Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Welcome to Through the Bible, where we're visiting a time in history when people knew without a doubt that God was with them as a cloud hovered over them by day and a pillar of fire by night. But they didn't have his spirit living in them, and they knew only shadows of truth about Jesus Christ. So turn to Exodus 36 as we discover how the tabernacle reveals more about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And while you do that, my friend and Through the Bible's president Greg Harris and I have some great news about the launch of a new language in Africa.

Greg Harris: Yes. Now sometimes we talk about languages that probably most of us in the West have not heard of, but I I have a feeling many people have heard of the Maasai. They're a very famous African tribal group. They're very tall. They do this famous sort of jumping dance. People actually travel from all over the world to go visit their culture and it's and we're excited because we now have the launch of the new Through the Bible Maasai program.

Steve Schwetz: Oh, okay. Yeah. Now there's a little bit of a backstory on how we got to this place where we're where we're going to launch. And and I think it speaks to the fact that a lot of times this is not just like a turn key. Yeah, we hear about it and then we started a couple months later. Sometimes the Lord takes a long time for all the pieces to fall together.

Greg Harris: Yeah. Yeah, that's such an important point. I'm really glad you pointed that out. And what we're going to be sharing comes out of a monthly newsletter article. And this is a a shameless pitch for our newsletter because we have no objective other than blessing you with the newsletter. We're not going to ask you for money. We're not going to put your name on a mailing list. If you say give me the newsletter, that's all you will get from us. And Dr. Bernice Gattegno is the director of Language Initiatives for TTB in Africa. And she has written an amazing article.

And as you said, it starts with a day earlier this year where she went to the launch of not only the TTB Maasai, but but the introduction in our partnership with ShareWord Global

Steve Schwetz: Yeah.

Greg Harris: of a Maasai Bible and a Maasai a magazine with Bible resources.

Steve Schwetz: Yeah. Which by the way, for those of you listening, if if you're familiar with the Gideons,

Greg Harris: Yes.

Steve Schwetz: Gideons in Canada are now ShareWord Global.

Greg Harris: Yes. And so I think Steve's point is really the main takeaway, which is when you hear us talk about a new language, it's not like we just get a proposal, say yes, and it happens. There is usually a long history. In this case, Bernice met a man 25 years ago who was actually listening he had he was serving and trying to plant a church among the Maasai, but he also spoke Swahili. And he was listening to TTB Swahili. She got to know him. That began to make lead to a series of connections of relationships and dots that led to 25 years later this extremely exciting launch where we launched the TTB Maasai and a new Maasai Bible and a new language magazine in Maasai.

So this was a big event that happened just earlier this year.

Steve Schwetz: Yeah. Okay, you mentioned something that we were also launching the Maasai Bible. What do you mean by that?

Greg Harris: Yes. So part of this whole network of relationships is one we've talked about a lot with ShareWord Global, former Gideons Canada. We're working with them in Latin America. We're working with them in South Asia.

Steve Schwetz: Yeah. They're becoming a significant partner for us.

Greg Harris: Yeah, because it's it's a match made in heaven. They have the Bible. We have the teaching of the Bible. And we're seeing God put these relationships together. And so we introduce these things together and it's even more powerful.

Steve Schwetz: Yeah. That is just so exciting that the Lord is moving in that way. I had no idea that that ShareWord Global was doing that significant work in Africa. And I knew South America, but not Africa.

Greg Harris: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and this magazine strategy they have is really a great idea. They basically put scripture in a really attractive magazine format. And so they're getting people to read the Bible and they don't even always know right away it's the Bible.

Steve Schwetz: Yeah. And like you guys went to Nicaragua and and the government of Nicaragua was like blessing and mandating that all the schools start using this.

Greg Harris: Yes. That's exactly right. And And God has blessed ShareWord Global in that type of way. Cuba, we're working with them in Cuba. Countries that are closed to other ministries, God is opening doors. And the last thing I'd like us to just emphasize is that when Bernice played the Maasai TTB audio in in this launching ceremony, she said in our vernacular the place went wild. The crowd went crazy. They do this thing called you lation, which I I won't try It's It's It's a kind of a

Steve Schwetz: It's a voice thing.

Greg Harris: It's a voice thing that shows excitement and joy. People were jumping up and down literally. And so we just want to leave you with a sense that if you're part of this ministry, which we know you are and you love it, you support it, you pray for it, you listen, you are part of a chain of relationships that is blessing people in unbelievable ways.

Steve Schwetz: That's great. Greg, I'm going to pray for us as we begin. Lord, we are so thankful for the faithfulness that you've shown in the Maasai language and how we have been able to play a small part in introducing people to Jesus Christ and a better understanding of scripture coming up of that country. I pray that you would continue to bless the ministries that goes out and bless the teaching now in Jesus' name. Amen. We're off to Exodus 36 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now friends, we come today to this 36th chapter of the book of Exodus. And very candidly, we returned back to the instructions that concern the tabernacle. You see, he's not going to let us get away from that. Before it was the instructions how to build it, now we see that they're building it according to the instructions. And as we have it in our book that the tabernacle is God's portrait of Christ. It reveals him. And now we want to see that and see the total picture. And that's the reason we wanted you to have the tabernacle the chart we have right before you.

And I'm going to begin reading here. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary according to all that the Lord had commanded. Now practically, a whole crew I would be afraid to venture the number, but it must have been a very large number of folk who were engaged in building the tabernacle. The man in charge was Bezaleel. And verse two I read and Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it.

Now I want you to notice something that's very important here and it's essential for the work of the Lord. Now if you have accepted an office in your church grudgingly, they came to you and asked you to be a deacon and you said oh well, if you can't find somebody else, then I'll do it. Or use that same excuse when they ask you to teach a Sunday school class or to sing in the choir. Oh, I'll do it, you know, that attitude. Well, if that's the way you're going to do it, don't do it. God can't use it.

It's no good for him. Here are men that are actually to carve out these beautiful articles that are to be used. And this is not a job they're on. They are not watching the clock. They don't belong to the union. They don't work just certain number hours a week. They are not just doing this because it's a duty, not because they have to. They've been slaves. And now they're slaving again. But how they slaving? Well, they're slaving now because they want to. Before they didn't want to. They're doing it now because their heart's in it.

And that's the way that you're to do God's work. I had a young preacher that came to me and he told me he said you know, said I like the minister, but I just don't like preaching. I just don't care for that. And I suggested he get out of the ministry. I said the minister's no place for a man who does not love to study the word of God. And if you can't do it with enthusiasm and give it out with enthusiasm, why you ought not to do it. I listen to a preacher, actually a young preacher.

And he uh was formerly in a class of mine. He was a student. And he gives me a lot of credit, but he ought not to. I don't want the credit. I listen to him preach. What a hassle, what an effort, what lack of enthusiasm. Well, my friend, you can't do it with eagerness and enthusiasm and with a great deal of verb and vigor and vitality, then don't do it. God doesn't want it. Notice how Bezaleel you hear him talking and see him rushing to the job, you say my, where is he going? To a football game, a baseball game, or to some social?

No, he 's going to work. He's doing it for the Lord. And you know, if folk came to church next Sunday in your church and mine like that, the whole town would be coming out to see what in the world's happened in the church. And be a revival. God's work is to be done with enthusiasm. We're to do these things that way. And that is Christian conduct, by the way. And I frankly think that's the only thing that we're to do. We are to do it with enthusiasm. Paul said in Romans 14 verse five let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

That's the way that he's to do anything. You're to be fully persuaded. I'm doing this because I want to do it. I'm eager to do it. Woe is me. Paul says if I preach not the gospel, this is something I want to do. Those 300 of Gideon went down to the water. They didn't lap it up. They just put their hands in it and threw it up at their mouth. And they said where are those Midianites? We want to get to them. I tell you that's the kind of enthusiasm we need in the church today.

We have too many dead saints. And I mean they're dead before they buried them. And that's the thing that makes it bad. Now will you notice this is the way they would have worked. But here's something else. Verse three and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary to make it with all. And they brought yet unto him three offerings every morning. And all the wise men that wrought all the work of the sanctuary came every man from his work which they made.

And they Now listen to this. Here's a verse that'll startle you. And they spake unto Moses saying the people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded to make. Now this is the only place on record as far as I know that they had to ask the people to stop giving. They had already brought more than they needed. I 've never heard of an offering like that before. This is really a miracle to have an offering like that. The people bring too much. And Moses gave the commandment and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp saying let neither man nor woman make anymore work for the offering of the sanctuary.

So the people were restrained from bringing. They were not urged to give. They were restrained and told you brought enough. My, that is amazing, friends. And you must remember these people are just out of slavery. They've never had anything of their own before. And you'd think now that they would husband it and would not give, but here they're giving graciously and giving hilariously and giving joyfully. You see, whatever you do for God, you're to do it enthusiastically. That's the way you want it done. And that 's the way that he wants giving done is to give like that.

There was that motto years ago give till it hurts. Well, God says if it hurts, don't give. But if it helps and makes you joyful, then give. And that's the way a child of God should give to the Lord's work. Do it joyfully. This is something that's really enthusiastic that needs to be done today. Even the offering ought to be done with great joy. We should give that way. Now we find here that they are restrained from giving. They've given too much. Now sometimes I hear this today. I heard it not long ago of a certain missionary that told about that they had a certain project and that they prayed the Lord to send in the money.

And that exactly enough came in to take care of the project. And he emphasized that with just exactly enough, not a dollar short nor a dollar over. And he said that was an evidence that God was in it. Well, may I say to you if he did get several hundred dollars more than I would agree it was to the Lord, I'm not sure it was. I think the Lord does exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think when he's in it. And therefore he'll always give more. That's the way you can always tell when he's in it.

It's when it's more than enough, not when it's exactly the amount. And so here they brought much more. This is a marvelous thing, is it not? Now we have here uh going over again of the different articles and the different parts of the tabernacle. And this sounds like repeat. The only thing is we had the blueprint before. Now they're executing the job. And we not only need a blueprint, but we need the materials and we need to go to work. And that's what they're doing. Now we're told in verse eight they're making first the linen curtains.

And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made 10 curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet with cherry beams of cunning work made he them. This was the covering of the tabernacle. Actually it was the covering of all the tabernacle. It was the covering that went on the articles of furniture first when they went out on the wilderness march. It was the fence outside. All was the linen. Now that fine twined Egyptian byssus linen speaks of the righteousness of Christ. It speaks of who he is, his character.

And it speaks of the righteousness that he provides for us that what we might be clothed and stand in God's presence. And the thing that's all important is to see that Christ is adequate to meet our needs, that he's able to save. And you'll notice so many times it says he is able. He's able to deliver us. That's important to see. Now that's the first thing that we have. Now we have the curtains of goat's hair and the covering of ram's skin and the boards and the sockets. This has to do, friends, with the outside of the tabernacle.

As I have said before in my book, I dwelt on the articles of furniture of the tabernacle. But I believe that every thread and every piece of cord, every stake, every color, all of that speaks of the person of Christ in somewhere or another. And that's what we have here. We have now the boards and the sockets. Now the tabernacle proper was 30 cubits long by 10 cubits wide by 10 cubits high. And it was made of acacia wood. And these boards were overlaid with gold all the way around. And they were cubit and a half wide.

And on the wilderness march, they were very heavy to carry. And you find that they were carried in wagons. All the articles of furniture were carried on the shoulders of the priests, the family of Levi. And you find here that this outer shell, as it were, where these golden boards and they were upright, but each one of them had certain sockets. That is they had tenons that would fit down in sockets of silver so that the entire tabernacle rested upon the silver. And the silver as we shall see is redemption. And then you find that that was the entire tabernacle proper.

But then we find that it was held together by bars. There were certain rings put in each board. And then when it was set up, these bars were fitted in place, run through, and that would bind the tabernacle together. It was very compact sort of thing, you see. And then it had an inner veil. And I'm not going to read all of the instructions again. I've read them once. And it had this inner veil that separated the main tabernacle and the two compartments. The smaller compartment was the holy of holies. And then the larger compartment which the priests entered first was called the holy place.

And then there was the outer court. And around the outer court there was a fence five cubits high, made of fine twined white byssus Egyptian linen, 100 cubits long but 50 cubits wide. And it was fitted upon these poles. Actually it was made into a fence and these were posts. And they were made of brass. And that again speaks of judgment of sin. And the two articles of furniture in the outer court, you have the brazen altar and the laver. And then you step inside and you have the three articles of furniture in the holy place.

That's the golden lampstand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense. And then in the holy place you have the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat. Now at this time I'm not going into measurements of the articles of furniture except to call attention to several things that concern them. Actually there are three compartments to the tabernacle. There are three entrances to the tabernacle. Out in front that was that led into the outer court through the fence was this gate. And then there was the door of the tabernacle that led into it properly into the holy place.

And then into the holy of holies into which only the high priest went once a year. And we'll see that on the day of atonement when we get to Leviticus why he went in past the veil and he took blood and he put it on the mercy seat. And that just what made it a mercy seat. It was just a top for the box. Now that was therefore these seven articles of furniture ranged as they are. And they present a very wonderful picture for us here, friends. The brazen altar speaks of the cross of Christ.

That's where you receive forgiveness of sin. The next one is the laver. That's where the priest went for washing. That speaks of the fact that Christ today washes those that has owned their feet. That's where we confess our sins. And that's the place where we get washed. The brazen altars where sinners are forgiven and the laver is where saints or clans receive forgiveness. And then in the holy place is the place of worship. There's the golden lampstand. That's Christ, the light of the world. The table of showbread is Christ, the bread of life that we feed on today.

And then the altar of incense is the altar of prayer. It speaks of the fact he's our intercessor for that altar in Hebrews has been moved into the holy of holies. But it's outside also where you and I come today. And in worship therefore And this is the place where believers come and only believers could come in here. And if you want the light of the world, you went outside. If you want the light from the lampstand, you got to come inside. If you want to serve Christ friend, you don't walk by the wisdom of the world.

You walk by the light of the word of God. The table of showbreads when you feed on him and that's worship. And when we pray and prayer has to do with praise to God, thanksgiving to him, it has to do with a request, it has to do with confession. These are the things that have to do with worship. And all of that is in the holy place. Then in the holy of holies, that is where he's gone into the presence of God. And we're told to come there that it's a throne of grace that we might find grace and help and obtain mercy.

That's a mercy seat for us today. Now when Christ came to this earth, he not only fulfilled all this, but he did something quite unusual. This tabernacle was always horizontal to the earth. It was always put out there on the wilderness march. May I say that what Christ did now is make it perpendicular. The cross is here on earth. The laver is the place where you and I come in confession, but he's up yonder to cleanse us and to forgive us our sins. And then we worship God in spirit and in truth today. And he's up yonder in heaven.

That's where the holy of holies is and the throne of God's become a mercy seat and we approach there. We don't go horizontally to God today by going actually to a building or to a man, but we look up and go directly to him today. And we go through Christ. There's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Now as I've been talking to you today, I have been looking at this chart of the tabernacle. I trust that you have. And I just took it when I said that it was horizontal with earth and I just ended it up.

And if you'll end it up, you'll see the position of everything today. The cross was down here where he died. He died down here to save us, but he's gone up yonder and he lives up there, the living Christ, to keep us safe. And you and I approach him in this way. Where are you today, friend? All kinds of folk are listening. Do you need to stand at the brazen altar to be saved? There are many church members that need to go there. Are you a dirty Christian that you need to confess your sins? You need to stand at the laver.

Are you walking actually in darkness today? We get so many letters from folk who thought they were Christians and they were not. Maybe you're not feeding on Christ and you're pretty anemic and maybe you need to go to the golden altar of incense. Maybe your prayer life is very beggarly today. These are the places. And maybe you are in trouble and in a dark place and you need mercy and you need grace to help and you're in a time of need. Well, there's that mercy seat for you today. And go there. And next time I want to talk to you about how they move through the wilderness.

I'll have to go into detail when we get to the book of Numbers where we're going to see that next time of the undertaking they had of taking the tabernacle down and then putting it up again the next night wherever they stopped on the wilderness march. And this will bring us by the way the chapter 38. And I will put a little emphasis on chapter 38 which we have not been able to do today. All right. Until next time, may God richly bless each one of you, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: To reach us, drop a note in our app, visit ttb.org, email biblebus@ttb.org, or call 1-800-652-4253. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'll meet you back here next time as the Bible Bus rolls along.

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