Devotionals - Discover the Book - July 15, 2010

Staying in God's Presence

How did God instruct His people to stay in touch with Him? He had them construct a long, black, unattractive tent of badgers' skins. But when we come inside, we find ourselves surrounded by shining gold: looking up to the curtained roof, we see the wings of the cherubim woven in; blue and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen. The light of the golden candlestick reveals all the beauty within. So it is with Christ Himself. The natural man, beholding Him, sees no beauty that he should desire Him. But to those who know the Lord Jesus Christ, His beauty satisfieth their souls.

Once a year into that Tent walked the High Priest. The annual time was prescribed by God for him to pass behind that veil. He was wearing bells on the hem of his garment to let the other priests know he was still alive as he was inside; garbed carefully in the God directed robes and priestly garments. With trembling hands cradling a basin of blood, veiled by a cloud of smoking incense burning in a pot he carried - the High Priest would enter. And stay only as long as necessary before hurrying from the presence of God.

How differently we come. God welcomes us. We linger long before Him. But lest we miss the beauty of staying in the presence of the Lord, we need to understand the Tabernacle. Every detail was given by God. Every detail was a great shadow lesson about Jesus. Every person had to come God's way, for He showed the only way into His presence. The entrance was 30 feet wide, showing the wideness of God's mercy. But every detail shouted He was HOLY!

Let's Tour the Tent

The Physical dimensions of the Tabernacle are: its Size - 172 feet X 86 feet or 14,792 square feet which is what the first floor of our new education wing measures. The innermost room of this Tent was the Holy of Holies - 15 feet square the "Holiest spot on earth". Outside was the Holy Place - 30 feet long X 15 feet wide. So the Holy meeting place of God was 675 square feet, about the size of a medium one bedroom apartment.

The building Materials were made up of Precious metals: Gold - 2,500 pounds or 16 million dollars at $400 per ounce. Silver - 9,000 pounds or 1.4 million dollars at $9 per ounce. And Bronze - 6,000 pounds

These were also Symbolic Materials:

• Wood - Humanity of Christ  
• Silver - Redemption money
• Gold - Royalty of Christ

There were also parts made of Fabric and skins

• Linen fence like the law kept men out
• Colors: White - perfection; Blue - heavenly; Scarlet - sacrifice; Purple - royalty
• skins: Badger - lit. "Porpoise" abundant in the Nile area, Valuable for shoe leather in rocky area, but sacrificed for God's house.

There were Articles placed in special locations by god In his Tabernacle:

• In the Courtyard - laver, altar burnt offering 
• In the Holy Place - incense, table, showered, candelabra  
• In the Holiest of All - Ark, veil there were deep Spiritual Meanings revealed In The Tabernacle

The Symbolic Articles Are All Pointing to Jesus

• The gate means Jesus is the Door
• The linen reminds us Jesus is Righteous
• The Brass reminds us of Judgment borne
• The Gold reminds us of the Deity of Jesus
• The Silver reminds us of the Blood of Jesus (redemption money)
• The Wood reminds us of the Humanity of Jesus
• The Altar means Jesus is the Sacrifice on the Cross
• The Laver means Jesus is the cleansing One
• The Showbread means Jesus is the bread of Life 
• The Candelabra means Jesus is the light of the World
• The Incense means Jesus is the Great high Priest
• The Ark reminds us that Jesus is Faithful to keep His promise

 The Court was entered by the Gate.  So Jesus is the Door to God 

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