might be entered by the high priest alone once a year on the Day of Atonement, and only with blood and incense. The cherubim on the mercy-seat typified God's people dwelling in His sight, glorified and free from the presence of sin.
These seven stages of increasing holiness illustrated the journey of the pilgrim from the obscenity of Egyptian bondage to the glories of the eternal throne. At each level God provided the appropriate means of grace to help His growing disciple to advance from one condition of faith to another. Should he try to by-pass any of these steps he would hamper his journey to glory.
The Tabernacle as the Heart of the Encampment
The Sanctuary was the place from which Jehovah's glory shone whenever He chose. This radiance appeared as a cooling and protective cloud by day or as a warming and illuminating fire by night. The throbbing focus of Israel's worship rested below this canopy of luminescence. God designed these evidences of His presence to remain right in the midst of the camp to alert His people to the truth that His government must be at the heart of their lives.
In its fifty locations in the desert, as well as at its various sites in the Promised Land, His movable shrine was the center to which the pious gathered to adore Jehovah. Some 480 years after the Exodus Solomon dedicated his gorgeous Temple at Jerusalem as the permanent place for His praise. At this locus of devotion, with interruptions caused by apostasy and captivity, Hebrew worship continued until the destruction of the second Temple by the Roman general Titus in 70 A.D. Let us now consider some particulars of the structure of the Tabernacle. Eternal Spirit, grant us Thy light to read these signs aright.
The Court of the Tabernacle
The curtains enclosing the court were made of "fine twined linen" (qelain, Ex 27:9; 38:9). The word "hanging" comes from a root (qala) meaning to cut in or incise, and is believed to indicate some kind of open weave. The Targum translates it "grate-work" and Ellen White suggests "screens" (PP 347). This drapery would not completely conceal what went on within the court. In the sign language of the Bible "fine linen" symbolizes the "righteousness" of the Saviour, which He is ready to share with His disciples (Rev 19:8). Its loose weave formed only a symbolic barrier, and one which invited entry! In the whisperings of the wind through these curtains the voice of the Spirit sang, "Jesus is your righteousness. He will enclose you in the sacred quiet of His shrine. Come inside."
When the penitent left the secular camp and crossed the peaceful plaza he made a long and lonely journey of two-thirds of a mile to reach the Sanctuary. On his way he was vulnerable to the gossip of his neighbors who watched him set out. He would need to remain unmoved by over-heard remarks about what his conduct might have been, and speculation as to why he needed to offer a sacrifice. With his victim in tow, he must continue until he entered the sacred court. There the Lord provided a priest to sympathize and encourage him to seek forgiveness and cleansing, and find tranquility through the new covenant of grace. The snowy screen which once might have appeared as a barrier standing in his way, now barricaded him within the bulwarks of his Redeemer's righteous character.
Only One Entry into the Court
God provided one, and only one, "way" into the court. This was the gorgeous veil at its eastern side (Ex 27:16,17; 38:18, 19). Like the two veils giving entry to the holy and the most holy places (Ex 26:31-37), it was made of blue, purple and scarlet woolen threads, spun with fine gold wires, and woven on a warp of fine linen. And, like them, it represented the human nature of Jesus (Heb 10:20). This single entry stressed that there is only one Way (John 14:6; Heb 10:20) "under heaven given among men" (Acts 4:12) by which entrance to all the stages of the plan of salvation may be gained. Jesus is the "Way," the only way, the single Door (John 10:7) to holiness. He is "the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Heb 12:2).
The Rectangular Plan for the Tabernacle
Sixty pillars of acacia wood were erected around the court. Encased in copper, they were probably round, and each measured five cubits or nine feet long (Ex 27:9-15). We are told nothing of their thickness. Each pillar stood on a copper base, and was held upright by guy ropes ("cords," Ex 35:18) attached to copper pins driven into the ground (Ex 27:19), both outside and inside the court.
The arrangement of these posts requires some study. Ten formed the shorter eastern and western ends of the enclosure, while twenty were placed along each side. Five cubits apart, they enclosed a rectangle fifty by one hundred cubits (Ex 27:9, 13, 18; 38:9, 13). A moment's reflection, however, will show that only-forty five, and not fifty cubits, lie between ten pillars!
The
following diagram illustrates the Biblical method of spacing them.
Starting at "A" place the ten pillars five cubits apart to
form the western boundary. But, as we have noted, these ten include
only forty-five cubits; they need an additional eleventh to complete
the fifty cubits. This eleventh post, B, must, however, be reckoned
as the first post of the northern side. Starting from it count out
nineteen more to establish the northern boundary. Then add another,
C, to make up the one hundred cubits, and reckon it as the first for
the eastern end. Do the same for this eastern side as was done for
the western, and repeat the process for the southern boundary. The
twenty-first pillar on the southern side, necessary to enclose one
hundred cubits, is the very one with which we started our counting!
We now have sixty posts, five cubits apart, enclosing a rectangle
fifty cubits by one hundred cubits. In this simple way the Biblical
requirements are met, and the problem solved! The entry veil,
hanging between the five posts at the center of the eastern end, is
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The
Arrangement of the Pillars Around the Court .
Silver pins or hooks were fixed at the top of each pillar. From them horizontal silver-covered wooden curtain-rods, strangely called "fillets" (literally "joinings"), connected the pillars. The white linen drapes hung from these rods to form the wall of the court (Ex 27:10, 11; 38:17-20). A silver "chapiter" formed the cap of each post (Ex 38:17, 19, 28), in contrast with its copper base.
The Position of the Tabernacle in the Court
God designed that the Tabernacle should be erected within this enclosure. To locate its position, the court must first be divided into two squares. The altar of burnt-offering was placed at the center of the eastern square. Between it and the veil into the holy place (Ex 30:18), but south of an imaginary line running east and west bisecting the court, stood the copper laver. This conclusion is supported by the analogy of Solomon's brazen "sea" (1 Kings 7:39; 2 Chron 4:10). The rabbis remember that north of this medial line (Lev 1:11), and opposite the laver, stakes were driven into the ground at which victims were tied prior to their killing (cf. Middoth 3:5).
Around these foci in the eastern half of the enclosure, called the court of the people, three vital rituals were carried out. The fire on the altar consumed the sacrifices, the water in the laver cleansed the defiled, and the blood of the victim redeemed the lost. The three activities worked in concert to remove sin and procure forgiveness and bring about justification.
The Tabernacle was erected in the western square of the court. Philo, a Jew who lived in Alexandria about 40 A.D., reminds us of the Hebrew belief that the two sides and the back of the Tabernacle were equidistant from the hangings of the court. This arrangement places the ark in the exact center of the western square. The veil into the holy place would then be on the north-south line bisecting the court.
The Tabernacle Structure
The walls of the Tabernacle consisted of forty-eight acacia planks covered with gold. Each "board" was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Its thickness must be deduced from the facts given by Inspiration, as we shall see. When fixed side by side, the boards enclosed a building ten by thirty cubits, and ten cubits high (Ex 26:15-30), that is, eighteen by eighteen by fifty-five feet.
Each board was constructed with two tenons at its lower end (Ex 26:17-25). These protrusions were one cubit long, and so arranged as to fit into mortices cut into two wooden bases or "sockets." These base-blocks were overlaid with silver, and attached transversely to the width of the planks. They afforded a plinth one cubit high on which the structure stood. There is no record of the length of these footings, but they must have extended a little distance beyond the width of the boards on either side to spread the weight of the entire structure. The height of the Tabernacle included the one cubit length of these tenons.
Each of the twenty boards, forming the northern and southern sides of the building, was linked to its neighbor. The Mishnah records that letters of the Hebrew alphabet were written "on the boards of the Tabernacle that they might know which adjoined which" (Shabbath 12:3). At each end of the top surface of the boards a semicircular slot was cut, so that, when two boards abutted, these formed an incised circular groove. Into these slots rings of gold were dropped. These held the boards firmly together.
Each of the forty-six boards thus needed a semi-circular slot at each end. But the two special end boards of the western wall required similar semi-circular slots on one side to accommodate the boards of the north and south walls which abutted them. Because of this peculiarity these two boards formed left and right extensions to the six western boards already mentioned. Since the term "board" is used of them, as well as of the other forty-six, we conclude that they were of the same dimensions.
The eight western boards would, therefore, extend to twelve cubits when placed side by side. Since the inside measurement of the Tabernacle is given as ten cubits, the conclusion must be drawn that the boards were one cubit thick! The rabbis ask the question and provide the answer, "What was the thickness of the boards? One cubit" (The Talmud, Mo'ed II, Sabbath II, 98a). Each board measured thirty-three inches wide, twenty-two inches thick and eighteen feet long. Were they made of solid acacia this huge bulk would render them almost immovable! We must, therefore, conclude that the "boards" were hollow panels.
Each board was held to its neighbor in a straight plain by horizontal "bars" or battens fitted into "rings" attached to the outside (Ex 36:26-30; 36:31-34). The middle brace, probably joined in sections by dowels, as Josephus suggests, ran through the center of the boards for the entire length of the building. Besides these, there must have been braces spanning the width of the building to keep the structure steady, but nothing is said of these.
The Entrance to the Tabernacle
The entry veil to the Sanctuary was hung from five gold-clad acacia pillars. These were probably of the same thickness as the walls, one cubit (Ex 26:36, 37; 36:37, 38). Two would stand at the walls, one in the center, and the other two mid-way between them. Golden hooks were fixed at the top of each post for hanging the curtain. This hung on the inside of the pillars, exposing to view the golden posts and their copper bases. The four pillars which formed the partition between the holy and most holy places stood on plinths of silver (Ex 26:32, 33; 36:35, 36). The innermost veil hung on the side of the oracle from four golden nails.
The Roof of the Tabernacle
Some students of Scripture, follow architect J. Fergusson, who lived a century and a half ago and was the first to maintain (Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, 1863), that the roof of the Tabernacle was gabled. But tents with ridge poles were unknown in the ancient Near East. In fact, pitched roofs are necessary only in snowy locales. In Biblical times roofs were flat. Augustus Calmet in 1722 was the first commentator to maintain that the roof of the Tabernacle was flat. Since no hint is given in the Bible or any ancient source regarding a ridge pole, this investigator has tentatively concluded that the roof of the Tabernacle was, indeed, flat.
Four layers of "curtains" were draped over the top and outer sides of the entire structure to form the roof. The innermost cover was of the same materials as the three entry veils (Ex 26:1-6; 36:8-13). To construct it ten strips twenty-eight cubits long and four wide were woven. These were joined, selvedge to selvedge, by special golden latches to form two large canvasses, each twenty cubits square. One piece covered the twenty cubit long Holy Place. Its linkage with the other section lay over the innermost veil (Ex 26:32, cf. v. 6). Since the building was twelve cubits wide on the outside, the covering reached down eight cubits to within two cubits of the ground. The second piece ceiled the oracle and hung nine cubits over the back. Cherubim, woven into these tapestries, gave the inside of the holy places the sensation of being ceiled with angel wings, and the outside as being embraced by them. The inner golden walls and pillars gleamed with the reflections of the gorgeous colors of the weaving.
"No language can describe the glory of the scene presented within the Sanctuary,--the gold-plated walls reflecting the light from the golden candlestick, the brilliant hues of the richly embroidered curtains with their shining angels, . . . all but a dim reflection of the glories of the Temple of God in heaven, the great center of the work for man's redemption" (PP 349).
Over this inner covering eleven curtains, woven of white goat's hair, were draped (Ex 26:7-13; 36:14-19). These were also made up of narrow strips, linked to form two segments. One was thirty by twenty cubits, and the other thirty by twenty-four cubits. They were also joined over the inner veil. Since these curtains were thirty cubits long, in contrast with the twenty-eight cubits of the innermost ceiling, they extended over the sides and back of the Tabernacle "to cover it." They thus completely concealed the inner covering and the golden walls down to the silver "sockets," and hung one width, or four cubits, over the front entrance, leaving an entry six cubits high.
A third layer of roof was made up of rams' "skins with the hair on" (Ex 26:7, LXX). This was dyed red, and covered the white goat's hair canopy. The fourth and topmost cover was made of blue-black seal-skins (Ex 26:14; 36:19; cf. LXX; PP 347). No dimensions are given for these two leather coverings, and so students have concluded that they were the same dimensions as the one made of goat's hair previously described. The black skins "afforded complete protection" (PP 347), entirely concealing all the coverings, leaving visible the lower six cubits of the five golden pillars standing on their copper bases at the entrance, and the silver footings of the walls. The Tabernacle must have appeared as a long ebony coffin resting on shimmering silver foundations, with an inviting golden entry way.
The Holy and Most Holy Apartments of the Tabernacle
The Tabernacle was divided into two apartments by a veil which hung from four golden pillars, located ten cubits from its western wall. This conclusion is supported by the analogy of the most holy place of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 6:20: 2 Chron 3:3, 8) which was made in the same proportions. The inner shrine, in the form of a cube, was called the holy of holies. Did this give Mohammed the idea for the black Kaaba (meaning "cube") in Mecca, the most holy object in the world for Moslems? The larger apartment, called the holy place, was twice the size of the oracle.
Since the Sanctuary was without windows, the source of illumination in the holy place was the seven-branched candelabrum. When the Shekinah was in residence in the oracle its radiance spilled into the holy place over the top of the three sags of the inner veil as well as through the interstices of its weave.
The floor of the Tabernacle was the bare earth. The Lord placed His shrine as close to the ground as possible to call attention to his condescension. He loved His people so much that He wished to lodge as close to them as He could reach.
The Tabernacle Designed to be Portable
The Tabernacle was designed to be dismantled and reerected easily. During the four decades of wilderness wandering it was taken down and erected at some fifty locations. The luminous symbol of Christ's presence, or the "Angel of the Lord," majestically soared high above the people at the head of the procession. As the cooling cloud by day and the warming fire by night He directed Israel when to move and where to stop (Num 9:15-23); 10:11-13). Moses and Aaron strode at the head of the concourse, following the Light. A priestly trumpeter accompanied them, ready to call their specific orders to the following tribes.
Various segments of the Levites were assigned to transportation duties. The heavy boards and pillars were moved on carts drawn by oxen, while the rest was hand-carried. The precise order in which the twelve tribes marched was also prescribed by Jehovah.
The Lord commanded Moses to arrange the order of the march in the groups in which the tribes encamped so that the Levites should be "in the midst of the camp" (Num 2:17). This has been understood to mean that Levitical porters divided the parts of the Tabernacle and its furnishings into segments, and carried them between the four major sections of the tribes.
When the Cloud or Fire moved, the bugle signaled the order to break camp. The priests and Levites dismantled the Tabernacle, and the people prepared for their journey.
The priests covered the ark with the inner veil of the Sanctuary, and then shrouded it in sable seal-skins. These in turn were draped in a sapphire canopy (Num 4:5, 6). The whole was then lifted by its rods to the shoulders of the priests, who fell in behind Moses and Aaron (Num 10:33-36).
With banners fluttering, the three tribes which had camped on the eastern side of the sacred enclosure, Judah, Issachar and Zebulon followed the leaders (Num 10:14-16), keeping a respectful distance of 2000 cubits from the ark (Josh 3:4).
Although descended from the second son of Levi, these Kohathites were given semi-priestly responsibilities not accorded to the rest of the Levites. This was probably because of the very small number of priests at that time. But they were not allowed to look at the holy things until they had been concealed by Eleazar, Aaron's son (Num 4:17-20). They were authorized to camp on the east of the Sanctuary (Num 3:38). They carried the golden table of shewbread. This was first spread with a blue table-cloth on which the utensils used in connection with it were wrapped. The whole was covered with a scarlet cloth, over which a seal-skin canopy was draped (Num 4:7, 8).
The golden candlestick with its bowls and tongs and snuff dishes, simply draped with a cloth of blue, and then covered with seal-skins, was carried on a single bar (Num 4:9, 10).
The golden altar was covered with a blue cloth over which a canopy of seal-skins was placed (Num 4:11), and then carried by its two bars.
Other Kohathites, to whom had been granted the honored southern perimeter of the plaza (Num 3:29-32), led the three tribes Reuben, Simeon and Gad who had also been encamped on the south. These Levites gathered all the instruments and utensils used in the court and wrapped them in a cloth of blue which they covered with seal-skins and slung on a pole (Num 4:12).
The copper altar with its instruments was concealed in purple material and then covered with seal-skins, and carried by its rods (Num 4:13, 14).
The laver is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, but the Septuagint records that "they shall take a purple cloth, and cover the laver and its foot, and they shall put it into a blue cover of skin, and put it on bars" (Num 4:15). There is a Hebrew tradition that the seal-skins were dark blue-black or mid-night blue in color (see Num 4:11, LXX; cf. 7:9; 10:21).
The Gershonites on the west, transported "the curtains of the Tabernacle." These included all the woven materials, canopies, veils, drapes and cords, connected with the sacred structure (Num 3:23-26; 4:24-28). They were under Ithamar the priest. This group was furnished with two covered wagons drawn by four oxen to facilitate their tasks (Num 7:2-7). They led Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin, who had camped with them at the "back," or western side of the Tabernacle.
The sons of Merari, located on the north, were entrusted with the portage of the boards, pillars sockets, bars and pins (Num 3:35-37; 4:29-33). Because of their weight and bulk, they were provided with four covered wagons drawn by eight oxen (Num 7:8). They led Dan, Asher and Naphtali, who had encamped to the north.
The "mixed multitude," who consisted of "the believing Egyptians" (4SG-a 15) and Israelites "intermarried with Egyptians" (3SG 274), and "who were the principal movers in" the making of the golden calf (1SP 243), "dwelt in the outskirts of the camp" (PP 375). They made up the rear of the procession.
"In all their journeyings they observed perfect order. Every tribe bore a standard, with the sign of their father's house upon it, and every tribe was commanded to pitch by their own standard. And when they traveled, the different tribes marched in order, every tribe under their own standard. When they rested from their journeying, the Tabernacle was erected, and then the different tribes pitched their tents in order, in just such a position as God commanded, around the Tabernacle, at a distance from it" (1SP 276).
Wherever and whenever the Cloud or Fire stopped, there the marching hosts halted. The priests, looking up to the symbol of God's presence, placed the ark they were carrying on the ground directly below the Shekinah. About the ark they erected the Tabernacle, measured out the court, and then the sacred plaza, finally allocating the positions of the segments of the Levites and the twelve tribes.
This organizational plan required that the ark should lead the way to the Promised Land, and to mark the spot where each day's journey should end. This symbol of the throne of God, was the benchmark of Israel. The three sections of the Tabernacle transported by the Levites and distributed between the four segments of the twelve tribes while on the march, kept before the people the thrilling truth that the Lord was not only interested in dwelling in their midst, He was also ready to accompany them on their weary travels through the desert. Enduring the conditions they encountered, and moving no faster than the labored pace of burdened men, the luminous Presence of Jehovah ensured that the faithful ones would reach the Promised Land.
God created a perfect world as the home for His perfect people. He planned that His loving and lovable children should hold unbroken fellowship with Him. But into this gentle place Satan insinuated rebellion, and there was war on earth as there had been in heaven. By rejecting Divine truth for the devil's lies, Adam and Eve raised a barrier between themselves and God. But as had been His wont, their merciful Father again walked in the Garden in the cool of the day. When He called to them they were filled with terror spawned by guilt, and hid their nakedness behind a tree (Isa 66:17). In response to His question, Adam wailed, "I was afraid!" (Gen 3:1-19).
God's purpose to unfold truth to His growing sons and daughters was temporarily frustrated. But love and grace reopened communion, and used the Sanctuary to do this. As the foundation of this complex scheme for restoration, He promised to send the woman's Son to sacrifice Himself in order to destroy the devices of the serpent (Gen 3:15). Jehovah's announcement filled the universe with bitter-sweet sorrow and the promise of grace.
At the gate of Eden God taught the first lesson in His plan for man's salvation. "The Lord God [made] coats of skins, and clothed" Adam and Eve (Gen 3:21). These pelts from victims slain by Adam, pointed them to the "covering" of His Lamb Who one day would lay down His life for their sins, and provide His righteousness to cover their guilty nakedness.
God Reveals the Shekinah
The historian's cryptic sentence lifts the veil and enables us to see further ways which the Lord used to help our first parents to understand more of His plans: "He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way to preserve the way to the tree of life" (Gen 3:24). "Placed" means "put in a tent," from the Semitic root from which came the Hebrew word "shekinah." God later displayed His glory to Israel in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Brooding above the Tabernacle, as the Spirit had done over the waters at creation (Gen 1:2), these symbols of the presence of "the Angel of the Lord" united their splendor with the radiance glowing between the cherubim on the mercy-throne. The people called this the "Shekinah" to describe "The One Who dwells in a tent." After the fall the Lord "tabernacled" in Eden's flaming sword to express His love and constancy in accepting and guiding His first family.
In Scripture God has often chosen fire to represent Himself (Heb 12:29). He appeared as a bow of many-colored splendor slashing the dark storm clouds as the signature of His covenant of love with Noah and his children (Gen 9:8-17). In the luminous desert bush crouching in the torrid heat He revealed the purpose of His incarnation to Moses (Ex 3:3-6; DA 23). In flaming altar-fire He vindicated His own name and His prophet Elijah on Carmel (1 Kings 18:24, 30-40). And then in the flashing tongues at Pentecost in old Jerusalem He showed the world His plan to use His church to proclaim His gospel (Acts 2:1-4). In all ages Deity has communicated with His children by the two-edged sword of His inspired word to illuminate their minds and purify their hearts (Heb 4:12; Ps 119:105).
Ezekiel described this sword of light with a phrase similar to that used by Moses, it "turned every way" (Ezek 1:4, margin; cf. Gen 3:24), picturing its self-igniting, self-directing, unrestricted power to cut its way to the heart of darkness.
The function of this scimitar of light was to "keep the way of the tree of life." We first meet "keep" in the Divine directive to Adam "to dress and keep" (Gen 2:15. shamar) the Garden. "Keep" suggests preserving, observing and maintaining, as in sabbath-keeping (Ex 31:14). The glory between the cherubim in the Tabernacle was also to preserve the path of life, and keep it from becoming obscured for Israel. This was "the Light at the end of the tunnel" for the pilgrims trudging through the mists and mysteries of life. Eternal Spirit, grant us this light.
Notice the points of this enacted parable: God promised the Redeemer, a sinless substitute Who would take the sinner's place and bear the death penalty for his guilt. Heaven would accept His sacrifice, and impute the robe of righteousness to the pardoned sinners. A royal Priest would mediate and restore the repentant to covenant fellowship. The luminous "way" to the tree of life would be kept open for all who chose to walk along it. And at last the serpent's head would be crushed by Michael's heel. These gospel truths streamed like the beams of the rising sun from this opening act of the drama of redemption. Their radiance intensified through the centuries, reaching noon-time glory when the Sun of Righteousness dispelled the darkness of this fallen world at Calvary and on the Resurrection Day!
Jesus is the Real Way to Life
The "way to the tree of life" must be traveled by every saint who would eat its fruit to enjoy immortality. To help them on their way the Spirit has provided the "sword" of inspired light (Heb 4:12) through selected persons (Heb 1:1-3). In "the fullness of the time" (Gal 4:4) He unsheathed its Reality in the person of the incarnate Word flaming with love and mercy. "The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14), "tabernacled among us" to display "the brightness of His [Father's] glory" (Heb 1:3). Through this incandescent Blade shining in the Sanctuary of Christ's soul all observed "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).
The inspired Word (John 5:39) reveals the purposes of God carried out by Jesus. All who have studied the records of His movements from the throne of Omnipotence to the manger of Bethlehem, and on to the cross of Calvary, and thence back to His Father's home (Phil 2:5-10), have joyously exclaimed with the apostle, "We behold His glory!" (John 1:14; cf. 1 John 1:1-4). Eternal Spirit, open our eyes to see Him too.
The Tabernacle is a Symbolic Revelation of Christ
Christ designed the Tabernacle as the jewel-casket of the symbols representing His life and mission. The Scriptures which point out the pathway of life (Ps 119:9, 14, 27) declare, "Thy way, O God, is in the Sanctuary" (Ps 77:13). The rabbis remember Jehovah's promise to Moses: "If thou wilt make below a replica of that which is above, I will desert My heavenly assembly and will cause My Shekinah to dwell among you below" (Midrash Exodus Rabbah, 35:6, 435).
The Lord commanded Moses to make a Tabernacle out of materials provided sacrificially by His people (Ex 35:4-29). Each Israelite was invited to give what he or she possessed. Some gave cotton and wool, others, gums and spices, and still others, gems and gold, while those who had silver, bronze or wood happily brought them. Skilled craft-persons donated time and talent. "Great and expensive preparations were necessary. Precious and costly materials must be collected. But the Lord accepted only free-will offerings. Devotion to the work of God and sacrifice from the heart were the first requisites in preparing a dwelling-place for the Most High" (2BC 1027; cf. 1SP 269; PP 343).
The True Tabernacle Entails a Sacrifice
In this way Jehovah emphasized the truth which lay at the heart of the Sanctuary, that "the plan of salvation was laid by sacrifice, a gift. . . . As the plan of redemption begins and ends with a Gift, so it is to be carried forward. The same spirit of sacrifice which purchased salvation for us, will dwell in the hearts of all who become partakers of the heavenly gift" (5T 730; cf. 3T 387; AA 519).
The Lord asked for generous offerings in spite of Israel's poverty. There was no way for them to increase their possessions during their desert journey, yet they responded with donations valued at "more than a million dollars" (Signs 5 Aug 1875). Can you imagine the generosity of these ex-slaves based on the exchange rate of 1990! No gift was considered too small, and every talent was put to use. Nothing is too good for God.
The perishable wood and fragile cloth used for the Tent of Meeting taught the impermanence of mankind's existence on earth. Even the way in which the Tabernacle was constructed to be dismantled, as well as its unmarked locations during its long history, underline the ephemeral qualities of life. By contrast, the Temple erected in Jerusalem, by its position and the materials of which it was built, suggests permanence.
Temple in Time
The word "temple" is derived from the same root as are "time" and "temporary." In early ages superstitious pagans arranged stones in a circle on the ground. Watching the sun, moon and other heavenly bodies move across it, or observing the flight of birds over this "enclosed" space, they invested these occurrences with occult significance. Our term "church," through the French word for this circle, cirque, and thence kirk, is an outgrowth of this concept.
The Latin for this enclosed area was "templum," and at this temple heaven was believed to communicate with man. Later this "templum" was enclosed and roofed, and the circle of stones grew into the temples of the Greeks and Romans, to be modified into the churches and cathedrals of Europe. Temple suggests a part cut off from space, as time indicates a fragment of eternity. The key idea of both is separation so that the worshiper might be alone with God.
God's Real Temple
The Sanctuary's meticulous conformity to God's requirements points to the obedience of Jesus Whom it represented. At the time He "pitched His tent" on earth the Psalmist heard His affirmation, "A body hast Thou prepared [fitted] Me . . . to do Thy will, O My God" (Ps 40:6-8; Heb 10:5, margin). Paul explained that this song was fulfilled by the first advent of the incarnate Son (Heb 10:5-10). Christ's human body was "made" as the Tabernacle in which God displayed His glorious character and mission to the universe (DA 23). In His preaching Jesus focused on the idea that His body, soon to be crucified, was the real Temple (John 2:19-21).
The Christian who imitates His Lord is typified by the Tabernacle. In it "God desired His people to read His purpose for the human soul. It was the same purpose long afterward set forth by the apostle Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit:--'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are"' (1 Cor 6:19, see vv 15-20; 3:16, 17).
The glory of God which shone out of Israel's Tabernacle, shimmered in the Temple, and irradiated the Man of Galilee, should glow in the heart of each disciple. Through His born-again sons and daughters, fashioned after their Divine Pattern, the radiance of their Redeemer's character is to shine into the darkness of the world. As "God's building" erected on the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christian is to become "an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph 2:20-22), allowing the Light to shine through his life.
"The Jewish Tabernacle was a type of the Christian church" (Signs, 14 Feb 1900). Christ's organized followers as a group are to reflect His glory more and more fully. Like His Old Testament church, His church today is to live for Him in the wilderness of daily life. In fact, "the system of Jewish economy was the gospel in figure, a presentation of Christianity which was to be developed as fast as the minds of the people could comprehend spiritual light" (FE 238). Eternal Spirit, grant us Thy light to read these signs aright.
The life and death of Jesus are, of course, the ultimate reality which the Sanctuary illustrated. "Through Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose of which the Tabernacle was a symbol. . . . In all, God desired His people to read His purpose for the human soul" (Ed 36). What Jesus was in His life, we may become; what He did we may exemplify; and from His glory we may gain incandescence. With the Light of the world dwelling in his heart, the disciple becomes the light of his world.
Edenic Sanctuary Remained on Earth Until the Flood
As we have noticed, God presented the Sanctuary services in microcosm at Eden's gate to illustrate the plan of salvation to our first parents and their children. Thither Cain and Abel came to present their sacrifices, and were followed by many of their descendants for sixteen centuries. Just prior to the flood the Hand that had planted the Garden withdrew it from the earth. The Gardener of Galilee, will one day restore it "more gloriously adorned than at the beginning" (PP 62). The second Adam will then display to Adam and Eve and the universe what it means to "dress and keep" the garden.
After the deluge Noah and his sons reinstated Sanctuary worship and offered their sacrifices of gratitude to the Lord. As it had at Eden's gate (Gen 8:20, 21), the flash of fire signaled God's approval or "acceptance" (SR 69) by turning the victim to ashes (cf. Ps 20:3, margin). But through the centuries these concepts grew blurred and were eventually hopelessly perverted (Rom 1:21-24).
Abraham Understood the Sacrificial System
Born twenty-five years before the death of Shem, Abraham remained true to God, and was called as His representative in an apostate world (PP 125). His sacrifice of his only son Isaac at the Lord's command, was followed by Heaven's acceptance of a substitute. This drama anticipated Calvary (Gen 22:1-19). The cry of humanity throughout Old Testament times was voiced by Isaac at Moriah, "My father, . . . Where is the Lamb?" (Gen 22:7, 8). This is the first use of the word "lamb" in the Bible. But thank God, the doomed child's wail was answered by the Baptist's ringing Messianic identification, "Behold the Lamb!" (John 1:29, 36), the first use of lamb in the New Testament. Christ confirmed that Abraham had indeed seen His day, when he saw the Lamb crowned with thorns (Gen 22:13). On the cross Jesus turned the "curse" of defeated Adam (Gen 3:18) into the insignia of the triumphant King of kings (Matt 27:29). Eternal Spirit, grant us grace to value what the Lamb has done for us.
While the Mosaic Tabernacle is the only shrine described in the Bible, there are hints that there was some kind of structure for worship already in existence. When He granted the manna, the Lord required Moses to place a golden pot full of this gift from heaven "before the testimony" (Ex 33:7-11). At the time of Israel's rebellion in bowing to the golden calf this pavilion is noticed. "By the divine direction, the tent that had served as a temporary place of worship was removed `afar off from the camp"' (PP 327) to display God's displeasure. Some have suggested that this might have been the rallying place of worship for the faithful Hebrews prior to Israel's entry into Egypt.
Modeled on the heavenly Sanctuary, the Tabernacle on earth was Israel's textbook of God's redemptive activities. Through His instructions and illustrations the Lord directed His people to look to the real Tabernacle in heaven, as well as the forms of worship here on earth. A study of its types and symbols revealed the functions which were to be carried out by Jesus in the heavenly Sanctuary "which God pitched, and not man" (Heb 8:2).
Even after they had been given written records in the "Gospel of Moses," God's people were to continue to find food for thought and avenues for devotion and worship in their careful study of the Sanctuary and its services. And as Christians grow to understand the unfolding drama of Israel's inspired ritual, they, too, will catch ever clearer views of what their High Priest is doing on their behalf in the "heavenlies." "The subject of the Sanctuary . . . should be clearly understood by the people of God. . . . Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to exercise faith which is essential at this time, or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. . . . It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects" (GC 488).
God's Purpose for the Sanctuary in the Wilderness
The divine Designer demanded precision and accuracy from His artisans. His directive required that every part should be made "according to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the Tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof" (Ex 25:9). He further added, "Thou shalt rear up the Tabernacle according to the fashion thereof, which was showed thee in the mount" (Ex 26:30). There a "miniature model" (SR 151) had been displayed to Moses. The artisans were forbidden to deviate from these regulations in the slightest.
God's plans were clearly outlined by His Spirit. It was true of the Sanctuary revealed to Moses and made by Bezaleel, as it would one day be of the Temple commissioned by David and built by Huram, that "the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord" (1 Chron 28:12) should be used to construct the edifices. After the tent and its furnishings had been completed about a year later, Moses checked every detail and found them to comply with the specifications which "the Lord had commanded" (Ex 40:1ff).
God's Biddings are God's Enablings
The Lord demanded perfection in every detail of the work, but how was He to obtain this? Moses was proficient in all the learning of the Egyptians. He had a knowledge of God, and His purposes had been revealed to him in vision, but he did not know how to engrave and embroider.
"Israel had been held all their days in the bondage of Egypt, and although there were ingenious men among them, they had not been instructed in the curious arts which were called for in the building of the Tabernacle. They knew how to make bricks, but they did not understand how to work in gold and silver. How was the work to be done? Who was sufficient for these things? These were questions that troubled the mind of Moses.
"Then God Himself explained how the work was to be accomplished. He signified by name the persons He desired to do a certain work. Bezaleel was to be the architect. This man belonged to the tribe of Judah,--a tribe that God delighted to honor. . . . In order that the earthly Tabernacle might represent the heavenly, it must be perfect in all its parts, and it must be, in the smallest detail, like the pattern in the heavens" (RH 11 Jan 1912). And so Bezaleel was appointed the superintendent of the work, while Aholiab was his assistant. The Lord always fulfills His gracious promise, "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess 5:24). All His biddings are His enablings (COL 333).
Even Artisans were Inspired by the Spirit
Cooperation between God and man was emphasized in the construction of the Tabernacle. To ensure this the Lord granted His enabling Spirit to His chosen work-force, not only to help them to understand and interpret the blueprints and visualize the instructions revealed to Moses, but also to make proper use of the materials selected, and recognize the talents of those who might help with the various tasks.
The names of these overseers sing to us across the centuries (Ex 31:1-6). Bezaleel means "The one who is under the shadow of the Mighty One." Did this call the attention of the workmen to their foreman's decision to abide "in the secret place of the Most High?" (Ps 91:1, 2). And every time Aholiab was addressed, did his associates hear the assurance, "The Father is my Pavilion," testifying to his closeness with God? These Spirit-directed foremen shared their gifts and inspiration with their fellow-workers. In fact, the building of the Tabernacle could not have been carried out successfully without the free cooperation of the Spirit and His chosen instrumentalities.
Metal-smiths and carpenters worked side by side with spinners, weavers and seamstresses. Lapidaries and engravers polished precious stones and shaped them for the regalia of the high priest, while perfumers blended exotic gums and sweet spices for the fragrant incense and anointing unguents. Each artisan consecrated his special gift to the task it best suited, and with this united effort the building, "fitly framed together," grew into a splendid palace for the Eternal (Isa 41:1-10. The prophet later perceived the eschatological application of this Divine phenomenon.
In the same spirit in which the people of Israel had contributed materials and talents for the Tabernacle, the virgin mother surrendered herself to "make" the "body" of the Son of Man, the True Tabernacle (Luke 1:34-38). Through this unity between Divinity and humanity the Tabernacle and its furnishings became beautiful stylized illustrations of the Incarnate One, and displayed facets of His ministry.
The fragile and movable Tent of Meeting was designed to teach the observant Israelite the vulnerable nature of Emmanuel during His stay on earth. The ephemeral character and modesty of the Sanctuary pointed to Christ's humility in stepping into time, and, putting aside His omnipotence and omnipresence to tabernacle within weak and fallen humanity.
Calendar of Salvation
The sequence of the Sanctuary festivals outlined the calendar of salvation and anticipated the timing of the Saviour's ministry. "In the fullness of the time" the Son of God did indeed "pitch His tent by the side of the tents of men." John's word "dwelt" (John 1:14) connotes the erecting of a tent. Some students think that he may even have transliterated the Hebrew triliteral word (skn) shakan from which Shekinah sprang, into the Greek skene, a tent. In the body of Jesus of woman-born, Divinity and humanity mysteriously dwelt together.
Tabernacle Placed at Hub of Israel's Encampment
Paul explained that God's earthly Pavilion was a "shadow of good things to come," and that the reality, or "the body" which cast the shadow, was the Sanctuary in heaven. This celestial Tent "God [Himself] pitched" (Heb 8:2) to portray the Saviour's ministry. Through a study of the Sanctuary on earth eternal Light still casts shadow-pictures of the plan of salvation on the walls of our minds. These outline the "body," or human life of our Lord, and symbolize His work. They hint that although He appeared as the "Son of man" in Palestine, He remained the "Son of God." As the Tabernacle touched the earth, He was touched with the feelings of human pain and need, but always fathomed the secrets of the Almighty.
During their fifty desert encampments the presence of Jehovah never deserted Israel. Near the end of their wanderings Moses reminded them that "the Lord thy God walked in the midst of the camp" (Deut 23:14). He had earlier recorded God's assurance, "I will set My Tabernacle among you, . . . and I will walk among you" (Lev 26:11,12). Recalling this, the Psalmist sang: "They have seen Thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the Sanctuary" (Ps 68:24). But "can two walk together except they be agreed" (Amos 3:3)? The unvarying stance of the Sanctuary at the heart of Israel's camp displayed Jehovah's desire to maintain His share in this unity between Himself and His people.
Miniature Model of Tabernacle a Teaching Tool
The "patterns" of the Tabernacle made by Moses in the wilderness, and the Temple erected by Solomon upon Mt. Moriah, were given by the Spirit to the human draftsmen (Heb 8:5; 1 Chron 28:12). Both structures taught that "the whole worship of ancient Israel was a promise, in figures and symbols, of Christ; and it was not merely a promise, but an actual provision, designed by God to aid millions of people by lifting their thoughts to Him Who was to manifest Himself to our world" (TM 123).
To show His delight in being near His people, Jehovah suggested to Moses, "Let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them" (Ex 25:8; cf. 29:45; 1 Cor 3:16). Its presence would keep His people from forgetting that He longed to be where they were, sharing their joys and sorrows, the living Center of their prosperity and adversity.
When Israel complied with God's requirements His promises became a reality. "He abode in the Sanctuary in the midst of His people. Through all their weary wandering in the desert, the symbol of His presence was with them. So Christ set up His tabernacle in the midst of the tents of men, that he might dwell among us, and make us familiar with His divine character and life" (DA 23). The Sanctuary was a device to teach Israel of the Messiah's incarnation and also illustrate His presence at the heart of the church.
We have noticed that the beloved John used Sanctuary terminology to describe how the living Word "pitched His tent [dwelt] among us" (John 1:14). Centuries earlier the Lord had anticipated this in His promise: "I will set My tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people" (Lev 26:11, 12). Through the visible symbols of the cloud and fire Jehovah marched with His people. Day by day these glorious tokens of His presence reawakened their love and trust. Eternal Spirit, make Thy presence real in our lives.
John discovered that he could actually see "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14) by observing the living Christ walking in sandaled feet. The "truth" is God's inspired word (John 17:17). It tells us what to do. The Truth is also God's Incarnate Word. He shows us what to do. "Grace" is the power of the Incarnate Word which He shares with the believer to enable him to live His ideals within the temple of his personality (Cf. 2 Cor 12:9, 10). "Through Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose of which the Tabernacle was a symbol,--that glorious building, its walls of glistening gold reflecting in rainbow hues the curtains inwrought with cherubim, the fragrance of ever-burning incense pervading all, the priests robed in spotless white, and in the deep mystery of the inner place, above the mercy-seat, between the figures of the bowed, worshiping angels, the glory of the Holiest. In all God desired His people to read His purpose for the human soul" (cf. Ed 36).
Ark Symbolized God's Throne
Perhaps the most important symbol of His presence was "the ark of the covenant of the Lord [which] went before them . . . to search out a resting place for them." As they commenced their march Moses implored: "Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered." And "when it rested" at the end of their day's trip he prayed: "Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel" (Num 10:33-36; cf. Deut 1:30, 33). In this way God gently led His people wherever He wanted them to go (cf. Gen 33:13, 14).
Addressing
Moses as the representative of His people He promised: "Thou
shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou
shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will
meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the
mercy-seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of
the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment
unto the children of Israel" (Ex 25:21, 22). Note the
repetition of the singular, "thee." Wherever in Scripture
the Lord uses the singular pronoun He is calling attention to the
fact that He is dealing with individuals. He addresses them as a
group by the plural "you." "I will meet you [at the
altar of sacrifice], to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet
with the children of Israel, and Israel shall be sanctified by My
glory" (Ex 29:42, 43, margin). Notice how He moves from
singular to plural, from the group to the individual.
Sanctuary Reveals Sin and its Cure
The Lord provided forgiveness of sin and restoration to fellowship at the Tabernacle. Pointing to the real Sacrifice through the sacrifices, He assured the people that "the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them" (Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 16, 18). This forgiveness was "for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein" (Lev 6:7). These victims anticipated the death of Jesus, "in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph l:7). "Just here is a point on which many may err and hence they fail of receiving the help that Christ desires to give them. They think that they cannot come to Christ unless they first repent, that repentance prepares them for forgiveness of their sins. . . . The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the invitation of Christ, `Come unto me"' (SC 26). Eternal Spirit, remind us to do this day by day.
The incense burning in the holy place reminded Israel that God had fulfilled His oft-repeated promise, "I will meet with thee" (Ex 30:6, 36; 25:22; 29:42, 43; cf. Num 17:4). Wherever they went in the encampment they could smell the fragrance which symbolized Christ's mediation at the altar of perpetual intercession, and as they felt His perfumed caress they knew that He was at this trysting-place to encourage them to commune with Heaven.
Sanctuary Study Induces Personal Meditation
When Asaph sensed the significance of the Sanctuary system, he resolved, "I will meditate also of all thy works, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: Who is so great a God as our God?" (Ps 77:11-13). Jesus explained that He Himself was "the way" to God along which His disciples were to travel (John 14:6). Satan has always suggested alternative "ways" toward righteousness and eternal life, but these "heathen systems of sacrifice were a perversion of the system that God had appointed; and many a sincere observer of heathen rites learned from the Hebrews the meaning of the service divinely ordained, and in faith grasped the promise of a Redeemer" (DA 28). The Sanctuary was to be a tool for evangelism.
During the forty years of wandering in "the waste howling wilderness" (Deut 32:10) the presence of God never forsook His people. "For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys" (Ex 40:38). While the Queen is in residence the royal standard flies over Buckingham Palace. However rough the path might seem to the weary travellers, and whatever danger might lurk around the corner, the people of Israel had but to turn their eyes toward the Sanctuary. Floating above it they would see the ensign of the Shekinah signaling that the Divine Presence was at home, tenderly watching over all they did.
When the cloud or fire "rested," the people could be certain that they were camping just where their heavenly Father thought best. "And when the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. At the commandment of Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the Tabernacle they rested in their tents. . . . And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the Tabernacle; . . . or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the Tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed" (Num 9:17-23), confident that God was leading them.
The Sanctuary taught Israel to trust the Lord for guidance, and to make no plans that were outside His leadership. All "the rites and ceremonies of the law were given by Christ Himself, Who, enshrouded in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, was the Leader of the hosts of Israel; and this [ceremonial] law should be treated with great respect, for it is sacred" (Signs, July 29, l886, [ ] mine). The Tabernacle constantly provided the guiding light spiritually and practically for God's chosen people.
God's Presence in Sanctuary Gave Insight into His Nature
The Lord explained to Moses a further purpose He had in mind. The Shekinah would help Israel to "know that I am Jehovah their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them" (Ex 29:45, 46). The redemptive act of snatching Israel from the clutch of the Egyptian taskmasters was not the end of God's plan, it was only its beginning. He had a deeper purpose. It was to live continually in the hearts of His people in the most intimate fellowship.
Jesus illustrated this truth by His story of the father's love for his prodigal son. Not satisfied with removing the traces of the pig pen from his boy, the father reinstated him into the family with rejoicing and full acceptance (Luke 15:11-24). Christ came to do this for all his prodigal people (John 1:7-12). This He had tried to do for Israel of old. "The system of Jewish economy was the gospel in figure, a presentation of Christianity which was to be developed as fast as the minds of the people could comprehend spiritual light. Satan ever seeks to make obscure the truths that are plain, and Christ ever seeks to open the mind to comprehend every essential truth concerning the salvation of fallen man. To this day there are still aspects of truth which are dimly seen, connections which are not understood, and far-reaching depths in the law of God that are uncomprehended" (FE 238).
God ordained that the special dwelling-place of the Shekinah should be the holy of holies, promising: "There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel" (Ex 25:22). Again He uses the singular pronoun as He speaks to the individual heart. In this hallowed spot "the manifestation of the divine presence; . . . made known His will. Divine messages were sometimes communicated to the high priest by a voice from the cloud. Sometimes a light fell upon the angel at the right, to signify approval, or acceptance, or a shadow or cloud rested upon the one at the left to reveal disapproval or rejection" (PP 349). Today the final and full revelation of His will comes to us through the Spirit Whom Jesus sends as His Spokesman (Heb 1:2) from the most holy place of His celestial Sanctuary.
Sanctuary Study Helps in Sanctification
Sanctuary worship had yet a further goal: "Israel shall be sanctified by My glory" (Ex 29:43, margin). The Lord assured Ezekiel: "My Tabernacle also shall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my Sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore" (Ezek 37:26-28). This evangelizing and sanctifying power comes to the lost from Christ's ministry in the celestial Tabernacle. "The revelation at Sinai could only impress them with their need and helplessness. Another lesson the Tabernacle, through its service of sacrifice, was to teach,--the lesson of pardon of sin, and power through the Saviour for obedience unto life" (Ed 36). For Christians today sanctification comes as an outgrowth of an understanding of Christ's mediation in the heavenly Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary was "made" at God's express command (Ex 25:8; cf. Ex 25:8-39:43). "Make" or its equivalent is found some 175 times in these chapters of instruction to Moses. Paul gives us a profound insight into what God had in mind when He "made" this universe: "The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Rom 1:19, 20). The apostle here alerts his readers to the truth that otherwise unknowable aspects of the power and eternity of Deity may actually be discovered through a methodical study of the things which He has made. How carefully, then, should we ponder the details of nature around us as vehicles of God's Self-revelation!
Since the Sanctuary was one of the things "made" at His command to display aspects of His purposes which would remain inscrutable otherwise, how we should treasure it! The Father's strategy for the Tabernacle was finally and fully disclosed through His Son Who was "made" flesh in order to "tabernacle" among us. "The gospel of Christ reflects glory upon the Jewish age. It sheds light upon the whole Jewish economy, and gives significance to the ceremonial law. The Tabernacle, or Temple, of God on earth was a pattern of the original in heaven. All the ceremonies of the Jewish law were prophetic, typical of mysteries in the plan of redemption" (Signs, July 29, 1886).
The outcome of the "great controversy," the conflict between right and wrong, between Christ and Satan, is clearly exhibited through the rituals of the Sanctuary. As Asaph pondered the future of those who set themselves against God he was led to the Tabernacle where he suddenly understood "their end" (Ps 73:17). As he continued his study of the history of Israel (Ps 78), he realized that the fate of God's people was contingent upon the respect which they paid to Jehovah and His worship in the Sanctuary. He noted that God "forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which He placed among men" (Ps 78:60), to signal that Israel had apostatized. But when the tribe of Judah responded to His loving appeals, the Lord built "His Sanctuary like a high [heavenly] palace" on "Mt. Zion which He loved" (Ps 78:68, 69).
Sanctuary Displays God's Ideal for His Church
Biblical students soon discover that "the Jewish Tabernacle was a type of the Christian church. It was a wonderful structure, made in two parts, the outer and the inner, one open to the ministration of all the priests, and the other to the high priest alone, who represented Christ. The church on earth, composed of those who are faithful and loyal to God, is the `true tabernacle,' whereof the Redeemer is the minister. God, and not man, pitched this tabernacle on a high, elevated platform. This tabernacle is Christ's body, and from north, south, east, and west [represented in the wilderness by the twelve tribes], He gathers those who shall help to compose it. Through Christ the true believers are represented as being built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. . . . God employed men to rear the Jewish tabernacle, giving them skill and efficiency for their work. . . . God works in and through the human agent who cooperates with Him by choosing to help to compose the Lord's building. A holy tabernacle is built up of those who receive Christ as their personal Saviour. . . . The building up of individual characters, which are renewed, constitutes a structure more noble than any mortal workmanship. . . . Christ is represented as dwelling in His people" (Signs, Feb 14, 1900).
Is it any wonder that we are told that "the correct understanding of the ministration of the heavenly Sanctuary is the foundation of our faith" (Ev 221), and that "we should not rest until we become intelligent in regard to the subject of the Sanctuary, which is brought out in the visions of Daniel and John. This subject sheds great light on our present position and work, and gives us unmistakable proof that God has led us in our past experience. It explains our disappointment in l844, showing us that the Sanctuary to be cleansed was not the earth, but that Christ then entered into the most holy apartment of the heavenly Sanctuary, and is there performing the closing work of His priestly office.
"God's
people are now to have their eyes fixed on the heavenly Sanctuary,
where the final ministration of our great High Priest in the work of
judgment is going forward, where He is interceding for His people"
(RH 27 Nov l883). "Not one pin is to be removed from
that which the Lord has established. The enemy will bring in false
theories, such as the doctrine that there is no Sanctuary" (RH
25 May l905). Eternal Spirit, grant us Thy light to walk in the
Light.
3 - METHODS OF STUDY
All My Enlightenment Is Christ's
When He was on earth Christ used parables as His main method of teaching. Through them He revealed all truth. But in themselves they were means and not ends, and their significance must be weighed carefully. Take an example: The crooked steward's preparation for the inescapable consequences of his carelessness (Luke 16:1-12) is an illustration of the deep concern which Christ wishes His disciples to show towards the goal of their lives. It was not a recommendation to act dishonestly. Our Saviour's stories picture models of reality. Through the Tabernacle He used similar methods with ancient Israel. Both require the same kind of study.
The Sanctuary is the most pervasive illustration of the plan of salvation found in Scripture. Its intriguing architecture and exotic materials, its formal plan with intricately designed furnishings, its complicated rituals and organized three-tier ministry, with its calendar of daily services and prophetic annual festivals spanning millennia, make it the most complex enacted parable ever devised. The space devoted to it by the Spirit at the dawn of the revealed writings, as well as the hundreds of allusions to it found in almost every book of the Bible, provide evidence to alert the reader of the Scriptures to its vital importance.
What Shall we Do with Symbols?
But the student is immediately faced with difficulty. The methods used by Inspiration to make these revelations raise questions in those who feel they must have unambiguous sentences with which to formulate concepts. In the Tabernacle, instead, they encounter over two hundred symbols and types which do not fit into this category. As exegetes and linguists they find little satisfaction for their skills and give up in frustration.
Other interpreters give these "pictures" meanings which have sprung from undisciplined flights of imagination and speculation. Conditioned by these fanciful and bizarre meanings suggested by a few ancient and modern commentators, others denigrate symbology and typology as allegorical, and so unworthy of scholarly Biblical study.
But because the Sanctuary is replete with symbols and types it does require a different approach. Its word-pictures, like those in the apocalyptic writings of both Testaments, and in Christ's parables, need creative visualization, or they will remain meaningless. But when the prospector reverently approaches the minutiae of God's word with the conviction that nothing is unimportant, his bias prepares the way for the Spirit to direct his imagination to veins of rich ore. Eternal Light, grant us Thy light to read these signs aright.
Some Rules for the Study of Symbology
Here are some of the more obvious "rules" for studying these hieroglyphs of salvation which Inspiration has embedded in the Sanctuary: (1) The student should constantly pray himself into that frame of mind which will allow the Spirit to "guide him into all truth." (2) No meaning should be deduced which produces tensions with other portions of the Scriptures dealing with the topic. (3) No interpretation should be proposed which runs counter to verified human knowledge and experience. (4) Every passage dealing with the concept should be brought to bear upon it with the help of good concordances. (5) The contexts of each passage, book, author and the Scriptures as a whole should be kept in mind. (6) Hebrew and Greek lexicons should be consulted to ensure that the meanings of the words are clearly understood. (7) Grammars should provide ideas as to the thrust of phrases and sentences. (8) Reliable histories and books on archaeology should be studied. (9) "The law of first mention" should be applied. This stresses that the context of the first time any idea is introduced in Scripture sets the tone for its use in the rest of the Bible. (19) "The law of last mention" rounds out this meaning. (11) "The law of full mention" looks for some passage in Scripture where the idea is discussed at length. (12) The writings of Ellen G. White should be compared with Scripture.
"Measuring" the Sanctuary
At certain critical junctures in history God has challenged His people to an intensive study of the Sanctuary. In fact, He has twice commanded that the Temple be "measured."
The Middle East was in uproar, with crisis swiftly moving toward catastrophe. Jerusalem had been sacked, and Yahweh's shrine burnt to the ground. Many of its treasures had been taken to Babylon with numbers of His people. As the exiled prophet considered the gloomy future, Inspiration granted Ezekiel a vision of a celestial Surveyor "measuring" a mystic Temple (Ezek 40:1-47:12).
The prophet was instructed to take careful note of the dimensions of each part of its fabric and furnishings, as well as details of its rites and priesthood. The heavenly Guide urged Him: "Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel" (Ezek 40:4; cf. 44:5, 6).
After all the particulars had been carefully "measured" by means of the heavenly "rod," Ezekiel was able to carry out what he had been bidden, to "tell the Israelites . . . about this Temple, its appearance and proportions, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities" (Ezek 43:10). This knowledge must be individually applied to the inner life. Jesus repeated this vital principle which underlies an understanding of the meaning of Scripture. "If any man wills to do His will, he shall know the doctrine" (John 7:17). Unless the student is willing to incorporate into his thinking God's will, as revealed through the inspired word, his study will not lead him to the knowledge which saves (John 17:3, 17).
The divine Architect then gave Ezekiel a specific directive for all His people. "Let them measure the Pattern." Paul later identified this Pattern as Jesus Himself. The "measuring" or careful investigation of God's Tabernacle which focuses on Christ as its center and circumference, will lead the student to repentance, and deepen his love for his Saviour. Eternal Spirit, lead us into this kind of study of the Sanctuary.
Sanctuary Designed to be Understood
There are four points in this divine order to Ezekiel and the measuring of his Temple which need careful thought. They apply with equal force to the ancient Sanctuary built a thousand years earlier.
First, the Temple was to be "shown" to Israel by Ezekiel, for there was nothing incomprehensible about it. As a complex visual device it first requires detailed study. It must be "seen" for its significance to be perceived, and the prophet was responsible to teach these truths to the house of Israel. God's people must investigate the Sanctuary for themselves.
Second, a clear grasp of the Temple of God and what it involved will produce a realization of personal sinfulness. This, in turn, will lead the student into a sense of guilt and shame. God's people must understand this thrust of the message of the Sanctuary, for it is designed to heal and restore the sinner by bringing him into direct contact with the Saviour.
Third, this grasp of the consequences of sin will grow clearer through a "measuring" of the Tabernacle. God's people must personally discover the bearing of the Sanctuary teachings on their lives.
Fourth, the focus of this "measuring" should be on the heavenly "Pattern" from which the structure was copied. This will lead to an appreciation of Jesus and what He is, and what He has done, and what He is doing today. Without a personal knowledge of Christ's ministry in the celestial Sanctuary God's people are in danger.
Details Must be Visualized
The details of Ezekiel's temple vision were to be displayed before the "house of Israel," Jehovah's covenant people to help them to "measure the pattern" for themselves. This recommendation is equally binding on the people of God today. The scope of the ministry of our Saviour, the true Pattern, can be understood by them only through this kind of investigation. Through it the sacrificial love of the Victim-Priest will awaken appreciation in their hearts, as well as guilt and shame. These needs the provisions of the Tabernacle stand ready to remedy. In Ezekiel's commission the personal application of the details of the Sanctuary to life's basic problems is emphasized.
Gabriel Presents a Time-table to the Prophet Daniel
Near the end of his life Daniel felt frustrated because of his failure to understand the predictions he had recorded (Dan 12:4ff). The Lord directed Gabriel to assure him that his future and that of God's people were secure, and that he should not worry, but trust. The prophet then recorded a description of the Being Who conversed with him, so that He might be recognized later. Robed in white and holding up a sealed scroll containing the prophet's messages, He impressively stood by a river. Raising both His arms to heaven to arrest attention and add solemnity to His proclamation, He declared that Daniel's prophecies should remain "sealed until the time of the end." He then assured the universe that one day knowledge of them should increase as students diligently investigated their meaning (Dan 12:4).
End-time Measuring of the Sanctuary
Six centuries after Ezekiel, while banished on the Isle of Patmos, the Revelator was granted a similar view of the same majestic Person (Rev 10:1-6). He watched Him raise the book of Daniel, now "open" or "unsealed," in his right hand. This is an important insight and fixes the era in which John's oracle will be fulfilled. This message is addressed to the people living at that juncture of history when "there should be time no longer" (Rev 10:6). "This message announces the end of the prophetic periods" (2SM 104-108). The longest one, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Dan 8:14) ended in l844. John's vision, therefore, applies to that date and the years which follow.
As the representative of God's people who should be living at that time, the exiled seer was bidden to "eat" the contents of Daniel's scroll (Rev 10:8-11). But John was warned that while its nourishing message would initially taste "as sweet as honey," it would grow "bitter" when its significance had been digested.
The "eating" of Scripture is a study of its words which lead to an acceptance of their message in the daily life. Centuries prior to John, Jeremiah (Jer 15:16) and Ezekiel (Ezek 2:8-10; 3:1-3) had both been required to "eat" God's messages. Christ later bade His followers to "eat" His "flesh and blood," which He explained to be His words and teachings (John, 6:48-63). The people of God who live at the time Daniel's predictions reached their consummation, around 1844, were also to "eat" the prophecies of Daniel.
During the early decades of the nineteenth century a New England Baptist farmer named William Miller arrived at the conclusion that Christ would return very soon. He based his argument primarily on Christ's words to Daniel: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Dan 8:14). He reached three conclusions: (1) Jesus would return sometime during 1843-1844, (2) that the Sanctuary represented the church, and (3) its cleansing consisted of its "redemption from sin, both soul and body, after the resurrection, when Christ comes the 2nd time `without sin unto salvation."' (A Few Evidences of the Time of the 2nd Coming of Christ to Elder Andrus by Wm. Miller, Feb. 15, 1831). He later modified his view, and concluded that the Sanctuary represented both the church and the earth. (Cleansing the Sanctuary, 1842, 8). The "cleansing" would be by the fires of the last day.
William Miller's Calculations
He arrived at this date by basing his calculations on the year-day factor "in accordance with the opinions of all standard Protestant commentators" (Apology and Defense, 11). Beginning his computations with 457 B.C., he subtracted 457 from 2300 and reached the year 1843-1844 A.D.. He believed that the Jewish year would end early in 1844 and so expected Christ to return by that time. But the Saviour did not return, and the Millerites experienced a bitter, bitter disappointment.
They continued to hold meetings, however, and restudied the Scriptures relevant to the issues. During August 1844 a camp meeting was held in New Hampshire at the town of Exeter. In the middle of his address to one of the sessions Joseph Bates was interrupted with the suggestion that a brother, S. S. Snow, had new light on the topic uppermost in the minds of all, the time of the second coming. Snow's suggestion was that Jesus would return on the Jewish Day of Atonement, or the "cleansing" of the Sanctuary, which would occur in the seventh Jewish month, that is, on October 22, 1844. This thought electrified the Millerites.
Snow's conclusion had actually been sparked by Miller himself. In a letter to Snow, dated 3 May l843, Miller had wondered whether the Hebrew fall festivals, Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur and Succoth, might in some way also be fulfilled by Christ from heaven as the spring festivals, the Passover, Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, had been fulfilled by Christ on earth. Snow took up this idea and developed it.
From the Exeter camp meeting "the seventh month movement" grew in popularity and influence and thousands eagerly expected the second advent of Jesus on that day. After the passing of "the time" a Millerite paper noted in retrospect: "At first the definite time was generally opposed; but there seemed to be an irresistible power attending its proclamation, which prostrated all before it. It swept over the land with the velocity of a tornado, and it reached hearts in different and distant places almost simultaneously, and in a manner which can be accounted for only on the supposition that God was [in] it" (Advent Herald, 30 Oct. 1844).
John's Anticipation of the Millerite Agony
In vision the Revelator had experienced the emotions of these people who lived through the Advent Awakening and the euphoria of l833. John enjoyed the "blessing" or happiness promised to those who should live at the termination of the 1335 days in 1843 (Dan 12:12), and its sweet hope in the soon return of the Saviour. But then he was overwhelmed, as they were to be, by the wrenching disappointment of l844. In his belly the idea of the immediate return of Jesus and its aftermath grew bitter after the debacle of l844.
As representative of the survivors of the Millerite Movement, John was further instructed by his heavenly visitor to "prophesy again" to an international audience (Rev 10:11). In the Spirit's words he was directed to "rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein" (Rev 11:1). By this careful restudy of the Sanctuary the remnant of the Millerites discovered the topic of their proclamation.
The stories of Ezekiel's "measurement" of the mystic Temple and John's "measurement" of the Temple or Tabernacle in heaven (Rev 15:5) relate to the same event.
Millerites "Measure" the Heavenly Tabernacle
The years immediately following the disappointment of 1844 were very difficult for William Miller and his followers. Many of them gave up their faith in the Scriptures altogether. But a small group of some half dozen decided that, since the Bible could not be wrong, the mistake must lie in their interpretation of its words. Surmounting their discouragement they carefully restudied the relevant Biblical passages, and concluded that their experiences had been a mirror-image of the Revelator's vision of people who passed through a "sweet" and then a "bitter" experience. They therefore set about a reinvestigation of the entire Millerite message which dealt with the "cleansing of the Sanctuary."
Ellen White was one of these Millerites, and she has left us this description of their method: "But those who had looked for the coming of the Lord were not without comfort. They had obtained valuable knowledge in the searching of the word. The plan of salvation was plainer to their understanding. Every day they discovered new beauties in the sacred pages, and a wonderful harmony running through all, one scripture explaining another, and no word used in vain" (1T 57). In their study of the Sanctuary types and symbols today the student should bear in mind that "no word is used in vain!"
Almost immediately they found that the "Sanctuary" mentioned by the prophet Daniel (Dan 8:14) was not the earth, as they had supposed, but a "place" (Jer 17:12) in heaven where Jesus was ministering as High Priest (Heb 8:1ff). From the types in the Old Testament they understood that He had commenced His special work of cleansing the heavenly Sanctuary on the antitypical Day of Atonement, October 22, l844, and would complete it before returning to this earth for His people.
Millerites Experience What had been Predicted
They further came to understand that they had gone through Habakkuk's "waiting time" (Hab 2:1-3), and had experienced what John was represented as enduring, and that they had also fulfilled the heavenly mandate to "measure" the Temple of God in heaven. "Point after point was established by the Lord God of heaven. That which was truth then, is truth today" (2SM 104). With the picture of the Saviour's mediatorial work glowing in their hearts they were prepared to take the next step in the prophetic scenario, to "prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" (Rev 12:11). Since no other Christians were preaching these truths, the early Seventh-day Adventists felt compelled to do so. Freighted with this mandate they were ready to proclaim the Sanctuary message world-wide. This group of quondam Millerites eventually developed into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1853 James White wrote, "The subject of the Sanctuary should be carefully examined, as it lies at the foundation of our faith and hope" (in a page tipped into unsold copies of the 1850 Advent Review, a 48-page pamphlet).
One who passed through these trying experience warns those who came after: "These persons do not consider that the truth has been set forth at the appointed time by the very men whom God was leading to do this special work. These men followed on step by step in the very fulfillment of prophecy, and those who have not had a personal experience in this work, are to take the Word of God and believe on `their word' who have been led by the Lord in the proclamation of the first second, and third angel's messages" (2SM 111).
To make a "measured drawing" of a building or a piece of furniture the draftsman must first assemble the dimensions of each element in their relationships with every other part, and with the whole. He must then consider the materials of which the segments are made, and the quantities needed. This kind of detailed work is illustrative of what must be devoted to the study of the Sanctuary. Every particular symbol must be "measured," and its proportions, materials, location and relationships carefully considered. The details of the building and its furnishings, its sacrifices and priesthood, its festivals and rituals as recorded in the Old Testament must be carefully weighed. The truth symbolized by each part must then be compared with the realities carried out in the heavenly Sanctuary. Then these revelations of Christ and His ministry must be applied to the personal life of the student.
Christians Must "Measure" the Tabernacle Today
We who follow in the footsteps of these early Millerites must continue to study the Sanctuary in all its details. While spoken initially of our Saviour's personal life, the following applies equally well to the Tabernacle. "Jesus is the True Pattern. His self-sacrificing life is our example. I saw how little the Pattern was studied, how little exalted before them " (1T 155). Beyond the accidentals of building and furnishings, priesthood and ritual, the thoughtful student should see the Saviour. As David contemplated these minutiae he was led to exclaim: "In His Temple every whit of it uttereth His glory" (Pa 29:9, margin).
What is the divine measuring "rod" used by the celestial Surveyor of Ezekiel's temple, and which was handed to John for measuring the celestial Tabernacle? Jesus is Himself called the "rod" (Isa 11:1; cf. Mic 6:9). By using His life and ministry as the yard-stick we should "measure" the meaning of the Sanctuary.
The Topic of the Sanctuary is Vital
Ellen White urges each Christian to continue this kind of investigation: "The subject of the Sanctuary . . . should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time, or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. . . . It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects" (GC 488).
Some believe that the Old Testament Sanctuary should be scrutinized solely through the eyes of the New. But the meaning of many aspects of the Tabernacle had been grasped by perceptive readers centuries before there was a New Testament. In my view, New Testament statements should be understood in the light of the Old, which came first. When Jesus fulfilled the predictions of typology by His life, death and resurrection the light from these Sanctuary symbols shone clearly, but their glow had been there from the beginning.
Paul did not approach the Saviour's death and triumphant ministry in the heavenly Sanctuary in a vacuum. He was saturated with its ancient illustrations. His statements regarding Christ's implementation of these types become clear only because the light from the Old Testament is streaming upon them. When ideas from both Testaments are assembled, the significance of the plan of salvation as taught in the Tabernacle emerges with ever increasing brightness. For instance: let us apply these suggestions for studying its symbols, and start with one which is familiar to us all, the "lamb."
The Saviour is the Representative Lamb
Jesus was twice addressed as "the Lamb of God" by the Baptist, before and after His temptation (John 1:29, 36). This picture-word evokes meaning in our minds without our seeing, except subliminally, an animal with four legs, a woolly coat and tail, two little horns and pointed ears, that bleats! What we do perceive, what we feel, is our Saviour, gentle and kind, given by His Father to die for the world. By age-long use the symbol has become reality. This kind of habitual application of the sanctified imagination must be directed toward every type and symbol in the Tabernacle.
Moses, Isaiah, and our Saviour call attention to a great many details regarding the sacrificial lamb, and these qualifications apply to every other kind of victim. The lamb must be innocent, young, flawless, and freely provided by the Owner of "the cattle on a thousand hills." He must be presented at the altar by a willing penitent, who bound him with cords and flung him to the ground, crushed him into the dirt with his full weight, and then deliberately slaughtered his helpless substitute. Our imaginations empathize with the victim, as we sense the flash of sun on the killing blade, and watch its shuddering death agony, blood streaming from its throat. Our hearts race with horror because we have come to believe that these activities and ideas, embedded in these symbols and types, depict the realities we perpetrate upon the Lamb of God.
The Spirit-directed Imagination Must be Used
But these mental pictures are not painted by the brush strokes of Biblical writers, nor are these emotions evoked by their words. They are emoted by the Spirit's stimulation of our imaginations through representations far more powerful and eloquent than letters on a page.
But questions still confront us: Which of the many details of the symbols or types shall we consider meaningful, and therefore "measure," or dismiss as merely incidental? It is my opinion that there is nothing given by Inspiration which is without significance, when all the facts are known and brought to bear upon it, as Ellen White noted, "no word [is] used in vain." Even though I may not grasp them all yet, I would be unwise to say they are nonessential. Eternal Spirit, keep my mind from turning from Thy light.
Remembering that types and symbols testify of our Saviour in His ministry in heaven, we must mentally recreate all their particulars: the troubled penitent with bloodied clothing and crimsoned hands clutching the reeking knife, experiencing the drama in which he was both participator and observer; the lamb finally lying still in death, its blood caught in a golden bowl by the mediator and staining the earth with carmine; the priest proceeding with his duties with white robes streaked with scarlet, while spectators stared in silence. Sacrificial blood embodied all these notions, but in and of itself was not enough to save.
Biblical Ideas Must be Internalized
To recapitulate: While these concepts are not spelled out in the Bible, they are clearly pictured by the details of symbols and types. Not until every particular has been etched in the mind by studying the inspired Word with the help of the illuminating Spirit will the student be able to grasp what is actually transpiring in the celestial Tabernacle. John was to measure the altar, and "we have an altar" (Heb 13:10) too.
For instance, when the significance of the sacrificial system is seen, the idea that the wages of sin is death becomes painfully clear. As the student senses that his penal death is borne by the guiltless victim, his mind turns to the Lamb of God Who was slain to take away the sin of the world, including his own. He is horrified that the innocent Saviour had to die in agony on Calvary because of him. His guilt wrenches his heart when he feels the love there displayed on his behalf. These meditations, clarified and applied by the Spirit, fill the sinner with shame. This kind of prayerful study of the Scriptures fulfills the charge to "measure" the Temple.
Disciplined
by the curbs of divine revelation, trained by lexicon and grammar
and context, aided by insights of history, geography and the
established facts of science, our powers of visualization should be
exerted upon each detail given in Scripture to push comprehension
beyond the obvious meaning of words. Then the realities embedded in
every symbol and type will glow in our hearts. We shall rejoice at
the fruit of our "measuring" of the Pattern of the
Sanctuary as we see more clearly that "Christ is all."
4 - THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY
All My Reality Is Christ's
Seventh-day Adventists believe that Christ is ministering as Priest and High Priest in the celestial Sanctuary, and is there applying the benefits of His atoning sacrifice to the needs of His people. They also believe that these heavenly services were illustrated by the Old Testament Tabernacle, and understand that Jesus is the fulfillment of nearly every symbol and type there presented. We shall now look at the Biblical evidence for the existence of a Sanctuary in heaven.
The unanimous testimony of Old and New Testament writers is that God's dwelling is in heaven. When Noah and his family worshiped in gratitude immediately after the deluge, they presented a "burnt offering" (Gen 8:20-22) to express their rededication. Its Hebrew name indicates that their gift was "rising up" in smoke as if reaching to Yahweh in supplication and praise.
God Himself often declared that His abode is in the heavens. He "came down" (Gen 11:5-7) from celestial heights to investigate the spiritual state of the Babel builders. He did this when examining conditions in Sodom and Gomorrah. With two angelic companions He "went down" (Gen 18:16-22) to check for Himself. In the story of Jacob's dream (Gen 28:12-15) God is enthroned somewhere "high and lifted up," reachable by the mystic staircase of light upon which angels "ascend and descend" in obedience to God and service to mankind. Christ explained that this ladder to glory symbolizes His Messianic ministry (John 1:51).
The inspired poets often used the expression "heaven of heavens" (Deut 10:14; Ps 115:16; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron 2:6; 6:18). Akin to the phrases "God of gods," "Lord of lords," "song of songs," and "holy of holies," it suggests the superlative by this repetition. "Heaven of heavens" points to the highest, perhaps "the third heaven" or "Paradise," to which Paul was "caught up" (2 Cor 12:4), in which the Divine residence is located, and from which the Deity administers the universe.
God Rules from Heaven
Moses reminded the individual Israelite that it was "out of heaven" that Jehovah "made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee" (Deut 4:36; cf. 2 Sam 22:14; 1 Chron 21:26; Heb 12:25). The Lord Himself emphasized this: "Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven" (Ex 20:22). Eliphaz asked Job, "Is not God in the height of heaven?" (Job 22:12), and Isaiah corroborated this idea: "Heaven is Thy throne, and the earth is thy footstool" (Isa 66:l; cf. Acts 7:48, 49). After his conversion Nebuchadnezzar recognized Jehovah as "the King of heaven" (Dan 4:37; cf. Deut 4:39; Josh 2:11). Daniel later reproved Belshazzar for deliberately rebelling against "the Lord of heaven" (Dan 5:23; cf. Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21; Acts 17:24; 1 Cor 15:47: 1 Thess 4:16; 2 Thess 1:7).
In His "sermon on the mount" Jesus affirmed that "heaven is God's throne" (Matt 5:34; Isa 66:1; cf. James 5:12; Matt 23:22). Matthew remembered that while Christ was praying on the banks of Jordan following His baptism, "the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost" descended "upon Him" (Luke 3:21, 22; cf. 1 Pet 1:12; John 1:32) from His dwelling on high, in search of an abiding place in the heart of the Son of God. And Jesus taught His followers to pray, "Our Father, Who art in heaven" (Matt 6:9), making several statements to the effect that He would ascend to heaven to His Father's "house" or "Paradise." There He would prepare "many mansions," and eventually return to take His faithful followers to be with Him (John 14:1-3). The Saviour later taught the Philadelphian church that the New Jerusalem would come "down out of heaven from My God" (Rev 3:12) to become the capitol of the new-made earth (Rev 21:10).
In his description of what would transpire at the close of human history, John tells us that he heard "a great voice out of the temple of heaven" announcing the end of probation (Rev 16:17; cf. 2 Sam 22:7, 17, 10, 48). He noted that a thousand years after the second coming "fire came down from God out of heaven" to destroy the wicked and cleanse the earth (Rev 20:9; 2 Kings 1:10, 13, 14; cf. 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chron 21:26; 2 Chron 7:l).
We may therefore conclude that the writers of both the Old and New Testaments unanimously believed that God's dwelling place is in heaven, and that there He conducts His government.
God's Dwelling is the Heavenly Sanctuary
The Scriptures clearly teach that God's heavenly dwelling is in His Sanctuary or Temple. Moses urged the Israelites to invite God to "look down from the habitation of Thy Sanctuary, from heaven" (Deut 26:15; cf. Ps 14:22; 33:13; 53:2; 80:14; 85:11; 102:119). Many writers corroborate that from this place Deity listens to the prayers of His people and considers their needs (cf. 2 Kings 8:30, 32, 34, 36, 39, 43, 45, 49; 2 Chron 6:21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 33, 35, 39; 7:14; 30:27; 32:20; Neh 9:27, 28; Mark 7:34; Luke 18:13; John 17:l). And while He is attending to their petitions, Inspiration pictures God as constantly "looking down from heaven" (Ps 14:22; 53:2; 80:14; 85:11; 102:19) in love and compassion.
This celestial edifice is also called a Tabernacle, Palace, or House. As one of the signs of the last days, the Revelator described the opening of the Temple of God in heaven. This made the ark of His testimony in its most holy place immediately visible to all (Rev 11:19). At the moment in history to which this applies there is no temple on earth which might qualify to fulfill this prophecy (Rev 14:13-18; 15:5; 16:l, 17). The Spirit is thus deliberately turning the minds of the end-time readers of Revelation to the ark in the most holy place of the heavenly Sanctuary.
Several Psalms take this thought one step farther. Israel's songs are replete with allusions to God's dwelling in His heavenly Tabernacle. His saints are constantly urged to "praise the Lord in His Sanctuary . . . in the firmament" (Ps 150:1; 103:19; 113:5; 123:1). He is pictured as viewing the affairs of mankind from the height of His Sanctuary in heaven, ready to aid His faithful people. From there He also observes the rebellious moving on to their final judgment (Ps 102:19; cf. Isa 6:1-3; 57:15; Ezek 1:26; Dan 7:9-11; Rev 4:1; 5:1).
Meaning of the Hebrew Word "Holy"
Besides these obvious allusions, the King James Version of the Old Testament contains other references to the heavenly Sanctuary which have been obscured by translation. A study of the Hebrew, or the reading of various English versions, will illustrate this. The expressions "His holy hill," and "Zion My holy hill" may be rendered "His mountain Sanctuary" or "Mount Zion My Sanctuary" (Ps 2:6; 3:4; 15:l, Knox). In fact, the Hebrew term "holy" should often be translated as "sanctuary" where now it is not (cf. Ps 20:2, &c). The word sometimes precisely points to the "heavenly sanctuary" (cf. Ps 20:6). Knox renders the poet's question as: "Who shall ascend to the place of His Sanctuary?" and the psalmist affirms that it can be reached only by a climb up to God (Ps 24:3). "Thy holy oracle" may be rendered "Thy most holy Sanctuary" (Ps 29:2, RSV; cf. 30:4; 47:8; 48: 60:6; 63:2; 68:5, 17, 24; 69:35; 74:3, 7; 77:13; 78:6; 79:1; 89:35; 102:19). Israel's hymnody is unanimous in its affirmation that God dwells in His Sanctuary in heaven.
Like other writers on this topic, the psalmists frequently use language which directs the singers' minds in an upward sweep to focus on Jehovah reigning on His eternal throne. This is within His heavenly Sanctuary which is established on law. There He listens to the cries of His needy people. The poetic command to "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" is rich with meaning not fully revealed in translation (Ps 29:2, 9, 10; 96:6, 9; 1 Chron 16:9; 2 Chron 20:21). The expression is always used in connection with the Worship of God. The margin rightly suggests that "holiness" should be rendered "Sanctuary."
Heavenly Sanctuary is the Center of Worship
The Lord established His Sanctuary and Temple on earth to focus the devotional life of Israel on Himself. The worshiper's prayers and praises were to be stimulated by a contemplation of the beautiful Sanctuary-Temple on Mt. Zion. But this kind of worship was not an end in itself. The ritual with which they were familiar was designed to turn the hearts of His people to "heavenly places" where God was always ready to accede to the intercessory petitions of His Anointed One on behalf of His sons and daughters on earth (Ps 20:1-6). Jesus is the realization of this hope of all Old Testament saints. In every age He hears His people from His heavenly Sanctuary, and helps them with His "saving strength."
Heavenly Sanctuary is the Center of God's Judgment
Taking this thought one step farther, the Scriptures declare that God's throne of judgment is located in His heavenly Sanctuary. Ronald Knox clothes Jeremiah's majestic description of the eternal Judge seated in heaven, searching man's deceitful heart and trying his wicked ways, in these words: "where from the first supreme majesty sits enthroned, there lies our Sanctuary" (Jer 17:9, 10, 12). The psalmists echo these sentiments over and over again. The Lord's throne is founded upon His testimonies or laws, and is in His heavenly Sanctuary (Ps 93:1-5; cf. 1 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron 18:18; Isa 6:1; 66:1; Lam 5:19; Ps 11:4; 45:6; 47:8; 89:29, 36; 103:29; Zeph 1:8), where He reigns supreme (Ps 47:8; 80:1; 99:1). This shrine is also called "His house" (1 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron 18:18; cf. Ps 47:8).
David showed his comprehension of the purpose of the earthly Tabernacle in several poems. He happily testified that this understanding lifts the suppliant's thoughts up to God and His work in His heavenly Sanctuary (Ps 18:6, 9, 10, 16; cf. Hab 2:20; Zeph 1:7). He shared a remarkable insight into the Lord's investigative procedure with his readers in the ninth psalm. He depicts Christ the Judge seated on His throne, carrying out His role as the Kinsman-Redeemer of our race. To do this He "makes inquisition" on behalf of the lives ("blood") of His people. His allusion was to the judicial inquiry carried out by the elders of the cities of refuge to which the threatened fugitives had fled from "the avenger of blood" (Num 35:11-34). Jesus is constantly looking down (Ps 14:2) with solicitude from His throne in His heavenly Sanctuary (Ps 47:8), which He has prepared (Ps 103:19) for this very purpose (Ps 9:4, 7). The Psalmist represents Him as flying on the pinions of cherubim to deliver His people (Ps 18:6, 9, 10, 16), and make careful inquiry into their spiritual condition.
The prophets, like the poets and historians of Israel, were unanimous that God's throne of judgment was in His heavenly Sanctuary (Ps 9:4-8; 89:4, 6, 14, 29; 93:2, 5; 97:2; 122:3, 5). Jeremiah declared that the Lord's "glorious high throne" has been the "place of His Sanctuary" from the very "beginning" (Jer 17:12; cf. Ps 55:19), and David agreed that it was in the heavenly "holy places" (Ps 68:34, margin, 35; 11:4; 45:6; 76:8; cf. Isa 16:5, 12; 18:4; 1 Kings 22:29). Micah summarized the redemptive process by stating that the Lord witnesses against the wicked from His heavenly Temple, and comes down to the earth to execute His sentence (Mic 7:7-9).
Earthly Sanctuary a Type of Heavenly
King David wished to build a temple to honor God, but was not permitted to do this (2 Chron 6:18-21). Instead the Lord promised that his son Solomon would erect His shrine. In time this, the most magnificent house of worship ever constructed on this planet, was consecrated to the worship of Jehovah.
In his dedicatory prayer Solomon listed several activities which would be carried out within its precincts. After mentioning each, he lifted his thoughts to the heavenly Sanctuary where the Lord was listening to the cries of His people, and from whence He would send help (1 Kings 8:22ff, particularly vv. 23, 27, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 43, 45, 49). Thus Israel's monarch tried to focus the minds of his people on God's dwelling in heaven, and not on the earthly Temple, and emphasized that the action took place there. The symbolic sacrifices and typical priestly functions of the earthly Temple were reminders of the realities carried out in the heavenly Sanctuary (cf. Isa 66:1).
Ezekiel has left us a vision of a river of healing grace, flowing out of the "Door" (threshold, Ezek 47:1) of God's celestial Temple into the deserts of this world. Eventually reaching the sea of death,--a symbol of lost humanity,--this vivifying stream brought about restoration and fruitfulness, and finally the irrigation of the tree of life with its twelve varieties of menstral fruit (Ezek 47:1-12; cf. Rev 22:l-5). This vision portrayed Messiah's ministry as prefigured in the Sanctuary.
Christ Ministers in Heavenly Sanctuary
This Old Testament focus of the earthly Sanctuary upon God's Tabernacle in heaven is clearly corroborated in the New Testament. Paul carefully reviewed the teachings of the Mosaic Tabernacle and its priesthood in the first seven chapters of his epistle to the Hebrews. He then pin-pointed his goal: It was Jesus the High Priest and what He is doing in "the true Tabernacle which God pitched and not man" (Heb 8:1, 2).
Zechariah (6:12-15) had long before predicted that King Messiah would be installed as Priest as well as Judge in God's heavenly Temple (Zech 6:12-15), and the Saviour Himself had looked forward to His enthronement (Matt 19:28; 25:31). Was it of this that David sang: "They have seen Thy procession, O God, the procession of my God, my King into the Sanctuary"? (Ps 68:24, NASB). Daniel watched the same scene as the "Son of Man" moved to His celestial throne of judgment (Dan 7:9-11). John later observed the Lion and Redeeming Lamb at this throne (Rev 5:6, 7) presenting His sacrificial and triumphant blood to God. To this throne of omnipotent grace in the most holy place of the heavenly Sanctuary the Christian is invited to come boldly to find all the grace and mercy and help he requires in every time of need (Heb 4:14-16).
Paul reminded his readers that the old covenant "also" had an earthly Sanctuary (Heb 9:1). Its priests had been only representative, "examples and shadows" of the heavenly Reality (Heb 8:4). The celestial Sanctuary by contrast is the "true" or "real" one from which the earthly "shadow" was copied. It had been "pitched" by God Himself in heaven (epexen, from pegnumi, to fix, fasten together, construct, build or pitch a tent, cf. LXX in Gen 26:25, builded an altar; 1 Chron 16:1. David also placed the ark in a tent he had pitched for it, just as Joshua had done, cf. Ex 40:2, 3; Josh 18:1), in contrast to the one which had been pitched by Moses on earth. The Sinaiatic "worldly Sanctuary" (Heb 9:1) Paul placed in contrast with the heavenly, emphasizing that the Mosaic was "patterned" (tupos, Heb 8:5, type) after the heavenly (Ex 25:9, 40), and could only be a "figure (parabole ) for the time then present" (Heb 8:9).
The cumulative force of these apostolic terms and arguments is that the real God-Man Christ Jesus is a real priest ministering His real blood to atone for real sins in a real Sanctuary in a real heaven which God Himself really made. Aelred Cody put the case succinctly when he explained that the "liturgy of Christ," begun historically on earth, is actually consummated in heaven for the salvation of mankind, when His act of salvation will be terminated once and for all. "The Tabernacle or Sanctuary in which Christ carries out His work of salvation is heavenly (Heb 8:1), a Tabernacle, then, which is of transcendent order, stemming immediately from God without human, earthly intermedia, it is a Tabernacle `pitched not by man' (Heb 8:2). The framework in which Christ accomplishes salvation is a true Tabernacle (Heb 8:2), while the first Tabernacle, the Tabernacle connected with the old order, and established not by God Himself but by Moses, was a reflected antitype (Heb 9:4) of the celestial tupos (Heb 8:5) in which Christ functions" (Aelred Cody, Heavenly Sanctuary and Liturgy in the Epistle to the Hebrews, 151-152).
Paul now explained that the symbols of the Mosaic Tabernacle were direct illustrations of Christ's ministry as sacrifice and priest. He emphasized that He is the reality pictured by each dying victim, and by every act of the mediating priest. In the holy places of the celestial Sanctuary He is ministering to bring His redeemed family safe home at last. This reality is vouched for in other passages.
The Revelator watched Christ the priest tending the seven golden candlesticks in the holy place of this heavenly Temple (Rev 1:12-18), and later viewed the "seven lamps of fire burning before the throne" (Rev 4:5; 1:12). He saw the "golden altar" (Rev 8:3), and observed a celestial ministrant taking a "golden censer and much incense" (Rev 8:3; cf, 5:8) to which he added the prayers of the saints. He noticed the "horns of the golden altar which is before God" (Rev 9:13), and noted that the live coals to ignite the incense came form "the altar" (Rev 8:5; cf. 14:18) in the court. He was shown "the Temple of God opened" in heaven, and looked into its most holy place where he saw "the ark of His testament" in which was housed the divine decalogue (Rev 11:19; Heb 9:4). In front of the throne he observed "the sea of glass," or laver, forming the platform on which the cleansed saints took their stand (Rev 4:6; 15:2). Then, on the throne of the Omnipotent One Himself, he saw "the Lamb as it had been slain" (Rev 5:6). As he listened to Christ's invitation to the church in Laodecia, I think John must have seen the golden table spread with bread and wine at which the Host was ready to entertain His guests to supper (Rev 3:20, 21).
Let us recall a vital historical event. Following the disappointment in 1844 a small group of fewer than a dozen of the followers of William Miller, with Methodist, Baptist, Congregational and Christian backgrounds, restudied the Scriptures. They soon discovered the evidences we have been considering, and were convinced that there was a Sanctuary in heaven, and that Christ, its Priest and High Priest, was ministering His blood in their behalf, to bring about all that was involved in its "cleansing" rites (Dan 8:14). It was "thus [that] those who were studying the subject found indisputable proof of the existence of a Sanctuary in heaven" (GC 415, [ ] mine), and were convinced that it was the key which unlocked their past and present experiences.
From these seemingly inauspicious beginnings Seventh-day Adventists have seen with increasing clarity the bearing of the Tabernacle on their theology. The implications of the heavenly Sanctuary is the supporting skeleton of their soteriology. As we continue to delve into the Biblical teachings on this topic in the following chapters we, too, shall see more and more beautifully the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, Who is our Victim-Priest. Eternal Spirit, grant us grace to discern the truth that Christ is all.
5 - BEQ'A FOUNDATIONS
All My Ransom Is Christ's
Among the instructions regarding the furnishings of the Sanctuary is found the Lord's detailed command to levy a tax of a silver half-shekel on every man twenty years old and over (Ex 30:11-16; 38:25-31). The space devoted to this in the Bible is enough to indicate the importance of this piece of legislation. Twenty was the age at which the youth attained manhood and became eligible for priestly, Levitical and military service (1 Chron 23:24, 27; 2 Chron 25:5; 31:17; Ezra 3:8). The first-born Israelite males were paying for their emancipation from this sacerdotal responsibility. If an alien wished to join the ranks of God's people, he, too, must furnish "a ransom for his soul." No exceptions were allowed because of age, rank, wealth or race. The piece of silver was called a beq'a, meaning simply "a half" (Ex 38:26; cf. Gen 24:22, these are the only uses of this term in the Bible).
Three times the directive stressed that "every man" should individually provide his own ransom money. God never has reckoned His people in crowds, only as individuals. The blood of the Passover lamb, for instance, was to be sprinkled upon the door-posts of each home (Ex 12:3). The Paschal meal was for "every man according to his eating" (Ex 12:4). The Master underlined the need for Christians personally to eat of the bread of life (John 6:54).
Another purpose for this poll-tax is clearly stated: "That there be no plague among them" (Ex 30:12). As a result of "the great controversy" wrath will inevitably fall on the impenitent. But this is not God's will, it is the result of man's personal choice. And so God Himself provided the ransom which would guarantee that retribution would be waived for the penitent.
Silver for the Beq'a was a Gift
The Israelite did not create or earn the silver; he did not even mine or mint it. It became his by gift on the memorable night when he had been redeemed and Egypt despoiled on his behalf (Ex 11:2, 3; 12:35, 36). Before they left for freedom the Egyptians paid the Israelites the wages they had withheld by fraud. They also heaped on the departing Hebrews treasures to encourage them to leave in haste.
A parallel instance of our loving Father's provision for His needy children is the story of the wise men and their gifts for the Baby Jesus. They provided Joseph with "gold, and frankincense and myrrh" (Matt 2:11) so that he had ample means to support his family while in exile in Egypt. This recompense for each Israelite's soul also came about in the planning of Jehovah, as did the gift of the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8). Because "God so loved . . . He gave" (John 3:16). His people were to accept His benefits gratefully and use them faithfully.
When the first-born Israelite had paid his half-shekel ransom he was numbered among God's covenant people. The Hebrew word shekel means to weigh. This silver token of his freedom was later melted with all the other half-shekels and fused into the foundation of the Tabernacle. In his beq'a each heir had his position in it. He was "numbered of the congregation" and assigned his place among the pilgrim and militant tribes (Ex 38:25, 26). As a soldier in the army of the Lord of Hosts the Israelite should bear in mind that he had once been a slave in a hostile land, and that his Redeemer had accepted "Egypt for [his] ransom" (Isa 43:3), and now was his Captain. The death-angel had identified the recalcitrant Egyptian, and validated the first-born in every obedient Hebrew household.
Had the silver beq'a not been presented on behalf of each soul the plague which had devastated Egypt would have decimated the Hebrew pilgrims. The payment of the poll tax (Ex 38:26, margin) was an acknowledgment of the debt every family owed, and guaranteed its continuance. At the final day of salvation God will declare of His people, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave: I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes" (Hos 13:14). Without Christ's payment of the ransom of each individual, judgment is inescapable upon the disobedient.
Did David Number Israel Without Levying the Beq'a?
This fatal result is grimly illustrated by David's attempt at numbering His subjects (2 Sam 24:1-25). The Scripture says, "Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel" (1 Chron 21:1). When the king yielded to this diabolical suggestion he ordered the commander of his army to carry out a census. Joab remonstrated, "Why doth my lord require this thing?" "It was pride and ambition that prompted this action of the king. The numbering of the people would show the contrast between the weakness of the kingdom when David ascended the throne, and its strength and prosperity under his rule. This would tend still further to foster the already too great self-confidence of both king and people" (PP 747, cf. 746-748).
Joab sensed that the Israelites would resent this action because of the less overt reason for the census. "David determined to increase his army by requiring military service from all who were of proper age" (PP 747). This is implicit in Joab's response, "Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?" Did David's further sin lie in failing to provide the ransom price for each man (cf. Ex 30:14)? But the king was adamant, and for nine months the census continued until retribution struck, "and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men" (2 Sam 24:15).
Redemption at Mount Moriah
After traversing the countryside the destroying angel arrived to wreak vengeance on Jerusalem. The Lord directed David to the threshing floor of Ornan, also called Araunah, the Jubusite, an ancient aboriginal chieftain of the city (2 Sam 24:16-25; 1 Chron 2114-30). There the king was granted a vision of a celestial executioner hovering over his capitol with his sword poised. David quickly built an altar and offered a sacrifice. Then the Judge ordered the angel: "It is enough; stay now thy hand" (2 Sam 24:16).
Almost eight centuries prior to this rescue, the knife had been halted in Abraham's hand and Isaac spared. On that very spot on Mount Moriah God had provided a ransom for the doomed first-born (Gen 21:10-13). Now on behalf of guilty Israel a substitute was again accepted by the eternal Judge. The dying Israelites took hope from the bleeding victim, and David as their intercessor "called upon the Lord; and He answered from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering. And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof" (1 Chron 21:26, 27).
When Solomon built a Temple, and, at God's command, made Jerusalem the center of Israel's devotions, the king built an altar upon the very rock upon which the Lord had provided Himself a substitute for Isaac, and later for all Israel. After his return from Babylon, Joshua the high priest and the representative of God's people, was vindicated by the Eternal Judge. His filthy garments were first removed, and then he was clothed in the spotless robe of Christ's righteousness (Zech 3:1-5). At that time the Lord re-established the true Temple, and true devotions. Paul clearly taught the principle that redemption is the foundation of worship. "Know ye not," he said, "that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost. . . . and ye are not you own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor 6:19, 20). The "purchased" believer is able to adore his God with understanding.
Beq'a Represents the Redeemed
In the days of Israel only the "redeemed" individual passed "among them that are numbered" (Ex 30:14). This expression sprung from the custom of counting sheep by driving them single file through a narrow space under the shepherd's rod (Lev 27:32; Ezek 20:37). It anticipated the day of judgment when the ransomed will enter the "one fold [of the] one Shepherd" (John 10:16; cf. Rosh Hashanah 1:1), one by one, singing the song of triumph, "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" (Ps 23:4).
The ancient rubric regarding the beq'a warned that the rich should give no more and the poor no less. Man's own efforts at manipulating the price of his redemption are never accepted by the Judge. Then the silver piece was assessed according to "the shekel of the Sanctuary" (Ex 38:25), where a sample was kept (Ex 30:16). Each beq'a was compared with this and weighed in "the balances of the Sanctuary" (3T 398). Those too large were not accepted, while the ones found wanting were also rejected. There could be no substitute and no compromise; nor did prayers or tears or works avail. There was only one standard. That is true of our redemption, too. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). This rule has applied to God's provision for man's salvation in every age. The beq'a was only a small piece of silver, worth comparatively little, but the salvation it obtained was "without price" and "precious" (1 Pet 1:18, 19). This apparently small coin, like the blood of Christ, might easily be despised. Eternal Spirit, fill our hearts with love and appreciation.
The Lord explained three aspects of this redemption price. It was called "a ransom" (kopher) from the important root (kaphar) which gave its name to the Day of Atonement; Yom Kippur. It was rendered "to pitch" (Gen 6:14) in describing the covering Noah used to make the ark watertight. Isaiah used it "to disannul" or "cover up" a contract by drawing a stylus through it (Isa 28:18). The word meant deleting the provisions of a covenant. It is frequently translated "to purge" or "to atone" (Isa 6:7; 22:14; 27:9), and points to the covering provided by the blood of the Lamb of God. His death blotted out, purified or "covered up" the records of confessed sin (Ex 30:15; Lev 4:20; 16:18, 33; 1 John 1:9), and having paid man's debt, nailed his "I.O.U.", or certificate of indebtedness, to the cross (Col 2:13, 14). The consequences of His victory on Calvary was the despoiling of the powers of darkness (Col 2:15) as they were devastated in Egypt. This victory brought about the ransom of Israel.
The beq'a was called "an offering" (terumah, Ex 30:13, 14; cf. 25:2, 3) or "a gift." This word is used of waive-offerings lifted up to God, and points to the free-will and joyous nature of the oblation presented in thankfulness.
The Beq'a was a Memento
The beq'a was also called a "memorial" (zikaron, Ex 30:16), from a root "to remember," and suggested a memento. In Scripture "to remember" always carries the idea of doing something about what is recalled. When the thief on the cross asked the Saviour to remember him, he was well aware of this meaning. The hope of Jeremiah's would-be assassins was that their victim might "be no more remembered" (Jer 11:19). The word is often used with the sense of committing to writing (Ex 17:14) in a book (Mal 3:16; Est 6:1), or the memorial stones on which the names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the high priest's breastplate (Ex 28:12; 39:7).
When the beq'as had been collected, the silver was melted, beaten into plates and used to overlay the one hundred acacia wood "sockets" (Ex 38:27, 28). These formed the plinth or bases upon which stood the fifty boards which enclosed the Tabernacle. Two sockets supported each board, each enclosing a tenon at the end of the plank (Ex 26:17, 21, 25, 32). They were so constructed as to spread the weight and prevent the walls from sinking into the sand. It may be said of the Tabernacle, as it was said of the soul, "Deliver him from going down into the pit, I have found a ransom" (Job 33:24).
The silver was also used for the bases of the nine pillars from which the veils hung, as well as for the cappings or chapiters which adorned the sixty pillars which enclosed the court (Ex 38:28). When the pious Israelite looked at all these areas of shining silver he might recollect that his emancipation had been purchased and his devotion assured by the "ransom" which had procured "an atonement for [his] soul" (Ex 30:12, 15, 16; ransom and atonement are translations of the same word in Hebrew). The Tabernacle standing before him on a silver base was his guarantee.
The "ransom" paved the base which kept the boards of the Sanctuary from sinking "down into the pit." All this reminded the perceptive Israelite that the price of redemption, Christ's life of perfect obedience, lay at the foundation of the entire Tabernacle and all for which it stood. The silver of the beq'a, like all the silver used in the Tabernacle, kept the eyes of the beholders on the perfect obedience of the Man of Calvary (PK 410).
When David purchased the "threshing floor" on Mount Moriah from Ornan (also called Araunah) for his altar, he paid for it with fifty pieces of silver (2 Sam 24:18, 21, 24). When he later bought Ornan's entire "place," he paid six hundred shekels of gold (1 Chron 21:22, 25). On this spot the Temple was eventually built. Each of the fifty boards and nine pillars of the Tabernacle was supported by the ransom paid for Israel.
The Beq'a was Atonement Money
This thought emphasizes the most significant description of the beq'a as "the atonement money," literally "silver of atonement" (Ex 30:16). Silver is used as a symbol of the saving virtue of the Redeemer's obedience which obtained salvation for mankind. Christ's compliance with His Father's will rendered His sacrifice effective and did away with the entire sacrificial system (Heb 10:9, 10). His obedience was the currency of redemption. Those with insight looked beyond the silver coin and exclaimed with Peter, "[We] know that [we] were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from [our] vain conversation. . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet 1:18, 19). This blood represents Christ's life of perfect obedience, and was symbolized by the silver half-shekel.
The gospels contain an intriguing story of the Temple tax which was in all likelihood this half-shekel or beq'a ransom. When Jesus was at Capernaum, probably at the home of Peter, the local tax collector inquired of the disciple, "Doth your Master pay tribute?" With little thought of the implications of his reply Peter blurted out that He did. But before he had time to say anything to Jesus on his return home, the Master asked him, "What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children or of strangers?" (Matt 17:24-27). Peter again responded without hesitation, "Of strangers." "Then are the children free," Christ declared.
The tribute demanded was not Caesar's, but God's. Peter had recently affirmed, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16). He had even heard the Father Himself confirm this on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:5). Now he realized his blunder; the Son was, of course, exempt from any responsibility to pay the Temple tribute. He did not need redemption! He was the Lord of the Temple.
Levites Took the Places of the First-born
Anciently the Levites had been chosen in place of the first-born to become priests and ministers of God (Num 3:6-10), and so were exempt from this tax. Christ was "Heir of all things." How could a ransom be given for Him "Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting?" (Mic 5:2). But our Lord did not allow His disciple Peter unnecessary embarrassment, and immediately continued, "Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee" (Matt 17:27).
Jesus Paid a Double Ransom of Two Beq'as with One Coin
The Eternal Son now paid a double ransom--"for Me and for thee"--to His eternal Father from a treasury which was known to Them alone. How movingly Jesus identified Himself with him to whom He had so recently said, "Get thee behind me, Satan" (Matt 16:23), and who was to curse his Master during that night of the triple denial; and who had already admitted, "I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). Each of us may include himself with Peter for Jesus has paid the ransom for every person's soul.
Christ is the only One on record Who presented a whole shekel, two beq'as, to the Temple. Strictly speaking this was not lawful. No man could buy off another's ransom, nor could he "by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him" (Ps 49:7). But "if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). By identifying Himself with humanity and becoming the "First-born" (Heb 12:23), Christ obtained the right to the "double portion" (Deut 21:15-17). Christ's "blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us" (PP 372). He was thus empowered to give a "double portion." Having laid down His precious life of perfect obedience for all sinners, He presented to His Father this valuable treasure which Scriptures symbolized as silver. "For the redemption of their soul is precious, and [having been paid] ceaseth forever" (Ps 49:8). He Who loves from eternity gave Himself as the ransom. These stupendous facts formed the silver foundation of all Sanctuary worship.
The silver
supports of the Temple of God, as well as the heads of the pillars,
proclaimed in shimmering metal the message that salvation has been
purchased by Christ's precious blood which wrote in crimson script
the consummation of His promise, "I delight to do Thy will, O
My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart" (Ps 40:8). Before the
walls of the Sanctuary could be raised and eternal worship
inaugurated, the silver sockets of "Christ's perfect obedience"
(PK 410) must be laid on the very dust of the earth to
sustain the unfolding purposes of God. To the adoring believers
these silver beq'as, forming the sure foundation of His
perfect obedience, are most "precious."
WITH JESUS IN THE COURT
Freedom From Sin's Guilt
The worshiper had come a long way from Egyptian darkness and depravity. He had left the haunts of slavery in a land of defiant atheism (GC 269; 2T 124), and crossed sea and land to reach the foot of Sinai and His tryst with God. He had there been taught the meaning of sin and righteousness, and had helped to erect a Tabernacle which illustrated how he might be freed from the power of one and attain to the joy of the other. He had been integrated into the covenant community with his place in the demonstration of a God-centered society far from the haunts of men.
In the court three places of importance were designated by God. At its center stood the altar of sacrifice with its ever-burning logs consuming the victims. Between the altar and the Tabernacle, somewhat to the south, stood the laver with its ever-provided cleansing water. Opposite, and toward the north, was the killing place. By fire, water and blood the Lord provided means for the removal of the guilt and defilement of sin.
The penitent had moved from his tent and crossed the quiet plaza at the heart of the encampment, and reached the entry to the court of the Sanctuary. With his offering he sought entry to the sacred precincts. He was met by the priest who explained to him the significance of the various furnishings located strategically, and led him to the stakes of slaughter. There he was taught his role in the ritual, and prepared himself to carry them out.
Let us also lift the outermost veil and enter the court with him, and, in imagination, watch as he and the priest and the victim enacted a scene in the drama of salvation.
6 - THREE ENTRY VEILS
All My Ways Are Christ's
All who would enter the Sanctuary to worship, be he priest or penitent, must pass through the veil. The veil giving access to the court was twenty cubits wide and five high (Ex 38:18). If cut in half, and the pieces stacked one above the other, they would form a square ten cubits to the side, the same as the two other veils. While each was made of the same materials, and was similar in area and significance, they were designed so that the outermost one was broader and lower, and the inner ones narrower and higher. Did this suggest to the keen observer that the entry to the court, where justification by faith was provided, is the widest, and then, that as one moves on toward sanctification in the holy place, and on to glorification in the most holy, the "way" straitens as it approaches the throne?
The Greek word for veil (katapetasma) in both the Old and New Testaments is applied to all three of the veils of the Tabernacle (Ex 26:31-35; 27:20; Heb 9:8, 10, 19, 20). The entrance to the holy place is called a "hanging," (masak in Hebrew, Ex 26:37), while into the most holy a "veil" (kaporeth in Hebrew, Ex 26:31; 27:21; cf. Matt 27:51; Heb 9:3, "the second veil", cf. Heb 6:19). The approach to the court is termed a "gate" (pule in Greek and saar in Hebrew, Ex 27:16) as well as a "hanging" (kalumma in Greek, and masak in Hebrew). Masak is thus applied to the hanging at the gate into the court (Ex 27:16) as well as the veil into the holy place (Ex 26:37).
As the result of his careful analysis of the Greek Old Testament, George E. Rice noted: "In Moses' writing, by my count, katepetasma is used 5 out of the 6 references to the courtyard veil, 7 out of the 11 times for the veil before the holy place, and 23 of the 25 times for the inner veil. In other words, the Septuagint uses katapetasma to translate 35 of the Pentateuch's 42 references to the veils, making little distinction as to which veil is being referred to or which words (paroketh or masak) was used in the original Hebrew" ("Within Which Veil?" Ministry June 1987). The root of the Hebrew for veil (paroketh) means a hedge or screen, and connotes seclusion and protection.
These tapestries were only typical barriers, their fragile material designed as an invitation to enter. The Jewish commentator Rashi speaks of the veil as a screen between the King and His people; to provide Him with privacy, and them with an occasion to show respect (Pentateuch with Rashi's Commentary, I, 143, 145).
An Invitation to Enter God's Presence
The veils emphasize God's nearness, and signal that He wishes only a minimal screen to create mystery and arouse awe in His devotees. Gregory of Tours wrote about five centuries after Christ: "God ordered Moses to make veils in the Tabernacle of gold, blue and purple, and scarlet double-dyed and fine twined linen because all those mysteries went before as emblems of Christ" (C. C. Rolfe, The Ancient Use of Liturgical Colors, 39)
The veil before the most holy place encouraged the priest who served in the first apartment to approach God's throne with confidence. Since the light of the Shekinah above the mercy-seat would have blinded, and perhaps destroyed him, the Lord veiled His glory. At the same time He granted His servant glimpses of His radiance through the interstices of its warp and weft. Spirit of God, help us to sense Thy love in this provision, and guide us in our study of the details of this tapestry "made" to enclose, exclude, and offer entry.
A Symbol of the Humanity of Jesus
Christ took human nature as a screen through which to display God's character to the universe. Paul explained that His humanity, "that is to say, His flesh" (Heb 10:20) was symbolized by the veil of the Sanctuary. Prophecy revealed that "Christ was to come in `the body of our humiliation' (Phil 3:21, R.V.), `in the likeness of men.' In the eyes of the world He possessed no beauty that they should desire Him; yet He was the incarnate God, the light of heaven and earth. His glory was veiled, His greatness and majesty were hidden, that He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted men" (DA 23). "In the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love" (DA 20), and John "beheld His glory" by watching His every look and act as day by day (John 1:14) He displayed the nature of His Father. This exhibition will eventually attract "all," every being in the universe, to His luminous presence (John 12:32).
The Son of God joined His divinity with our humanity to become the Son of Man. Thus "veiled" the people might touch His person without fear as He moved among men (1 John 1:1-3; cf. Matt 9:20, 21)). His human body had especially been "fitted" (Heb 10:5, margin) by the Godhead as Their Vehicle for this epiphany. By meditating on the life of Jesus each one of us today may see as much of the glorious truth about God's character as he or she is able to grasp.
Had the Son of God appeared with the glory which had been His with the Father before the world was created, "we could not have endured the light of His presence. That we might behold it and not be destroyed, the manifestation of His glory was shrouded. His divinity was veiled with humanity,--the invisible glory in the visible human form" (DA 23).
Fifteen centuries earlier Moses had prayed to be shown the Shekinah (Ex 33:12-18). To protect him from His fiery Presence the Lord invited him to hide in "a cleft in the rock" (Ex 33:19-23: 34:5-8). He then put His hand over its entrance to enable the legislator to "behold His glory" through this "lens". When ever we wish, we may hide in "the Rock of Ages cleft for" us to contemplate the glory of God's character through Christ's nail-pierced hands. While the patriarchs, with Moses, Israel and their prophets, looked forward to the splendor of His victory on Calvary, on this side of the cross we look back to it. The same faith is required by both parties.
The Materials Used to Make the Veils
The Lord chose the materials of the veils, and planned each detail as a symbol of some facet of the character or act of Jesus. Animals provided blue, purple and scarlet wool, as well as the dyes to color them. Plants supplied fine linen, while the earth offered gold and silver. Blending all their qualities they formed the Tabernacle's lovely tapestries. These substances whisper that the human nature of the Son of God is earth-formed (Ex 21:32-37).
Josephus remembered that "the warp was nothing but fine linen" (Antiquities, III:vii:2) for all fabrics used in the Tabernacle, draperies as well as priestly garments. Valued even today for its fine texture and white color, bysus, or Egyptian cotton, may be spun into the most delicate threads. Some imagine that the textiles of Moses' day were probably crude, but the cloth found in the tombs of the Pharaohs does not bear this out. The skill of the ancient spinners challenges modern techniques. The finest yarns from the linen mills of Northern Ireland are twice as thick as some ancient threads (The Rt. Hon. The Earl De La Warr, "Flax Production," The Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 27th Oct., 1944, 623). This "fine linen" warp portrays the righteousness of Jesus as the foundation of all Sanctuary fabrics.
God Loves the Beautiful
"God is a lover of the beautiful" (CT 185). The Creator painted the world in the richest of colors. From the bow arching the storm clouds to tiny spring flowers carpeting the Alpine meadows, the divine Artist uses His palette lavishly. "In earth and sea and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or blended in harmony, we behold His glory. The everlasting hills tell of His power. The trees that wave their green banners in the sunlight, and the flowers in their delicate beauty, point to their Creator. The living green that carpets the brown earth, tells of God's care for the humblest of His creatures. The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He Who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and chrysolite among the rocks, is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the heavens is a representative of Him Who is the life and light of all that He has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens, speak of God" (CT 54-55). And this praise might also be lavished on the gorgeous Tabernacle.
The Lord's purpose in decking His Sanctuary with gold and silver furnishings, and snow and rainbow-colored tapestries, was not to please the eye and excite the senses only, it was to color-code His messages, and high-light aspects of heavenly themes, all to glorify God.
The Beauty in the Sanctuary Aids in Worship
With this loveliness in mind David sang: "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness," or "in His glorious Sanctuary" (Ps 29:2, margin, cf.9; 96:6-9, margin; cf. 28:2 margin; 110:3; 1 Chron 16:29; 2 Chron 20:21). The meaning of this expression does not lie on the surface, as evidenced by the variety of expressions used by translators. The Hebrew word rendered "beauty" (hadar) means "adorned in His apparel" (Isa 63:1 margin), "habiliments" or ornaments of attire (Ps 110:3; 104:1-3; Ezek 16:10-14), pomp, splendor and majesty or "lovely and symbolic surroundings" (1 Chron 16:27-29; cf. Isa 5:14). In other words, it depicts the visual ambience of the Sanctuary and its furnishings, including the gorgeous robes of its ministrants.
"Holiness" (qodesh) is often rendered "sanctuary." What David probably had in mind by this phrase was "the beauty of the Sanctuary." He was delighted by the total environment and atmosphere engendered by God's Palace. His feelings were excited by the attractiveness that appealed to his eyes. His sense of smell was regaled by the fragrance of incense. And his ears were ravished by the music of the Levite choirs. David composed and performed the lyrics and music for the services, and in their rendition perceived God "enthroned upon the praises of Israel" (Ps 22:3).
"No language can describe the glory of the scene presented within the Sanctuary,--the gold-plated walls reflecting the light from the golden candlestick, the brilliant hues of the richly embroidered curtains with the shining angels, the table, and the altar of incense, glittering with gold; beyond the second veil the sacred ark, with its mysterious cherubim, and above it the holy Shekinah, the visible manifestation of Jehovah's presence; all but a dim reflection of the glories of the Temple of God in heaven, the great center of the work for man's redemption" (PP 349).
This aesthetic environment formed the lovely surroundings of the worship scene of the Hebrews. The Lord designed everything connected with His Sanctuary to stimulate the spirit of wonder and adoration in His people. His purpose was to turn their minds to contemplate the heavenly realities which they symbolized.
The Sanctuary was "Made" to Reveal
As the Psalmist contemplated the light of God's glory gleaming on the golden walls and shimmering silver foundations of the Tabernacle, its gorgeous curtains and glittering furnishings, its white-robed priests led in their ministry by the high priest crowned with gold, and with resplendent robes flashing with jewels, the solemn sacrifices evocatively burning on the altar, with their stench offset by the fragrance of incense pervading the entire encampment, his heart was enthralled by the singing of the choirs ascribing praise to the greatness and majesty to Jehovah, and his spirit soared. Amid these lovely artifacts, designed to suggest aspects of the character of Christ, the soul of the king was made aware of the sublimity of Deity and the wonders of the plan of salvation. His mind was lifted upward to heaven itself, and his heart drawn out in adoration, as he exclaimed, "In His Tabernacle every whit of it uttereth His glory" (Ps 29:9, margin).
Only through this kind of contemplation will mankind be able to offer true worship to Jehovah. Realizing this David sang, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His Temple" (Ps 27:4).
The lovely and inspiring things which God embedded in the Tabernacle were deliberately "made" (Ex 25:8) as vehicles to stimulate the pious to appreciate the Architect Who designed them. The worshiper would then be in the frame of mind to celebrate Him. Through these splendid "things that are made" we, too, may perceive otherwise unknowable aspects of Deity (Rom 1:19. 20). Let us consider some inspired evidences for this conclusion.
The Function of Color
God granted Ezekiel an enthralling vision of His flying throne (Ezek 1:4-28). The prophet noted that "the appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl" (Ezek 1:16). The "work" of this color was to stimulate his thoughts. The jewel he mentioned turns our minds to the high priest's breastplate. In watching the flash and sparkle of the precious stones there displayed the perceptive soul senses that they appear to "have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of" (George Elliot, The Spanish Gypsy, Book I, section 2, 1). This careful design painted in the colors of the Sanctuary has a purpose, and when its message is rightly understood these tints and hues nudge us toward a deeper grasp of concepts which lie beyond the reach of speech.
The colors used in the Tabernacle, red (crimson, scarlet), gold (yellow), and blue are mentioned dozens of times. By mixing these primary pigments in various proportions every tint and hue which the eye can discern may be produced. White (silver) is noted often, but black rarely. These colors enhance the symbolic ministries of all parts of the Tabernacle. In our study of them our prayer should be, Eternal Spirit, grant us insight as we seek to read these colors aright.
The Symbolic Meaning of White
White, the essence of light, is produced by the union of all the colors. Scripture uses it to depict virtue and righteousness, virgin purity and priestly sanctity. White proclaims the perfect character of Jesus Whose matchless qualities glisten with a purity far beyond the achievement of human effort. To grant three of His disciples a view of His kingdom of glory in microcosm, the Saviour "was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light" (Matt 17:2). Inspiration here links white garments with light. Garments represent outward, visible conduct (Zech 3:3-5; Isa 64:6). Jesus taught: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven" (Mark 9:3; cf Matt 17:2; Luke 9:29). Describing the saints in glory, Ellen White observed: "The palm branch in their hands is a symbol of their triumph, the white robe an emblem of the spotless righteousness of Christ which now is theirs" (GC 665).
The snowy trousseau of the saints (Rev 19:8) primarily represents the righteousness of the Saviour-Bridegroom, and secondarily the Father's guarantee that His church-bride will be enabled to grow like Him by beholding her Husband (2 Cor 3:18). Franz Delitzsch observed that throughout the saga of salvation, "white denotes the victory and triumph of light finally gained in the way of grace" (Franz Delitzsch, Iris: Studies in Color, 28). Every color in the rainbow of promise is embedded within the heart of the white Light of the world.
The Lord promised to cleanse the "scarlet" sins of Israel and make their characters as "white as wool" (Isa l:18). His guide informed Daniel that "in the last days" those "purified" by grace would be "made white" (Dan 12:l). This pictures the overcomers clothed in the snowy raiment provided by the Father for the bride as well as the guests at the marriage supper of His Son (Matt 22:11-14; Rev 3:5, 18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 15:6). The Source of this raiment is the character of Jesus Himself (Rev 19:8, 14).
Christ's ministry as "fuller's soap" (Mal 3:2) or lye suggest the caustic discipline of trials, while "the blood of the Lamb" is the solvent which washes sinful dispositions. In Bible times this was followed by bleaching. The material was "made white" (leukaino) through exposure to the sun. The saint is made white by allowing the bright rays of the Son of Righteousness to bathe the secrets of his life (Rev 7:14).
The Significance of Silver
The shimmer of silver as it reflects the light is akin to glistening white. This metal is used as a symbol of obedience (PK 410). As we have noted, the Lord required a half-shekel of silver as the ransom for every first born Israelite (Ex 30:11-16). He explained that He considered it "an atonement for your souls." The poor were to give no less, nor were the rich to give more. Wealth makes no difference when the Judge ponders the cases of men or women for redemption. All are equally sinful in His eyes. But today we "are not redeemed with . . . silver . . . but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet 1:18, 19). Silver thus suggests redemption based on the perfect obedience of the Saviour Who gave His life as the ransom for the lost.
The Role of Blue
Blue is the color of the sky on a clear day. Reflected in ocean and lake, it shrouds eternal space in azure mystery. Josephus understood blue to represent the visible heavens (Antiquities III:iv:4), and Delitzsch added that "in Biblical symbolism there is associated with the blue, the idea of the blue sky, and with the blue sky, the idea of the Godhead coming forth from its mysterious dwelling in the unseen world and graciously condescending to the creature." He continued, "Blue is the color of fidelity [cf. true-blue]. True love is described in Sanskrit devotional literature as imperishable as nila, i.e. the color of indigo" (loc. cit.).
The Lord invited Moses and the elders of Israel to the summit of Sinai to get them away from "the madding throng" and near to Him. He wished to help them to grasp His self-revelation at first hand. Although within the cloud, they were able to observe the glory of "the God of Israel." They noticed that "there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness" (Ex 24:10). This sapphire platform of God's throne also caught the attention of Ezekiel (Ezek 1:26). This Divine revelation showed God's regulation of events in the chaos of nations.
Jehovah pictured His government resting on an azure base. This symbolic color is clarified by the Hebrew belief that the tablets upon which God wrote His ten precepts were of sapphire. The representation of His throne supported by the sapphire foundation declares that His law is the basis of His kingdom.
To keep the attention of the faithful focused on the need for consistent obedience, Jehovah ordered Moses to "speak unto the children of Israel . . . that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments . . . of a ribbon of blue . . . that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them" (Num 15:37-41). The blue cuffs around their wrists, and the blue hem surrounding their feet kept before God's people His requirement that the work of their hands, and the steps of their feet should always remain within the encircling discipline of His eternal precepts. As followers of Jesus our acts and steps toward Paradise should also be regulated by His will.
Ellen White writes: "I was referred to Numbers 15:38-41. . . . Here God expressly commanded a very simple arrangement of dress for the children of Israel for the purpose of distinguishing them from the idolatrous nations around them. As they looked upon their peculiarity of dress, they were to remember that they were God's commandment-keeping people, . . . that all who looked upon them might say: These are they whom God brought out of the land of Egypt, who keep the law of Ten Commandments. An Israelite was known to be such as soon as seen, for God through simple means distinguished him as His" (1T 524).
The Pharisees "bound portions of the law upon their foreheads and about their wrists, that all might recognize and pay deference to their assumed sanctify. True, God had commanded the children of Israel to place a ribbon of blue in the border of their garments, upon which the ten commandments, in brief, should be embroidered. This was to continually remind them of their duty to love God supremely, and their neighbor as themselves. But the farther they had departed from the primitive purity and simplicity, and the more directly their daily lives were opposed to the law of God, the more particular were they to make broad their phylacteries, and add to the words which God had specified should be traced on the ribbon of blue. Outwardly they were expressing the deepest devotion, while their acts were in strong contrast with their profession" (2SP 74).
Several passages in Scripture connect the heavens with the law of God (Ps 19:1, 7). "For ever, O Lord, Thy word [the law, cf. v. 101] is settled in the heavens" (Ps 119:89). A related idea is: "The heavens shall declare His righteousness for God is judge Himself" (Ps 50:6). The blue used in the Sanctuary may thus be regarded as God's sign for His unchanging law, the transcript of His character.
The Significance of Scarlet
Red or scarlet was conspicuous in the Tabernacle. When commenting upon the heifer, Ellen White explained: "This heifer was to be red, which was a symbol of blood" (4T 120). Blood represented the life of the victim poured out on behalf of the sinner who faced death because of his own sins. The Lord pleaded with His doomed people: "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings. . . . though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isa l:16, 17). The Lord uses scarlet, crimson or red, the color of blood, to alert Israel to their death-producing sins.
Blood was the very foundation of the processes of forgiveness and cleansing illustrated by the sacrifices. This color illustrated that the death of the Lamb of God alone could bring about justification and acceptance. Sin, as well as the sacrificial blood needed to cleanse it, is color-coded red.
"Scarlet" is the rendering of the Hebrew word which means "scarlet worm" (tolaa, Num 4:8; Isa 1:18; Lam 4:5, &c). The female of this insect produced eggs which contained the red dye. These were dried, often with the bodies of the insects themselves, and the dye produced by leeching. The English word crimson is derived from the Arabic name of this insect (SDABD 962-3). Did the death of these creatures, so essential for this gory hue, have meaning for those who looked upon this brilliant color in the furnishings of the Sanctuary? Our Lord claims to be this "worm" (Ps 22:6). The Messianic psalm which begins with the Saviour's cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" ends with the triumphant call, "It is done!" His sacrificial atonement was complete and full.
Delitzsch observed: "Red is the color of love, because we think of the heart's blood in which it makes itself felt," adding, "the red ray is the first which light gives off when it is broken up" (Op. cit. 44). Red reminds us of the blood of the dying Light of the world, and helps us to recall the condescension and compassion of the second Adam whose name means red. From Christ's broken body and pierced heart the carmine stream of life-giving blood flowed out to mark His death, and provide cleansing of the defiled world (cf. GC 674). Blue suggests His nature manifest in Divine righteousness, justice and mercy, while scarlet depicts that nature poured out in human, sacrificial and redemptive ministry.
As an illustration of the use of red, let me cite part of one of Ellen White's visions. Finding herself in the new earth, she describes her experiences. "As we were travelling along, we met a company who were also gazing at the glories of the place. I noticed red as a border on their garments; their crowns were brilliant, their robes were pure white. As we greeted them, I asked Jesus who they were. He said they were martyrs that had been slain for Him. With them was an innumerable company of little ones: they had a hem of red on their garments also" (1T 68-69). Red is chosen by Heaven to represent sacrificial death on account of sin.
Purple is produced by combining two colors,--two natures,--red and blue in various proportions. It may vary in intensity, now tending toward the blue, and then toward the red in proportion to the pigments added. The artists of Bible times produced the raw materials for this color by crushing once-living creatures. "The dye taken from these shellfish [murex] is not their blood, but the slimy secretion of a gland they have in common with all snails. This secretion is not at first red or violet, but whitish. When exposed, however, to the sunlight, it begins to color like a photographic surface, and passing through shades of yellow and green, settles into the purple color which is a combination of red and violet light, and this mixed color having sometimes more of the blue or the red hue, is ineffaceable" (cf. SDABD 894-5). This Tyrian dye was obtained at the cost of the death of thousands of these creatures.
Purple was popular with royalty. Kings of Babylon (Dan 5:7 margin) and Persia (Est 8:15 margin), and long before of Midian (Jud 8:26), felt that this color enhanced their importance! In His parable Christ dressed the rich man in purple to impress His listeners with his wealth and importance (Luke 16:19). In their ridicule of the Saviour's claim to be King of the Jews, the Roman soldiers sarcastically flung an old purple cloak over His shoulders (John 19:2).
Purple whispers of our royal High Priest in Whose ministry the blue of His identity with His Father's will lived in perfect obedience, blends with the crimson of His human blood spilled in sacrifice. Although the most "blue-blooded" of Princes, He stooped to assume the blood of fallen humanity and became the humblest of servants, "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Heb 4:15). Because He experienced our fallen condition He understands every problem we encounter. Paul explained that "as children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil," and added, "wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Heb 2:14-18).
Christ has two natures in one. By bringing His divine life of perfect obedience into union with fallen human nature, and then spilling His blood in an atoning death, our Lord earned the right to don the purple of humanity's royal priesthood and mediate for sinners before God's throne in His celestial Sanctuary (Heb 7:25-28). Purple reminds us of the blue of His heavenly nature saddened by the crimson of His broken heart, of Divinity burdened with doomed humanity, yet triumphing in the Prince Who became our Priest.
The Gleam of Gold
Yellow is the color of the gold (Ps 68:13) used so extensively in the Sanctuary. Gold has been the standard by which earthly riches have been assessed (James 2:1, 5; 1 Pet 1:7) from the dawn of history. In contrast to this worldly norm, Paul remembered that in the kingdom of heaven worth is based, not on gold but on faith, "for without faith it is impossible to please him." James concurs, noting that even "the poor in this world's goods" may grow "rich in faith" (James 2:5; 3T 254).
Yellow glows with the splendor of the dawn that chases away the shadows of night. This golden light fills our hearts with the radiance of the sun rising in strength, and reminds us of the Sun of Righteousness Who brightens our lives despite earth's darkness. The gold so desperately needed by the Laodiceans symbolizes the faith that works by love and purifies the soul (COL 158; DA 280), and this the heavenly Merchantman is eager to sell "without money and without price." Eliphaz pointed Job to this satisfying truth: "The Almighty [Shaddai] shall be thy gold" (Job 22:25 margin).
Gold gleams conspicuously in the walls and pillars of the Tabernacle and from its furnishings, as well as in its draperies and the high priest's regalia. To prepare gold leaf the smith's hammer beat upon the metal a myriad blows. The sheets of gold were then placed between layers of thick leather and further hammered until extremely thin. This gold leaf was then glued to the prepared wooden surfaces and burnished until it had the appearance of solid metal.
How Threads of Gold were "Made"
Inspiration does not leave us to wonder how the thread was made for the cloth of gold. This description is a parable of the development of faith. "They did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work" (Ex 39:3). Notice the repetition of the "ands." This figure of speech is named polysyndeton or "many ands," and is used to call attention to the fact that each item was individually wrought with gold. But this was not the common way to produce gold wire. The usual technique was to draw thin gold bars through dies of diminishing diameters bored in very hard stones. Because of the ductility of gold, fine wire many hundreds of yards in length may be produced from a small ingot. Why did God require Bezaleel to use a method which by-passed this common practice? Did He wish to convey a lesson by requiring a much more laborious technique?
The flattened gold plate was hammered between pieces of leather until thin, but not as thin as for gold leaf. It was then cut into very narrow strips with shears. The artisan did this by starting at the rim of a circular piece, and working around and around toward the center. These ribbons of gold were stretched and straightened, and then soldered end to end to form a usable strand. Is this how the gold of our faith and love develops? Battered into shape by the hammer of the word (Jer 23:29), cut to size by the shears of circumstances wielded by the Spirit, and stretched to its uttermost by the divine Artisan using life's trials, it is finally woven by the Master Weaver into His design of the fabric which represents character.
Observe the saints gathered in Inspiration's portrait gallery of victors (Heb 11:1ff). Does any one of them present an unbroken strand of pure faith? Even Enoch grew in grace after the birth of his son. Elijah's faith scaled the heights of Carmel and triumphed over the 850 priests and prophets of Baal, only to fail when he fled in terror for his life at the threat of an angry woman. One day he stormed the gates of heaven with victorious prayer, and the next cried to God for help in suicide. The faith of these two translated saints displays weakness side by side with strength.
Does not our faith grow as did the gold in Bezaleel's deft hands, piece joined to piece? Then, thank God that it does grow! Our High Priest promises us, as He promised Peter, "I have prayed for thee [the singular pronoun means He prays for individuals] that thy faith fail not" (Luke 22:31, 32). The gold of our faith may bend like Peter's. It may even show grave weaknesses. But, like his, it will not break if sustained by the Saviour's prayer. This is the saga of the gold wires beaten by the Craftsman's hammer, and cut by His shears, and formed, segment by segment, into a continuous strand of faith and love to be woven into the robe of character. Yellow gold is the color of wealth and kingliness, developed through Heaven's gift of faith and love.
The Dual Ancestry of Green
Artists produce green by combining blue and yellow in various proportions. Green was the color in which God clothed the earth at creation (Gen l:11, 29). It universally calls attention to springing life. A green oasis in the desert is always found near water (Isa 41:17-20), and to green pastures the Good Shepherd leads His flock (Ps 23:2). The Saviour promises that "in old age" the righteous "shall be fat and green." (Ps 92:14, margin). The Psalmist exulted at the prospect of being "like a green olive-tree in the house of God" (Ps 52:8) through the Lord's blessing. Green thus suggests abundant growth and verdant hope.
Ellen White relates a dream which left a lasting impression on her. An angel handed her "a green cord coiled up closely. This he directed me to place next my heart, and when I wished to see Jesus, take from my bosom and stretch it to the utmost. He cautioned me not to let it remain coiled for any length of time, lest it should become knotted and difficult to straighten. I placed the cord near my heart . . . praising the Lord and joyfully telling all whom I met where they could find Jesus. This dream gave me hope. The green cord represented faith to my mind, and the beauty and simplicity of trusting in God began to dawn upon my benighted soul" (EW 81). As the emerald spires of grain, springing toward the sun after the death-sleep of winter, raise the farmer's hopes, this green cord aroused hope and strengthened faith in Ellen's heart. As the green color of the beryl wheels performed a task in the heart of the distressed prophet by the river Chebar (Ezek 1:16), the green of the coiled cord played a vital role in the experience of the despondent prophetess of Portland.
Think of the green of hope as a combination of the blue of obedience with the gold of faith and love. Through centuries of usage the copper- bronze of the altar of perpetual sacrifice and the laver of constant cleansing would gradually develop a emerald patina, Examples of this may be seen on the copper roofs of medieval European cathedrals. In her description of the earth made new Ellen White noted that its grass was "living green, and had a reflection of silver and gold" (EW 18).
For the worshiper entering the court of the Sanctuary this green color had a "work" to do in engendering faith and hope. As he gazed at these emerald centers of worship, the altar reminded him of the One Who would one day die in his place to redeem him from eternal death, and the laver called his attention to the fountain which Messiah would open to cleanse his soul, his heart would rejoice and his praises rise to heaven. Green is the color of growth, life, hope and immortality.
The Color of Night
Black is the opposite of white, and is the absence of light and color. The prophet described Israel in these striking words: "Her princes [Amplified] were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire." But all that beauty was in the past. "Now their visage is blacker than soot, they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled upon their bones, it has become as dry as wood" (Lam 4:7, 8, LXX). Black cloth is often worn as a sign of mourning and death.
The only use of black In the Tabernacle was in the sealskins which formed the outermost covering of its roof. Black suggests the absence of light, the darkness of separation from eternal glory, combined with bitter mourning for sin. These skins from unclean animals point to the unprepossessing outward appearance of the earthly life of Him Whom the Tabernacle represented. Jesus had little external beauty to encourage men to desire Him. In His fallen, sinful body he lived the life of a common man, yet without sinning. This is the mystery of Godliness (1 Tim 3:l6). Although "He knew no sin" He "became sin," or "a sin-offering" (the same word is used for both sin and sin-offering in both the Testaments, cf. Rom 8:3, margin), for the human race. Only after the externals have been stripped from Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man, will mankind be able to discern the glories concealed within the life of the Son of God, and gaze in rapture on the true loveliness of His character. This is taught by the black sealskins covering the Tabernacle.
Let us Recapitulate:
The Sanctuary colors sing the anthem of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Silvery white, the emblem of purity through His imputed obedience; blue, the breath of His heavenly righteousness seen in law; red, running with the redemptive blood of Calvary; purple, the mingled ministry of Him Who is named Emmanuel; green, the hope which results from blending the blue and gold, shouting of life; combining with the yellow-gold of His faith and love, together compose an anthem to our Saviour and Redeemer.
The blue, purple and scarlet threads used in the Sanctuary were of wool, the material provided by sheep. This whispers of His own clothing which the Lamb of God gives to cover our nakedness. It tells of His robe of mysteriously blended Divine and human righteousness, woven in the loom of heaven, in which is found no thread of man's scheming.
Fine Linen Clean and White
The warp of all the materials used in the Tabernacle was "fine linen clean and white", pointing to the purity of the heavenly Plant "growing by the rivers of waters." Spun with these colored yarns were gold wires. Silver threads were used in some "embroidered" work. Thus cotton from plants, wool from animals, and gold and silver from the dust of the earth united to make the fabric for the curtains forming the ceiling of the Sanctuary, its veils leading into three phases of our Saviour's ministry, as well as the garments of the priests.
When all the materials had been gathered and prepared, the women of Israel set to work to spin the thread and weave the fabric (Shekalim 8:5). Like the veil of His flesh (Heb 10:20) the veils of the Tabernacle were women's gifts.
The rabbis remember that a gold wire was combined with seven strands of blue wool, and then twisted or spun on the thigh of the spinner (Moed Katan 3:4). The same was done with seven strands of red, and seven strands of purple. These three single-colored threads were then combined to form one string of twenty four threads (Shekalim 8:5; Edmond Flegg, The Life of Moses, 95). This triple-colored twine mingled with gold formed the weft which was woven on a warp of fine linen to produce the veils. This tapestry was completed "with a heavy fringe of silver and gold, as a border on the bottom; it was very beautiful" (A Word to the Little Flock, 16; cf. EW 252).
The Tapestries of the Tabernacle
The veil was said to have been constructed by "cunning work" (Ex 26:31, chasab), an expression which describes "things carefully devised." The instances in which it is used indicate that an intricate plan has been followed. This stresses that the veil did not come about by chance. The term further describes tapestry weaving in which the predetermined design was woven into the material itself in the very process of its fabrication, and not by embroidery, in which the ornamentation is applied after the cloth has been completed. Everything connected with the veils had been carefully readied before hand according to God's command.
While the weaving was in process the weaver used threads of gold and silver wire and formed cherubim as an integral part of the design of the tapestry (PP 347). This process called attention to the organic union of the cherubim with the veils, "that is to say, His flesh."
The rabbis remember that "the veil was one hand-breadth thick and was woven on a loom of seventy-two rods (or seventy-two strands), and over each rod (or strand) were twenty-four threads. . . . It was made by eighty-two young girls" (Shekalim 8:5). At the time of the second temple "they spread it out on the roof of the portico that the people might see how fine is the craftsmanship thereof" (Shekalim 8:4). This thickness of an hand-breadth, or almost four inches, suggests that the cherubim woven into the veil stood proud of the surface for this thickness, giving to the whole curtain an almost three-dimensional appearance.
The Veils Suspended by Nails
The veil into the most holy place was suspended from four "nails" (Ex 26:32, Gesenius, Hebrew Lexicon). These "hooks" were attached to the tops of the wooden pillars encased in gold which formed the partition between the chambers. Calvary fulfilled this tableau. There the real Veil, "that is to say His flesh," hung from four nails driven into the cursed tree.
Since these pillars were spaced about six feet apart, the curtain sagged in shallow arcs between each nail, and thus did not quite reach the ceiling (PP 353). "The glory of God, which was above the mercy-seat, could be seen from both apartments, but in a much less degree from the first apartment" (SR 154).
Christ's death on Calvary was signaled by the rending of the temple veil from top to bottom. This fifth aperture corresponded to the fifth opening made in His body by the soldier's spear (John 19:33-36). How closely type met antitype on Golgotha! Four nails and the stab of a spear in the Antitype, four nails and a rent in the type.
By this tear the cherubim which were woven into the veil were also ripped asunder to symbolize that they shared the Saviour' sufferings and died with Him. During the centuries the veil had hung before the Shekinah, and the cherubim had hung in it. They had allowed God's glory to shine through themselves to the people. By filling up the sufferings of Christ by their rending at the time of the Saviour's death, they assisted in proclaiming to the universe the wonders of redeeming love and grace in a further dimension.
Blood on the Veils
From sacrifices offered by individual Israelitic penitents during the daily ministry of the sanctuary, blood was sprinkled by the priest upon the innermost veil (Yoma 5:4). Rabbi Eliezer Bern Jose described the veil which had been captured by Titus when he destroyed the Temple at Jerusalem in A. D. 70: "I saw it in Rome," he wrote, "and there were upon it many drops of blood both of the bullock and of the he-goat of the Day of Atonement" (The Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 57a, 266).
Each of these crimson spots was a mute testimony to three truths: a penitent had (1) confessed his sin, (2) claimed the death of his sacrifice in his stead, and (3) his priest had ministered the redemptive blood in his behalf in the holy place. These carmine hieroglyphs of repentance and substitution, forgiveness and mediation, rendered the veil the record scroll of the spiritual odyssey of all God's people. In portraying Christ's flesh hanging, nailed and rent, the blood-inscribed veil announced not only what man's fall had done to Jesus, it also gave evidence that He had paid in His body on the cross the full penalty for the guilt of mankind. And, bearing the nail and spear marks of His awful ordeal, the Saviour's ascended body will display these evidences of His ministry of sacrifice for all eternity (Zech 13:6).
The Innermost Veil Renewed Annually
After the intricate ceremonies of the Day of Atonement had been completed and the people, as well as the Tabernacle and its furnishings, had been cleansed, the priests removed the innermost veil which had hung in place during the year (1BC 1107; SR 226). They then installed a new veil, which the women of Israel had woven. After all this had been completed, the daily and yearly systems of the Sanctuary ritual were once more set in operation for another twelve-month cycle, restoring the Tabernacle to its rightful state. The rabbis remember that the old veil was burned. This removal of the veil and the installation of a new one signaled the conclusion of one era and the start of another, and pointed to the two phases in the ministry of Him Who is the Beginning and the Ending. The Day of Atonement or the day of judgment, was the pivotal point.
Let Us Summarize:
All three
veils were symbols of the flesh, or the human nature, of Christ
which provided the "new and living way" into God's
presence. The colors used by Inspiration are suggestive. Red
pictured the sacrificial love of Jesus exhibited through His death
in humanity. Gold suggested His faith that worked by love, while
silver pointed to His obedience. Blue called attention to His
perfect conformity to His Father's mandate, and purple told of His
priestly ministry with God and man. These colors were woven on a
warp of "fine linen clean and white" which shone with the
splendor of His righteous character. Together they expressed the
purpose of His life, through which the glory of God ever streams
through the universe from the throne room of the celestial
Sanctuary. Hung from four wooden pillars by four nails, the veil
sobs with the sorrow of the Saviour's dying agony. Like the ancient
veil before the Shekinah in the most holy place, His flesh absorbs
the rays of God's glorious presence, allowing only what man's
frailty can bear to reach him. Through Christ's crucified, tattered
flesh, the glory of the loving character of the eternal Father
streams forth forever.
End-time Significance of the Veils
Soon the antitypical day of atonement in the heavenly Sanctuary will reach its consummation. The last crimson record on "the second veil" will be smeared out with the final application of the Victim's blood. Then the blood-stained tapestry will be removed, never more to be seen, and all things will be made new. When Israel watched the veil being taken away from the ancient Tabernacle they might have imagined that they heard the Voice from the throne cry, "It is finished!" Soon the universe will hear this triumphant shout from Christ Himself.
"At the moment in which Christ died, there were priests ministering in the temple before the veil which separated the holy from the most holy place. Suddenly they felt the earth tremble beneath them, and the veil of the temple, a strong, rich drapery that had been renewed yearly, was rent in twain from top to bottom by the same blood-less hand that wrote the words of doom upon the walls of Belshazzar's palace. The most holy place, that had been sacredly entered by human feet only once a year, was revealed to the common gaze. God had ever before protected His temple in a wonderful manner; but now its sacred mysteries were exposed to curious eyes. No longer would the presence of God overshadow the earthly mercy-seat. No longer would the light of His glory flash forth upon, nor the cloud of His displeasure shadow, the precious stones in the breastplate of the high priest" (3SP 166-167).
"By the rending of the veil of the temple, God said, I can no longer conceal My presence in the most holy place. A new and living way, before which there hangs no veil, is offered to all. No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the coming of the high priest" (5BC 1109).
Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, the Palace curtain has been rent open, and Christ, as the glorious manifestation of God, will soon be revealed in His full majesty. Nineteen centuries ago this glorious consummation was dimly enacted.
And throughout eternity the universe will never tire of gazing in awe and love upon the Reality of which the veil was such a beautiful yet subdued type. Jesus, through Whose flesh the character of God was revealed to mankind and all unfallen beings, will then have succeeded in drawing "all" to the Father. This accomplished, there will remain no trace of sin and rebellion, no blight of the curse or evidence of the fall. But in Christ's body of woman formed will forever remain the marks of the four nails in His hands and feet, and the scars of the spear in His side, and the thorn lacerations in His brow. These scars will be windows to glory for the universe. And there, it will be seen, remains for ever the "secret of His power" (Hab 3:4), the evidence of victory in the controversy between light and darkness. And there will glow ever more brightly the irrefutable proof that Light has finally triumphed.
Into Thy holy presence,
O God, we
venture now.
With reverent hearts and holy awe
Before Thy
throne we bow.
We plead not our own virtues,
They cannot here
avail,
But by the blood of Jesus,
We enter through the veil.
(P. Dorricott, The Poet's Bible, Vol. I: The Old
Testament, 109).
Let us now
lift the veil by faith and enter the court of the Tabernacle and
study the wonderful symbols there arranged by the Spirit. These are
designed to remove the guilt of our sins and bring about our
justification.
7 - ALTAR OF BURNT-OFFERING
The copper altar stood in the very center of the eastern half of the court which enclosed the Tabernacle. This conclusion is corroborated by the analogy of Solomon's temple (2 Chron 7:7; Ex 40:6). Its position faced all who entered to worship. Made of acacia or shittim wood (Ex 27:1; the LXX called this aseptos, incorruptible), it was completely covered with copper plates (Ex 27:1, 2, 8; Num 16:37, 38). It stood foursquare to call attention to its firm stability (Ex 27:1, 2; cf. the New Jerusalem, Rev 21:16; Ezek 48:20, where the oblation was to be offered "foursquare", and 2 Chron 3:8, where the most holy place was "foursquare"). Five cubits wide and long, and three cubits high (Ex 27:1), it measured nine by nine feet, and rose five feet six inches (PP 347, the length of the sacred cubit was 1.8 feet; cf. Ezek 40:5; 43:13).
The Horns of the Altar
At each of its four top corners a horn of copper-covered wood curved upward and out (Ex 27:2). Half-way down the inside a grating of woven or plaited copper rods (cabad to twist) hung from four copper chains. This grid carried the logs used to burn the sacrifices (Ex 27:4). The lower half of the altar's sides were pierced with air holes (Ex 27:8, literally with "bored boards," from nabab to bore through, or "holed" or "hollow" KJV) to facilitate an adequate draught to consume the carcasses.
The "Circuit" of the Altar
Its height of five feet six inches made it difficult for the priests to reach over the top of the altar from the ground to manipulate the sacrifices. To ease this a platform was made to project outward (karkob, a surrounding ledge, Ex 27:5; 38:4) half way up on all four sides. This was called a "compass" because on it the priest was able to walk around the altar. The existence of this walk-way is substantiated by the analogy of Solomon's altar (see Middoth 3:1, n. 16). The rabbis called it "the Circuit" (Tamid 2:1; Zebahim 5:3; &c). After ministering at the altar from this ledge, the sacrificing priest was said to "come down" (Lev 9:22) to resume his duties.
At the outside of each of its four upright corners, and just below the platform, a ring was attached (Ex 27:6,7). Through each pair of rings a copper-clad wooden rod was passed to enable the Levites to transport the altar on their shoulders.
The Ramp of the Altar
Since the Lord forbade steps up to His altars, this "compass," was approached from the south by a ramp of earth. Steps were forbidden lest man's nakedness be exposed (Ex 20:26; Middoth 3:1, 3, 4, and on the analogy of Solomon's Temple which the Mishnah describes). The ministrants ascended on the eastern, or right side, of this incline, and descended on its western side. On the Day of Atonement the high priest went up and down in the center, to call attention to the importance of the services being performed (Yoma 4:5). When ever blood from the sacrifices rendered it slippery, the ramp was sprinkled with salt (Erubim 10:14). Recollecting the rites connected with it, David sang, "I will wash my hands in innocency [at the laver:] so will I compass thine altar, O Lord" (Ps 26:6).
The altar and its "compass" were regarded as a unit for ceremonial sanctity (Zebahim 9:7). A horizontal line of crimson was painted on all four sides of the altar between this ledge and its top (Zebahim 2:1; 7:1; Middoth 3:1) to indicate to the priests where the blood of the various offerings should be sprinkled. In some ceremonies this was done above the line and in others below it.
Ancient Altars
Long before the time of Moses the common way of approaching God consisted of religious exercises performed at altars. Noah showed his appreciation for the Lord's deliverance from the flood by erecting an altar at the earliest opportunity, and presenting a burnt-offering of rededication for himself and his family (Gen 8:20: PP 105-106). While this is the initial altar recorded in Scripture, Adam actually built "the first altar at the gate of Eden" (DA 52) at which he, and then his sons worshiped (PP 83-84). Later Cain and Abel each raised his own, (DA 52; PP 71).
Wherever Abraham pitched his tent he made an altar of undressed stones. After he left to continue his pilgrimage, the roving Canaanites came across these reminders of the stranger who had lived in their midst, and mused on the nature of the God Whom he worshiped (Gen 12:7, 8; 13:18; PP 128; Ed 187). On heaven-identified Moriah the patriarch erected the most dramatic altar in Old Testament history for the sacrifice of his son. He was the first Biblical character to give a name to an altar, Jehovah Jireh, meaning, "The Lord will provide" (Gen 22:1, 2, 9; PP 152, 153). Josephus called this site "the mountain Moriah" (Antiquities, I:xiii:1). Here, some eight centuries later Solomon constructed the most magnificent temple ever built in honor of Jehovah (2 Chron 3:1, the only other use of Moriah). And it was near this spot that the Lamb of God was slaughtered a millennium later.
The Scriptures record several episodes connected with altars, and each is a finger pointing to some aspect of the Saviour's sacrifice. Isaac's altar signaled his trust in God as his Defender against the harassment of the Philistines (Gen 26:24, 25), and Jacob's marked his heart-surrender to Jehovah after almost a century of trying to live a self-directed life (Gen 35:7). Job's altar called attention to his intercessory ministry on behalf of his children (Job 1:5), while that of Moses celebrated Israel's defeat of Amalek at Rephadim (Ex 17:15). Samuel's shrine at Ramah, named Ebenezer and meaning "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," expressed the joyous confidence of God's people in His government (1 Sam 7:17).
By contrast, King Saul erected an altar before his army at Michmash to exhibit a pseudo-divine authorization and a confidence he did not have in his mission (1 Sam 13:9, 10). On the other hand, Gideon prophetically named his altar Jehovah Shalom, "The Lord send peace," to express his faith in the victory over the Midianites which he was sure would be granted Israel (Jud 6:26).
At God's command David raised a penitential altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Chron 21:18-30). On this spot Isaac had been offered up to God centuries earlier, and Solomon was soon to erect his Temple (1 King 3:2, 3; 2 Chron 3:1). During Israel's darkest apostasy, led by Ahab and Jezebel, Elijah repaired the Lord's desecrated altar on Mt. Carmel, and the God of heaven signally vindicated His cause and His prophet (1 Kings 18:30-32; 19:10-14; PK 144-147, 151; 3T 280, 283-285). The events connected with these Biblical altars were interwoven in the history of God's people, and record that in joy or sorrow, in victory or defeat, faithful men raised shrines to worship the Deity, and to remember the Victim Who should one day die in their places.
The Altar at Sinai
At the foot of Mt. Sinai Moses built an altar out of twelve uncut stones to express the gratitude of all Israel for God's emancipation of His enslaved people (Ex 24:4, 5). This number called attention to the all-embracing nature of the Lord's atonement, for each sept was personally remembered redemptively in the altar of sacrifice, as each was recorded by name on the twelve precious stones of the high priest's breastplate of intercessory care (Ex 28:29). Jehovah then invited the leader of His people to "come up to Him into the mount, and be there" (Ex 24:12). Moses spoke with God face to face and survived His glorious presence by virtue of the blood of the victim burning on this altar. The death of the lamb in the valley made possible the ascent to the King in the mountain.
Ancient "High Places"
The sites on which these patriarchal altars were built were know as "high places" (cf. 1 Sam 9:12; 1 Kings 3:4; &c). Decades before God established worship at a national shrine the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh conducted their devotions at their own altars (Josh 22:10-34).
The rabbis remember that "before the Tabernacle was set up, the high places were permitted and the altar-service was fulfilled by the first-born (cf. Ex 24:5, 6). But after the Tabernacle was set up, the high places were forbidden (cf. Lev 17:8-16) and the altar-service was fulfilled by the priests; the most holy things were consumed within the Curtains, (i. e. the court, cf. Lev 6:26), and the lesser holy things throughout the camp of Israel. After they came to Gilgal (the Tabernacle remained fourteen years at Gilgal until the temple was set up at Shiloh) the high places were again permitted; the most holy things could be eaten only within the Curtains, but the lesser holy things in any place (Josh 5:10-12; 9:6; 10:6. 7). After they came to Shiloh (Josh 18:1) the high places were forbidden. There was no roof-beam there, but below was a house of stone ("house" means stonework as opposed to a tent, 1 Sam 1:24), and above were hangings, and this was the `resting place' (Deut 12:9). . . . After they came to Nob (1 Sam 21:1), and to Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4; 1 Chron 21:29; 2 Chron 1:3), the high places were permitted; . . . After they came to Jerusalem the high places were forbidden and never again permitted, and this was `the inheritance' (Deut 12:5-16)" (Zebahim 14:4-8).
When services were organized at God's behest at fixed locations, the people resorted to the copper altar in the court of the Tabernacle erected there. Individual "high places," however, might still be used in times of national instability or personal emergency. This provision tacitly forbade the exclusiveness which many of the Israelites later developed.
"How did a private high place differ from a public high place?" (such as Gilgal, Nob and Gibeon), the Hebrew sage asked: "in the laying on of hands (Lev 1:3ff), slaughtering on the north side (Lev 1:11), sprinkling the blood around the altar (Lev 1:5), the waving (Lev 14:12), and the bringing near (Lev 2:8). There was no meal-offering on the high place, the priestly service (Lev 17:6), the garments of ministry (Ex 28:43), the vessels of ministry (Num 4:12), the sweet smelling savor, the dividing-(red)-line for the sprinkling of blood (Ex 27:5), and the washing of hands and feet (Ex 30:20; 40:31ff). But they were alike in what concerned the time (morning and evening) of consuming the offerings, and the laws of Remnant for eating it (Ex 29:34; Lev 7:17), and what must be destroyed by burning, and of uncleanness in him that eats of the offering [Lev 7:20; 22:3]" (Zebahim 14:10).
No description of any patriarchal altar has survived. The only specifics which we have were given by God to Moses following His proclamation of the decalogue. Although He was about to present detailed instructions for constructing the Tabernacle and its altar of copper which were to last for centuries, the Lord gave particulars for an altar of earth which might be needed at some time (Ex 20:24, 25). This shrine of universal ministry might consist of a heap of earth (2 Kings 5:17-19), a cairn of rocks (Gen 31:45-54), a stone pillar (Gen 28:18-22), or even a single boulder (Jud 6:19-24; 13:19, 20). The only stipulation was that it be elevated somewhat. If made of stones, they must remain untouched by any iron tool (Ex 20:25). God tried to teach His people by this rule that man cannot improve Heaven's provision for access to Deity. The twentieth chapter of Exodus opens with the ten commandments which identify sin, and closes with a description of the altar which cancels guilt. What an understanding Legislator is revealed by this juxtaposition of concepts! Now let us examine some details of the brazen altar in the court of the Tabernacle.
The Wood Used to Make the Altar of Burnt-offering
The two materials used to fashion the altar of burnt-offering are significant: perishable shittim or acacia wood, and an overlay of enduring copper or bronze plates.
Wood suggests material that is perishable (1 Cor 3:12-15). Wherever it appears in the Tabernacle furnishings or the boards and pillars of the building itself, shittim wood symbolically attests to our Lord's fragile human nature, vulnerable to the ravages of time. David compared a righteous person with "a tree planted by the rivers of waters" (Ps 1:1-3; cf Isa 61:3), and the Baptist likened Israel to "the tree" (Matt 3:10; 7:16-19; cf Jude 12). Jesus is the "tree of life" (Rev 2:7; 22:2). Moses was shown the incarnation of Christ through the humble type. This scrubby acacia shrub was made incandescent by the indwelling Shekinah (Ex 3:2-4; DA 23), and survived the burning Presence of divinity. And since the Tabernacle is also "a type of the Christian church" (Signs 14 Feb. 1900), as well as of the human body (1 Cor 6:19) or "soul temple" (DA 161), all the wood in the Sanctuary can be conceived of as symbolical of the weaknesses of fallen humanity.
But this wood was made invulnerable by a casing of imperishable metal, copper, silver or gold. Since the altar rested upon the earth this sheath protected it from the ravages of termites, as well as from the heat of the fires raging on its hearth. This reinforcement also enabled it to bear the weight of the innumerable sacrifices presented upon it century after century.
The Brass Used to Make the Altar
This piece of furniture was called the "brazen altar" because of its outer covering (Ex 27:2, 6; 38:2; 39:39). The precise identification of this metal is difficult. Copper mixed with tin is bronze, while copper and zinc form brass. Pure copper, as well as these alloys, were known anciently. In both of them copper vastly preponderates. It is probably more accurate to call it the copper altar.
The altar was encased in copper by Bezaleel when he constructed the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Some twenty years later further plates were added. These were made from the censers used by the 250 princes who had been led in rebellion against Aaron by Korah and his companions, These discarded copper utensils of defiant worship were flattened, and then attached to the altar over its original covering (Num 16:36-40). Rabbinic tradition remembers that they had the appearance of "fish scales." These brazen censers, once the symbols of revolt, signaled to the perceptive worshipers that rebellion reinforced the ministry of the altar of perpetual sacrifice.
Brass or copper is used in Scripture as an emblem of invincibility and endurance. "Mountains of brass" (Zech 6:1) suggest impregnability and continuity, while brazen "hoofs" beat in pieces (Mic 4:13), or "feet of brass" (Rev 1:15) call to mind the forceful occupation and control of territory by a ruthless enemy. The brazen scales of "behemoth" display his irresistible power to defend himself (Job 40:15-24, especially v. 18), while the beast's brazen claws ruthlessly tear down his prey (Dan 7:19). The brazen serpent was a type of Christ Who one day would take on the apparent likeness of sinful flesh in order to destroy the power of the diabolical snake (Num 21:9; John 3:14). The copper of the altar thus pictured strength and durability.
With the passing centuries the copper would gradually take on a green patina. In the cycle of life green is the sign of spring and the continual resurgence of nature and the promise of a harvest. When used as a symbol the color green is a reminder of Christ's gift of faith which engenders hope (cf. EW 81). Without the provisions of fire and blood from the altar of perpetual atonement, every service of the Sanctuary would remain completely impotent. The message of the altar is clear: hope springs up in the sinner's heart after the winter of despairing sin because of the Sacrifice immolated on the cross.
The Horns of the Altar
From the top of each of the altar's four corners copper covered wooden horns curved upwards. Being made "of the same" materials, they formed part of the its total ministry (Ex 27:2; cf. Yoma 5:5). In Scripture horns are used as illustrations of strength and power (Ps 89:24). They portray the prowess of God's people (Ps 92:10; 132:17; Ezek 29:21), as well as that of other nations (Jer 48:25; Dan 7:7, 8, 11, 24; Rev 12:3; Deut 33:17; 1 Sam 2:1, 10; Lam 2:3; &c).
Horns were used as containers of unguents (1 Sam 16:1, 13; 1 Kings 1:39). As a symbol of the Spirit this anointing oil was used to authorize prophets, priests and potentates, and pointed them to heaven as the source of their power. Christ was anointed to all three positions (Acts 10:38; Luke 4:17-21; 4BC 1179; COL 407).
Horns were made into musical instruments to summon assemblies or to make announcements. They might be made of silver (halsotserah, Num 10:1-10), or be adapted from the horns of goats and sheep (qeren and shophar (Jer 4:5; Ezek 33:3-6; Joel 2:1). They were used in war at Jericho and by Gideon, or to summon the people to worship at new moons or the jubilee. In order to convey specific messages they must give "a certain [kind of] sound" (1 Cor 14:8).
"The horn is in some animals the weapon of attack and defense; by the use of this figure, Hannah would acknowledge that her deliverance had come from God" (Signs, 27 Oct, 1881). David extolled Yahweh as "the horn of [his] salvation" (2 Sam 22:3; Ps 18:2; cf. Luke 1:69). The vision of the Revelator should encourage us to rejoice, for upon the throne of the Eternal he saw that the slain and risen Lamb is armed with "seven horns," as tokens of His perfect might! (Rev 5:6). At His second advent bright horns of light will stream from the Saviour's nail-pierced hands and side. These will be recognized by His followers as the source of His power (Hab 3:4, margin).
All these ideas must be brought to bear upon the significance of the altar's horns. They attested to its strength, and were consecrated with blood as well as oil (Ex 40:9, 10; cf. 30:23-28). These two symbols of the ministries of the Lamb of God and the Holy Spirit were used to add authority to the innate meaning of the horns. During certain ceremonies the crimson script left on them by the priest (Lev 4:7; 8:15; 9:9), like the pool of blood which formed the very base of the altar, rendered their mute, though eloquent appeals irresistible (Rev 6:9; Gen 4:10). At the same time the oil splashed upon this carmine foundation proclaimed the support of the eternal and all-powerful Spirit.
The altar's horns might be used as a refuge for desperate men. By grasping them, fugitives fleeing from vengeance tried to place themselves under the protection of Jehovah (cf. Amos 3:14; Jer 17:1; 1 Kings 1:50-55). But the unrepentant and guilty sought this asylum in vain (Ex 21:13, 14). When the murderer Joab fled thither, God directed, "Thou shalt take him from My altar, that he may die" (1 Kings 2:28-34). This was also the grim fate of Adonijah who attempted to escape the consequences of his treachery against Solomon in this way (1 Kings 1:50-53; 2:23, 24). But when he remembered the rewards awaiting the humble suppliant David was inspired to sing, "The sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Thine altar, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God" (Ps 84:3), And Jesus encourages us with the assurance that we are of much more value than many sparrows (Matt 10:31; Luke 12:7).
Victims Bound to the Horns of the Altar
Victims were probably bound and slain upon the original altars made of stone or earth, but they were never killed upon the copper altar in the court of the Tabernacle. In the area surrounding this center of worship the place of slaughter was designated as "the side of the altar northward before the Lord" (Lev 1:5, 11)). But when this was too crowded the victims might temporarily have been tethered to the altar's horns (Ps 118:27). Did this suggest that the animals were considered to be already under their power? The children who sang of Jesus on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem applied these words to Him: "Blessed is He Who cometh in the name of the Lord." Did any one in the crowd perceive that the following words of the psalmist's prediction also applied to Him? "Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar" (Ps 118:26, 27; cf. Matt 21:9; 23:39).
It was in this place that David longed to remain. As a "living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1, 2) the Christian should keep himself continually bound by the cords of love to God's altar, the cross of Calvary. "Bind property and friends on the altar of God" (5T 297), the Spirit recommends. "The members of the church should individually hold themselves and all their possessions upon the altar of God" (5T 465). "Very many of the parents who profess to believe the solemn message for this time have not trained their children for God. They have not restrained themselves and have been irritated with any one who attempted to restrain them. They have not by living faith bound their children upon the altar of the Lord" (5T 36, 37). "Ministering angels will guard children who are thus dedicated to God" (1T 398).
The Spirit urges the disciple to "draw men to Christ, not by gloom and despondency, covering the altar of God with tears, but by wearing the brightness of the Sun of righteousness" (RH 11 Oct 1892), Driven by love to Golgotha, Jesus "steadfastly set His face to go up to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51), willingly allowing Himself to be bound in Gethsemane, while affirming, "no man taketh away My life" (John 10:18). Eternal Spirit, teach us to love Him more.
"The mission of Christ, so dimly understood, so faintly comprehended, that called Him from the throne of God to the mystery of the altar of the cross of Calvary, will more and more unfold to the mind, and it will be seen that in the sacrifice of Christ are found the spring and principle of every other mission of love. It is the love of Christ which has been the incentive of every true missionary worker in cities, in towns, in the highways and byways of the world" (RH 30 Oct l894). Evil men commanded the rabble who came to arrest Jesus, "Hold Him fast!" (Matt 26:48), but
'Twas love that sought Gethsemane,
Or Judas
ne'er had found Him!
'Twas love that nailed Him to the cross,
Or
iron ne'er had bound Him. (Anon)
By the fullness of His dedication to His Father, Jesus in effect repeated the vow of the devoted slave: "I love My Master [God], I love My wife [the church], I love My children [believers individually; cf. Heb 2:13]; I will not go free" (cf. Ex 21:5; Ps 40:6, margin; Heb 10:5). We can think of the cords which bound Him to the altar of the cross as having four strands, love (Ex 21:5), obedience (Phil 2:8), zeal (Ps 69:9), and joy (Heb 12:2; Ps 16:11). Are you thus bound to His altar, and yours?
Horns suggest defense and attack, while crowns proclaim kings and victory. The horns of the altars of sacrifice and intercession represent the triumph of Christ's death and mediation, while the crowns on the table of fellowship as well as the throne of mercy anticipate association with the Prince. Horns announce Christ the Victor, while crowns proclaim Him King of kings.
When Joseph and Mary brought the Baby Jesus to the Temple, the priest "took the Child in his arms, and held it up before the altar" (DA 52), to signify His dedication as "a living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1, 2). And from that moment "His earthly life was a preparation for the altar. Christ points us to the key of all His suffering and humiliation--the love of God" (RH 17 July 1900). The touch of the copper altar brought forgiveness and holiness to the sincere penitent. No passage of the law was more significantly dear to him than that which proclaimed "whatsoever touchest the altar shall be holy" (Ex 29:37; cf. Matt 13:19).
The Altar was the Center of Court Ceremonies
Many priestly ministrations were directly dependent on the altar, particularly on its fire and blood. No atoning sacrifice might be presented, or thanksgiving raised; no shewbread baked or lamps lighted, or incense burned without a touch of the altar-fire ignited by God's "celestial torch" (CS 30). And "at the altar of self-sacrifice,--the appointed place of meeting between God and the soul,--we receive from the hand of God the celestial torch which searches the heart, revealing the need of an abiding Christ" (Signs 9 Jan 1901). The entire "daily" round of ceremonies as well as Israel's annual feasts and fast, could not have been carried out without this heavenly flame. In the very center of the court this altar stood as the foundation of all worship. Without the blood of the slain Lamb and Heaven's accepting fire our salvation would be impossible.
Its Biblical designations suggest the altar's various functions. The basic Hebrew term, "the altar," literally means "place of slaughter" (mitzbeah, Ex 28:43; 29:12, 44; &c). In Ezekiel's description of his vision of the Temple he often uses this common word (Ezek 43:13-27). But then the prophet introduced two rare terms, harel, or "the Mount of God" (Ezek 43:15, margin), and ariel, "The Lion of God" (Ezek 43:15, 16). Isaiah had earlier used Ariel to describe Mt. Zion (Isa 29:1, 2, margin) "because the altar of God was there" (Gesenius, Hebrew Lexicon, art. ariel). Do these allusions associate "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Gen 49:9, 10) and His tryst with destiny on a "hill far away" long years before identified by God? The Mishnah (Middoth 4:7) understands that Ariel describes the Sanctuary itself.
In Scriptural imagery "mountain" suggests power, stability, endurance, as well as exaltation. Centuries before Isaiah and Ezekiel called it Harel, the Lord had designated Mt. Moriah (Gen 22:2, 14, from the Hebrew raa, to see, provide or choose) as the place of Isaac's sacrifice. Later the Jebusite Araunah used this rock for threshing grain (2 Sam 24:18-25). On this site David built an altar, and Solomon erected the Temple (2 Chron 3:1). Nine centuries later Jesus the Messiah worshiped in the second Temple rebuilt on the ruins of the first. Today this rock, Sakrah, is enclosed within the "mosque" of Omar in Jerusalem. Because of this ancient monolith it is called "The Dome of the Rock." It marks the spot where twice the avenging sword had been stayed, first to spare the seed of Abraham, and then to protect the innocent people of Israel (Gen 22:12; 2 Sam 24:19; 1 Chron 21:15, 16).
Although the ceremonies of the altar have long since ceased, for centuries they pointed forward to the Saviour's sacrifice by which "all idolatry is to be conquered. Let every altar be thrown down, save the one that sanctifies the gift and the giver,--the cross of Calvary" (Australasian Union Conference Record, 15 Dec l904). Since mountain suggest elevation, the Latin Christians have left us the name altar, from the root meaning altitude. This idea is associated with the ancient "high places."
Illuminating Names Given to the Altar
The name "altar of burnt-offering" (mizbah ha'olah, Ex 30:28) from the Hebrew to ascend, called to mind the cloud of smoke on which the worshiper imagined the appeal of the victim's life winging its way to God. As evidence of completed immolation, God savored this smoke with sweet satisfaction, "rest" or fulfillment (Gen 8:20, 21, margin). Three days after the Saviour had offered Himself upon the altar of the cross, He, too, "ascended up on high," to hear from His Father's lips the assurance that His sacrifice was acceptable. Without Christ's resurrection and ascension to the heavenly Sanctuary to complete His ministry of reconciliation with His sprinkled blood "we would of all men [be] most miserable" (1 Cor 15:12-19, especially v. 19).
The altar of "whole" burnt-offering (Deut 33:10) pointed to the complete immolation of every portion of the sacrifice, an idea suggested by the Helenized Hebrew term holocaust. It illustrated the Saviour's total consecration of Himself as a sacrifice to the Father. As His disciples, we, too, must daily present our bodies and minds as living sacrifices, "wholly" to the Lord (Rom 12:1, 2). While in the Hebrew ritual the slain victim was totally consumed on the altar, our Christian privilege calls for the complete devotion of our daily lives. "Holiness is wholeness for God" (DA 556).
"The altar of burnt-offering before the door of the Tabernacle of the tent of the congregation" (Ex 40:6, 29) locates its focus of worship near the entrance of God's shrine. The golden altar of perpetual intercession before the inner veil provided the atmosphere of "sweet incense" in which the suppliant pressed his petitions to the throne of grace. The copper altar of perpetual sacrifice before the outer veil expressed the "sweet savor" of the Offering by Whose substitutionary and atoning blood the pilgrim's way to eternal life was paved.
"The brazen altar that was before the Lord," or Yahweh, provided satisfaction to the eternal Judge (2 Kings 16:14), while "the altar of God," or Elohim, reminded the worshipers of the grace which flowed from the unchanging Covenant Keeper (Ps 43:4). These twin aspects of the Godhead revealed by these names, portray the singleness of the Divine purpose for the ministry of the altar. Justice and mercy were inseparably associated with its services.
The expressions "the table that is before the Lord" (Ezek 41:22), "My table" (Ezek 44:16). and "the table of the Lord" (Mal 1:7, 8), picture its offerings as sacrificial "food." They were part of the covenant meal which satisfies God (Lev 3:11, 16). By consuming what is placed upon it He depicts Himself as ratifying the contract by which He binds Himself in everlasting fellowship with His people. Since God regarded the altar as "most holy" (Ex 29:37), whatever it touched was made holy (Hag 2:11-13; Matt 23:18, 19). The only way for the disciple to remain holy every day is to reach up to Christ offered on Golgotha's altar and grasp Him by faith. Eternal Spirit, keep us "bound" to this celestial altar.
Implements and Utensils Used at the Altar
The six implements used at the altar were also made of copper (Ex 27:3). They consisted of (1) knives for slaughtering and cutting up the sacrifices, (2) basins for catching and holding the blood, (3) flesh-hooks for arranging the parts of the victims on the flaming logs, or sorting "sodden flesh" (1 Sam 2:13-17), (4) rakes and shovels (from a root to take or carry away, cf. Jer 52:9) for sifting and removing the ashes, (5) fire pans called "censers" (Ex 38:3; Num 16:17) for bearing the cinders to the designated "clean place" outside the encampment, and (6) "snuff dishes" or coal pans (Ex 27:3; Lev 16:12). During the forty years of wandering, copper braziers or pans were used by the priests for carrying the sacred fire from one camping place to the next.
To remove the ashes from under the altar grid the priest was required to dress in white robes similar to those worn on the day of atonement. Having raked out the ashes, he arranged them into a pile "beside the altar at the east part" (Lev 6:10, 11; cf. Tamid 1:4), that is, facing the entrance to the Tabernacle. Ashes "signify that a whole and ample sacrifice" (4T 121) has been made. In fact, the Hebrew word "accept" means "turned to ashes" (Ps 20:3, margin). These ashes thus stood as a monument to the victim's complete immolation and acceptance before the Lord.
"Ashes" are often used in Scripture as a metaphor for humiliation (2 Sam 13:19), contrition (Dan 9:3; Matt 11:21; Luke 10:13)), mourning (Est 4:1, 3; Job 2:8); Jer 6:26), worthlessness (Job 13:13; Isa 44:20), ignominy (Ezek 28:18; Mal 3:21), distress and sorrow (Ps 102:16; Lam 3:16; Isa 61:3), and loathsomeness (Job 30:19). The Hebrew word for ash (eper) comes from a root meaning light, flying or agile, and conveys the idea of vapidity. These concepts must be added to our understanding of the pile of ashes standing before the altar. There they silent cry out that all man's ways, symbolized by the immolated victim, have come to nothing when exposed to the fires of God's presence.
The Ashes From the Altar
This heap of ashes was left between the altar and the entry veil to the court for some time, to signal to the worshipers that the substitute sacrifice had been totally consumed. It was also evidence of the Divine acceptance which devoured the Lamb of God. These ashes were not to be hurriedly removed from the Sanctuary court, because God wished that the encouragement they gave, as well as the warning they presented, should sink into the thinking of the celebrants. Over these cinders the inscription "It is finished!" (John 19:30) was typically written. These ashes also pointed to the inevitable fate of the impenitent. Asaph recorded that he first realized this when he entered the court and observed this mound of ashes. He immediately realized that it was the monument to "their end" (Ps 73:17).
Having moved the ashes from the altar, the priest doffed his special robes and donned his regular garments (Lev 6:10, 11). After an appropriate time had elapsed he carried them in a pan "without the camp into a clean place" where the individual sin-offerings were burned. This location was to teach that Christ did not die for the Hebrew people alone, but for the whole world (Heb 13:11, 12). This location "outside the city wall" was, in effect, an extension of the altar, for on it the bodies of special sin-offerings were burned (Lev 16:27; 6:30). Like these ashes, Jesus was taken down from the altar of the cross, and for a time, laid in a cave close by His place of slaughter to be observed by the universe and considered by all who had witnessed His crucifixion.
The ashes of consumed incense from the golden altar, and the burnt out wicks from the candelabrum, were mingled with the cinders of the copper altar at the time of their removal. This suggested the interrelationship of these three ministries. At dawn the fire from the copper altar had been used to light the lamps and ignite the incense, and now, at the close of the day, the ashes were evidence that illumination and intercession had fulfilled their tasks which were made possible by the altar fire.
The Fuel Used on the Altar
According to the rabbis the first choice for altar fuel was fig-wood, although fir, walnut and other trees might be used when necessary. The only forbidden ones were "olive wood and the wood of the vine" (Tamid 2:3-5). The fig tree's opening act in the drama of salvation was to provide useless and irritating leafy aprons for Adam and Eve (Gen 3:7). Its closing scene during Christ's earthly ministry also focused on its pretentious leaves, withered and valueless as a covering. Representing the fruitlessness of Hebrew national affectations, they have become a type of self-righteous hypocrisy and ostentation (Matt 21:19, 20). The fig logs consuming the victim on the altar whispered of the crime and cant which "burned" the Lamb of God.
The Fire on the Altar
After Bezaleel had completed the Tabernacle and its furnishings, the priests and Levites erected the tent of meeting, its ministers and the Sanctuary itself were dedicated to their tasks. Following these services Aaron offered the first sacrifice on behalf of Israel. Immediately "there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat" (Lev 9:24). Long before at Eden's gate "fire flashed from heaven and consumed the sacrifice" (PP 71; cf. Gen 4:4) to approve Abel's offering. In similar fashion God responded to Noah's post-flood burnt-offering to consecrate his family (Gen 8:20. 21), to Solomon's oblation at the dedication of the Temple (2 Chron 7:1), and to Elijah's sacrifice on the reestablished altar of Jehovah on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:38; 3T 285).
When once ignited by God to inaugurate Israel's Sanctuary worship at Sinai this sacred fire was never allowed to go out. During the march in the desert the priests kept the embers alight in a censer by constantly adding incense (Signs 24 June l880). When the camp was set up and the evening oblation presented, the altar wood was ignited by blowing upon a spark from these glowing coals. Today our prayer should be that of E. Hatch:
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with
life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what
Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am
wholly Thine.
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy
fire divine.
During the time the people remained in one location, fuel was added to the altar's hearth each morning and evening to keep the fires going. Did Solomon remember this in his remark that "where no wood is, there the fire goeth out"? (Prov 26:20). This Divine fire was cherished from generation to generation until the building of Solomon's Temple. Then God again ignited the altar fires for the last time. Thus for almost a thousand years this celestial flame continued to glow on Israel's altars. Are the fires of Heaven's love continuously burning on the altar of your heart? Remember, without the daily addition of incense, symbolizing Christ's righteousness and our prayers, it will go out.
Fire is an emblem of that aspect of God's character which accepts and purges (Deut 4:24; 9:3; Heb 12:29; MB 62). Isaiah's "live coal [is] symbolic of the righteousness of Christ" as well as "the purifying fire of truth burning upon the altar of [our] heart[s]" (2T 337). "The furnace fires are not to destroy, but to refine, ennoble, sanctify" (8T 123). But "the fire of God's love will be kindled" (GW 253) upon the altar of the disciple's heart only as he offers himself as a living sacrifice. "Let the Spirit of God, like a holy flame, burn away the rubbish that is piled up at the door of the heart, and let Jesus in; then His love will flow out to others through us, in tender words and thoughts and acts" (5T 490). "A person may have property and intellect, and yet be valueless, because the glowing fire of goodness has never burned upon he altar of his heart" (2T 305). The Lord is ever ready to consume selfishness by this Heavenly flame when we ask for cleansing. After the crucified Lamb had suffered the blazing fires of God's wrath, He proclaimed to the universe, "It is finished!" In accepting Him Heaven accepts those who offered Him in faith.
No Strange Fire Ever to be Used on the Altar
Jehovah decreed that no "strange fire" should ever be used on the altar (Ex 30:9). But in spite of this warning the intoxicated older sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, filled censers with sparks of their own kindling. Presumptuously venturing into the court of the Tabernacle, they were struck down (Lev 10:1-7; GW 20). On one occasion the Spirit admonished a group of ministers: "By intemperance in eating you disqualify yourselves for seeing clearly the difference between sacred and common fire" (7T 258). Divine fire represents the judgment of God, it either accepts Abel's sacrifice or rejects Cain's bloodless offering.
"If one has not a vital connection with God," the Spirit warns, "his own spirit and sentiments will prevail. These may be well represented as strange fire offered in place of the sacred. Man has woven into the work of God his own defects of character, devices that are human and earthly, delusions ensnaring to himself and to all who accept them" (TM 371). "Let there be no departure from the Lord's methods of working. Use no common fire, but the sacred fire of the Lord's kindling" (7T 267). In fact, "those who bear responsibilities in our institutions should daily seek the way of the Lord. They should not feel qualified to choose their own way, for in so doing they will walk in the light of the sparks of their own kindling" (8T 140, 141). Let us pray for Heaven's pure flame to glow upon the altars of our hearts constantly.
"The light that shines from those who receive Jesus Christ is not self-originated. It is all from the Light and Life of the world. He kindles this light even as he kindles the fire that all must use in doing His service. Christ is the light, the life, the holiness, the sanctification of all who believe, and His light is to be received and imparted in all good works. In many different ways His grace is also acting as the salt of the earth; whithersoever this salt finds its way, to homes or communities, it becomes a preserving power to save all that is good, and to destroy all that is evil" (5BC 1085).
The Sacrificial Services Connected with the Altar
We have now noticed that the altar was designed to teach many lessons. Its ministry separated the penitent from his guilt at the time he presented his personal offering, confessed his sins and then slew it. Then the fires of Divine wrath consumed his victim taking his place on the altar to demonstrate Heaven's acceptance of him. He was now regarded by God as sinless. These rituals all looked to Jesus, the Lamb of God, Who would one day die on Calvary for the sins of the world. For the Christian the altar cross of Calvary must be central to his life and worship. At it we obtain forgiveness for every sin, and grace for every need, because God "has placed at His altar the Advocate clothed in His nature" (CT 14) and a Mediator sharing "our nature." He is represented in the very act of pouring out His blood on our behalf as we confess our sins (4T 395). To keep these realities vividly in our minds we are commanded to "measure the altar" (Rev 11:1). Daily meditation upon the significance of Calvary in the framework of the heavenly Sanctuary, permits the Spirit to help us to appreciate the value of Christ's death in our stead, and our place in His priestly mediation.
The Blood on the Altar Symbolized the Cross
If, on our
way to worship at our altar, we remember any one who has been
offended by us, we should pause to make things right (Matt 5:23,24),
for only thus will we be acceptable to God. The stop to search our
hearts while going to the altar will become a pause of purity. Each
detour to seek reconciliation with our hurting fellows will be a
journey nearer Paradise.
8 - LAVER AND ITS FOOT
The laver was a large copper water basin located in the court, between the altar of burnt-offering and the veil to the holy place. The Rabbis remember that "the laver stood between the porch and the altar, toward the south" (Middoth 3:6; cf. Ex 30:18; 38:8; 40:30) of an imaginary line running east and west through the center of the Tabernacle. This position is true also of Solomon's brazen "sea," the counterpart of the Mosaic laver (1 Kings 7:39). Facing the worshipers gathered to observe the ceremonies, its position was "between the altar and the congregation" (PP 347, 348; 2T 611).
Opposite the laver, north of the median line, was the place of slaughter (Lev 1:11) where stakes, or in Solomon's temple bronze rings, were fixed in the ground. The victims were tethered to these prior to their slaughter to provide the blood needed in many rituals.
Symbols of Cleansing and Sacrifice
Thus the symbols of water and blood stood associated in the court to provide for various kinds of cleansing.
God's instructions for constructing the laver reveal little of its size or shape. Its name, however, means a wash bowl (1 Kings 7:30), a cooking pot (1 Sam 2:14), and a fire-pot (Zech 12:6). It is probably derived from a root meaning to dig or bore or make round with a hammer as does a tin-smith, which might indicate that it was beaten work. This root meaning is noted by the Psalmist (Ps 22:16) when he predicted Christ's description of the crucifixion: "They pierced [digged, hammered, bored] My hands and feet." On Calvary the hammer and nails made a "laver" of Christ's hands and feet from which the cleansing streams of salvation flowed.
The Mosaic laver was most probably round. This is supported by the shape of the "brazen sea" of Solomon's Temple, the permanent counterpart of the Mosaic laver (1 Kings 7:23-26, 39). As we have noted, another clue is its Hebrew name which designated a round wash-basin, bowl, pan or utensil, made in a semi-spherical shape by hammering. The word has been used once to describe the round platform, or stage of bronze, on which Solomon stood and knelt while dedicating the temple (2 Chron 6:13).
The Laver and its Foot
The laver is frequently mentioned with its "foot" (Ex 30:17-21, 28; 31:9; 35:16; 40:7,11, 30; Lev 8:11), an unusual word for base or pedestal. This probably consisted of a shallow saucer-shaped dish with a somewhat larger diameter than that of the laver, and with a turned up rim. It also held water. From the center of this base a stand arose to support the laver itself, which is said to have looked "like a lily flower" (see Unger's Bible Dictionary), or lotus blossom (cf. 2 Chron 4:2-5; 1 Kings 7:23-26).
Nothing was ever washed in the laver or in its "foot." These were strictly reservoirs, from which the ministrants ladled the necessary water. This kind of provision for ritual lustrations may be seen outside Muslim mosques to provide water for the worshipers to wash their faces, hands and feet before entering to pray, an idea which probably originated from the Sanctuary. Every priest who wished to minister at the altar, or in the holy place, was required first to purify himself by the water ritual at the laver (Ex 30:17-21).
The laver rested on the desert sand during the wilderness wanderings. This sings the gospel song of Heaven's condescension in reaching down to where the pilgrims walk to the Promised Land, to provide cleansing water for their needs. Jesus reminded Nicodemus that the new birth, which consisted of forgiveness, cleansing, justification and regeneration, concerned "earthly things" (John 3:12). His expression is also descriptive of plants which creep along the ground, and points to what takes place in our world. Our Lord thus pictured the need for His disciples to be "washed . . . sanctified . . . justified" (1 Cor 6:11) while still on the earth, and trudging toward Paradise. This service of spiritual cleansing with water the laver and its foot typically provided in the Tabernacle court.
The Laver Made of Bronze Mirrors
The laver was made out of the polished brass or copper "looking glasses" lovingly donated by the Israelite women worshipers (Ex 38:8; 30:17-21). Many such metallic mirrors have been unearthed by archaeologists in Bible lands. In Scriptural sign language a mirror illustrates one function of the law (James 1:23-25; cf. 2 Cor 3:17, 18), the revealer of sin. When first given at Sinai the significance of this symbolic gift of the women was a tightly wrapped bud. Fifteen centuries later the virgin mother displayed its Flower fully opened in Bethlehem. The humanity of Jesus of Nazareth is the celestial Mirror in which we see reflected both God's Ideal for mankind and the condition in which we really are. His flesh, the incarnation of love, and displaying the precepts of the decalogue perfectly carried out, was proffered to the universe by the worshiping Maid of Nazareth. Christ is the perfect "end," the goal of the law (Rom 10:4, telos). In effect, Gabriel might have announced: The substance of Heaven's Lotus Blossom of cleansing is a woman's gift.
The "women assembling at the door of the Tabernacle" were serving with the workers who were constructing the shrine. They had done what their mirrors had shown to be necessary for their daily grooming. But outward beauty cannot satisfy divine ideals (1 Sam 16:7). The historian noted that they had progressed as far as "the door" of God's holy shrine. Did they there wistfully yearn for a richer experience? Had they glimpsed the ideals which they might reach in the glory crowning Horeb, and because of this vision yielded their mirrors to Bezaleel's softening flame and transforming hammer? Their act displayed their desire to turn from externals. Because the bias of their lives had altered, their prized tools of self-love were surrendered. Self has no further charms for one who heeds the message which H. H. Lemmel penned more than half a century ago:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His
wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely
dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
The Mirror is a Symbol of God's Law
As the sinner meditates on His Saviour's life, the Spirit helps him to sense his own unworthiness, and he is ready to acknowledge himself "shapen in iniquity" (Ps 51:5). The Scriptures are replete with examples of persons to whom heaven has granted such insights, and who then recognized in themselves "only wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores" (Isa 1:6) extending from the tops of their heads (their thoughts) to the soles of their feet (their daily walk). Through this self-knowledge even "perfect" Job was led to lament, "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5, 6), while the innocent Isaiah wailed, "I am a man of unclean lips" (Isa 6:5), and even Daniel, although "greatly beloved" of Heaven, acknowledged, "My comeliness was turned in me into corruption" (Dan 10:8).
After he has looked into the divine mirror and been convicted of sin, the Spirit creates in the heart of the penitent a longing for change and cleansing. Then, as he again gazes into the "mirror" with his changed perspective, what had previously seemed to him a "law of bondage," he discovers to be the perfect "law of liberty" (James 2:12). He longs for cleansing for his tortured conscience, release from his intolerable burden of guilt, and escape from the thralldom of sin.
But the law is impotent to cleanse and release him. Its usefulness lies only in exposing his sinful heart (Rom 3:20; 7:7-13), and his need for forgiveness. Because the mirror-laver had the same inherent limitation, God extended its ministry to perform a wider task. After the copper looking glasses had been fashioned into the bowl and its base, He required that they be filled with water from the smitten Rock. What had heretofore merely reflected nature's marred image, now gleamed with Heaven's means for its purification.
The Cleansing Water from the Smitten Rock
The Lord Himself created the water for the laver's richer role from the riven rock (Ex 17:5, 6). In the ritual connected with the woman suspected of adultery, only "holy water" from the laver might be used (Num 5:17), leading to the conclusion that the water from the laver was considered ceremonially clean and set apart for sacred purposes.
Observe the gifts of these pious women lovingly holding out God's cleansing grace. The Rock is Christ (1 Cor 10:4; PP 411), broken open by vindictive hands, but in God's providence providing cascades of the "water and blood" desperately needed to remove man's sin and uncleanness (Zech 12:1). For Israel's ritual in the Temple at Jerusalem, water for the laver was drawn from the Pool of Shiloh. Named "Peace," this spring was a symbol of the Prince of Peace or Emmanuel (Gen 49:10). Siloam was another name applied to this pool, and meant "the Sent of God" (John 9:7).
Consider closely this picture of the mirror-laver and its foot representing the power of the Saviour, first to expose human need for those who gaze into His life, and then to provide the water to wash away the guilt of every sin reflected on its shimmering face. For all who chose to dip and bathe in the waters of the laver and its foot God gave cleansing. These rituals pointed to Christ, the Sent of God, Who one day would become the refreshing Pool of Peace for all who long for pardon and purity. Eternal Spirit, flow into our lives and purify our hearts.
The Laver's Two-fold Ministry
This two-fold laver-ministry was part of the "daily" service of the Sanctuary, and called attention to the need for a "continual" repetition of this phase of the plan of salvation. Its message is for us. "In order to gain a knowledge of ourselves, it is necessary to look into the mirror, and there discovering our own defects, avail ourselves of the blood of Christ, the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, in which we may wash our robes of character and remove the stains of sin. But many refuse to see their errors and correct them; they do not want a true knowledge of themselves" (4T 58-59). Because of this indifference they spurn both the Mirror and the Fountain.
At the altar of perpetual atonement the sacrifice procured the forgiveness and justification of the sinner by its bloody sacrifice. This was a one-time act, the work of a moment. Then by continually washing at the laver, the waters of which represent cleansing grace, the born again sinner was enabled to maintain his state of cleanliness.
God Requires Complete Cleansing
Dissatisfied with his spiritual condition, Nicodemus secretly came to Jesus on a vague quest for something which he really did not perceive. From this "Teacher sent from God" (John 3:1-21) he might have hoped for a fuller insight into some theoretical truth, or perhaps a richer application of the intricacies of the Torah. But, instead, Christ invited him to consider the practical application of Israel's uplifted brazen serpent. The rabbi soon realized that no virtue resided in the molded metal; those dying from the vipers' venom revived only through the antidote provided by God. He perceived that, like the perishing Israelites, he needed power from outside himself. Jesus then focused his attention on the only way to receive this, to be "born again of water and the Spirit." The Pharisee slowly began to understand that only after his past had been "buried," and a new life regenerated by grace, could this divine power enable him to live triumphantly. For centuries this ministry had been shadowed forth by the laver and its water.
Because its ministry was often listed with that of the altar (Ex 30:28; 31:9; 35:16), Israel's lotus blossom of cleansing taught still richer lessons of renewal. Each priest was instructed: "Take heed that thou touch not this vessel [the silver fire-pan which contained coals taken from the altar of burnt-offering and used for burning incense] before thou has sanctified thy hands and feet in the laver" (Tamid 1:4; cf. Ex 30:18-21).
Twin Streams of Water and Blood
The linkage between the laver's cleansing water, the altar's redeeming blood and purifying fire must never be overlooked. This triad of rituals formed three points to a triangle, balancing a like triad in the holy place, the light, the bread and the incense. These six ministries for the sinner, long carried out in the court of the Tabernacle and the holy place, are now performed by our High Priest in the heavenly Sanctuary, and reach down to each one of us through the Spirit.
On that awful Friday nineteen centuries ago God's tortured Lamb laid down His life and poured out His blood on the "altar [of] the cross" (Australian Union Conference Record, 15 Dec. l904), to fulfill His mission as predicted by Israel's sacrificial system. "On a hill far away" the soldier who plunged his javelin into the heart of the Saviour thought only of ensuring His death; but instead he opened twin streams of "water and blood" for the salvation of the lost race. "The refreshing water . . . is an emblem of the divine grace which Christ alone can bestow, and which is as the living water, purifying, refreshing and invigorating the soul" (MLT 139). And wherever there are sinners longing for the defilement of their lives to be washed away (by water), and the redemptive power (through blood) to live the new life of faith, these gracious provisions are ever available from the heavenly Sanctuary. To teach these thrilling facts to ancient Israel the laver and the altar worked side by side, with their typical fingers prophetically pointing toward Golgotha.
The water of the laver was also a type of the holy Scriptures. "The student of the word finds himself bending over a fountain of living water. The church needs to drink deeply of the spirituality of the word" (7BC 964). Eternal Spirit, ever more give us this water.
The New Covenant Laver Ministry
Paul has left Christians two insights into the significance of the Old Testament laver. Speaking of the Saviour, he explained that it was "His mercy [that] saved us" as individuals. He then reminded Titus that this saving ministry was made effectual "by the washing [laver] of regeneration, and [viz.] the renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:3-5, margin). Paul's word "washing" is derived from the root from which the term used in the Greek Old Testament for laver springs (louter, Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament, 149), and means to bathe thoroughly. For the apostle the ideas represented by the "laver" included the water, as well as the act of washing. He explained to Titus that Christ's "regeneration" of sinners, called justification by faith, is brought about in every case through the Spirit's "refreshing." This function was long pictured in the Sanctuary by laver washing.
The apostle explained to the Ephesians, in his second use of laver, that Jesus cleanses His church by "the washing [laver] of water by the word" (Eph 5:26). He thus underscored the further thought that laver washing illustrated the sanctification by faith of the disciple through his obedience to the inspired Scriptures. As the believing reader of Holy Writ chooses to allow the ideas presented therein by Inspiration to linger in his mind, his processes of thinking are "washed" clean.
By combining these two Pauline insights we discover that the Spirit's regenerating or justifying ministry, as well as His sanctifying power, function in the Christian's life through his continuing acceptance and personal application of the principles of the inspired Scriptures. These services were illustrated for the pious Israelites through the laver water.
When the Tabernacle was first set up God specified a ceremony of dedication for the laver and its foot before they could be used. Blood and oil were successively sprinkled upon both (Ex 30:26-29; 40:11; Lev 8:10, 11). These two substances typically directed the observers forward to the functioning of the blood of Calvary's Sacrifice and the oil of Pentecost's Spirit in the ministries which the laver adumbrated. These dual means vitalized laver-washing for Israel, and pointed forward to the purifying word. By these rites the Lord emphasized that He was setting the laver apart for His glory, and alerted His saints against using it for secular ends.
The
Septuagint adds to the Masoretic text instructions for the portage
of the laver. "And they shall take a purple cloth, and cover
the laver and his foot, and they shall put it into a
blue-[black
cover of skin, and put it on bars" (Num 4:14,
LXX), to protect it during its transportation. As with the
other parts of the Sanctuary, the Lord was teaching His people that
wherever they might travel His provision for their purification went
along with them.
The Laver a Type of Christian Baptism
The services typified by the Old Testament laver anticipated New Testament baptism. Before submitting to this Christian rite the disciple must repent (Acts 2:38), and resolve by grace to abandon the "old man," or his former life-style (Col 3:9). Solemnized by the realization that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), and through a close look at the mirror-law, and with a deepening appreciation of what Christ has done for him daily glowing in his heart, he gladly accepts Jesus as his Saviour and Lord, and allows himself to be plunged beneath baptismal waters to signal his willingness to bury his passions and ambitions (Rom 6:1-8). Through His earthly representative, the Lord then lifts His new-born child from this watery grave to demonstrate his spiritual resurrection. Although he knows that he is "still in the flesh," the regenerated disciple purposes that henceforth he will "live by the faith of the Son of God" (Gal 2:20). As he develops day by day in the Christian way, he comes to experience the power of the Spirit, and to realize the facts of this thrilling truth: "If we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend out hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses" (DA 668).
The several ways by which God has saved His followers in all ages from their trials, many of which are similar to those encountered by Christians today, are illustrated by Scriptural stories connected with water baptism. Peter observed that the significance of baptism was portrayed by the deluge which safely upheld the believing remnant within the ark (1 Pet 3:18-22). Paul perceived that the billows of the Red Sea formed a protective wall for the escaping "baptized" Israelites (1 Cor 10:1, 2). To the Corinthians the apostle explained further that the shadow of God's cloud comfortably leading His surrendered and obedient people through the parched wilderness also amounted to their "baptism" (1 Cor 10:1, 2). Even the depths of the ocean preserved the reluctant Jonah. This became an illustration of Christ's "baptism of blood" which illustrated His total surrender unto death (Matt 12:39-41; 20:22, 23). Inspiration has likened each of these four episodes to baptismal-burial followed by a triumphant resurrection. Christ opened these truths concerning death and resurrection to Nicodemus by His illustration of the Spirit's use of regenerative water. These concepts had long been suggested by the laver and the services performed with its water.
Laver Cleansing Must be Continually Repeated
The law required every ministrant to cleanse his hands and feet prior to entering upon any of his duties in the Sanctuary. "Particles of dust might cleave to them, which would desecrate the holy place; wherefore the priests were required to leave their shoes in the court before entering the sanctuary. In the court, beside the door of the Tabernacle, stood a brazen laver, wherein the priests washed their hands and their feet before entering the Tabernacle, that all impurity might be removed. All who officiated in the Sanctuary were required of God to make special preparation before entering the place where His glory was revealed" (4T 159). The Christian should ask himself, Do I regularly apply the stream of cleansing grace to my life before attempting to serve my Master?
The attitudes exhibited by the priests were to serve as examples to Israel, for if they "showed great reverence for God by being very careful and very particular as they came into His presence, it gave the people an exalted idea of God and His requirements. It showed them that God was holy, that His work was sacred, and that everything in connection with His work must be holy; that it must be free from everything like impurity and uncleanness" (2T 612). The relationship of Christian "royal priests" toward "the laver of the water in the word" (Eph 5:26, Henry Alford, The New Testament Commentary), and their reverence for its detailed requirements, are equally important today in influencing others to study and obey the Scriptures.
Hands and Feet Washed at the Laver
The priests washed their hands and feet each time they carried the blood of the sacrificial victims to the altar or into the holy place (Ex 40:32). The laver's reiterated message from the court as expressed by the gospel prophet, "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" (Isa 52:11), still calls us to maintain a constant purity. Without this daily cleansing of the life, justification cannot progress to the next stage of Christian development, sanctification, which was taught by the symbology of the furnishings of the holy place, and the ceremonies carried out through them. David's resolution to seek for this cleansing should be ours also: "I will wash my hands in innocency: so will I compass Thine altar" (Ps 26:6; cf. 73:13).
The laver's ministry applied only to those who were born to the Aaronic priesthood. We, as members of Christ's "royal priests," may enter His service through the "new birth." As we daily "bear the vessels of the Lord," representing the various provisions of the gospel, we, too, must continuously ensure that the reality typified by the "laver of regeneration" (Titus 3:5, W. J. Conybeare, The Epistles of Paul), and the cleansing it affected are a vital influences in our lives.
Priestly Consecration Required Laver Water
Laver water was used during the rites connected with the consecration of the high priest. As God's appointed representative (Ex 4:16; 7:1; 18:19) Moses immersed Aaron (Lev 8:6; Ex 29:4) in water drawn from the laver, (where we are not told), to signal his complete cleansing. To call attention to this stage in the experience of our High Priest, Christ once asked James and John, "Are ye able to be baptized with the baptism with which I am being baptized?" (Matt 20:22; cf. Luke 12:50). This act of Moses in baptizing Aaron typified a milepost in the journey of all Christ's under- shepherds. Paul appealed to his readers to keep in mind that their baptismal "burial" represented complete committal (Rom 6:1-11). On the basis of this initial bath, only the hands (daily activities) and the feet (steps in the pilgrim's journey) will need subsequent washings, and these were symbolized in Christ's ordinance of foot washing (John 13:10).
Various other rituals were performed at the laver. Parts of the sacrificial victims were washed prior to being placed on the altar by the priest (Lev 1:9, 13). The rabbis remember that in seeking to identify the suspected adulteress (Num 5:11-31) "the priest used to bring an earthenware bowl and put in it half a log of water from the laver" (Sotah 2:2). With dust from the holy place sprinkled on its surface, this water was then used to wash off the ink lettering from the scroll on which her husband's accusations had been recorded. This potion consisting of water, dust and the ink tracings was drunk by the accused woman. To the innocent this act spelled vindication, she simply absorbed the charges made against her!
Water Ceremonies During the Feast of Tabernacles
During each day of the Feast of Tabernacles, water obtained directly from the source supplying the laver, the Rock in the wilderness, and the Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, was used for the various libations. But if this water jar become uncovered they used water from the laver (Sukkah 4:10) which commemorated the miraculous stream which had continually gushed from the smitten Rock during Israel's wanderings in the wilderness.
Before entering the most holy place on the Day of Atonement, the high priest five times immersed himself, and then during the ceremonies performed during the day often washed his hands and feet, with water dipped in a golden jug from the laver (Yoma 4:5). These lustrations underline our need to remain clean in all the activities we carry out for the Lord by means of the Fountain for sin and uncleanness.
The constant presence of the laver, so clearly visible in the court of the Tabernacle, called attention to God's longsuffering towards Israel's continual sinning. Christians who become defiled in their daily walk also need constant cleansing, for one bath is never sufficient for a lifetime. But the Saviour did indeed stress the importance of this initial bath, "He that is washed [bathed] needeth not save to was feet but is clean every whit" (John 13:10). The priests were urged to persevere in their rites of purification, "that they die not" (Ex 30:17-21). With this truth in mind, our Lord's warning, "If I [continually] wash thee [individually and personally] not thou hast no part with Me" (John 13:8), challenges us with peculiar force to remain submitted and close to Him. How particular God is! And how high is the calling of His royal priesthood! And how adequate is the provision He has made to bring about this purity of life! But the only place for Israel to benefit from this was at the laver in the court of the Tabernacle. Those who sought a different "fountain for sin and uncleanness" remained defiled. Today, too, for Christians there is only "one baptism," for "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). To ignore this Font is to put our Saviour to open shame, and suffer eternal loss in consequence.
The Laver Water Anticipated the Ordinance of Foot Washing
The Old Testament laver-cleansing finds its New Testament fulfillment in Christ's ordinance of foot washing. "Like Peter and his brethren, we too have been washed in the blood of Christ, yet often through contact with evil the heart's purity is soiled. We must come to Christ for His cleansing grace. . . . He alone can wash us clean. We are not prepared for communion with Him unless cleansed by His efficacy" (DA 649). Are we coming to the Divine Laver quarter by quarter to keep our daily walk clean?
The last time the laver is mentioned in Scripture it is represented as the grandstand upon which the redeemed are displayed to the universe. The Revelator describes it as "a sea of glass like unto crystal" (Rev 4:6), and locates it before the throne of the Eternal. As the judicial process moved toward completion, John watched representatives of God's vindicated saints take their places upon this "sea of glass mingled with fire" (Rev 15:2), to sing "the song of Moses and the Lamb." His expression "stand upon" suggests both victory and the right of possession.
The Laver and the Sea of Glass
This apocalyptic scene harks back to the dedication of the temple built by Solomon. During the ceremony the king took his position upon a special "sea" or platform, to address the people, and then to pray to Jehovah (2 Chron 6:13; cf. 1 Kings 8:22 ff). This Hebrew word "sea" has also been rendered laver (2 Chron 4:2). For centuries the mirrors forming the laver had revealed Israel's need for purification, and contained the water by which they were made clean. In John's vision the Israel of God, finally gathered from every land and every age, are exhibited standing upon the "sea."
This symbol of baptismal regeneration has finally become the ultimate base upon which the redeemed take their position before God. The law, which the mirrors of the laver represented, and the cleansing waters provided by the Lord, have become the foundation of their lives and characters. "Death" and "burial," condemnation and defilement, no longer have power over them. The laver has become their sign of triumph, and forms the pedestal upon which they stand victorious before the universe. They have overcome the "sea" whose water, which is now aglow with purifying fire, forms their crystal platform. Like Peter, they walk upon this "sea," safe and unafraid, because they have kept their eyes fixed upon the Lamb wherever He has led them.
This final
vision of the laver leaves us with the assurance that Christ's
transformed disciples will need no further purifications in the
hereafter. They stand before the throne of the eternal Judge without
fault (Rev 14:5), their robes of character washed and made white by
Calvary's twin streams, serving Him day and night in His temple "as
kings and priests." The laver's mission will thus be
accomplished in the final justification and sanctification of God's
people. At their glorification they mount this crystal "sea"
irradiated with glory, to display the success of Heaven's plan for
their salvation.
9 - FOUNTAIN FOR SIN
All My Wages Are Christ's
The slaughter of every victim used in the Sanctuary took place at a location north (Lev 1:11) of an imaginary line which ran east and west to bisect the court. The rabbis remember that the killing place was between the altar and the veil to the holy place. "The shambles lay north of the Altar, and there stood there eight short pillars; upon these were four-sided blocks of cedar-wood into which were fixed iron hooks, three rows to each, whereon they used to hang the slaughtered beasts" to flay them (Middoth 3:5; Tamid 3:5, while this describes Zerubbabel's Temple, it also probably applies in principle to what occurred in the wilderness Tabernacle).
The penitent bound his animal to one of these stakes, and then tied its two front legs together with a slip-knot. Looping the rope around one of its back legs, he pulled the three together. Since the creature could not sand on two "legs," it fell to the ground on its side. "He that slaughtered it stood to the east with his face to the west." He then turned "its head to the south and its face to the west" (Tamid 4:1), that is, toward the most holy place.
His next act was to lay his hands on the victim's head between its horns. The term "laid" means to lean, rest, or support one's entire weight upon, as Samson lay against the pillars of the stadium (samak, cf. Jud 16:29, margin; Amos 5:19). By this gesture the penitent symbolically placed the full burden of his guilt upon the victim's head, and at the same time silently confessed his specific sins to God. When the Lamb of God was bearing the sins of the world on His way to Calvary, He fell crushed beneath the weight of the cross three times.
The sinner was then required to take a knife and cut the throat of his substitute sacrifice (Lev 1:5). This must have shocked and horrified him. As he watched his innocent stand-in struggling in its death agony, the heinous nature of his sin must have come into focus. By requiring this disgusting, unnerving act God designed that the penitent should sense the full force of what he had done, that his own hand had brought about the death of the suffering creature which was dying in his place. As Christians we should cultivate a vivid sense of our own responsibility for Calvary, because we "crucify to [our]selves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame" (Heb 6:6).
The Spilled Blood
The priest who ministered to the sinner caught some of the victim's flowing blood in a bowl. This might sometimes be of silver and at other times of gold, depending upon the ritual. This blood he manipulated in different ways to fulfill the requirements of various ceremonies. From this killing place in the court of the Tabernacle the "fountain for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech 13:1) "continually" flowed. Let us consider the role played by this blood in the rites of salvation.
As we imagine the earthly ministrant carrying the "spilled blood" into the Holy Place glowing with quiet light and redolent of the breath of prayer, or to the copper altar flaming with justice in the court, and watch him splatter it in elaborate rituals, converting it into omnipotent "sprinkled blood," we must see Jesus ministering His own precious blood on our behalf in the heavenly Sanctuary.
The spilled and sprinkled blood of the daily morning and evening sacrifices was vital to the plan of salvation. In pointed to the constant ratification of God's covenant with Israel. Ellen White observed: "A sacrifice was offered to the Lord. A portion of the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled upon the altar. This signified that the people had consecrated themselves--body, mind, and soul--to God. A portion was sprinkled upon the people (Heb 9:19, 20). This signified that through the sprinkled blood of Christ, God graciously accepted them as His special treasure. Thus the Israelites entered into a solemn covenant with God" (1BC 1107). The perceptive observers understood that every victim looked forward to the coming Messiah.
The Blood of Jesus is the Blood of Mankind
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem He "took on Himself the seed of Abraham" (Heb 2:16), as well as the seed of David (Rom 1:3; 2 Tim 2:8). His life-blood, therefore, represents the life-blood of "Abraham's seed," or the "heirs according to the promise" (Gal 3:29), an expression which includes the redeemed of all ages. When Jesus died, humanity died in Him. When He arose, mankind again lived in Him. As Jesus ascended to His Father, redeemed humanity ascended in Him. In the heavenly Sanctuary Christ's blood is representative of the human race. And when Jesus is ultimately glorified, the race will be glorified in Him.
But the sacrifices designed as a revelation of the Gift made on Calvary, and as a deterrent to sin, in time became occasions for the ostentatious and empty multiplication of slain victims. Quantity and not significance was stressed. The Lord more than once inveighed against Israel's meaningless mass slaughter and the needless rivers of blood which swamped feelings of humility and heart-felt repentance, saying, "Who asked for this?" (Isa 1:11-13). "I desire mercy and not [cruel and meaningless] sacrifice," He tried to explain (Hos 6:6).
When He came to live on earth as a man, Jesus assured His Father: "Sacrifice [peace-offering] and offering [i. e. meal-offering] and burnt- offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein. . . . Then said He, Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God" (Heb 10:8, 9). Ten centuries prior to this Samuel had reminded Saul that "to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Sam 15:22). Unless the sinner grasps the reality that Christ is the center of every sacrifice he presents to God, and then resolves to obey His commandments through grace, all his religious activities are valueless.
Blood is Eloquent
The residual blood which the priest poured out at the base of the altar, like Abel's blood (Gen 4:10; Heb 12:24), eloquently expressed several profound truths (Lev 4:7, 18, 30, 34; 5:9; &c). In vision the Revelator listened as the pleading "voices of those who had been sacrificed to human envy and hatred were crying beneath the altar for retribution" (cf. Rev 6:9; RH 17 July 1900). Today One Whose blood is more eloquent than Abel's cries to God from the altar of Calvary.
The blood taught Israel the lesson of propitiation. This word emphasizes that the claims of the law had been satisfied by the death of the innocent victim. If the blood had been in any way tainted it would not be efficacious. Blood taught substitution. This means that the victim took the sinner's place and died in his stead. In the ritual the priest used the blood to record in the Tabernacle the forever-forgiven confessed sins of the pious Israelites. With it he "covered" or "made atonement" for their sins. This ministered blood did away with the sin which had separated God and man. Only then was the atoning sacrifice complete. By placing the sinner in a right relationship with Heaven, the blood unfolded the comforting truth of justification through Christ's death. This means that the sinner had been declared righteous by the generous Judge, and was now restored to covenant relationship with his Maker. Realizing this the penitent gladly consecrated his life to God.
By contemplating his sacrifice the thoughtful Hebrew worshiper grasped these mighty gospel truths: (1) separation from sin through vicarious death, (2) justification by faith in the saving blood of the Lamb of God, (3) restoration to covenant fellowship, and (4) consecration of his life to service.
"The mission of Christ, so dimly understood, so faintly comprehended, that called Him from the throne of God to the mystery of the altar of the cross of Calvary, will more and more unfold to the mind, and it will be seen that in the sacrifice of Christ are found the spring and principle of every other mission of love. It is the love of Christ which has been the incentive of every true missionary worker in cities, in towns, in the highways and the byways of the world" (RH 30 Oct 1894). "At the altar of self-sacrifice,- - the appointed place of meeting between God and the soul,--we receive from the hand of God the celestial torch which searches the heart, revealing the need of an abiding Christ" (Signs 9 Jan 1901). Purged of all sin and empowered to live a new life, we should go forth without the camp, bearing the efficacy of the immolated Sacrifice to help other sinners, ever rejoicing with the unknown poet,
Not all the blood of beasts,
On Jewish altars
slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace,
Or wash away
one stain. But Christ the heavenly Lamb,
Took all our sins
away;
A sacrifice of nobler name,
And richer blood than
they.
My soul, look back to see
The burden thou didst
bear,
When hanging on the accursed tree,
And know its guilt
was there.
Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove,
We
bless the Lamb with cheerful voice,
And sing His dying love.
The Shed or Spilled Blood
As blood is the river of life for the innocent animal, the blood of Christ represents the life-essence of the Lamb of God. As blood is purified by air, He kept His saving blood pure by continually breathing the rare atmosphere of heaven. As blood removes the waste products of life, and builds and rebuilds every particle of every organ of the body, Christ's blood rejuvenates the church and keeps every member healthy and vital. "After Christ rose from the dead, He proclaimed over the sepulcher, `I am the resurrection and the life.' Christ, the risen Saviour, is our life. As Christ becomes the life of the soul, the change is felt, but language cannot describe it. All claims to knowledge, to influence, to power, are worthless without the perfume of Christ's character. Christ must be the very life of the soul, as the blood is the life of the body " (1SM 114). Blood touched every part and person in the ancient Sanctuary, and lay at the basis of its every rite. Christ's blood is the cleansing, rejuvenating, life-giving life-blood of redemption.
Sprinkled or Applied Blood
Through these happenings in the Sanctuary we perceive the theological truth that the ministry of the lamb's "spilled blood" is not sufficient of itself. It must be precisely applied in specific places and at different times by two consecrated officers before it becomes effective in making atonement. Jesus is Himself the Victim, Himself the Priest, Himself the High Priest. Through the typology of the Sanctuary ritual we learn that His life and death, represented by His spilled blood, were not sufficient to procure redemption. He had a further work to do as Priest. He must minister His blood in the heavenly Sanctuary.
The Triumphant Blood
To do this the Saviour must live again, and take the essence of His triumphant life and death, now represented by His living or resurrected blood, into the next stage of His ministry. With it He must dedicate His place of service, and with it He Himself must be inaugurated as Priest and High Priest, before He can minister for others. As had the blood in Israel's Tabernacle, Christ's blood must bring the authority and power of His life to the heavenly Sanctuary.
Several Kinds of Substitute Sacrifices
We have been thinking of the life-blood of the submissive lamb as representative of Christ's sacrifice, but what of the other living symbols used by Inspiration to depict it,--the powerful bull and the sturdy ram, the playful goat and the frolicsome kid, the plaintive dove and the gentle pigeon, as well as the gregarious sparrow twittering in joy, and the lonely red heifer? These also are prescribed symbols of the divine Victim. The characteristics of each of these creatures must be added to the picture of Jesus as a lamb. Only in the accumulated light streaming from every Spirit-selected sacrifice will we be able to visualize the fullness of our great Substitute's character in life and death, and grasp the quality of His "spilled blood."
Validating Blood Establishes the Right of Jesus to Serve
The first act of Jesus, the resurrected Lamb, the completed and perfect Sacrifice, the Representative of mankind, was to ascend to His Father to present His blood, that is, His triumphant life. He entered eternal Light, the first Man to do so and survive, and heard from His Father's lips that His sacrifice was acceptable (DA 790). By surviving the divine effulgence at the throne of Omnipotence He demonstrated before the universe that no taint of sin rested upon Him. Because His blood was pure and precious and ever-living, it was adequate to redeem all penitents and cleanse the world from sin. Jesus received from His Father the added assurance that His followers would one day share the bliss of heaven with Him. But even at this juncture, His representative blood was still only "spilled blood."
Authorizing Blood and Oil Make Sanctuary Ministry Effective
Let us "measure" other scenes in Sanctuary typology by asking two questions: When was the Mosaic Tabernacle dedicated for service? and, When was its priesthood set apart to sacred office?
The apothecaries who prepared the unguent (Ex 30:22-33) were informed that it would be used to anoint the entire Tabernacle, including "the ark of the testimony" (v. 25). When Moses led Aaron and his sons in a rehearsal of its opening rites, he reminded them to anoint "all the vessels thereof" (Ex 40:9-11). After the tent had been erected, and the priests prepared, "Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them" (Lev 8:10, 11). These types require that the Most Holy Place be entered prior to the commencement of the services of the Sanctuary, and, incidentally, long before those of the Day of Atonement were carried out.
The Spirit used two verbs for these acts: Moses "anointed" all the parts with oil, "and sanctified them" with "sprinkled blood" (cf. Lev 8:30, where oil and blood are specifically mentioned, and Heb 9:20-22). These facts are confirmed by Paul's statement "that the Tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry" (Heb 9:22) were purified with blood. Paul was well aware that this consecrating and cleansing blood represented the victorious life of Jesus.
Moses clearly stated that oil was used, but only hinted at the use of blood. Paul recorded that blood hallowed the Tabernacle, but hinted at the role of the Spirit (symbolized by oil, cf. Heb 9:14). Not until all the symbolic and typical statements from both Testaments are combined do we get a clear picture of what transpired on earth, and thus also in heaven.
Let me summarize what took place at the Sinai Sanctuary: Moses, as the representative of God, and Aaron the high priest, typical of Christ, together took oil (symbol of one function of the Holy Spirit), and blood (the reality of the power of Christ's endless and triumphant life available only after Calvary) and chrismated the ancient Tabernacle to sanctify and dedicate it. Their persons and actions were types, and what they used were symbols. Together these portrayed what would transpire at the inauguration of the celestial Sanctuary, and who would carry it out after Christ's ascension.
Blood Dedicates the Garments of Character
The blood of consecration, representing the quality of the victim's life, crimsoned the regalia of Israel's priests (Lev 8:30). When we focus this picture on our Saviour we perceive His white robe, His sinless character, marked with crimson to display His martyr sufferings (cf. Rev 7:13-17). This sign language points to Gethsemane. There He trod the winepress alone (Isa 63:1-3), His bloody sweat splashing His garments and the sin cursed- earth, and marking His footsteps to Golgotha. There He demonstrated that He had indeed "learned obedience by the things which He suffered" (Heb 5:8).
Now the Saviour could carry out His mediatorial duties and apply His "spilled blood" for the benefit of the lost world, and "sprinkle many nations" with it. All this was prefigured in the ancient diorama of salvation, the Old Testament Tabernacle. During the daily services each morning and evening the victim's sprinkled blood had been used to bring about the consecration of the Jewish nation. Jesus, as Priest, now performs these "daily" services in the celestial Tabernacle. John viewed this thrilling fact in vision: "I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne . . . stood a Lamb as it had been slain, [in the very act of pouring out His blood] having seven horns and seven eyes"--perfect might and perfect sight (Rev 5:6).
Invincible Blood
Ages before the plan of salvation was put into action, the Father had exulted that He would one day pour out the life-blood of His resurrected Son as a triumphant libation over His throne (the Hebrew for "set" means to pour over, Ps 2:6). This added the glorious dimensions of redemption to it. He had already poured the wisdom of His Creator Son over His divine chair ("set," Prov 8:23) to add the luster of His power and genius to it. As the universe ponders it they perceive that "a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our Sanctuary" (Jer 17:12) where the Saviour mediates.
Look over the wide panorama we are considering once more,--the inauguration of the Old Testament Tabernacle. Its types reveal that the building was first "made" and subsequently anointed with both blood and oil (Lev 8:13-15). This took place immediately before the priests were consecrated, also with blood and oil. This sequence enables us to visualize what transpired in heaven. Before Jesus could serve as the Priest and High Priest of our salvation, the heavenly Sanctuary had first to be "made" by God, and then dedicated by the blood of Calvary and the oil of the Spirit (Heb 4:14-16; 5:5-10; 7:24-28; 8:1-6).
To signal that Jesus had been consecrated as Priest and High Priest, the fullness of the Oil of the Spirit, seen by John under the symbol of "seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God" (Rev 5:6), was poured over His head. Its flood flowed down His beard (Ps 133:1-3 where Aaron is the type), and cascaded to earth in flaming Pentecostal cataracts (AA 39, fire is a symbol of another function of the Spirit), deluging the praying disciples and illuminating the world (Acts 2:1-4).
This inspired scenario, long before played out through the symbols and types of the earthly Tabernacle, has Jesus entering the Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary, in company with the Father and the Spirit, immediately after His ascension, and before Pentecost, to carry out vital tasks with His blood. Is it possible that Paul had these entries of our Forerunner "within the veil" in mind when encouraging the faith of Hebrew Christians (Heb 6:19, 20)? Is it not because these types are ignored that there is debate over whether Christ's entry "within the veil" should be placed only on the antitypical Day of Atonement?
His Blood Represents the Perfect Life of Christ
When He came into the world Jesus testified that death, typified by the four major rituals of the sacrificial system, was not the ultimate goal which His Father desired; the purpose of His incarnation was obedience to God's will, validated by His death (Ps 40:6-8; Heb 10:5-14). Only because He had yielded Himself to suffer this penal death is our High Priest now able to stand at God's right hand, fully authorized to sanctify all who come to Him through His blood.
Sins Recorded by Blood are Cleansed by Blood
As we shall see, in the daily ritual on behalf of Israelite sinners blood was sprinkled or splashed on the veil between the holy and most holy chambers of the Sanctuary, as well as smeared on the horns of the golden altar. In only "some cases," those of believing non-Israelites (GC 418; am ha'aretz, Lev 4:27, has never been used for the common Israelite) the blood was sprinkled on the horns of the brazen altar alone, but then a sacramental portion of the victim as large as an olive was eaten by the officiating priest. The residue of the blood from both ceremonies was poured at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, and formed its foundation.
The prophet Jeremiah reminded God's people of the reality which these rites signified: "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of your hearts, and upon the horns of your altars" (Jer 17:1), on both altars. The signs of the rebellion of human beings is also etched in the palms and feet of the Victim Priest. Both these ancient rituals signified that all confessed and forever-forgiven sins were mysteriously transferred to the Tabernacle, and there recorded in sprinkled blood drops. The Scriptures never tell us how this transfer came about. It seems that this carmine script registered the victories of the penitents in resisting sin on the veil and the two altars, in the shadow of God's Shekinah-glory. it cannot be emphasized too often or too strongly that only sins which had been forgiven and covered by the blood were thus recorded.
These typical ceremonies are significant. The drops of sprinkled blood, drying on every part of the newly erected Tabernacle at the time of its dedication, eloquently called the attention of Israel and the universe to the complicated story told by the structure and its several parts, which had now been rendered effective by the power of the resurrected life of the Saviour. The entire tableau lifted their minds to what would transpire in heaven.
The Tabernacle itself, ordered by God, Who designed its building, furnishing and arrangements; the victims He provided, and then required, and every detail of the Saviour's character they evoked; the Spirit-influenced sinner and his actions and intentions; the consecrated priest and his functions; and finally, the blood, representing the life of the innocent substitute, recording the entire transaction on the veil, "that is to say, His flesh" (Heb 10:20), and on the horns of both altars--all spoke of aspects of the omnipotent Saviour's life, death, resurrection and ministry.
The joyous worshipers remembered without fear or foreboding that their sins were safely recorded in blood, as confessed and overcome, at strategic places in God's house. They knew that these records were unalterable and safe from interference by the "accuser of the brethren," only awaiting the validating transactions of the Day of Atonement. They were confident that on that triumphant day these records would be forever obliterated by the High Priest, who would then set them free from all Satan's charges.
These types and symbols shadowed forth the truth that on the antitypical Day of Atonement in the celestial Tabernacle the record of every forgiven sin would be erased by the precious blood of the Lord's Goat applied by the divine-human High Priest. Only after these details of the Old Testament Tabernacle have been carefully "measured" will the student of the story of salvation grasp the separate roles played by Christ's "spilled" and "sprinkled blood," and rejoice in full assurance.
The Blood is the Life
The Spirit explained that "the life of the flesh is in the blood," and added, "I have given it to you upon your altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Lev 17:11). "For" in this last phrase, is capable of other renderings: "by reason of the life" (American Standard Version); "through the life" (The New Berkely Version); "as the seat of life" (New American Bible). The text might be translated, "Because the life of the flesh is in the blood, I have given it to you on the altar to cover your lives, because the blood atones on account of the life of the victim" (nephesh is used three times, and is translated as life and soul). This suggests that it is the quality of the victim's life which is represented by the atoning or covering blood. The hymn writer F.E. Belden clearly caught this idea when he sang: "Cover with His life, sinless is He, Father impute His life unto me."
Let me reiterate. Because "blood is the life" (Deut 12:23) "of the flesh" (Gen 9:4, 5), it is used as the symbol of the quintessence of the victim's character laid down in death in the penitent's place. It represents, not so much his death, per se, but his total energy and experience. This was emphasized by a sacrifice without blemish of any kind (Lev 1:3; Ex 12:5; Heb 9:14, fault, margin; 1 Pet 1:19), with no lacking or additional parts, and the cumulative impact of the various kinds of creatures presented. And since blood can be used only subsequent to the victim's death, the rituals in which it was employed testify to the post-resurrection ministry of the immaculate Saviour.
Christ's life, "original and unborrowed," was the vast pool from which every river of living beings had its source, and continues to gush. Mankind is one such stream. When Adam sinned, this human tributary of Jesus' life became defiled and stagnant, and would one day cease to flow.
In considering how to purify the race one might begin at Adam, the point at which sin and death entered. Our first parent should certainly have died to pay the penalty for his sin. But had he done so his potential posterity would have perished. Neither could an angel or unfallen being die to purge the human stream by his vicarious sacrifice, because, although he might be able to lay down his life, he had no power to take it up again. It soon becomes obvious that no finite being is able to cleanse the race. So Deity went one stage farther back, to the immediate Source from which Adam sprang, that is, to Christ the Creator.
Jesus volunteered to take full responsibility and to give Himself for the race. What it would suffer, He agreed to bear. When He died, humankind would die in Him, and so the penalty for every possible sin would be paid once for all. And when He should arise, all humanity would potentially be resurrected in Him, and given a second chance. Thus it is that there is salvation in no "other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Because he knew this to be true Paul could affirm: "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor 15:22). In the resurrected Saviour God now looks upon the human race as conditionally redeemed, with every debt discharged, waiting only for each individual personally to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord to make the plan of redemption a reality in daily living.
Cleansing and Mediating Blood
The inspired writers are unanimous on this point: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7), for "without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin" (Heb 9:22). In Him "we have redemption through His blood" (Eph 1:7). The power of the blood lies in its total freedom from sin or defilement of any kind. These symbolic statements point to the transcendent reality, that "when we were enemies, we were reconciled [justified] to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved [sanctified] by His life" (Rom 5:10). Both phases of Christ's ministry are vital. Here Paul combines the results of the death and the life of the Saviour. It is because He is alive that He has the authority to save sinners. This power is symbolized by His eternally-living sinless human blood.
The Saviour's blood not only purchased the human race, it ratified the new covenant through which redemption is possible. On the basis of His victorious life Jesus stands before His Father, and ours, to demand that Deity grant eternal life to every repentant sinner, crying in triumph, "My blood! Father, My blood, My blood, My blood!" (EW 38). By it He is able to justify the penitent, and then sanctify the saint who remains submissive to His will. Its salvific effect is thus illustrated: "'A new heart will I give you.' Christ must dwell in your hearts, as the blood is in the body, and circulate there as a vitalizing power" (7T 189).
The blood flowing in Israel's Sanctuary proclaimed that this never- ceasing ministration of Christ's omnipotent blood in the heavenly Tabernacle is needed by every penitent, and will continue its effective ministry as long as there is one sinner ready to accept His proffered salvation. Contemplating its power in the blazing light of the symbology and typology of the earthly Sanctuary we exclaim in joy and adoration, "Lord, how we love Thee for Thy love!"
10 - DAILY MINISTRY
All My Needs Are Christ's
Preparations for the services of each day actually began during the previous afternoon. The victims to be slaughtered, and the cereal and wine offerings which accompanied them, the oil used for the lamps and the wood to be burned on the altar, were carefully selected. The priests and Levites then gave each item a meticulous examination, lest anything blemished be presented to Jehovah. Should the day be the sabbath, or a feast day of any kind, the special offerings required for it were added and likewise readied. In case an animal developed a blemish after it had been checked, suitable replacements were provided. The priests and Levites, whose responsibility it was to minister during the day, also prepared themselves to ensure that they were not consciously "unclean." Should any become disqualified, alternates stood ready to step in.
This chapter is based on the facts of Scripture, and filled out from the memories of the rabbis recorded in their Mishnaic tractate Tamid. While they have described what took place during the second Temple, those portions which it seems reasonable to apply to the Tabernacle are used in this reconstructed scenario of a day in the life of the Sanctuary.
The Hebrew word tamid, literally translated daily, is used in Scripture about fifty times to describe parts of the Sanctuary ritual. It may also be rendered continual or perpetual, and is applied most frequently to (1) the daily morning and evening burnt-offering presented on behalf of the covenant people as a whole (Ex 29:38, 42; Num 28:3-8); (2) the regular meal-offering, which included the grape juice libation which accompanied all burnt-offerings (Num 4:16); (3) the breastplate on the high priest's heart (Ex 28:29, 30); (4) the menorah (Ex 27:20); (5) the shewbread in the holy place (Ex 25:30); (6) the incense on the golden altar (Ex 30:8); (7) the fire upon the altar in the court (Lev 6:13); (8) the pillar of cloud and fire which guided Israel (Num 9:16); and (9) the music which accompanied the services of the Tabernacle (1 Chron 16:6, 16). In short, tamid described what occurred in the court and the holy place on a continuing, regular basis. The word emphasizes that the reality to which these rites and symbols pointed is he never-ending ministry of Jesus Who "ever lives to make intercession for us" (Heb 7:25).
The Never-ceasing Activities of the Sanctuary
The daily services of the Tabernacle went on every day of the year without cessation, even on the weekly sabbath as well as during the pilgrim feasts. By God's specific command the tamid was never to be omitted. The sacrifices connected with these festive days were presented in addition. This was true also of the Day of Atonement. The constant morning and evening services embraced the special ceremonies of "the day" like two loving arms. The "daily" was thus the very foundation of the entire sacrificial system, and nothing was permitted to interfere with it. It pointed directly to the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be as sensible to omit the "daily" from the worship of Israel as it would be to take the cross from that of Christians. The liturgy of the morning was repeated in the evening.
Every one who had any responsibility for the daily services must be prepared by the dawn of the day on which he was to serve. At sun-up the Levitical choir, with every priest and Levite, stood alert and waiting, with everything ready for the arrival of the officer of the day. The rabbis reminisce: "At what time did he come? Not always at the same time. Sometimes he came at cock-crow and sometimes a little sooner or later. The officer came and knocked where they were, and they opened to him. He said, `Let him that has immersed himself come and cast lots.' And they cast lots and the lot fell upon whom it fell" (Tamid 1:2). The way in which the lottery worked during the time of the second Temple was by holding up fingers. These were then counted until the number determined by the officer was reached. In this way the various tasks of the day were assigned. During the presence of the Shekinah, the Urim and Thummim were evidently used.
Meanwhile look-outs watched for the first blush of light over the hills of Moab across the purple rift of the Jordan. "The officer said to them, `Go and see if the time is come for slaughtering.' If it was come, he that perceived it said, `The whole east is alight.' 'As far as Hebron?' and he answered, `Yea!"' (Tamid 3:2). He then announced the commencement of the day's activities.
The priestly trumpets immediately signaled the start of the various rites by giving three blasts. The Levite door-keepers opened the outer veil to traffic, and the early worshipers were allowed to enter the court of the Tabernacle. The camp of Israel was awakened for the day's activities by this call to worship. Was the Lord stressing that the first thought of His people should be of Himself?
Two Parts to the Daily
The daily ritual of the Sanctuary was divided into two parts: one was conducted in the court, and the other in the holy place. These ceremonies were to be carried out in complete silence and perfect decorum. Any who whispered or jested, or in any way showed irreverence, was subject to severe punishment.
Aristeus was one of a commission of Egyptian Jews sent to Jerusalem by Ptolemy Philadelphus, ruler of Egypt (309-246 B.C.), to arrange for a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek for the great library in Alexandria (Josephus, Antiquities III:xii:2). He has left us this description of a part of a day in the Temple. In our imaginations we should adapt it to the services of the Tabernacle. Here are his words
"The priests' ministration is in every respect unsurpassed in its display of bodily strength and in its orderly and silent character. For they all toil of their own accord at a cost of much arduous exertion, and each has his appointed task. And they serve without cessation, some bring in the wood, others oil, others fine wheaten flour, others the spices; while others bring the pieces of flesh as burnt-offering, exhibiting exceptional strength.
"For they grasp with both hands the legs of the calves, each of which is more than two talents in weight, and then with both hands and with wonderful skill they hurl the beast up to a considerable height, nor do they fail to place it on the altar. Similarly, the portion of the sheep and of the goats, too, are wonderful in their weight and fatness. . . .
"A place for resting is set apart for them where those sit who are relieved from duty. When this takes place, some of those who have had their interval of rest rise up readily, although no one issued orders for the ministration.
"Complete silence reigns, so that one might suppose that not a single person was present in the place, although the officiating ministers present number some seven hundred [and a great company of those who bring the sacrifices. . . . Everything is performed with reverence and in a manner worthy of that Great Divinity" (The Letter of Aristeus, tr. H.G. Meecham, Oldest Version of the Bible, 34-36, 1932).
Only the musicians made any sound. The choirs were taken from among the Levites, and included "singing women" (Ezra 2:65; Neh 7:67, at least during the second Temple). At the dedication of Solomon's Temple the Chronicler remembered that, "It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; and His mercy endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with the cloud, even the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to minster by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God" (2 Chron 5:13, 14). The psalmists also allude to various instruments of music in connection with the worship of Jehovah.
If we may extrapolate the above statement, which applies to Solomon's Temple, back to the times of the Tabernacle, Levitical choirs must have added greatly to the worship of God. The group of singers, which included the "sons of Korah" (cf. Num 26:11), who later ministered in the Sanctuary and wrote several of our psalms, once sang in joyful appreciation of their place of worship: "How amiable are Thy Tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will still praise Thee. Selah [Think of it!. . . . For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I would choose rather to sit at the threshold and be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Ps 84:1-10, margin). We shall now review a day in the life of the Sanctuary.
The Daily Services Conducted in the Court
The first act of worship was the sacrifice of the "daily" or continual burnt-offering of a lamb. This was for the consecration of the people as a whole. Each evening this ritual was repeated, and a second lamb was presented for the same purpose (Ex 29:38-46; Num 28:2-4, 6, 8). "They gave the lamb that was to be the daily whole-offering to drink from a cup of gold. Although it had been inspected in the evening of the day before, they inspect in again by the light of torches" (Tamid 3:4). How many times was the Lamb of God to be judged? "He to whom it fell to slaughter the daily whole-offering dragged it along to the shambles, and they to whom it fell to carry the members [up to the altar] followed after. The shambles lay to the north of the altar" (Tamid 3:5).
"Every morning and evening a lamb of a year old was burned upon the altar, with its appropriate meat-offering, thus symbolizing the daily consecration of the nation to Jehovah, and their constant dependence upon the atoning blood of Christ" (PP 352). At these times the families of Israel were expected to have their personal worship in their homes. These twin sacrifices, like the two loving arms of God, embraced the activities of each day. They called Israel's attention to the truth that the death of the Great Substitute was the foundation of their lives, moment by moment.
A man chosen to represent all Israel attended the Sanctuary for each ceremony. He was the stand-in or "stationary man," and performed the tasks which would have been carried out by the individual worshiper. Laying his hands on the head of the lamb, he confessed the sins of the people as though he were their spokesman. He then killed the victim. When God's people multiplied in the Promised Land, king David divided the population into twenty-four "courses" (cf. Luke 1:8, 9), or groups. He did the same to the priests and Levites. One course from each of these three divisions came up to the Sanctuary on a weekly basis. They not only represented the nation, but also provided the necessary sacrifices and offerings for the week. In this way all Israel shared in the Tabernacle worship.
Meanwhile the priest chosen by lot for tending the altar fire, which burned continually, went to it with his Levitical helpers to remove the ashes. "The priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt-offering upon the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. And he shall put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place" (Lev 6:10, 11). Is this ritual teaching us that the remnants of our past experiences of worship, however joyous they might have been, cannot suffice for today's needs, and that they must be relegated to a clean place, perhaps in our memories?
He to whom had fallen the lot "began to bring up faggots to set in order the altar fire. . . . They chose from thence fine pieces of fig-tree wood wherewith to set in order the second fire appointed for the incense, over against the south-western corner" (Tamid 2:3, 5). He placed the fresh logs and kindling wood in position, and made certain that everything was burning brightly. The parts of previous sacrifices not completely burned were stacked on the burning logs. The altar was now ready to receive whatever new offerings were placed on it. This ritual has a message for us. Each morning and evening individual Christians and the fathers and mothers of households should rekindle the fires of God's love on every personal family altar, and make sure that they are burning brightly.
While this was being done, those chosen for the task refilled the laver. They were responsible to ensure that water was in it at all times, ready for the worshipers to wash their hands and feet. Those who ministered at the altar or entered the holy place were also to wash their hands and feet (Ex 30:17ff). They had already bathed before the day's activities began, but this ceremony taught them that in the common activities of life the work of their hands and the steps of their feet need constant cleansing. Day after day Christian royal priests must ensure that they have an abundant supply of the "water of life" so that their hands and feet might be kept clean through the "laver of regeneration, and [that is the renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Tit 3:5). At the laver, not in it, the priests cleansed the parts of the sacrifices which they were to burn on the altar.
The priest whose lot it was to offer the blood filled a silver vessel as it flowed from the victim, and ministered it at the copper altar. He mounted the ramp and went around its circuit to the north-east corner. Standing opposite it he flung some blood with his finger so that it splashed on both the northern and eastern sides. He then walked to the south-west corner and repeated his act. He put some blood upon its four horns, and poured the residue at the base of the altar (Tamid 4:1).
Those who were responsible for flaying the lamb and cutting it up proceeded with their tasks of "rightly dividing" it (Tamid 4:2, 3; cf. 2 Tim 2:15). The officiating priest then handed each of its six segments to the assisting priests. "The first bore the head and a hind leg . . .; the second bore the two fore-legs . . .; the third bore the rump and the other hind-leg . . .; the fourth bore the breast and the neck . . .; the fifth bore the two flanks . . .; the sixth bore the inwards in a dish with the shanks set on top . . . ; the seventh bore the fine flour; the eighth bore the baken cakes; and the ninth bore the wine" (Tamid 4:3).
Standing in line after they had washed and salted the parts, the priest mounted the ramp, and, one by one, placed them "in order" upon the blazing logs. The last rite was covering every part with the "drink offering" of grape juice. These rituals together signaled to heaven that the people, as well as their possessions, had been laid upon the altar in complete dedication to God. While these ceremonies are not to be carried out today, they point us to the need for a careful, daily personal consecration of our selves and our property to the Lord. Eternal Spirit, grant us Thy grace to present our hearts aright.
During the time the priests numbered only two after the death of the two older sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1-7), one or both of them must have carried out the entire ritual each day. But as the numbers increased, more and more played their parts.
Meanwhile, northward in the court, and near the veil to the holy place, the bleeding victims presented by individuals were struggling and dying. These sacrifices were of three kinds, burnt-, peace-or sin-offerings. Penitents were confessing their sins (1 John 1:9), and the innocent creatures, each representing the Saviour, assumed their guilt (1 John 2:1), died in their stead, and thus brought pardon for the sins of the votaries. Priests were continually ministering to their needs, representing the never-ceasing mediation of Christ. The mediator was an ever-present helper for all who came seeking absolution. He explained the meaning of the various rituals, ministered on their behalf in the holy place, and recorded their forever- forgiven sins by the "sprinkled blood" (cf. Luke 10:20) on the golden altar and the innermost veil.
As we shall notice. in one kind of sin-offering, the priest ate a token part of the carcasses specified by the law to indicate that he and the sacrifice were one. This anticipated the time when Jesus would become Himself the Sacrifice, Himself the Priest (cf. Heb 7:25). The priestly ministry was as essential to the daily service as was the death of the victim. Without his mediation the "spilled blood" could not become the "sprinkled blood." And so, by blood, as well as through the priest's identification with the offering, the confessed and forgiven sins of the penitents were transferred to the Sanctuary and recorded there, to stand as evidence against "the accuser of the brethren" (Rev 12:10).
In the court reconciliation with God was constantly obtained through the death of the substitute victim, and justification granted to every one who worshiped "in Spirit and in truth." Israel was taught that during every moment of every day the Lord was providing full forgiveness for every sin, and full acceptance for every sinner through sacrifice.
Services Conducted in the Holy Place
While the priests were busy arranging and burning the lamb on the altar and ministering in the court, other priests were responsible for the rituals conducted in the holy place. The rabbis considered that the one who attended the golden altar was privileged to perform the most honorable task of all. "He to whom fell the lot of [offering] incense took the ladle. The ladle was like a large golden [six-quart] measure; within it was a dish, heaped up full of incense. It had a lid, and over this a kind of covering" (Tamid 5:4). He then "took the silver fire-pan and went to the top of the altar, cleared away the cinders on this side and that, scooped up fire with the fire-pan, came down and emptied it out into the golden [fire-pan " (Tamid 5:5). With a golden pan filled with the perfume and another containing the live coals of sacred fire he entered the outer veil and moved through the holy place to the golden altar.
His first task was to remove, from the top of the golden altar, the dead ashes of the incense burned during the night. He "set down [the ash-bin] before him, scooped up the ashes with both hands and put them into it; what was left at the last he swept into it; there he left it" (Tamid 3:9). He next piled up the cinders on the [inner] altar, smoothed them with the back of the fire-pan so that they covered the top completely, and spread the incense over the glowing embers (Tamid 6:2, 3). While he was doing this no one was allowed in the holy place (Tamid 6:3; cf. Luke 1:8-10, 21).
As part of the tamid the incense must continuously exhale its sweet breath from the hearth of the golden pedestal of prayer (Ex 30:7, 8). It must fill the sacred chambers and the court of the Sanctuary, and thence spread through the encampment of Israel. Its purpose was to remind God's people of the meritorious intercession of Him Who ever lives to plead for sinners. Christians should replicate this ritual. "Morning and evening the heavenly universe beholds every household that prays, and the angel with the incense, representing the blood of the atonement, finds access to God" (7BC 971). What an ideal for us to follow!
Meanwhile, the priest whose responsibility it was to tend the lamps took "an oil-jar like a large golden flagon" of olive oil (Tamid 3:6), and a supply of linen wicks and went into the shrine with his tongs and "snuff-dishes." Day and night the menorah must shine in the holy place (Ex 25:31-40; Lev 24:1-4), to represent the never-ceasing illumination of the Light of the world provided by the work of the divine Inspirer (Rev 4:5), and His inspired word (Ps 119:105). The ministrant removed the burned-out wicks, trimmed those which still burned, placed fresh wicks and oil in the lamps, and ignited them with the flame of one which was still alight (Tamid 3:9; 6:1). His duty was to see that the lamps never all went out at the same time. But if he found them extinguished he relighted the candelabrum with a spark "from the altar of whole-offering" (Tamid 6:1). The cross is the source of the celestial flame.
All the while the twelve loaves of shewbread remained continually on the golden table as a reminder to all of the sustaining Presence of Jesus always available for the hungry (Ex 25:30; Lev 25:5-9). They pointed directly to Him Who declared Himself to be the bread of life (John 6:48, 63), ceaselessly supplying His people's never-ending need for nourishment through His living word, which is His life. Eternal Spirit, ever more feed our hungry souls.
All these "morning" ceremonies commenced at dawn and took several hours to carry out. They were repeated in the "evening," starting about 2:30 p.m. and ending at dusk.
The Daily Services were Prophetic of Christ's Ministry
These rituals prefigured the blessings available to sinners through the "daily" or continual ministry of Jesus on Calvary and in the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary (Rom 5:17, 18; Heb 7:25-27; 9:11-15; 10:1-14). For "what was done in type in the ministration of the earthly Sanctuary is done in reality in the ministration of the heavenly Sanctuary" (GC 420).
This triple ministry, revolving around light, incense and bread, was designed to keep the sinner from falling back into his old sinful ways, and to help him to perfect his Christian character, and to empower him to stand spotless before the eternal Judge at last (Jude 24). In the holy place provisions for the sanctification of the lives of His followers were made by the Saviour.
Every Ritual was an Illustration of the Gospel
All these symbols and ceremonies taught the vital truths that forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus, and Divine help through His free and abundant grace, are constantly available to all who wish to receive them, and that a life of victory is assured by God. These promised ministries were continually provided in the Sanctuary. But unless forgiveness, reconciliation and justification had already been obtained by faith through effective participation in the rituals of the court, the provisions which sanctify the character, as symbolized in the ministry of the holy place, would not be efficacious in the experience of the growing Christian.
Throughout the year the sprinkled blood on the two altars assured the worshiper that his forgiven sins were noted in the presence of God, and were forever safe from tampering by the accuser of the brethren. They could never again be successfully thrown back into the teeth of the repentant worshiper.
A further truth is taught in the yearly service of the Day of Atonement carried out in the most holy place: the worshiper will not be benefited at all by this unless he has already experienced the ministries of both the court and the holy place.
The rabbis remember that when the daily services had ended all the priests assembled, and "the officer said to them, `Recite ye a Benediction.' They recited a benediction (Num 6:22-27), and recited the Ten Commandments, the Shema (Deut 6:4-9), and the `And it shall come to pass if ye shall hearken' (Deut 11:13-21), and the `And the Lord spake unto Moses' (Num 15:37-41)" (Tamid 4:3-5:1). This looked forward to the time when our Priest and High Priest will have completed His ministry. He will then return to pronounce His never-ending blessing of eternal life upon His people.
The Levite choir concluded its final anthem and went home. Other Levites cleansed and tidied the court of the Tabernacle, removing all the bits and pieces left from the days's activities, and saw to it that all was in readiness for the ministrants who would be coming to prepare for the next days's services. As soon as they had finished, they, too, left for their tents and families. And soon the last lingering worshipers had moved away. The priests, to whom had been given the specified parts of the offerings, prepared their evening meal, and sat down with their families to enjoy the gifts of Jehovah.
The Long Day Closes
And when the sun went down over the Mediterranean and the quietness of the night settled over the encampment of Israel, the light of the Shekinah still shone in the place most holy and the fragrance of the incense hung heavy in the gathering evening mist. And in the court the fires glowed as they consumed the lamb that had been slain. And as each person prepared to rest in peace, he contentedly remembered that "He Who watches over Israel slumbers not nor sleeps" (Ps 124:4).
Every part of the tamid was a finger pointing to some aspect of the daily, moment by moment ministry of Jesus. When at any minute of the day or night a soul was in need of forgiveness, the blood of the Lamb was there to provide it. Should he require cleansing, the fountain of the water of life was sweetly flowing. If his pathway was dark, the Light of the world was shining on the right road for him to take. When he was famishing in the desert, the Bread of Life was there to give him heavenly nourishment, more than he could ask or think. And wherever he might go the air was laden with the sweet incense to tell him that his Intercessor ever lived to make mention of His name before the Father.
As the
daily ritual lay at the foundation of Israel's worship, the tamid
in the heavenly Sanctuary is the heart of its ministry. It is
not surprising, therefore, that the "daily" should be the
target of satanic attack (Dan 8:11, 12). Should the arch-fiend
succeed in taking from the hearts of God's people the significance
of the never-ceasing ministry of the great Priest and High Priest in
their day by day struggles against sin, and turning them away from
the "place" (Dan 8:11) of His Sanctuary in heaven (Jer
17:12), his plan to lead them into apostasy would speedily succeed.
Eternal Spirit, keep my mind daily locked into the ministry of my
Saviour-Priest in His Sanctuary in heaven.
Part III
WITH JESUS IN
THE HOLY PLACE
Freedom from Sin's Power
The only "way" to the three parts of God's shrine was through a veil. A tapestry formed the gateway to the court, another hung before the holy place, and a third opened into the oracle. These rainbow curtains, each made of the same materials, were symbols of the "flesh" of Jesus (Heb 10:20). They emphasize that the Son of Man is the only "way" (John 14:6) by which the penitent can progress from one stage of discipleship to the next.
"The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This is to be our study. Christ was a real man; He gave proof of His humanity in becoming a man. Yet He was God in the flesh. When we approach this subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, `Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground' (Ex 3:5). We should come to this study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field which will repay the searcher who digs deep for hidden truth" (1SM 244). Our Elder Brother is the only "Door" to God's palace, the only "Gate" to the eternal sheepfold.
The veils were woven of ten thousand fragile fibers to assure us that Jesus presents no impenetrable barrier to bar the spiritual voyager who longs to enter God's presence. So by faith move aside the lovely partition and enter the sacred chamber.
Look up and observe, the holy place is ceiled with tapestries made of materials used for the veils (PP 347), which extended down outside almost to the ground. The beauty of the Man of Galilee forms the canopy of love above the worshipers. The room's acacia walls, encased in gold, rested on silver footings. On its floor of desert sand three pieces of furniture are precisely positioned. This rectangular area, 18 by 18 by 36 feet, enclosed by veils at each end, whispers that the Son of Man is gently surrounding with the embrace of His sympathetic humanity this tableau of redemption.
The Lord designed the forms and function of each part of this arrangement to illustrate the lessons He wished to teach concerning the sanctification of His people. They build upon what has taken place in the court. There the disciple was justified by faith in God's provisions. The fire and the water and the blood fulfilled their three-fold task and freed the penitent from the guilt of his sin. Now in the holy place his life develops through the next stage. The Spirit is always present in this first apartment to help each pilgrim as he daily walks in God's way of holiness.
The priest who entered this quiet room to serve would first be attracted to the seven flames shining near its entrance, but somewhat toward the south (PP 348). Opposite, and to the north, he would note the festal table laden with bread, with its golden goblets of wine standing on the floor near by (Ex 25:29, 30, margin). Between the light and food, but nearer to the curtain before the holiest place, he would see the golden altar, its incense filling the shrine with fragrance (PP 348). This triad of worship, each symbolical of aspects of our High Priest's life and ministry, blend in praise to the Saviour. Listen to the harmony of their message.
God's word is likened to both light (Ps 119:105) and bread (John 6:35). One illumines the Way the pilgrim must travel, while the other nourishes him during his journey on to glory. Light floods the Ladder up to Paradise (Gen 28:12; John 1:51), while bread feeds the climber scaling the cliffs to Zion's pearly gates.
Light symbolizes Christ's luminous example, while the loaves represent His nourishing words. The wine in golden pitchers sparkles with joy because the Redeemer has ratified His gracious contract of salvation with His blood (Matt 26:27-29); Mark 14:23-25). And nearest to God's throne, the fragrance of incense, rising from the pedestal of prayer, was lovely as the garden of the Lord.
These symbols signal complex phases of salvation's drama enacted upon this earth. Each type adds to the shadow pictures of the means by which Christ sanctifies His people trudging along the way He has selected toward repose on His Father's throne. Each still whispers: If you would be holy keep your eyes on Jesus as you walk in His light and feed on His word while breathing in the atmosphere of His intercession. Spirit of God, illumine these signs that we might read their meanings aright, and perceive what our Mediator is doing for us in His celestial Sanctuary.
11 - SEVEN-BRANCHED CANDLESTICK
All My Light Is Christ's
The priest who ministered within the Tabernacle had to move the veil aside before he was able to enter the holy place. He did this with confidence because he had been justified. The sacrificial blood had paid the price of his entry, and the laver had washed away the filth of sin clinging to his hands [his works] and feet [his walk]. Let us lift the veil and follow him into the shrine by faith.
We search in vain for windows, only to find that no sunbeam ever plays upon the sacred table nor does moonlight fall upon the golden altar (PP 348). Only the candlestick's seven flames chase the darkness from this chamber. Their light illumines the way which stretches with prophetic eye into the most holy shrine, where the pilgrim's journey will end at God's throne of mercy. The most holy oracle itself depicts the heavenly Zion, where the sun and moon never shine, nor does a star twinkle, forever eclipsed by the blazing splendor of God and the Lamb (Rev 21:23). The meaning of these signs is clear. The lamp of life is Christ, man's only and complete and everlasting Light (John 1:9). O Holy Spirit, enlighten our minds as we study the lampstand in ancient Israel's sacred Tabernacle.
The Menorah was made of Gold
At God's command only man's most precious gift might be used for the candlestick. So Israel's purest gold was brought. This sings of Jesus Who is more precious than Ophir's fabled gold (Isa 13:12), and Whose life holds up the flame of ageless truth. "The gold mentioned by Christ, the True Witness, which all must have, has been shown me to be faith and love combined, and love takes the precedence of faith" (2T 36; 7BC 965), disciplined by the Goldsmith's hammer, to form God's Lampstand, the body through which the Light of the world shines forth (Ex 25:31). From childhood's earliest lisp to Calvary's dying cry Christ is life's Light (John 8:12), displaying how our lives should shine. Listen to the song of the gold: The life of the Man of Nazareth, woman given, is the most radiant ever lived. It displays His undying love driven by His unshakable faith.
The Menorah was made by "beaten work" (Ex 25:31), in contrast with the "molten" calf (Ex 32:4) cast in a lifeless form. The apostle warns us, "Stop allowing yourselves to be poured into the world's mold: but permit yourselves to be transformed by the re-lighting of your minds" (Rom 12:1,2). He used the middle voice of the verbs to emphasize the part each Christian plays in this "metamorphosis." Paul's word also describes the daily rekindling of the seven-branched candlestick by the priest.
Listen as Bezaleel fashioned the candelabrum. The clang of his hammer cried out again and again as he beat the formless gold into shape. Each blow of the "beating" resounded with Calvary's agony. By bitter stripes Christ's luminous life was fashioned, and the gold of His love made "perfect through suffering," as He "learned obedience" and developed faith as our Example (Heb 5:7-9; 2:18; Phil 3:10).
Shaped by Hammer and Fire
But hammered metal grows brittle, and must be annealed in the flame. And so the celestial Craftsman regulates the fiery trials which soften the hardened mind, and subdue the obstinate will (1 Pet 1:7; 4:12; 1 Cor 3:12, 13; Eph 6:16; James 1:2, 3, 12), that faith's gold might again, and yet again, be battered into shape.
The hammer in the Goldsmith's hand is the inspired word (Jer 23:29). With it the Spirit strikes down obtruding pride and smooths sharp and rough deeds. Then pray: "Lord, help me to trust Thy will and yield to Thy word, and accept joyfully every discipline which shapes my life to be Thy light?" This is the duet which the anvil sang with the hammer when wielded by Bezaleel's inspired hand (Ex 31:l-6).
In Sinai's shadow God's artificer forged the shapeless gold. Its yet unseen form shone in his inner eye, drawn by the celestial ray. To remind us of the Reality of this design the Light of ages long before sang, "Thine eyes did see My substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all My members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Ps 139:16). The joy of seeing this beautiful lampstand take shape impelled Bezaleel to beat the gold until the Divine ideal took final form, each bough a fruitful ornament, all reaching upward to a crown of seven stars (Ex 25:37).
Bezaleel's One Talent
The gold for the lovely Menorah must weigh precisely "one talent" (Ex 25:39). But in this craftsman's hand it became a thing of useful loveliness. When tempted to hide our single "talent" "in the earth" (Matt 25:18, 25), we should remember that the Spirit's hand (cf. Ezek 1:3; 3:14, 22) is ready to make our least gift a lampstand splendid with His light.
The Lord set no measure to the candelabrum's height. Bezaleel might make it as lofty as he chose, for "higher than the highest human thought can reach is God's ideal for His children. Godliness--godlikeness--is the goal to be reached" (Ed 18). How wide His light will shine if we but let Him stretch our reach!
The lampstand's central pillar sent forth six branches. The Hebrew word for this shaft or "thigh" (yarak, loins, Gen 46:26; Ex 1:5, see 37:17) is used as a symbol of creative power from which seed is procreated (Ex 1:5, margin; Jud 8:30, margin). From this the reeds (qanah, Ex 25:31; 37:17; Num 8:4) or branches of the Menorah emerge (Ex 25:31; 37:17-22; Num 8:4). Christians are the "branches" begotten through the Spirit to be lights in the world through their holy lives (2 Pet 1:4; 1 Pet 1:23). The Spirit speaks of these six branches as though they were one, because they grew from a single source. Their unity fulfills our High Priest's prayer for His disciples (John 17:11, 21, 22). Across the centuries their gospel hymn is: "The seven candlesticks are the seven churches" (Rev 1:20). Although differing in outward appearance from country to country and century to century they are united in their Saviour as boughs are in a tree.
Seven Lamps of Fire
The branches of the lampstand were crowned with seven lights. These are never spoken of in the plural (Ex 25:31; Ex 37:17), because, although they are separate flames, they shed forth one "Light." Theirs is a single radiance, for Jesus is their indivisible spark.
"Seven" suggests completeness (AA 585; cf. Isa 11:1, 2) in both time and scope. Though each bough held aloft a discrete flame, its radiance alone was not complete. Only the church of God in all ages upholds One comprehensive and living Splendor. Our Saviour explained this sign: "Ye are the light of the world." He then urged that once the Spirit has set aflame the candle of the mind (Prov 20:27), the place of the disciple is on the candlestick (Matt 5:14), that is, in the church (Rev 1:20).
The ancient likeness of the lampstand pillaged from the Temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and still displayed on the Arch of Titus in Rome, depicts the branches and central shaft rising to one height. Does this suggest that each branch, each church, each believer, once illuminated by the Spark of Heaven, may rise to equal heights when joined with Christ?
Fulfilled God's Mystic Design
Beaten from a single sheet of gold, the branches and the stem have one nature. They picture God's plan, "for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons into glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all one; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Heb 2:10, 11; cf. Eph 5:30). To help us to become light-bearers God has given "us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these we may be partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet 1:3, 4). For "as He is, so are we [to be] in the world" (1 John 4:17). We should ask ourselves: How closely do we identify with our Lord in lifting Heaven's lamp of truth and love high enough for all to see?
Upon each of the six boughs were three triads of opening buds, delicate blossoms and ripe almonds (Ex 25:31-36). These triple threes signal the fullness of heaven's blessing. On the central shaft there were four sets of three. The Menorah represented Israel as a luminous almond tree (see Jer 1:11, 12).
The Almond a Symbol of the Resurrection
The first use of almond as a symbol is found in Israel's saga of jealousy and intrigue. Korah, Dathan and Abiram, envious of heaven's appointed leader and anointed priest, arrogantly focused their hate against Yahweh (Num 16:1-35). In His good time the Lord acted. After the celestial fire had struck down the rebels, and the earthquake buried them, He ordered each of Israel's tribal chiefs to present his scepter at the Tabernacle (Num 17:1-5). Aaron, as the prince of priests, added his staff of office to these dozen sticks. Inscribed with each man's name, these thirteen representative staves were laid before the Lord in the holy place.
During the darkness of the night, before the veil before the throne, in only one rod life was reborn. Upon the dead wood of Aaron's branch living green appeared! Tightly bound buds seemed eager to burst into life, snowy blossoms sang of spring's awakening and the promise of fruit, while plump almonds told of the reward of the harvest (Num 17:6-9). In the high priest's staff of authority life's full cycle was displayed, "first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28).
The almond tree itself is used as a sign. Before other trees awaken from their death-sleep, it flings aside its winter wraps and decks itself in spring flowers of purest white. Because it is the first to blossom in the land of Canaan the Hebrews call it "the awakener" or "the watcher" (Jer 1:11, 12, cf. Moffatt). The precocious almond's gospel song is of Jesus, Who, as the Firstborn from the dead, has become "the First Fruits" of those who sleep in the grave (1 Cor 15:20, 23; James 1:18; Rom 8:29; Heb 12:23). In Him, once slain in mankind's place, the Source of the abundant life is first disclosed, and then made the guarantee of the disciple's resurrection.
The Resurrection Validated Christ's Priesthood
All Israel saw clearly that God had validated Aaron's priestly authority by miraculously putting new life into the rod which represented him. Paul reminds us that Christ's authorization as Priest and High Priest of the heavenly Sanctuary rests on His resurrection (Heb 7:14-17). The story of Aaron's resurrected scepter thus adds meaning to the message of the branches sprung from an almond stem in the lamp of gold (Num 17:8). Only the new birth can enable gospel "royal priests" to uphold the gospel light.
The central shaft (cf. John 15:l-6) and its six branches formed a golden "burning bush." From a fragile desert acacia's limbs the mystic fires of heaven once flamed, and yet the tiny tree remained unscathed (Ex 3:2). In the Sanctuary the Voice from the incandescent golden shrub belongs to the great "I AM," Who long ago explained, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12).
Every Person Helps to Spread the Light
Aaron's rod pictured life in all its forms. The bud (knops or knobs, Ex 25:31, 33, 36) represented the babe eager to live, with abundant possibilities. "Its branches were ornamented with exquisitely wrought flowers, resembling lilies" (PP 348; cf. Vulgate and LXX; cf. Matt 6:30; Isa 40:6; 1 Pet 1:24). These blossoms stood for ephemeral youth fragrant with promise. Then the almonds pictured mature age and sustained effort.
Each lovely, living part of each branch, thrice repeated, was designed to uphold the living flame. But all this radiance must begin with a resurrection, for only nascent life can radiate newly lit glory. The candlestick is thus a symbol of the work, not only of Christ and His regenerate church, but also of each new-born disciple. Then lift the living Torch high, for this glorious task alone the lampstand was fashioned, the church called, and we are born again.
The Lord has often likened individuals among His people and His church, to trees,--olive, vine, cedar, oak, palm, fig, myrtle and mustard. But unfortunately "there is a constant tendency among the trees of the Lord to be more profuse in foliage than in fruit" (RH 10 April 1894). The Baptist warned the people who came to him for counsel that because of their fruitlessness the "axe" was lying at the root of the tree as a warning of future retribution (Matt 4:10). Six months later Christ commenced His ministry which ended three an a half years later.
Jesus took up John's illustration in His story of the fig-tree in His vineyard. It had failed to produce fruit for three years (Luke 13:6, 7). When the owner suggested that it should be cut down, the gardener asked to be allowed to cultivate it for one more year of probation. At the end of four years (made up of John's six months and Christ's three and a half years) the fig-tree was still fruitless. Near the end of His earthly life the Saviour made "this certain tree" (Matt 21:19, margin) the center of His acted parable. The barren fig-tree on which the "axe" of His curse was laid (Matt 21:18-20; Mark 11:13, 14; Luke 13:6-9) perished because it was a cumberer of the ground.
Did the absence of leaves on the Menorah, as well as on Aaron's rod, warn against this disposition towards useless verbal display?
In this golden almond tree observe the progression of God's order and precision. Buds, blossoms and almonds were arranged in regular relationships to each other along the boughs. These three-fold clusters beautifully represent growth dependent on earlier development, each generation gaining strength from the previous group, and then sharing power with the unit to come; buds opening into flowers, the flowers maturing into fruit, all interdependent, and all reaching up to the stars. This is the principle of the kingdom of God by which the perfect light of truth may be uplifted before the world.
The Oil Represents the Spirit
Each branch upheld a golden dish, shaped like an almond (Ex 25:33). These were to contain oil into which wicks were placed. While these lamps are often mentioned separately from the candlestick itself (Ex 25:37; 37:23; Num 4:9; 2 Chron 4:20), they form an integral part of "one" candelabrum. Each almond-shaped bowl was fitted with a short golden stem. When this was put into a hole at the top of the branch, the golden dish could be rotated or easily removed for cleaning and trimming.
In his vision of the divine empowering of Israel, the prophet watched celestial agencies filling these bowls with the oil of the Spirit (Zech 4:14). These "anointed ones standing by the Lord of the whole earth, have the position once given to Satan as covering cherub. By the holy beings surrounding His throne, the Lord keeps up a constant communication with the inhabitants of the earth" (RH 20 July 1897). These beings now include the angel Gabriel (4BC 1173; 3T 80) who often brought the light of revelation to Daniel, John, Joseph and many others. This heavenly Oil is the only fuel God requires for the lamps.
When tending the Menorah the priest poured olive oil into these seven containers from supplies kept in the golden "bowl of the Sanctuary. From this the lamps of the Sanctuary are fed, that they may give continuous bright and shining light" (6T 11, 12). This reservoir was replenished by "the two olive trees" (Rev 11:3-7; Zech 4:3). From these twin witnesses to truth, symbolizing the Old and New Testaments, the oil of the Spirit still flows to help regenerate souls to shine. From them "the fullness of divine light and love and power is imparted to His people, that they may impart to others light and joy and refreshing" (6T 12; cf. PK 594).
The Oil was Born in Pain
Olive oil was the only fuel used for the lamps (Ex 27: 20, 21; Lev 24:2, 3). This was obtained from olives growing on the topmost branches of the trees from which the finest oil was obtained. To extract the oil the "berries [were] beaten" with sticks (Menahoth 8:3-5). This method lessened the likelihood of introducing pulp which might cloud the oil. Gethsemane means "oil press." Did the Holy Spirit suffer with Jesus? After His agony in the Garden, the Saviour was twice scourged by Pilate and punched and struck by a reed and cruel hands. These "beatings" played their terrible part in the development of the Light of the world, "Who, through the Spirit offered Himself to God" (Heb 9:14) to shine in the darkness of earth's night by His life and death. The sufferings of Jesus were the basis of His gift of the Spirit.
This fuel oil is a "symbol of the Holy Spirit" (COL 407), and "represents the grace with which God keeps the lamps of believers supplied" (4BC 1179). These lamps must be supplied with fresh oil every morning and evening. This is Christ's ministry. "He is the Light of the world, and the one who works successfully for the Master must kindle his taper from that divine life" (MLT 166). Because He endured every trial He is empowered to send forth the Comforter.
Wicks of Righteousness
The wick in each of the seven lamps must be saturated with oil in order to produce light. For the Christian to radiate light "the holy oil [must be] emptied from the two olive branches into the heart. This will flow forth in words that will reform, but not exasperate. The truth is to be spoken in love. Then the Lord Jesus by His Spirit will supply the force and the power. That is His work" (6T 123). And for us His assurance is: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" (Zech 4:6). "The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate light and power to God's people. It is to receive blessing for us that they stand in God's presence. As the olive trees empty themselves into the golden pipes, so the heavenly messengers seek to communicate all that they receive from God. The whole heavenly treasure awaits our demand and reception; and as we receive the blessing, we in turn are to impart it. Thus it is that the holy lamps are fed, and the church becomes a light-bearer to the world" (TM 510).
The priest personally tended the lamps each day at dawn, and then again at dusk (Ex 27:20, 21; 30:7, 8; Lev 24:2-4; Num 8:2, 3; 2 Chron 13:11), to illustrate that Jesus our heavenly Priest "Himself supplies the oil to these burning lamps. He it is that kindles the flame" (6BC 1118).
The Heavenly Fire
No common fire might ever be used to ignite the wicks (Ex 30:7-9). The wood burning on the copper altar alone supplied the sacred spark. "The fire upon this altar was kindled by the Lord Himself, and was sacredly cherished by feeding it with holy incense [while on the march], which filled the Sanctuary with its fragrant cloud. Its fragrance extended far around the Tabernacle" (Signs, 24 June l880). Constant prayer alone will keep these coals aglow. And only the consecrated priest might take these coals in his golden censer to the candlestick. When the wicks and oil had been readied, a touch from the sacred fire made new-created light chase the dimness from the holy place. David understood the truth here revealed: "For Thou wilt light my candle" (Ps 18:28), he rejoiced. The gospel story this ritual tells is clear: Calvary's altar-cross provides the spark which lights the lives of all God's saints.
The Spirit speaks to each of His "royal priests:" "Every one who kindles his taper from the divine altar holds his lamp firmly. He does not use common fire upon his censer, but the holy fire, kept burning by the power of God day and night. Those who walk in the footsteps of Jesus, who will surrender their lives to His guidance and to His service, have the golden oil in their vessels with their lamps. They will never be placed in a position for which God has not made provision. The lamp of life is always trimmed by the very hand that lit it" (MLT 217).
Each day at dawn, and then again at eventide, the family priest should relight the lamps in his home with a spark from Calvary's luminous Light. The Lord would have us sense the link between Golgotha and Christian witnessing.
Instruments of Service
The minister used implements of gold to care for each lamp. With tongs he lifted up the bowed down wick (Isa 42:3; Matt 12:20), and restored the "smoking flax." With his shovel he gathered embers from the copper altar's flaming hearth into his fire-pan and carried them into the holy place to ignite the lamps and burn incense on the golden altar. With golden tongs and snuff dishes (Ex 25:38) he removed the ash from the almond bowls and placed new wicks in position. His final task was to collect the ashes of the spent wicks, and those of the consumed incense on the golden altar, and carry these burnt-out things to the place outside the camp where the ashes from the copper altar were cast.
A linen wick was cradled in each almond dish. The Hebrew sages remind us that "they made wicks from the worn out drawers and girdles of the priests and with them they set the candlesticks alight" (Sukkah 5:3). When no longer suitable for ministry, the linen robes were torn into strips and plaited into wicks. When put on the candelabrum, they flamed in one last glorious martyrdom! This snowy linen reminds us of the righteousness which clothes our great High Priest and represents His matchless character. Because of this, each incandescent wick brightly proclaims: His "life is the light of men" (John 1:4). Long ago Christ's character was torn to shreds by cruel hands and mendacious tongues, and yet His virtues, infused by the Spirit into born-again lives, still glow in the darkness of the world from the hearts of each repentant, loving Christian. Eternal Spirit, shine through us.
The Wicks Ended their Ministry as Ashes
To spread their light the wicks must burn to ash. By their shining they are consumed, their purpose fulfilled in sacrifice. By this act they first sing of the martyrdom of Jesus, and then proclaim the sacrifice which His disciples must also make. "All who are doers of the Word of God will be blessed abundantly. Whatever crosses they must lift, whatever losses they must sustain, whatever persecution they may suffer, even if it be to the loss of their temporal life, they are amply recompensed; for they secure that life which lasts through the eternal ages. They walk under the direction of the Father of lights with Whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. They shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads" (Letter 48, 1897, Manuscript Release #300).
The priest must constantly tend the lamps. His oversight ensured an unbroken supply of oil and wicks. "No man can by his own effort make himself a light-bearer for God. It was the golden oil . . . that produced a continuous, bright and shining light. It is the love of God continually transferred to man that enables him to impart light. Into the hearts of all who are united to God by faith the golden oil of love flows freely, to shine out again in good works, in real, heartfelt service to God" (COL 418-419).
In gospel times our High Priest's place is constantly among the golden candlesticks (Rev 1:12-20), to call attention to "His relation to the churches. He is in constant communication with His people. . . . With untiring wakefulness and unremitting vigilance, He watches to see whether the light of any of His sentinels [or, candlesticks, RH 31 May, 1887] is burning dim or going out. If the candlesticks were left to mere human care, the flickering flame would languish and die; but He is the true Watchman in the Lord's house, the true Warden of the temple courts. His continued care and sustaining grace are the source of life and light" (AA 586; this statement identifies the candlestick of "the temple courts," or the seven-branched candlestick, with the "seven golden candlesticks" of Rev 1-3).
The Candelabrum cannot Shine
Although a precious, lovely thing, the lampstand could not shine. Its only function was to hold aloft the light bearers. This is the story of Christ's church (Matt 5:15). Jesus gives His robe of character to make the reborn heart of His disciple into His wick. And then He generously adds the oil of grace to make "the spirit of man" into "the candle of the Lord" (Prov 20:27). "The Man" here intended is first Christ, and then, by extension, His disciples. "Christ is the light that sinneth in darkness, and His followers are also to be the light of the world. They are to kindle their tapers at the divine altar. The character that is sanctified through the truth adds the perfect polish" (YI Jan 3, l895).
This "spirit" of the disciple is the sum of his attitudes and feelings shown in his responses to the stimuli of life, both good and bad. To reflect "the spirit" of his Elder Brother during each dark struggle, the believer must call for the Holy Oil. Only then will the true Light shine from the wick of Christ's righteousness with which He clothes him. "The word is the preacher's light, and as the golden oil flows from the heavenly olive tree into the bowl, it makes the lamp of life flash with a clearness and power that all will discern" (TM 340, 338).
The lampstand shed its radiance "before the Lord continually" (Lev 24:4). The Christian must manifest the loveliness of our Saviour's character day by day to direct attention to God alone. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt 5:16).
Light Streams on All the Holy Things
The glow of the lamps also streamed upon the golden table with its bread and wine (2 Chron 13:11), inviting the famished heart, the thirsty soul, to come to Jesus to eat and drink. Its glory flooded the golden altar with its censer of fragrance, and displayed the priest in his intercession for the lost, calling upon the lame and feeble to pray (cf, Luke 1:8-10). It irradiated the rainbow clouds of incense with "most beautiful colors" (EW 252) to signal that God's promises would never be broken (Gen 9:9-16). And all the while its luster gleamed on the walls of naked gold and shimmered on the silver sockets and shone on the gorgeous tapestries inwrought with celestial beings to keep the hearts of the worshipers lifted upward to the heavenly Temple in which our Brother Priest is now ministering.
To shine by day and night each lamp must be tended tenderly (Lev 24:2-4). Each of us must personally be illumined by the Lord before we can shine to glorify Him and guide our fellow travellers along the heavenly road. "Each person has his own light to keep burning; and if the heavenly oil is emptied into these lamps through the golden pipes, if they empty the golden oil out of themselves, and if it is received into the vessels which have been emptied of self, and so prepared to receive the holy oil, that lamp, well supplied with that holy oil, can to some purpose throw its light on the sinners's path. Very much more light shines from one such lamp onto the path of the wanderer, than would be given by a whole torchlight procession got up for parade and show" (RH 9 May, 1899).
These seven lamps streamed upon the lampstand itself (Ex 25:37). The hammer marks of its "beaten work" would thus be clearly seen, reminding thoughtful observers of the trials endured by the Light of the world. These bruises also etched in prophetic light the portrait of Christ's church, framed in pain. The light would shine brightest upon the branches thus disciplined by winter's storms. Fruit bearing through new-created life, born in tribulation, is what the light also revealed on the battered gold. The history of its fabrication was thus recorded to display the purposes of God. We "have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history" (LS 196), and the bearing of the ancient Scriptures on our lives.
The rejection of light brings judgment. Light either illuminates the Christian, or, untended, goes out in darkness. For fifty years Babylon kept the captive Hebrew lampstand extinguished. Then on the night of the city's fall, the candlestick was brought to Belshazzar's banquet hall. By its light the prophet Daniel read God's sentence on the kingdom (Dan 5:5), and explained His plan for the one who was the type of heaven's Shepherd King (Isa 44:24-45:4; Dan 5:30, 31). God's light, even when hidden or ignored, is able to illumine the history of the world.
Putting the Light Out
If left untended the seven lamps will be removed (2BC 1032). Christ warned of four ways by which light may be doused.
A "bushel basket" may overwhelm the flame (Matt 5:14-16). This signified a farmer's measure of material success. "Satan makes every effort to lead people away from God; and he is successful in his purpose when the religious life is drowned in business cares, when he can so absorb their minds in business that they will not take time to read their Bibles, to pray in secret, and to keep the offering of praise and thanksgiving burning on the altar of sacrifice morning and evening" (5T 426). "Some church members who have loved and feared God in the past are allowing their business to be all-absorbing, and are hiding their light under a bushel. They have forgotten to serve God and are making their business the grave of their religion" (6T 196). The Saviour illustrated this truth by His parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21).
A "bed" might cover up the light (Mark 4:21). This symbol's tongue cries out of laziness (Prov 26:14; 6:10, 24-33) or lust (Gen 49:4; Ezek 23:17; Rev 2:22), certain means for putting out the heavenly flame. While men sleep the enemy sows evil seeds (Matt 13:25). Was Adam taking a nap when Eve was tempted and fell? The disciples slept and were overcome (Matt 26:40-45). "Watch, brethren, the first dimming of your light, the first neglect of prayer, the first symptom of spiritual slumber" (4T 124).
"It is not the ignorant and uncultured merely that need to be guarded; he [Satan] will prepare his temptations for those in the highest position, in the most holy office; if he can lead them to pollute their souls, he can through them destroy many. And he employs the same agents now as he employed three thousands year ago. By worldly friendships, by the charms of beauty, by pleasure-seeking, mirth, feasting, or the wine-cup, he tempts to the violation of the seventh commandment" (PP 457, 458).
A "vessel" might smother the light (skeuos, Luke 8:16). This is a token for the "extras" of life which cost so much toil ("goods," Matt 12:29; "tackling," Acts 27:19). While in themselves proper in the right place when used with discipline, they quench the light if gathered in excess.
"A secret place" might well conceal the light (krupte, crypt, cellar, vault, Luke 11:33). A cowardly heart shut up testimony to the Messiah in the dark heart of Peter (John 18:15-27). Fear locked the apostles' tongues in a hidden room so that none in Jerusalem heard the story of a risen Saviour (John 20:19). "Cursed is he who puts an idol in a secret place" (Deut 27:15). What hidden terrors or longings furtively move your life to act? What corrosive secrets do you conceal from men and God? Fear of losing their possessions sealed some preachers' lips, with the story of the risen Christ on their tongues! The shame of ridicule spilled curses from the mouth of one who hours before had promised to confess till death. Any secret idol will surely extinguish the light. Our prayer should be: "Cleanse Thou me from secret faults" (Ps 19:12).
Aids to Shining
The priest used golden tongs and snuff dishes when taking care of the lamps (Ex 25:38). God has also provided us with tools of golden faith to tend the light He sheds into our lives. Daily prayer, quiet meditation on Calvary's bearing on our needs, and the diligent study of the Scriptures act as spiritual snuff dishes for the removal of the ashes of our outdated experiences. In the nail-scarred hands of our celestial Priest they are the tongs for lifting up the renewed wicks of His righteousness suffused with the fresh oil of His Spirit. These He then sets afire with the flame of living truth.
"At the altar of self-sacrifice--the appointed place of meeting between God and the soul--we receive from the hand of God the celestial torch which searches the heart, revealing the great need of an abiding Christ" (RH 31 Jan 1907). From Calvary's flaming sorrow our souls must be lit daily, and the Spirit's hand is ready to apply the spark from that altar. Is your heart a holy tabernacle for these lamps? Is Christ your inner light? How is your wick, your oil, your spark? Does your life serenely shine to honor the ministry of your High Priest and glorify your Father in heaven? "Christ expects that men will become partakers of His divine nature while in this world, thus not only reflecting His glory to the praise of God, but illuminating the darkness of the world with the radiance of heaven. Thus will be fulfilled the words of Christ, `Ye are the light of the world"' (5T 731).
Because the night of sin is dark, our High Priest calls to each of us, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light" (Eph 5:14). His promise will revive your smoking flax. God's gracious Spirit will come as the breath of heaven to blow the smoldering spark to flame (Ezek 37:9). His word of courage is: "Arise, shine; for thy Light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee" (Isa 60:1). And thank God! we are not left to do this alone.
Christ clothes His saints in garments of light. At creation the lesser lights in the heavens reflected the Greater Light of the Creator (Gen 1:16). Throughout eternity the lesser lights of the world will forever reflect the light (John 1:8; Rev 12:1) of their Lord and Saviour. The rainbow is caused by the action of light upon the waters. In the hereafter it is will be seen that when the eternal Light shines through the many waters of humanity the rainbow of the covenant of God will appear in all its glory.
And till
then, "what is light?--It is piety, goodness, truth, mercy,
love; it is the revealing of the truth in the character and life.
The gospel is dependent on the personal piety of its believers for
its aggressive power, and God has made provision through the death
of His beloved Son, that every soul may be thoroughly furnished unto
every good work. Every soul is to be a bright and shining light,
showing forth the praises of Him Who has called us out of darkness
into His marvelous light" (RH 26 Dec 1912).
12 - TABLE OF SHEWBREAD
All My Nourishment Is Christ's
The golden table laden with shewbread was placed opposite the candelabrum (Ex 40:22-25). Golden goblets of wine stood on the floor nearby. This tableau revealing fellowship and hospitality represented the feast which the Creator has provided ever since the Garden of Delight. There He spread before Adam and Eve a rich variety of fruits, grains and nuts, from which they might "freely eat." He imposed only one prohibition. They must not eat the fruit "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen 2:16, 17). The Lord made eating and drinking the basis of His oft-repeated covenant with His sons and daughters.
But turning from the banquet which their Father had placed before them, our first parents chose "the table of demons" (1 Cor 10:21, RSV). Most of their descendants gradually lost all desire to "partake of the table of the Lord," and strayed from covenant fellowship with Him.
But the Spirit continually encouraged them, "Eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness" (Isa 55:2). Adam's heaven-born children in every generation have cried for their Creator's table (I Pet 2:2, 3). In these last days the Divine Host urges His guests, "Come, for all things are now ready" (Luke 14:17). He promises that "if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (Rev 3:20).
God's Covenant Meal was Symbolized in the Holy Place
To keep these ideas before His people the Lord spread His communion table with bread and wine in the palace of His Sanctuary. He said to Moses, "Thou shalt make a table of shittim wood . . . and overlay [it] with pure gold" (Ex 25:23, 24). Again wood was joined with gold to picture the incarnate One Whose perishable humanity is embraced by the gold of Omnipotent Love.
The height of the table was the same as that of the copper altar's flaming hearth and the golden mercyseat (Ex 27:5; 25:23, cf. v. 10). Should this alert us to the truth that the sacrifice in the court lifts true worshipers up to hospitality's festal board in the holy place, and on to the throne of grace within the oracle? Listen! It proclaims that the altar of Calvary is the foundation of earthly fellowship and heavenly glory. Lord, grant us Thy Spirit to teach us to understand these signs aright.
The Table is a Symbol of Christ's Throne
The four edges of the table-top were carved like "crowns." So were probably the lower edges of the stretchers connecting its legs together (Ex 25:24, 25; 37:12). Around the table-top, about a hand-breath in from its edges, a "border" was attached. This rose like a crenelated "wall" a hand-breath above its surface, with its top carved like a "crown" (Ex 25:25). Were these to act as a fence to hold the loaves in place while Israel was on the march? The three "crowns" symbolize the majesty of the royal Provider-Host.
This table represented the throne of the triple-crowned Saviour in the holy place. Wherever a king takes his seat there is his throne. As Potentate, Priest and Prophet Jesus presides as the Divine Host at His banquet in His heavenly Sanctuary. Did He have this feast in mind in His parable about the guests who rudely rejected the invitations of the King? (Luke 14:15-24). This covenant meal is part of His "continual" ministry.
Josephus, who watched Titus pillage the temple at Jerusalem, described this piece of furniture: "It had feet also, the lower half of which were complete feet, resembling those which the Dorians put to their bedsteads; but the upper parts towards the table were wrought into a square form" (Antiquities, III:vi:6). These cabriole legs, resembling the back legs of a sheep, are used in French Provincial, and some English Queen Anne and American furniture. Did this stylized animal form hint at the Lamb Who bears in His body the bread of life? Christ is not only the royal Host who spreads this feast of love for His friends, He is the Bread and Wine upon the table.
The Table Moved Wherever the King Chose
Four gold rings were fixed under the corners of the table-top, on its shorter sides. Gold-encased poles were passed through these for easy portage (Ex 25:26-28). This arrangement ensured that the table was carried "forward." Its mobility revealed the graciousness and concern of God. Wherever He led His people His meal was ready for them. The Psalmist sensed this in joy: "Thou preparest a table before me, . . . my cup runneth over" (Ps 23:5).
The Lord ordered Moses to "put the table . . . upon the side of the Tabernacle northward" (Ex 40:22). This site is an important symbol. Before creation "the sides of the north" signaled Lucifer's coveted place (Isa 14:13). Century after century the adversaries of Israel, directed by Satan, invaded the Promised Land from the north (cf. Jer 1:13-15; 4:6; 6:1; 46:20; 47:2; 50:3; &c.). Did David perceive the import of this location in his observation that God's "table" was spread for him "in [the] presence of mine enemies" (Ps 23:5)? Facing Israel's antagonists at the "north" of the Tabernacle, this covenant meal pictures our Saviour's confidence in His power to defend His people and supply them in every emergency.
Webster reminds us that our word "Lord" is derived from the Saxon root meaning "keeper of the bread," while "lady" springs from a stem suggesting "kneader of the bread." How carefully our Lord has preserved the Bread of Life! How generously He has provided it for famished souls through the ages! "In the fullness of the time" (Gal 4:4) the Bread of life, was born in Bethlehem, "the house of bread," of the lady of Nazareth, the "kneader" of the Bread. From His birth His adversaries struck, and the heathen raged (Ps 2:1, 3), venting their hatred upon Him throughout His life. At last "the corn of wheat" allowed Himself to be slain (John 12:24) and buried to provide Himself as the Bread of life for a famishing world. Our Lord is not only the Keeper of the bread, He is also the Bread.
The Bread was Displayed on the Table
Jehovah required His priest to "arrange" the bread upon His table. It was "prepared" as if lined up for battle, "marshaled" or "in piles." In both Greek Testaments (prostheosis, Ex 25:30; Lev 24:5, 6; Matt 12:4; Heb 9:2), the word suggests that the shewbread was set forth according to the eternal purposes of God, and not as some after-thought. Paul used this term to describe the members of the church who are "called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28; 9:11). Like the shewbread, the church was to exhibit the Lord's well-ordered design, observed by the universe as the theater of salvation (1 Cor 4:9).
Golden goblets of unfermented grape juice were placed on the floor near the table (Ex 25:29, margin). These "bowls" contained the libation poured over to "cover" the sacrifices burning on the brazen altar. Since the shewbread was a "meal offering," the law required this accompanying "drink" offering (cf. Num 15:1-16).
Because bread and wine were present in the Sanctuary at all times, God's people were comforted by the realization that heaven's sustenance would never fail. The Saviour explained that the "living bread" is His "flesh, which [He] will give for the life of the world" (John 6:48-58). The shewbread (Lev 24:5-9) represented His life-style. As "the bread of life" it is be absorbed by His disciples. Satan lures with dainty delights, but those who partake of them eat to die. Self feeds upon itself, and none ever gains refreshment from this blighted table.
Bread from Grain from the Earth
Bread is made from grain which grows in the earth, cursed by sin, softened by tears and tilled by sweat (Gen 3:17-19). Hidden in darkness, it springs from soil which hope cultivates. But man's efforts need the support of heaven's blessings,--sun to warm the heart of the seed, rain to soften its soul. Only then will it grow into "life more abundant," "first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28). Of Himself Christ revealed, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). Death is the prelude to life.
During the "hidden years" Jesus lived in notorious Nazareth, the village with the Hebrew name "Sprout" or "Branch" (Hebrew nasek, aee Edward Robinson, Greek and English Lexicon of the New Testament, 475; cf. Isa 11:1, from an Arabic root, to be green). Men wondered whether anything good would ever come from Nazareth. Yet the holy Child Jesus grew up in its sordid confines as a "tender plant" (Isa 53:2). Then human hands killed and buried Him in darkness. Three days later God's Bread-corn sprang to life, the "first fruits" from the furrows of this earth (1 Cor 15:20). He warns, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man . . . ye have no life in you" (John 6:53). The incarnate Word has embedded His power in His inspired word. As His disciples read and accept its principles, His life becomes theirs.
The Bruised Wheat
The Lord required "the finest of the wheat" (Lev 24:5) for the shewbread. To obtain this, the grain was harvested with the sickle, threshed with the flail, winnowed with the wind, and ground between the upper and nether mill-stones,--acts which are parables of man's treatment of his Saviour. Knives of hatred and neglect hacked at Him. Clubs of denial and derision bruised His bones. Gales of fanaticism and prejudice blew the chaff of scorn and ridicule around His motives and purposes. But through His agony, the wind of the Spirit winnowed His character. Mill-stones of rejection crushed His soul, and incarnate evil sifted Him with clawed fingers as flour is shaken in a sieve. Even we shout, "Crucify!" Through "the things which He suffered" "He learned obedience" (Heb 5:8). "He was bruised, and He was afflicted" (Isa 53:3-5). And because He endured mankind's trials to the uttermost, the living Bread is able to sustain to the uttermost.
The Lord commanded the priest to "take fine flour" only (Lev 24:5). For this the wheat must be ground and sifted through eleven sieves until reduced to one third of its original mass (Menahoth 6:6, 7). In Christ there is no flaw, no useless husk, no uneven portion. His life is perfection in its smallest detail. As a child He "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). In His maturity the pagan Pilate exclaimed in wonder, "Behold the man!" (John 19 :5). At the conclusion of His ministry the Roman judge was forced to admit, "I find no fault in this man" (Luke 23:4). Even the demons acknowledged Him the "Son of God" (Matt 8:29). As Jesus walked out of the Upper Room to die, Satan lurked in the shadows to ambush Him. But the Saviour exposed his presence, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me" (John 14:30). Even Satan could find no flaw in heaven's Fine Flour.
Olive Oil Added
Olive oil must be added to the dough (Lev 2:4). The oil of "the olive berry is the one of which most frequent mention is made in the Scriptures" (Unger's Bible Dictionary, 805). The rabbis remind us that "all meal- offerings . . . required three acts in the putting in of the oil--pouring oil in the vessel, mingling the meal in the oil, and again putting in oil in the vessel before they are ready" (Menahoth 6:3). Oil is an emblem of the soothing, healing and illuminating ministry of the Spirit. The Bread of life is thrice anointed.
Jesus is the "Anointed One," "Messiah" in Hebrew or "Christ" in Greek. He overflows with the "oil of gladness," because He lives a Spirit-filled life (Ps 45:7; Heb 1:9). The oil of the Spirit's influence softens and smooths. As the final touch the ancient rubric required the priest to dip his finger in oil and mark each unbaked loaf of shewbread with "a cross like the Greek letter chi" (Menahoth 6:3). The cross of Oil prefigured that Jesus would offer Himself to die "through the eternal Spirit" (Heb 9:14).
Salt Flavored
Salt was added to flavor and preserve (Lev 2:13). "The savor of the salt is divine grace. All the efforts made to advance the truth are of but little value unless the Spirit of God accompanies them" (3T 559). Salt "signified that only the righteousness of Christ could make the service acceptable to God. . . . Jesus says, Your energy and efficiency in the upbuilding of My kingdom depend upon your receiving my Spirit. You must be partakers of My grace in order to be a savor of life unto life" (DA 439).
No leaven was permitted in the shewbread (Lev 2:4, 11; 10:12). These "unleavened loaves" (Josephus, Antiquities III:vi:6) qualified as a meal- offering to be eaten by the priests. The absence of leaven always stresses that no alien influence, no corrupting force, no exterior principle worked within our Saviour's mind. God's Unleavened Bread is perfect and uncontaminated.
Dough was Kneaded
When all the ingredients had been prepared and mixed, kneading began. As an acted parable of how cruel men treated the Man of Calvary, the priest pushed and tore the dough. Only after this was it ready for the oven. After life-long conflicts the Bread of life entered the furnace of the cross to endure His final "fiery trials" (1 Pet 4:12), and permit the blasts of hell to engulf Him. When the flames of wrath had completed their work, heaven's Loaf was "finished" (John 19:30), ready to satisfy every famished soul.
Biblical names are luminous threads woven into the tapestry of truth. The Lord required these twelve loaves to be placed "before My faces" (Ex 25:30). So the shewbread is called "the bread of faces," for the Father looks upon His Son with many expressions, all of them glorious (Prov 8:30). "Face" stands for presence or personality. In Jesus we see all the loving faces of His Father, beaming with justice and mercy, power and compassion, even tears.
The light of the Menorah "continually" (Lev 24:2, 4, cf. vv. 5, 6; cf. 2 Chron 13:11) streamed upon the bread. The radiance of the Shekinah also embraced the loaves in splendor to display the Son dwelling within His Father's glory. They were called "shewbread" because they showed the concern of His visage. "Before the worlds were framed," Jesus sang, "I was by Him, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him" (Prov 8:22, 23, 30). Through all the ages His Father regarded Him as the "apple of His eye." Like "the Angel of His Face" (Ex 33:14, 15; Isa 63:9; Deut 4:37), the "Bread of His presence" "showed" Christ's nurturing character as He represented His Father.
Bread Must be Eaten
Bread must be eaten to meet human need. It is not enough to appreciate it, or to extol its matchless characteristics. It must be appropriated personally. The nutrients in the Bread of life are absorbed only by feeding upon Jesus through a daily study of the Scriptures, and allowing Him to live in our hearts through the Spirit.
Like the "bread of faces", the "revealed word is our photograph of Christ. . . . O that workers in every line of the service of God would eat the leaves of the tree of life, which are for the healing of the nations" (Bible Training School, March 1903). These "leaves" represent the promises of Christ (MH 66) scattered throughout the Bible. When accepted by faith they supply nourishment for our spiritual and physical needs. More and more they reveal Heaven's Ideal, and provide power to reproduce His character in our experiences.
From Eden the Lord has provided mankind with a variety of grains with which to make bread, Then He required offerings returned to Him in gratitude. To show their love Israel was to provide twelve loaves of shewbread as a weekly gift for His table from the national treasury (Lev 24:8). We, too, must return to Him tokens of our appreciation "by an everlasting covenant" (Lev 24:8). This contract was sealed by the death of the incarnate One, represented in the Tabernacle by the flagons of wine standing near the table, and Deity is satisfied.
Pierced Bread
One name for the shewbread was devised by the suffering Father, and sobs with prophetic truth. But shining through its tears is the rainbow of covenant grace. The priestly baker was to perforate the cakes to prevent their puffing up in the oven. "Pierced bread" (Lev 24:5, "cake") vividly conjures before our imaginations the stabbing spikes and thrusting spear! It reveals the self-sacrifice of Jesus, Himself the wounded Bread, Himself the piercing Priest. In the celestial Tabernacle this Bread, "wounded for our transgressions" (Isa 53:5), forever displays Christ's prediction fulfilled by all the redeemed, "They shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced" (Zech 12:10). Gaze long on this vision of pain, and then joyously feast upon this life-giving Bread.
God fixed the number of loaves at twelve (Lev 24:4). Generous provision is hidden in this figure. Twelve is the sum of Israel's tribes who constituted the "church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38). Twelve is the number of the champions of the gospel church. To them Christ promised "twelve thrones" for "judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:30). Inspiration's pledge is our assurance: "If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal 3:29). Each child of faith is remembered at God's table, and each has a seat at his Father's throne. In all ages His people are one family gathered around one table partaking of one Loaf.
These loaves of equal weight (Lev 24:5) tell us that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Each tribe is entitled to the same provisions as the others. Though each unique disciple has his "measure of faith" (Rom 12:3), heaven gives to each nourishment adequate to his need. With trembling fingers one reaches for the hem of Christ's robe, while another boldly climbs the hill of God for face to face converse with a Friend. Yet both are satisfied. In the Saviour all are one, suffering with Him, dying in Him, and finally reigning with Him. At the royal banquet board each is named a diner of the Presence Bread, and each is cherished by the smile of God.
Shewbread Prepared on Friday Afternoon
Friday was the "preparation" (Luke 23:54) day when priests baked the bread (Ex 16:23; Menahoth 11:2). "The loaves of the shewbread were kneaded separately and baked in pairs. They were made ready in a mold; and when they were taken from the oven they were again put in a mold lest they suffer any hurt" (Menahoth 11:1). Every sabbath fresh loaves were placed on the holy table (1 Chron 9:32; Lev 24:8; Menahoth 4:4).
The rabbis remember that "the loaves of the shewbread were ten hand-breadths long and five wide; each loaf was set lengthwise across the breath of the table and two hand-breadths were doubled over on either end, and a space of two hand-breadths was left in the midst, so that the wind could blow between them" (Menahoth 11:5). Each corner was turned up so that "their horns were seven finger-breadths high" (Menahoth 11:4).
The shewbread was displayed in two piles (Lev 24:6), with golden reeds separating the flat cakes, and with frankincense (Lev 24:7) and salt (Lev 24:7, LXX; cf. 2:13) sprinkled over all. The Hebrew records mention 28 reeds, "each shaped like half of a hollow reed, fourteen for the one row and fourteen for the other" (Menahoth 11:6). These were probably used to separate the loaves to prevent the formation of mildew. Josephus described the setting thus: "Upon this table . . . were laid twelve unleavened loaves of bread, six upon each heap, one above another . . . and above those loaves were put two vials full of frankincense" (Antiquities III:vi:6).
Here is a description of the ceremony: "Four priests entered in, two having the two rows [or piles of Shewbread] in their hands and two the two dishes [of frankincense]; and four went before them, two to take away the two rows and two to take away the two dishes. They that brought them in stood at the north side with their faces to the south; and they that took them away stood at the south side with their faces to the north. These drew [the old loaves] away and the others laid [the new loaves] down, and [always] one hand-breath of the one overlay one hand-breadth of the other, for it is written, `Before Me continually'. . . . They burnt the dishes [of frankincense], and the loaves were shared among the priests" (Menahoth 11:7).
The Priests Ate the Shewbread
The eating of the shewbread (Lev 24:8, 9) pictured identification with it (cf. 1 Cor 10:16, 17). The priest and the bread became one. This anticipated the time when God's Priest and God's Bread would be One. This eating is also vital for Christ's royal priests. Jesus warned, "except ye eat . . . ye have no life in you." But when digested this Bread meets the needs of "every man." Because Jesus tasted death, all who eat of Him need "never hunger," never die!
All priests were privileged to partake of the week-old bread (Lev 24:9). Generally "the incoming [course of] priests took six, and the outgoing course took six" loaves (Sukkah 5:8). "The shewbread was consumed never earlier than the ninth and never later than the eleventh day. Thus if it was baked on the day before the sabbath and consumed on the sabbath [in the following week], that would be the ninth day; if a festival-day fell on the day before the sabbath, it is consumed on the tenth day; if two festival days of the New Year [fell before the sabbath] it is consumed on the eleventh day; and [the baking of] it overrides neither a sabbath nor a festival-day" (Menahoth 11:9).
God required that His table be kept laden with the heavenly fare continually (Lev 4:7; 2 Chron 2:4). Redolent of the Father's warm and loving home, the fragrant loaves revived the appetites of God's people each sabbath day. The recipe was old and tried. It ensured that no error lurked within the structure of each loaf. But, sabbath by sabbath, the bread was fresh and wholesome. This looks to God's celestial Bread in the heavenly Sanctuary, the same in all the yesterdays, yet new and satisfying today.
While the old loaves were being removed and the fresh bread positioned on the table, the frankincense was burned on the golden altar (PP 354), and filled the Tabernacle with the fragrance. The perceptive worshipers realized "man's dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual food, and that it is received only through the mediation of Christ" (PP 354).
"To the death of Christ we owe even this earthly life," for "the bread we eat is the purchase of His broken body" (DA 660). This precious perfume, burning as a "memorial before God" (Lev 24:7), was redolent of the intercession of our High Priest. It also added fragrance to the prayers and the expressions of gratitude of His people for their physical and spiritual food.
The sabbath hours are sacred, when hungry worshipers enter the courts of God. Common fare can never satisfy. So the preacher must study diligently during the week to gather grains of truth in the fields of Scripture. Upon his knees he must labor to grind and sift the flour, while within his heart the fire burns. He must watch to exclude the leaven of self, and include the flavor of heaven's salt. And he must pray, Sweet Spirit, flow into the dough and anoint it with a cross of Oil. And through this toil the substance of his sabbath "loaf" will be the Lord Jesus. Then in God's house, and on God's day, his pulpit will become a banquet table spread with heaven's Shewbread, ready to satisfy his people's hunger. Let no preacher take the name of Christ upon his lips until his own heart has been ravished by sweet communion with the Word.
Let no shepherd serve provender for God's flock which is not the living Word. The Bible alone is the Spirit's store of the "Corn of wheat." Jehovah warns the preacher and his people, "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not?" (Isa 55:2). Heedless, some preachers "forsake the Lord . . . [and] prepare a table for the troop" (Isa 65:11). Longing for popular acclaim, they are satisfied with soothing itching ears (2 Tim 4:1-5). The famished sheep and lambs may eat, but are weak and hungry still.
The Wine of the New Covenant
This "presence bread" as "part of the daily sacrifice" (PP 354) was "continually" before the Lord (Lev 24:8). It reminded His children of their Father's constant gift of the heavenly Bread Which bestows eternal life. But this oblation was bloodless, and, like Cain's offering, commanded no respect by God. So the Lord placed on the floor near the shewbread, golden goblets filled with the "blood of grapes." As a "perpetual" offering a priest poured this wine on the altar in the court while the bread was being eaten "in a holy place." It thus became an oblation "made by fire" (Lev 24:9), and added the symbol of blood to the shewbread.
This wine, expressed from crushed grapes, witnessed to the blood of "the true Vine" (John 15:1) Who ratified the everlasting covenant (Matt 26:27, 28) when He "trod the wine-press alone" (Isa 63:1-3) in Gethsemane, and poured out His blood on Calvary. Christ explained this wine as "the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:20), and focused the meaning of the shewbread and the wine on the Lord's Supper.
Three acts completed this ceremony: the loaves eaten by the priests, the incense burned on the golden altar, and the wine poured as a libation over the daily sacrifices burning upon the altar of burnt-offering. Like all "drink-offerings" this expressed gratitude to Him (Luke 22:20), Who in the furnace fires of Gethsemane "sweat . . . great drops of blood" (Luke 22:44), while on Golgotha the pitcher of His body was broken. Those who had eyes to see observed the twin streams of water and blood as "the fountain for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech 12:1).
To keep these wonderful truths fresh in our hearts we must "receive the bread and wine, symbolizing Christ's broken body and spilled blood . . . [and] witness the struggle by which reconciliation with God was obtained. [Thus] Christ is set forth crucified among us" (DA 661). "The rabbis themselves had a saying, that the eating of bread in its spiritual significance, was the study of the law and the practice of good works; and it was often said that at the Messiah's coming all Israel would be fed" (DA 386).
Christians Invited to the Table of the Lord
In this Christian age God's humblest child is made a royal priest (Ex 19:5, 6; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6; 5:10), and so may freely feast at the King's table. This truth is hidden in the story of David and his famished men fleeing from their enemies (1 Sam 21:4-6; Matt 12:3, 4). Because their lives were right with God, the high priest Abiathar allowed them to eat the "shewbread, [which] may not be eaten in uncleanness" (Pesahim 7:4).
All the priests must personally feed upon God's bread. It is not enough to hear of Jesus, or to catch an occasional glimpse of His loveliness. It is not even sufficient to be enraptured with His fragrance. The Voice from the throne commands: "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps 34:8). Jesus underlined this rule: "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you" (John 6:53). "Eating of the body, and drinking of the blood of Christ, not merely at the sacramental service, but daily partaking of the bread of life to satisfy the soul's hunger, would be receiving His word and doing His will" (5BC 1140). In this way the teachings and example of Jesus become part of our lives, our strength, our health, and our joy forever. Let us continually cry, "Lord, ever more give us this Bread" (John 6:34).
Let us Recapitulate
As this meditation on the shewbread draws to a close, let us linger within the Tabernacle for a moment, and remind ourselves that God's pierced wheaten loaves are a prophecy of Christ's energy-giving messages of power and hope. The table made of wood and gold focuses upon the earthly life of the Bread of life made in the house of bread, by the Lord Who is the Keeper of Bread, with the help of the lady of Nazareth who is the kneader of the Bread.
The triple-crowned table of shewbread, with its frankincense and wine, inspire us to look beyond the ages to the earth remade, where the Father will spread His banquet "table of pure silver; it was many miles in length" (EW 19), ready for His redeemed family. Their bondage forever past, His ransomed royal priests will sit with Him upon His festal throne (Rev 3:21), to enjoy the fulfillment of their Redeemer's promise that one day they should "eat and drink at My table" (Luke 22:30).
At this
table Jesus sits as royal Host. On this lovely occasion the
Groomsman will provide the royal bride with her robes of shining
purity (Rev 19:8), and share with her His marriage banquet (Rev
19:9), while "His banner over [her] is love" (agape,
LXX, Cant 2:4). As a special gesture of hospitality our Divine
Host will rise from His place of supreme honor, and "gird
Himself . . . come forth and serve" (Luke 12:37) them as their
eternal Servant, with the gracious invitation, "Eat, O friends;
drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (Cant 5:l). Eternal
Spirit, help us to respond in joy and gratitude with this prayer,
"Lord, ever more give us this Bread" (John 6:34). Then "He
will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will
joy over thee with singing" (Zeph 3:17). I want to hear Jesus
sing that solo.
13 - ALTAR OF INCENSE
All My Breath Is Christ's
The golden altar of intercession breathed incense from its diadem of beauty, and the holy place was fragrant with the lovely name of Jesus. The Spirit specified its location to teach us the importance of its ministry: "Thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony . . . before the mercy seat" (Ex 30:6) "before the Lord" (Lev 16:13). The priest who ministered at it came closest to the mercyseat.
In Solomon's temple it is called "the altar which was of cedar" (1 Kings 6:6). Was this because Israel was no longer in the wilderness where they used acacia, king of desert trees, that the new altar was made of the royal cedar of the Promised Land? The LXX explained that "he made an altar in front of the oracle, and covered it with gold." Beyond this tapestry faith perceived eternal Light ruling in love. How awesome was the site of this "golden altar which was before the throne" (Rev 8:3), with a ministry "belonging" to the Most Holy Place (1 Kings 6:22, ARV). Let us take off our shoes to contemplate its meaning. Gracious Spirit, grant us light to read this sign aright.
Wood and Gold Blend in the Altar of Intercession
God designed this altar of shittim or acacia wood encased in gold (Ex 30:1, 3). Discern the incarnation in these types. Gold points to Christ as the manifestation of God's love, and wood whispers of His frail humanity, natures mysteriously blended in Him Who is "the same yesterday, and today and forever" (Heb 13:8). For God's Son to intercede on man's behalf He must first become the Son of Man (Heb 2:17), and trudge the lowly road we daily travel. And then our Brother Priest, Who once wore sinner's rags in innocency, must die a criminal's death because of miscarried justice. Now He shares God's throne in transformed humanity. To suggest these truths the Spirit ordered perishable wood encased in durable gold to form the pedestal of prayer.
The altar stood "foursquare" (Ex 30:2), for our Pleader stands upon the foundation of the Eternal's will. From the ground it rose two cubits, or forty four inches (Ex 30:2), to lift the censer higher than expiation's flaming grate (Ex 27:1, 5) and fellowship's generous board (Ex 25:23). From this height its fragrance whispers: Prayer will lift sinners nearer to God's heart than any other act of worship.
A wooden horn enclosed in gold stood at each corner of the altar's top (Ex 30:2; cf. Zech 1:18-21). These fourfold spikes proclaim the power of the Intercessor. As David contemplated these, he sang: "From the horns of the wild oxen Thou dost answer me" (Ps 22:21). The saga of these horns is of conflicts won and captives freed. Their anthem is of our Interceder Whose triumphant horns have pierced the adversary's heart (Hab 3:4; cf. Zech 1:18-21).
Horns Signal the Power of our Intercessor
The horns of the copper altar provided a citadel of refuge for those who held them fast (1 Kings 2:28). But the horns of the golden altar could be reached only by priests. As royal priests we now may grasp these powerful prongs. So cast away all fear. John saw Christ on God's throne armed with "seven horns" (Rev 5:6), heaven's sign for perfect might. Their call to us from the heavenly Sanctuary is that our Saviour is now interceding for us, not "as a mere petitioner . . . but as a conqueror claiming His victory" (COL 156; cf. EW 38).
A coronet of gold was placed around this altar's head (Ex 30:3). Crowns link this altar with the table's fellowship meal and the ark's mercy throne, and proclaim that our Intercessor is our King. When placing the government upon His shoulders (Isa 9:6), the Father declared, "I have set My King upon My mountain Sanctuary in Zion" (Ps 2:6). The crown on this altar's summit should keep our eyes upon our sovereign Saviour and omnipotent Advocate.
The top of the golden altar is called "a roof" (Ex 30:3, margin), while the crown is likened to a parapet surrounding it (Deut 22:8). Since dwellings in Palestine were flat roofed, God's law required this guard rail to be strong enough to prevent the unwary from falling off. The apostle Peter climbed to such a protected roof-top to pray at noon (Acts 10:9), and received a vision which purged racism from his thinking. This crenelated altar signaled a safe and lofty place, open to heaven and away from the hustle of life, where prayer might be made to God in seclusion.
The horns of Abraham's ram caught in the brambles (Gen 22:13) pictured the brow of God's submissive Ram encircled by a crown of thorns. The thistles of Adam's curse (Gen 3:18) became the second Adam's chaplet of victory (Matt 27:29). The Father hears Christ's voice as the "sound of many waters" (Rev 1:15; cf. Dan 10:6), the sobbing wail of peoples (Rev 17:15) everywhere, and the echo of my words! As the Spokesman of humanity His lips frame my unspoken cry, and even my inarticulate groans in celestial eloquence (cf. Rom 8:26). And because of His triumphant intercession, His royal crown glows with radiance, bejewelled with bought souls.
The Golden Altar of Prayer Moves Where Needed Most
A ring was fixed on each of two opposite edges of this altar (Ex 30:4). This hints that it stood corner-wise to the axis of the holy place, with a blood-stained horn (Lev 4:6, 7) menacing each compass point. Were these defiant prongs displaying their readiness to defend the four princely leaders encamped opposite them? Their stance proclaims prayer's aggressive power against the enemies of God's elect.
Through each of these two rings a gold-clad staff was passed (Ex 30:4, 5), used by the priests to transport the golden altar wherever the cloud or fire might lead the steps of God. This portability hymns this message: Place cannot prison prayer! Our Pleader is not bound! Whenever two or three are gathered in His name He comes to listen and to bless. In the saga of salvation many saints have received dramatic answers to their prayers.
During his night of loneliness his Intercessor stood by Jacob's rock pillow, and lowered a ladder that was Himself, to encourage the fugitive's footsteps up toward heaven (Gen 28:10-15; cf. John 1:51). Jehovah heard the anguished cries of Egypt's slaves, and came down in cloud and fire to help them on the road to the Promised Land (Ex 3:7, 8). The Lord listened to rapturous praise in Solomon's temple, and filled it with His radiance (2 Chron 7:1-3). His Saviour heard Elijah's despondent prayer for death, and with His still, small Spirit-Voice cheered his heart until the chariot of fire was ready to carry him to Paradise (1 Kings 19:9-14; 2 Kings 2:11). The Son of God shared the furnace with three Hebrew youths, and walked with them amid the powerless flames (Dan 3:15, 25). From his inmost dungeon Paul's petition was answered, and his weary heart lifted into song (Acts 16:25). At all times and in all places Christ reaches down to those who reach up to Him in prayer (1 Thess 5:17). And so the priests moved the golden pedestal of intercession to the very center of the Tabernacle standing in the very center of the encampment.
This portable altar persuaded the worshipers that there is no improper place in which to pray. A storm-wrecked ship wallowing in the murderous waves (Acts 27:22-25), a fish's belly in the sea (Jonah 2:1-9), a tyrant's lions' den (Dan 6:10, 22), as well as the Temple's golden shrine (Acts 3:1, 2), each may become a bower of answered prayer. God's golden altar, with its carrying rods ever ready at the heart of Israel's busy encampment, whispers to us: On every occasion of gratitude or need, dart prayers to heaven in faith. Eternal Spirit, teach us to pray.
Prayer Brings the Saint into Contact with Heaven
When ministering at this altar the priest moved nearest to God's throne. The copper altar with its crimson script mapped the pilgrim's road to glory. Its blood authorized the ministrant to enter the holy place, and move confidently past the light and the bread to intercession's golden stand. Two altars marked his progress toward God's mercy-throne, and the blood he splashed on each was one. At the copper altar death's fiery struggle had raged so that the golden altar's fragrant breath might proclaim: Live in peace! The blood on these altars links the cross and crown, and marks the voyager's earthly progress, for only glory lies beyond.
Then by faith lift the veil in Christ's celestial Sanctuary and gaze with boldness on the scene within. Your Advocate stands before the throne of grace. He who attains the joy of this fellowship in prayer's secret place holds mercy in his hands and glory in his eyes. Sins blotted out sink into the ocean's depths, and heaven's peace breaks upon his soul. The altar's blood-stained gold gleams with these truths.
The priests of Israel considered this ministry the choicest ever performed (Tamid 5:2), because they came closest to the Shekinah. As their numbers increased, it became customary to wait until the others in the course had enjoyed an opportunity, before repeating this service. As gospel priests our greatest privilege and dearest work should be to help others through intercessory prayer. There is no limit to the times we may petition God's throne. Pray, then, always, everywhere.
The Fires on the Golden Altar Must be Kept Burning
The golden altar had only one use, upon it incense fumed. Each time the lamps were trimmed at dawn or lit at dusk, the golden censer, newly filled with holy coals, was placed on the golden altar (Ex 30:7, 8). Then incense was spread upon these embers, and its perfume rose on fragrant wings to press this challenge to all who enjoyed its loveliness: Lift your voice in prayer as day begins, and when the shadows gather and your tasks are laid aside, review the day's activities, and pray again. Prayer's twin arms should embrace all life's activities.
The spark to kindle the incense sprang from the sacred coals on the copper altar (Ex 30:9; cf. Rev 8:5). As He had done with Abel's sacrifice, He Who is consuming Fire reached down to accept the stricken victim on Israel's altar when the Tabernacle, and then the Temple, were first set up (Lev 9:24; cf. 1 Kings 18:38). "Heaven is satisfied!" is the song of this celestial flame. These embers form yet another link to join the two altars in one mystic ministry. They glow with this truth: Calvary is the sole foundation for efficient intercession, and it alone can fuel our fervency in prayer.
The Cross is the Foundation of Intercession
Mark this well! Only the victim altar can ignite the prayer altar. Some drunken priests (Lev 10:1, 2, 8-11), and rebellious princes once brought "strange fire" (Num 16:18, 35) to this holy place, only to perish by divine-sent wrath. Later an arrogant king, not satisfied with his heaven- appointed ministry, came for this purpose, and left with his censer in leprous hands (2 Chron 26:16-21).
Every morning and evening these living coals were carried in a censer of gold (Rev 8:3; 2 Chron 4:22), and spread over the top of the altar within its encircling coronet, and under the shadow of its protecting horns. The prepared spices were next carefully sprinkled upon these searing embers. Only then was the Tabernacle filled with fragrance, and Israel's entire encampment, and even the area for miles around, perfumed as the garden of the Lord (PP 348). Josephus remembered that the fragrant odor of the incense spread beyond the encampment of Israel. Prayer's influence reaches far outside the walls of Christ's church. It touches heaven and blesses souls unknown to the petitioner. As the wicks in the lamps glowed only when they perished, incense shared its fragrance by being consumed. Its ashes testified to its effective ministry. Our Pleader is all-powerful because He sacrificed Himself.
God required this spicery to burn night and day (Ex 30:7, 8; cf. 27:20, 21) so as to embrace all other ministries with its sweetness. Irradiated with the light of the seven lamps or the Shekinah these clouds of loveliness pointed up to the Sanctuary in heaven filled with the savor of the qualities of our Pleader Prince Who ever lives to intercede (Heb 7:25). His Father's heart, cheered by the fragrance of His life of sacrifice, dispatches the Spirit on wings of light to guide His children (John 14:16), while angel messengers hasten to the side of every needy soul (Heb 1:14). Let us make His sweet incense our constant breath (8T 330; cf. 1 Thess 5:17).
Priests Alone Mediated at the Golden Altar
Only consecrated priests might minister at this altar in Israel's Tabernacle. For us this sign-post reads: In Christ's church each Spirit-anointed saint is made a priest, and each may boldly reach God's throne through personal prayer (Heb 4:16). But beware of presumptuous Uzziah's act. Its message is this: the arrogant present their own-made incense only to be struck with leprosy, the mirror of their inmost souls. Of this danger the Psalmist warns: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps 66:18). But this priestly privilege is the heritage of those who are born again into Christ's family. His Father, and ours, waits to answer our prayers before the veil, and all heaven stands ready when we call (Isa 30:19).
Israel's priests might approach the golden altar with incense burning with the copper altar's fire. Each gospel priest, too, can come to heaven's altar of intercession only when authorized by Calvary's cleansing flame, and the blood of the dying Lamb. Then, with a censer formed of purest gold [faith and love] in one hand, and in the other a handful of incense [the merits and intercession of Christ] made according to the Divine recipe recorded in the inspired scrolls, he may with confidence lift his prayers to God's throne.
Fire, Censer, Incense
Each of these items is a sign pointing us to Jesus, Heaven's accepting Fire, and Jehovah's crucified Sacrifice. In the celestial Sanctuary Christ, our "Mediator, stands before the Father to present [our] prayers, mingled with His own merit and spotless righteousness, as fragrant incense" (CT 241), while His lips, like "the censer of pure gold," bear them to His Father's heart. No one need fear failure who imitates Christ's attitude in prayer. But he who prays with sweetly corroding sin cherished within his heart is an abomination to his Lord (Prov 28:9). "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" (Isa 52:11), is also written on these types.
No victim ever died upon this golden altar, yet it was stained with blood. Daily the priest splashed its horns with crimson from the sinners' sacrifices in the court (Lev 4:6, 7). And on each yearly Day of Expiation its top and horns were sprinkled seven times with blood from the Lord's sin-offering (Lev 16:16; Ex 30:10). This carmine script recorded the horrors of the cross, and reminds us of Christ's life-blood poured forth in agony. His blood makes the horns of His strength omnipotent. Because He died, our Advocate's strongest argument before the throne now is, "My blood, Father, My blood, My blood! My blood!" (EW 38). Our prayers, too, will move the heart of the King when spoken with cross-cleansed lips from an altar made of faith's gold, and empowered by Christ's sacrificial blood, with His merits burning as incense with the Father's accepting fire. From the prongs of the golden altar the Saviour's blood speaks better things than Abel's.
The Significance of Incense
The significance of the incense is explained in Scripture. The Psalmist pleads: "Let my prayer be directed before Thee as incense" (Ps 141:2, margin). Its fragrance enwraps our tears and groans, and clothes our deepest yearnings with beauty. When breathed from our hearts our prayers soar up to God as in a rising flame. The radiance from the seven-starred candelabrum shining through these perfumed clouds formed rainbows (cf. Gen 9:13-17) dancing in joy with new covenant assurances (EW 252). These remind us that Christ's "merits and intercession" now cover all our cries with tapestries of loveliness because His covenant promises never fail.
This incense is sweet with the reputation of our lovely Rose of Sharon. When Jesus pleads, the power of His wondrous name renders His prayers supreme. The Spirit gives this insight: "Christ is the fragrance, the holy incense which makes our petitions acceptable" (1SM 333). Then lift your heart and voice to where "your Mediator stands before the Father to present your prayers, mingled with His own merit and spotless righteousness, as fragrant incense" (CT 241). Direct your stuttering cry to Him for He "will present it to the Father without one awkward, stammering word, beautiful and fragrant with the incense of His own perfection" (DA 667).
Ingredients Used to Make Incense
Heaven's Apothecary has given us His recipe for incense. "Take with thee [this singular calls our attention to the truth that this is an individual, personal process] sweet spices," He prescribed, and added these particulars: "stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; . . . with pure frankincense, . . . and. . . make . . . a perfume, . . . salted together, pure and holy" (Ex 30:34-36). The qualities of our Saviour are signaled by the characteristics of these five ingredients. Their untranslated Hebrew and Greek names should drive us to investigate their inmost natures. Spirit of light, lighten our hearts to read these signs aright. (The next segment of this chapter is indebted to L. Coombe, "Prayer Chemistry," The Youth's Instructor, 21 June l938).
Stacte, transliterated from the Greek LXX, and copied by Jerome, has come into our Bible. It is the rendering of the Hebrew nataf, meaning "a drop" (Job 36:27, the only other use of the Hebrew word in Scripture). It was called "drop" because of the shape formed by the slow exudation of the sap. It was a kind of storax gum resembling myrrh, produced by incising the bark of the tree balsamodendron myrrha. Some suggest that it might have been benzoin or gum Benjamin now used in making incense. When dried, it is employed as a fumigating agent. The stacte produced a strong bitter and peppery perfume when burned by itself.
Onycha, also transliterated from the Greek LXX, and meaning a nail or claw, was obtained from the shell of a mollusk. When this horny operculum, or cap which seals the shell's opening in several kinds of sea creatures, is burned it exudes a strong odor (cf. Ecclesiasticus 24:15) which is not too pleasant as such, but has a tendency to intensify and prolong the fragrance of the spices with which it is mixed (see W. H. Grispen, Bible Student's Commentary--Exodus, 287). Onycha was used as the volatile vehicle which conveyed the various odors in the incense through the atmosphere. It is often used as the basis of perfumes. On its wings the bouquet dances on the breeze.
Galbanum, a transliteration of the Hebrew chelbenah, or the Greek chalbane, was a yellowish resin of a pungent, acrid flavor, believed to have been obtained by incising the bark of the shrub ferula which grows in Syria, Arabia and Ethiopia. When dried and crushed and burned it produced a pungent and piquant odor. It added a stimulating and exciting quality to the other perfumes with which it was mixed.
Frankincense, meaning whiteness in Hebrew, was a resin obtained as an exudation from the plant boswellia serrata (cf. Cant 3:6; Matt 2:11; Lev 2:1, 15; 5:11; 6:15; &c.). When burned it produced a strong and pleasant fragrance which had the effect of pervading and covering all unpleasant odors.
These four ingredients were first prepared separately, carefully weighed, and then blended in perfect proportions, "pure and holy" (Ex 30:35), to typify these characteristics in Christ.
Salt (Ex 30:34, margin; Lev 2:13), required in every offering presented at the Sanctuary, was finally added to the mass, and so the ingredients for the incense were complete in the perfumier's mortar.
Let us take the qualities of these five substances as guides in understanding something of the chemistry of prayer.
Stacte was a strong and stimulating spice, bitter to the taste. What is the bitter part of prayer? we may ask. Could it be confession? Through the Spirit's convicting ministry our sins begin to distress us, and guilt stabs at our consciences. Trudging wearily on to judgment, we realize that we are clothed in filthy rags, lost and almost without hope. What can we do? we groan. Then the Lord's voice, directing our course of action, appeals: "Confess!" (cf. Dan 9:4; Ezra 10:1)). So through honest, and sometimes bitter acknowledgment of our specific sins, we confess to God, and seek to make restitution and rectify the wrongs we have committed against one another. This is often an unpleasant task, but must be done. Was it to teach this lesson that bitter-sweet stacte was first put into the mortar by the perfumer?
The volatile oils of sweet flowers and pleasant resins need a vehicle to convey their fragrance to our nostrils, and so perfume makers seek such carriers as they blend their fragrances. Onycha is such a vehicle. This extract of shell-fish has the effect of intensifying and prolonging the bouquet with which it is compounded. What part of prayer bears the soul's song or cry to the gates of glory? What first awakens in the petitioner's heart appreciation, and then intensifies love for Jesus? Is it not gratitude for all His benefits we enjoy (Phil 4:6; Eph 5:20)? What He has done in our yesterdays, and what He is ready to do in all our tomorrows should inspire anthems on our lips, and impel us to extol His goodness. When tried and tempted Jesus sang hymns to His Father. His "praise seemed to banish evil angels, and, like incense, fill the place with fragrance" (DA 73). "In every thing give thanks" (1 Thess 5:18). Each circumstance should be an opportunity to pray with ungrudging thankfulness. And so, was it to form the basis of the incense that onycha was brought into the mortar?
Galbanum's keen and stimulating aroma was then added. When burned by itself the scent of this spice is disagreeable. But when consumed with other aromatic gums it improves and preserves their odors. Zest and enthusiasm play vital roles in successful prayer. He who asks again, and yet again, brings heaven close. The importunate widow's voice was often raised before the judge granted her petition. "Shameless" (Luke 18:5) is Christ's word to describe her persistence. Let us then pray often, fervently, for God's apparent delays only test our motivation. Was it because of galbanum's zestful odor, challenged by the crushing pestle, and searing flame, that it was added to the mortar to teach us that we must heed the apostle's advice to pray unceasingly (1 Thess 5:17)?
Then, frankincense shared its sweetness to smother every acrid taint. Its lovely breath sighs of cedar forests on clear mountains, heavy with the scent of spring-time, and whispering with the resurrection's voice of rising sap and new-born life. Its purity and whiteness add the Messianic message of our risen Saviour. Frankincense speaks of the living power of Jesus' sweet and all-pervading name (Eph 5:20; John 14:13, 14). Eternal Spirit, teach us to invoke it often, moment by moment.
Lastly, the perfumer brought salt to season and preserve, and call attention to the true Christian virtue which flavors every deed, and holds at bay corruption's blight. It tells of faith which made Christ's prayers omnipotent, and reminds us of the apostle's advice: "Let him ask in faith nothing wavering" (James 1:6). "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24), the Saviour added. How does the Spirit clarify this sign? "The savor of the salt is divine grace," (3T 559) as well as "the righteousness of our Saviour" (DA 439). The grace of God will flavor the Christian's prayer and drive him to action. Eternal Spirit, give us the right motives, and preserve us in every tribulation.
Let us Summarize:
The ideas which grow out of these five ingredients represent the qualities of the prayers of Jesus which, when coupled with our petitions, make them fragrant and acceptable to God. Stacte suggests confession, however bitter it might be, while onycha points to thanksgiving as the foundation of all intercession. Galbanum's keen and stimulating odor alerts us to the need for eagerness in supplication, and then pure frankincense covers all with pleasantness, whispering of Jesus' all powerful name. Finally His gift of the salt of faith preserves and flavors all our prayers.
God considered incense to be "most holy" (Ex 30:36). This description places it in the company of other "most holy" items in the Sanctuary: the shewbread (Lev 24:9); the sin-trespass-offering (Lev 6:25, 29; 7:1; 6;14:13; &c.); and the mincah (Lev 2:3). Incense was never to be used for secular or selfish purposes. Holiness has the idea of separation for special purposes. Christ will not invest His merits and intercession for worldly aims. The Psalmist remembered, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps 66:18).
The Pestle Beats the Ingredients in the Mortar
Only one method might be used to prepare this incense. "Thou shalt beat some of it very small" (Ex 30:36). What sorrows sob through the Lord's command to "beat!" And so the pestle struck a myriad blows at the five ingredients within the mortar's prison. Let imagination picture in these blows the flails which scourged the lovely Jesus, the trials which smote His head, and the ingratitude which pounded His heart. When reviled, He did not retaliate; when hated, He loved; and when rebuffed, He prayed for His enemies. And when His tasks were done, He transformed His stripes into the sinner's medicine. Listen to the story of this triumphant love through the timpani of the pestle's pounding blows.
But incense must be beaten "very small." No unevenness or irregularity might be within its substance, for Christ's life is flawless in the minutest particular. His tribulations perfected our Advocate, and now His offering is complete to the smallest detail.
"All incense from earthly tabernacles must be moist with the cleansing drops of the blood of Christ. He holds before the Father the censer of His own merits, in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. He gathers into this censer the prayers, the praise, [the thanksgiving, Signs, 14 Feb 1900] and the confessions of His people, [are these the realities represented by the four spices?] and with these He puts His own spotless righteousness [is this the salt?]. Then, perfumed with the merits of Christ's propitiation, the incense comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable. Then gracious answers are returned" (6BC 1078). Everything in His life's experience, even those that appeared "very small," were perfected within the mortar- prison of Christ's human life.
The Lord stipulated that this treasure should be stored only in the place of His appointing. For ancient Israel His word was: "Thou shalt . . . put of it before the testimony" (Ex 30:36), which was deposited within the Tabernacle. When the Saviour's mission on earth had been fulfilled, He rose in triumph to God's throne in the heavens as our Representative. Now, when the Father looks at repentant souls He observes only their Advocate, Who is covering the needy ones with His robes of righteousness, and mediating on their behalf. Are you wrapped in His fragrant life? "There is an inexhaustible fund of perfect obedience accruing from His obedience. In heaven His merits, His self-denial and self-sacrifice, are treasured as incense to be offered up with the prayers of His people. As the sinner's sincere, humble prayers ascend to the throne of God, Christ mingles with them the merits of His own life of perfect obedience. Our prayers are made fragrant by this incense. Christ has pledged Himself to intercede in our behalf, and the Father always hears the Son" (SD 22).
Incense Not to be Used for Secular Purposes
The Lord issued a strong warning against ever trying to prepare incense according to this recipe for secular uses. "Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people" (Ex 30:38). No counterfeit incense would be accepted on the altar, for only the perfection of Christ can form the basis of the sinner's claim to the promises of God. There is still "no other name under heaven, given among men" through which the tempted can pray effectively. When our High Priest's voice joins our petition, the King asks His spouse, His church, "What is thy request? it shall be given thee to the half of the kingdom" (Est 5:3). Jesus assures us, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you" (John 16:23).
The fragrance of the incense must never be lacking from the Sanctuary. As the priests worked within the sacred precincts from morning till evening, they were encircled by its loveliness and breathed its sweetness. In this gospel age "a fragrant atmosphere surrounds the believing, thankful soul who offers grateful praise to the heavenly Father" (Signs 4 Sept 1901). This is what Paul meant when he advised Christians to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17). "If we are following Christ, His merits, imputed to us, come up before the Father as sweet odor. And the graces of our Saviour's character, implanted in our hearts, will shed around us a precious fragrance. The spirit of love, meekness, and forbearing pervading our life will have power to soften and subdue hard hearts and win to Christ bitter opposers of the faith" (5T 174).
"Payer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Well- spring of life, and strengthens the sinue and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor. It is only at the altar of God that we can kindle our tapers with divine fire" (GW 254-255).
Prayer is the Breath of the Soul
Breath is almost always automatic, effortless and painless for a healthy person. Breath is continuous throughout life, and is the sign of a living body. Breath cannot be interrupted, except for very short periods, without danger to life. Breath provides oxygen to living blood cells and thus fuels the life forces, and the vitality the system produces. Breath increases in frequency and intensity with effort and the expenditure of energy. Breath is essential to speech, since the vocal chords cannot vibrate without it. Breath provides oxygen to the entire system by enabling the blood to burn up impurities, and carry off the waste products of the body. In these ways breath illustrates the effects of prayer in the active Christian's life.
Each separate spice used to make incense must be of "like weight" (Ex 30:34). Does this suggest that Christ's "character was beautiful in its symmetry" (DA 68)? His justice does not yield to mercy, nor does His tolerant love overshadow His hatred of sin. The "goodness and severity" of God blend perfectly in Jesus.
Incense might be presented at the altar only in a censer of gold (1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chron 4:22; Heb 9:4; Rev 8:3). "In the golden censer of truth, as presented in Christ's teachings, we have that which will convict and convert souls" (GW 309). "Those who are invested with Christ's Spirit are virtually clothed with priestly garments and are placed on vantage ground, commissioned to preach to others. Christ puts into their hands a censer filled with the incense of His righteousness. And He distinctly pledges Himself to answer their supplications" (Series B #2 28, 29). Gospel priests must present Christ's intercession to others in the golden casket of pure truth.
Incense Burning in the Holy Place Calls for us to Pray
While the unseen priest ministered at the golden altar within the shrine, the pious Israelites prayed by faith in the court, or in their homes (Luke 1:8-19; cf. Dan 6:10). Today our heavenly Priest is hidden from our eyes in His celestial Sanctuary. While standing before the Father He presents the fragrance of His perfect obedience on our behalf in the glorious censer of His matchless love. Within it the coals from Calvary's altar glow red, and the sweetness of His intercession rises to cover our sin and fill all heaven with His merits. Eternal Spirit, help us to value the privilege of praying without ceasing.
Because His blood has paid our ransom, and His resurrection opened our entry to Paradise, we may now approach the throne of grace with boldness. If we are prepared to accept it from our Priest, He is ready to put "His merits, as sweet incense, in the censer in our hands, in order to encourage our petitions. He promises to hear and answer our supplications" (6BC 1078). This was Enoch's way to victory. "His faith waxed stronger, his love became more ardent, with the lapse of centuries. To Him prayer was as the breath of the soul. He lived in the atmosphere of heaven" (GW 52). And only after three hundred years of this kind of daily walk with God did the Lord call him home.
When Israel's camp was dismantled, the golden altar was the last of the Sanctuary utensils to cease its ministry. After the fire and incense had been removed, a cover of blue material was spread over the golden altar, and then a leather protection of seal skins (Num 4:11). This sings a lovely song. Of all Christ's Priestly acts His intercessory ministry is the last to cease. When this is completed, He will lay off His white garments and clothe Himself with His royal robe of heavenly blue, on the hem of which hang golden bells, and pomegranates. Then our Pleader will step upon His royal throne as Potentate. Incense, no longer needed, will cease to burn, and the empty golden censer will be cast down, its ministry complete (Rev 8:5).
We have taken our journey through the holy place with unsandeled feet. The light of Christ's life, typified by the seven-branched golden almond tree, has irradiated the way with heavenly radiance. The bread and wine, generously spread on the sacred board crowned with gold, with our royal Host presiding at His Table-throne, have provided us with the Saviour's "flesh and blood," adequate fare to strengthen us day by day in our walk of holiness. And all the while the sweet incense of His persuasive intercession streaming from the royal fortress of His golden altar, victory crowned, has surrounded us with the fragrance of His meritorious life and all-sufficient grace, ignited by Calvary's flame.
Let us lift
the innermost veil and enter God's most holy and most glorious
presence.
WITH JESUS IN HIS MOST HOLY SHRINE
Freedom from Sin's Presence
Only the high priest, and that once during the year, might enter the most holy place. When Jehovah was in residence the Shekinah glowed with its mysterious light.
Within the sacred cube stood one piece of furniture, the ark of the covenant. With its nine parts, it was perhaps the most complex symbol in the entire Sanctuary.
The ark was a box of wood enclosed in gold, made to contain the two tables of the decalogue. Its quiet message was that God's throne, called the mercyseat, rested secure upon His unchangeable law. This law was a revealer of sin and a displayer of righteousness. Its ideals were far beyond the reach of fallen humanity. For this reason the Lord placed by its side within the ark Aaron's resurrected rod to assure the perceptive worshipers that His power to give life to the dead, illustrated by the regenerated dead stick, will give new life to the seeking penitent. The golden pot of manna, also within the ark, guaranteed a daily portion of celestial fare for those who sought to live for God.
The cherubim symbolized the glorious state of the redeemed who will one day sit with Christ upon His throne, surrounded by His glory. This was seen in the most holy place in the radiance of the Shekinah.
On the Day of Atonement the high priest conducted four rituals within the oracle. The purpose of them was two-fold. The first validated his status as the representative of Israel, and the second ensured that the sin-offering for all God's people was acceptable by Him for the removal of the guilt of those who had sent their sins before to judgment.
Let us by faith, and in imagination, lift the innermost vail and enter with the high priest to view God's setting for His throne of grace and glory.
14 - ARK OF THE COVENANT
All My Hope Is Christ's
The ark was the only piece of furniture in the holy of holies, and was, perhaps, the most intriguingly composite symbol in the entire Sanctuary system. Before giving any instructions for building the Tabernacle, or making its furnishings, consecrating its priests or carrying out its rituals, the Lord carefully described the ark to call attention to its vital role in the plan of salvation. "The ark of the earthly Sanctuary was the pattern of the true ark in heaven" (4SG 8; cf. Ex 25:10-22; 37:1-9; 40:20, 21). The earthly ark was a symbol illustrating the function of its heavenly counterpart.
Through the geography of the Sanctuary the Lord displayed the procession of the penitent from the camp of sin to the ark in the secret place of power in His presence. And at the ark He climaxed the movement of vicarious sacrifice and priestly mediation. Through his high priest the sinner was to press his plea for pardon to Jehovah, represented by the Shekinah shining above the cover of the ark, which symbolized the throne of grace.
The Lord thus taught that, beginning his journey of faith somewhere out in the darkness of sin, the pilgrim was to trudge toward his assignation with eternal Light patiently awaiting him on the mercy-seat of the celestial Tabernacle. In the opposite direction, God conducted His search for His lost sheep from His throne of grace on the heavenly ark. He went out from light into darkness to meet the sinner "a great way off" (Luke 15:20). This dual quest was painted in signs shining with glory and touched with blood within the earthly Sanctuary.
Names Given to the Ark
The ark is more frequently mentioned in Scripture than is any other piece of Sanctuary furniture. On each occasion it played an important role in the story of salvation, and pointed to some aspect of the ministry of Jesus. Let us review these records.
The ark is mentioned 185 times under ten different designations. Each one of them teaches us something different about the throne of God. It is called "the holy ark" (2 Chron 35:3) to indicate its seperateness. As a symbol of the Deity it is "the ark of His strength" (2 Chron 6:41), "the ark of our God," Elohim, the great Covenant-Maker (1 Chron 13:3), "the ark of the LORD," Jehovah or Yahweh, the One Who is all He is, the Ideal (Josh 3:13), "the ark of the Lord God," Adonai Jehovah, the Master of servants and the Husband of a wife (1 Kings 2:26), and "the ark of the God of Israel" Elohim, (1 Sam 5:7; 6:3) to portray it as the seat of Divine majesty and power. Each of these titles of Deity adds a special emphasis on the meaning of the ark.
Because it held the decalogue in its heart, it is termed "the ark of His testimony," because it testifies to eternal truth (Ex 25:22). And since Jehovah's contract to save doomed mankind is based on this law, it was given the designation "the ark of the covenant of God" (Elohim, Jud 20:27), "the ark of the covenant of Jehovah" (Num 10:33), and "the ark of the covenant of Jehovah of hosts" (1 Sam 4:4). In fact, "the ark containing His law was to be a symbol of Himself" (4T 154). "The ark of God" was "the symbol of the divine presence" (PP 705). From this symbolic illustration of the authority and compassion of Deity in the earthly Tabernacle we should constantly keep our eyes on the goal of the Christian pilgrim's life in the celestial Sanctuary, the throne of grace and mercy (Heb 4:16).
The Ark is the Heart of the Ritual of the Sanctuary
All the Sanctuary ceremonies reached their consummation at the ark. It thus stood for Him Who is "the end of our faith" (1 Pet 1:9), the center of our devotions, and the object of our search. To represent Himself as the One "Who is before all things" (Col 1:17), Christ described the ark first in his instructions to Moses (Ex 25:10-22), to alert His people to the primacy and eternity of His throne of authority, saying in effect, "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was" (Prov 8:23-30).
Like the ark, the Redeemer-King's preexistence and glorious majesty are the bases of His plan for man's redemption. The human condition is hopeless without the compassionate Saviour, by Whom "all things consist" or hang together (Col 1:17). By using this sequence to unfold the Sanctuary structure the Lord wishes the sinner to realize that when he needs His help, He is already there. To underline this thought Jehovah described the Tabernacle in such a way as to display the centrality of the throne of grace and mercy.
Meaning of the Original Words for Ark
In the Greek Old Testament one word is used to designate both Noah's ark (kibotos, Gen 6:14) and the ark in the Tabernacle (Ex 25:10), while another term is used for Jochebed's ark of bull-rushes (thibin, quite close to the Hebrew teab, Ex 2:3). And since a single word is also found for the arks mentioned in the Greek New Testament (kibotos, Heb 11:7; 9:4), we conclude that whichever term is used it contains the same essential idea.
Two different English words, however, are employed in the King James Version to translate the Hebrew word. "Joseph . . . was put in a coffin [ark] in Egypt" (Gen 50:26), is one. In this coffer the remains of the saviour of both the Egyptians (representing the non-believing world) as well as the Israelites (the church) were preserved until they could be carried with God's people to the Promised Land.
During the reign of king Joash, also called Jehoash, the contributions for the restoration of the temple were deposited by the faithful Israelites in a "chest" (2 Chron 24:10, 11; 2 Kings 12:9, 10) or ark.
The term ark thus denotes a container for keeping valuables safe. By preserving mankind from extinction during the deluge, by secreting the future deliverer of Israel on the Nile, by carrying to the Promised Land the remains of the saviour of Egypt, by storing the three items in the most holy place of the Sanctuary, and by enclosing the treasure with which the Temple was to be restored, the ministry of Biblical "arks" foreshadowed the activities of the eternal Preserver. The ark is thus a casket in which God protects inviolate, by His authority and power, what He considers necessary for the continuance of His kingdom into the next epoch of salvation history.
The Ark was Made up of Three Concentric Boxes
The ark in the Sanctuary was a chest made of the thorny acacia, a wood which is used to signify the humanity of Jesus (Ps 1:3; Ex 3:2-6). This box was completely covered with gold, the emblem of His faith and love. The rabbis remembered that it consisted of three boxes, the outer one of gold snugly enclosing the acacia coffer. Into this a second golden box was accurately fitted, its upper flanges completely covering the edges of the wooden chest. Does this threefold container whisper of the Heavenly Trio's throne with full provisions for man's salvation? A golden crown around the top of the outer casket formed a recess in which the lid, or mercy-seat, rested. Josephus recalled that this cover was attached to the ark "by golden hinges after a wonderful manner, which cover was every way evenly fitted to it, and had no eminence to hinder its exact conjunction" (Antiquities III:6.2).
Enclosed between its two golden wrappers, the acacia box was kept from contact with the corrupting earth. Was this to picture the Incarnate One embraced by the gold of the faith and the love of the two other Personages of the heavenly Trio? The everlasting Father and the eternal Spirit "did not suffer [their] Holy One to see corruption" (Ps 16:10; Acts 2:27; 13:35). The gold of Heaven's encompassing love buttressed the wood of the fragile humanity of the Man of Nazareth, and preserved Him from every corrupting danger.
The Ark was a Symbol of God's Throne
Look carefully at the golden coronet around the mercy seat, and listen to its message: "Our King is Victor!" In this tableau of salvation the crowned King upon a throne of compassion is triumphantly anticipated. The curse notwithstanding, He can provide grace and mercy, because He died upon His cross to exalt repentant sinners to be with Him in His kingdom.
The ark, with its cover representing the throne of justice and mercy, was designed to be moved forward at God's discretion. To do this easily golden rings were attached at the corners of its two shorter sides as receptacles for gold-clad acacia carrying rods (Ex 25:12-15). This is their message: The Lord of glory locates His throne among the tents of men wherever He chooses, living where they live, and serving where needs are greatest. And at the end of Israel's journey He vanquished Jordan's swollen stream by plunging His throne into the heart of this unresisting river of death, only to chase its flood from His Presence. Consistently the ark led God's people against every enemy to a joyous triumph.
Three Objects in the Ark
God ordered Moses to place three objects within the ark (Heb 9:4): the two tablets of the law He had written with His Finger, Aaron's miracle- working and resurrected rod, and the golden pot of nourishing manna. Upon the mercy-seat he ordered two cherubim to stand gazing reverently at the blood sprinkled upon it. Each of these symbols added its unique meaning to enlarge the total significance of the ark. What it was in itself, as well as each item it contained, reveal the nature and function of God's throne in His celestial temple. As we consider each of these items we pray, Eternal Spirit, help us to read these signs aright.
The progress made by Israel on its wilderness journey was determined by the pace of the priests bearing the ark (Ex 40:36-38; Num 7:9; 3:31; 10:33-36; 9:16-23; Josh 3:13, 15; 2 Sam 6:13). Toiling ahead with this load they blazed the trail, while the people marched unburdened. Let us keep vividly in our hearts the picture of our heavy-laden High Priest, staggering under His cross throne, so that we might joyously travel to Paradise.
The portage rods must never be removed from the ark (Ex 25:15), to remind the contemplative worshipers that God's throne was always ready to lead them on their march. This also sings a gospel song: Christ is prepared to go wherever His Father directs, and to obey His slightest wish while leading His church. But when Israel's wanderings ended, and the ark deserted its temporary tent for its permanent palace on Zion, these rods were drawn from the two rear rings of the ark, so that their front ends might be visible under the veil in the holy place. There they continually witnessed that God's goal had been reached, His people led to their sure haven, with "every man under his vine and under his fig tree" (Mic 4:4), and "after that the ark had rest" (2 Chron 5:7-10; 1 Kings 8:6-9).
The Ark was Seen by the Eye of Faith Only
In its secluded shrine the sacred ark was never to be looked upon by curious eyes. The Hebrews remember that even the priests who prepared it for its travels walked backward when shrouding it with the innermost veil. As the symbol of the inscrutable government of Christ the King and Judge, the ark was displayed only in outline when carried outside the Tabernacle, its meaning appreciated only by the reverent eye of faith. Natural man would perish were he to look directly at this representative of Deity.
In every age God has provided parables and symbols to aid man in grasping what he is capable of understanding of heaven's dealings with the world, for ". . .the judgment and purposes of God are past finding out, His wisdom unsearchable. If He reveals Himself to man, it is by shrouding Himself in the thick cloud of mystery. God's purpose is to conceal more of Himself than He makes known to man. Could man fully understand the ways and works of God, they would not then believe Him to be the infinite One" (3BC 1141). Only as the seeker for truth lovingly and prayerfully passes through the outward trappings of time and sense, of word and symbol recorded in sacred writ, can his faith perceive the preciousness of the Saviour. The "veils" of Scripture, like the "flesh" of Jesus, are vehicles of a controlled revelation (Heb 10:20).
The Mercy-seat
The lid of the ark was a slab of acacia wood encased in solid gold. It "was called the mercy-seat, to signify that although death was the penalty for transgressing the law, mercy came through Jesus Christ to pardon the repentant, believing sinners" (SD 66). It was also known by its gospel name, "the throne, of grace" (Heb 4:16). Urging that all may be "justified freely by His grace through faith in His blood" (Rom 3:24), Paul used the word "propitiation" to explain the function of the "mercy-seat" (hilasterion, Rom 4:25), and picture Christ as the sinner's sacrificial Substitute and Kinsman Redeemer.
The Greek term hilasterion, translated "propitiation," is the LXX equivalent of the Hebrew kaphar (Ex 25:18-21; &c.), and designates a place (H. Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, 305). The very Temple itself is described as the "place [house, home, dwelling] of the mercy-seat" (1 Chron 28:11). The mercy-seat is the place of expiation, the expiatory lid, not only of the ark, but also of the law which the ark contained. It was thus represented as being founded on the decalogue. It received the atoning blood by the hand of the high priest. The blood-soaked mercy-seat was the central throne of the Shekinah, or presence of the gracious and merciful God, and the goal and focus of His saving activity. Over it Jehovah presided. All this is fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The writer of Kings (1 Kings 6:5) called the most holy place the (debir) which the Targum explained as the "house of the mercy-seat."
Blood on the Ark
When sprinkled with blood by the high priest on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:14), the mercy-seat attained the climax of its ministry. His act signaled that the blood of Christ the Lamb had reached the throne of God, and that "the claims of the law, which demanded the life of the sinner, were satisfied" (PP 356). The decalogue written by Christ on the two stone tables within the ark, represented the law of love as the foundation of God's throne of grace. The blood pointed to the vicarious death of His Son which had paid the penalty of sin resulting from breaking this law (Heb 9:12-14). The song of this bloodied throne rings around the universe: In Jesus "mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps 85:10).
The Ark Directed by the Moving Cloud and Fire
Whenever the cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night rose higher and higher above the Tabernacle Israel knew that it was time to move. The rabbis remember that the priests entered the holy place and, setting four ladders against the four posts, climbed up backwards to take down the innermost veil. Still moving backward, they draped this tapestry over the ark and its cherubim. Above this they placed part of the black seal-skin roof of the Tabernacle, and then concealed the whole with a cloth of blue (Num 4:5, 6). The appointed ministrants took their positions at the carrying rods, and lifting the ark onto their shoulders, moved through the holy place and out into the court, ready to lead the hosts of Israel on their trek. Keeping their eyes on the moving cloud, the priests trudged forward, and with Moses and Aaron in the van, the people followed in the order the Lord demanded.
The Ark Seen Only When Covered
During their wilderness wanderings the Israelites glimpsed only this vague outline of the ark shrouded within its three-fold draperies, as it was carried before them by the priests. Even under its azure cover, reminiscent of the sapphire stones on which God had inscribed the decalogue, and the sapphire foundation of His throne, there was little to impress the viewer. This composite sign, however, represented the omnipotence of God leading His people majestically toward their assured haven, and directing their affairs from His inscrutable throne.
On the many stages of Israel's journey from Egypt to the Promised Land "the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in three days' journey, to search out a resting-place for them. . . . When the ark set forward, Moses said: Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel" (Num 10:33-36). For almost forty years the ark represented the Guide and Vanguard of God's people. At each of the fifty camp-sites which He selected during this time, the Lord provided food and water, rest and a safe haven, as long as His people cherished the ark as the heart of their encampment.
The Ark at the Crossing of Jordan
Eventually arriving at the Jordan the Israelites were dismayed to find the river in flood. Their invisible Leader, however, simply ordered the priests carrying the ark to proceed into the muddy water, while the people remained at a discreet distance of 2000 cubits (Josh 3:4). This "vacant space of more than half a mile about the ark" (PP 484) not only stressed the ark's sacredness, but it also provided the people with a perspective for their observation of God's manner of guidance. As long as the ark blazing the trail held the center of their attention, Israel had nothing to fear, even though they had "not passed this way heretofore" (Josh 3:4).
"As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan" (Josh 3:13), Jehovah promised, the river's flow "shall be cut off," and a dry path appear. The ark was then to be carried to the center of the stream bed, and surrounded by an honor guard of princes representing the twelve tribes. With this tableau of Divine authority holding the flood at bay, the people crossed dry shod. God thus taught them that there was no circumstance in which they might find themselves that He would not share, and through which He could not provide a safe road (Josh 3:10-4:14). No flood of peoples and multitudes and nations and languages will ever hold up the progress of God's elect toward Canaan Land.
When the last Israelite had passed over safely, the "ark was brought up from the Jordan" (Josh 4:18), on to the farther side, and the waters immediately surged to their normal flow. In this episode the ark anticipated the way in which Jesus accompanies His chosen ones on their journey to the Promised Land. He portrays Himself as standing in the midst of each threatening torrent "until everything was finished" (Josh 4:10). Eventually "lifted up" in the very vortex of the raging flood of engulfing humanity He triumphantly pointed down the blood-paved road to glory with His proclamation, "It is finished!"
The Ark and the Walls of Jericho
The Lord next directed the tribes in the actual conquest of Canaan. In the opening campaign He designed that the ark should lead the assault on Jericho (Josh 6:1-16), so that Heaven alone might be credited with the victory. Following Jericho's fall the elated people ignored the Divine leadership and presumptuously attacked Ai with token forces, only to be ignominiously repulsed. Feeling chagrined and guilty, Joshua fell before "the ark of the Lord until the eventide" (Josh 7:6), God then ordered him to purge the camp from the sin which had precipitated Israel's defeat. This accomplished, victory immediately followed.
At the beginning of the settlement of Canaan, Joshua established the center of government at Gilgal, where the priests erected the Tabernacle. There Jehovah renewed His covenant with His people, and the manna ceased. Israel ate of the corn of the land, and celebrated the Passover once more (Josh 4:19-24; 5:2-15). Following the eventual subjugation of the land some decades later the Sanctuary was moved to the more central Shiloh (Josh 18:1; Jud 19:51; Jer 7:12). But wherever it "rested" the ark called attention to the presence of Deity, gave authority to the leader of Israel, and became the focus of Sanctuary worship.
The Ark at Schechem
Before his death, Joshua summoned the heads of the tribes to Schechem and read all the regulations given to them by the Lord through Moses (Josh 8:30-35; cf. Deut 11:26-29; 27:11-13). Here Abraham had erected his first altar to Jehovah (PP 499-594), and thither the priests bore the ark. The hosts of Israel spread themselves over the slopes of Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim, and the symbol of Jehovah's presence was placed conspicuously in the valley between. Here the people renewed their covenant with God on the basis of His law which they remembered had been inscribed by His finger on the tablets in the ark.
For the next three centuries the ark remained in the Sanctuary at Shiloh (Josh 18:1; 19:51; 1 Sam 1:3; Jer 7:12), tended by a succession of priests who slowly sank in moral worth and spiritual understanding, until the nadir was reached in the days of Eli and his sons. Because of the influence of these degenerate ministrants many of the people lost their appreciation of the significance of the ark and the sacredness of the services of God (1 Sam 2:17). It was popularly considered a fetish, and some even thought of it as an object of worship.
The Ark Captured by the Philistines
Following their defeat by the Philistines at Aphek, the elders of Israel, refusing to reason from cause to effect, murmured against the Lord's dealings with them, and came up with this stratagem: "Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies" (1 Sam 4:3). "The Lord had given no command or permission that the ark should come into the army; yet the Israelites felt confident that victory would be theirs, and uttered a great shout when it was borne into the camp by the sons of Eli" (PP 583). But in spite of the presence of the ark the faithless armies of Israel were utterly routed in the ensuing battle. "The most terrifying calamity that could occur had befallen Israel. The ark of God had been captured, and was in the possession of the enemy. The glory had indeed departed from Israel when the symbol of the abiding presence and power of Jehovah was removed from the midst of them. With this sacred chest were associated the most wonderful revelations of God's truth and power" (PP 584). By allowing these events to occur the Lord showed His displeasure at the way His people had used the ark to gain their own ends, and allowed it to be snatched from them.
Gloatingly "the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod, . . . to the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon" (1 Sam 5:1, 2) to display the superiority of their idol over Jehovah. During the following night, however, Dagon fell "upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord" (1 Sam 5:3, 4), a phrase describing an act of humble worship! The prostrate image, a fish with a man's torso, was then set up by his chagrined attendants, only to smash into pieces during the next night.
In dismay the Philistines removed the ark to a separate building. But then the people living close by were smitten with a distressing and fatal disease (1 Sam 5:5-12), which they immediately attributed to the vengeance of the God of Israel represented by the ark. To avoid further problems they transported the ark to Gath; but its citizens would take no chances, and in alarm sent it on to Ekron. Wherever it travelled in the country of the Philistines the people were struck by some kind of disaster. Eventually, thoroughly terrified, they deposited the ark in a distant and isolated pasture. But "there followed a plague of mice, which infested the land, destroying the products of the soil, both in the store-houses and in the field. Utter destruction, by disease or famine, now threatened the nation" (PP 586). To respectful worshipers this symbol of God provided blessing, while to the superstitious who regarded it as a talisman, it brought nothing but judgments.
The Ark Defeats the Philistines
For seven months the ark remained with the Philistines (1 Sam 6:1-18), until they admitted that they were no match for the mysterious power which was destroying them, and determined to rid themselves of the ark by sending it on a cart drawn by cows to Beth-shemesh, seven miles distant from Ekron, and the nearest city of the Levites. "Guided by no human hand, the patient animals kept on their way. The divine presence accompanied the ark, and it passed on safely to the very place designated" (PP 588). By these developments the Lord demonstrated His control of all situations, and His power to protect what was precious to Him.
Although busy reaping their wheat, the people of Beth-shemesh were overjoyed at the ark's arrival back in Israel. But "instead of preparing a suitable place for its reception, they permitted it to remain in the harvest- field. As they continued to gaze upon the sacred chest, and to talk of the wonderful manner in which it had been restored, they began to conjecture wherein lay its peculiar power. At last, overcome with curiosity, they removed the coverings, and ventured to open it. . . .
"All Israel had been taught to regard the ark with awe and reverence. When required to remove it from place to place, the Levites were not so much as to look upon it. Only once a year was the high priest permitted to behold the ark of God. Even the heathen Philistines had not dared to remove the coverings. Angels of heaven, unseen, ever attended it in all its journeyings. The irreverent daring of the people of Beth-shemesh was speedily punished. Many were smitten with sudden death" (PP 589; 1 Sam 6:19, 20). Careless curiosity and superficial investigation of God's sacred mysteries nudge the secular minded farther and farther from Him until they step outside Divine protection, and fall prey to Satan's wiles.
In terror the Beth-shemeshites now begged the men of Kirjath-Jearim to take charge of the ark (1 Sam 6:21-7:12). These believing worshipers "knew that it was the pledge of divine favor to the obedient and faithful. With solemn gladness they brought it to their city, and placed it in the house of Abinadab, a Levite. This man appointed his son Eleazar to take charge of it, and it remained there for" twenty placid years of blessing to the community (PP 589).
The Ark and King Saul
Some decades later, Saul, the newly appointed king of Israel, was ordered by the prophet Samuel to await his arrival to offer sacrifices. The impatient monarch, however, gave way to discouragement in the face of superior Philistine forces closing in on him (1 Sam 14:18). "Saul was in disfavor with God, and yet unwilling to humble his heart in penitence. What he lacked in real piety, he would try to make up by his zeal in the forms of religion. Saul was not ignorant of Israel's defeat when the ark of God was brought into the camp by Hophni and Phineas; and, while, knowing all this, he determined to send for the sacred chest and its attendant priest" (PP 622). This act of rebellious self-will eventually cost him his kingdom and his life. God would teach His people that even the highest office does not permit any one to play fast and loose with sacred things.
After he had established himself on Israel's throne, David determined to carry out "a cherished purpose,--to bring up the ark of God to Jerusalem. For years the ark had remained at Kirjath-Jearim, nine miles distant; but it was fitting that the capitol of the nation should be honored with the token of the divine presence." Representatives of each tribe were summoned and a vast and happy procession, headed by the king himself, assembled for the celebration. With little thought of the consequences, the "ark was brought out from the house of Abinadab, and placed upon a new cart drawn by oxen, while two of the sons of Abinadab attended it" (PP 704).
At Sinai the Lord had clearly stipulated, "The sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die" (Num 4:15). Jehovah had specifically forbidden the Kohathites and their descendants the use of oxen or a cart for this purpose, "because the service of the Sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders" (Num 7:9). This divine rubric required that "the priests were to cover the ark, and then the Kohathites must lift it by the staves, which were placed in the rings upon each side of the ark, and were never removed" (PP 705).
The Ark and Uzzah
Disregarding these
instructions, David chose to follow the example set by the
unbelieving Philistines. When the procession reached "Nachon's
threshing floor, Uzzah put for his hand to the ark of God, and took
hold of it; for the oxen stumbled [shook it]. And the anger of the
Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his
rashness, and there he died by the ark of God" (1 Chron
13:6-10; 2 Sam 6:1-8). The king was shocked, humiliated and filled
with guilt, and "feeling that it would be unsafe to have the
ark near him, David determined to let it remain where it was. A
place was found nearby, at the house of Obed-edom the Gittite"
(PP 705). And because of the respect and reverence shown to
it, "the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his household" (2 Sam
6:10, 11). Through these events God was seeking to teach His people
to reason from cause to effect, and to keep fresh in mind His
special instructions. They were to learn that His promises and
threatenings were alike conditional.
After carefully reviewing the divine requirements for transporting the ark, David carried them out three months later "in due order" (1 Chron 15:13). The sacred chest was moved from the house of Obed-Edom upon the shoulders of the men of divine appointment amid scenes of rejoicing, and all now sensed that obedience to God's specific regulations are always followed by His blessings.
As a result of Absolom's rebellion David was forced to flee from Jerusalem. When he and his entourage halted for rest, "a company clad in holy vestments was approaching. 'And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God' (2 Sam 15:24). . . . At sight of the ark, joy and hope for a bright moment thrilled the heart of David. But soon other thoughts came to him. . . . God, Who dwelt between the cherubim, had said of Jerusalem, `This is My rest' (Ps 132:14); and without divine authority, neither priest nor king had a right to remove therefrom the symbol of His presence. . . . He commanded Zadok, `Carry back the ark of God into the city"' (2 Sam 15:25: PP 732-735). Because of his simple trust and humble obedience, the Lord eventually solved David's problems.
The Ark Moved into the Temple
After completing Jehovah's Temple, Solomon resolved to hold a national service of dedication. In company with the elders and influential leaders of Israel, the king brought the ark from "Gibeon, where the Tabernacle that had been built in the wilderness still was" (PK 27, 30, 38; 1 Kings 8:1-9; 2 Chron 5:2-6) to its "permanent home in the splendid building that had been erected to take the place of the portable structure. . . . With singing and with music and with great ceremony, `the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place' " (PK 38). And there, beneath the outstretched wings of the two giant gold-clad olive wood cherubim standing on the floor, Bezaleel's ark was placed as the centerpiece in the Lord's system of worship. The staves were withdrawn so that their ends might be seen protruding into the holy place (1 Kings 8:8; 2 Chron 5:6-10) beneath the veil, ever after to remind the worshipers that the ark's long pilgrimage had ended. This Temple was to be the "house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God" (1 Chron 28:2).
On this occasion the inspired historian noted that "there was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone" (1 Kings 8:9; 2 Chron 5:10). We can find no record in Scripture or history of what had become of the resurrected rod and the golden pot of manna. Ellen White, however, indicates that they are now in the ark in "the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched" (Heb 8:2) in heaven (EW 32).
The reason for this absence of the rod and manna in Solomon's temple may lie in a shift in symbolism caused by the passage of time. The ephemeral Tabernacle had given way to the permanent Temple. The resurrected rod and the day's ration of manna that had once been necessary to reinforce memories of the divine support during the pilgrim journey of God's people, had played out their roles. They were, therefore, placed in the heavenly Sanctuary as essential parts of the foundation of the throne of grace, to keep fresh in memory Christ's eternal sustaining power.
And when at last He leads His ransomed hosts through the pearly gates into the golden city, the seat of His government will become the throne of glory. There will then be no more death, and so the resurrected rod, with its hope and promise, will no longer be needed. The redeemed ones will hunger no longer, and so the manna, without further ministry, will forever cease to be. In like manner, when Israel ate "the corn of the land," they did not need the manna any longer (Josh 5:12). For eternity the message of the rod and manna will henceforth focus exclusively on Jesus Himself.
The Decalogue in the Ark
Only the law of God will remain as the foundation of His throne, for, like Himself, it is eternal. Its unchanging principles will continue to be the basis of His benign government throughout the unending future, as they have been in the management of His creation stretching through all past ages.
Three hundred and fifty years following the dedication of the first Temple, the end of the kingdom of Judah was reached, and Jerusalem and its shrine destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. "Among the righteous still in Jerusalem, to whom had been made plain the divine purpose, were some who determined to place beyond the reach of ruthless hands the sacred ark containing the tables of stone on which had been traced the precepts of the Decalogue. This they did. With mourning and sadness they secreted the sacred ark in a cave, where it was to be hidden from the people of Israel and Judah because of their sins, and was to be no more restored to them. That sacred ark is yet hidden. It has never been disturbed since it was secreted" (PK 453).
Was the Lord indicating by this that the seat of His government had left His people, deserted His capitol city, and abandoned His earthly Temple? Was He signaling that His kingdom was no longer of this earth (John 18:36), and that henceforth He would regulate His spiritual government solely from His throne in heaven? But "when the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, and every man shall be judged according to the things written in the books, then the tables of stone, hidden by God until that day, will be presented before the world as the standard of righteousness" (RH 28 Jan 1909), and "a testimony to all the world against the disregard of His commandments and against the idolatrous worship of a counterfeit sabbath" (1BC 1109).
The Ark in Heaven
Six centuries later, when banished to the Isle of Patmos, John was granted a vision of "the ark of His testament" standing open in heaven (Rev 11:19). Since there is no longer any Temple with its ark on earth at the time of the fulfillment of this prophecy, God used the ark to call attention to the ministry of the heavenly Sanctuary connected with it. In this apocalyptic context the role of the ark directed John, and all God's faithful people, to Christ our High Priest serving in the most holy place of the celestial Tabernacle.
The reality depicted by this vision of the open ark, and thus its revealed decalogue, was fulfilled in l844, and directly resulted in the beliefs held by the Seventh-day Adventists that the seventh-day is the true sabbath and the judgment is connected with the ark, and is based on God's law. At that tim