Awesome Hands – part 94: “The making of the tabernacle – recap”

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Awesome Hands – part 94

“The making of the tabernacle – recap”

January 13, 2015

 

The latest group of studies in the Awesome Hands series have been covering the tabernacle as instructed to be built by the Lord to Moses and the Israelites.

Since this part of the series started at the beginning of October 2015, I thought this would be a good point to do a recap on the various parts of the tabernacle that have already been covered so that we can start our next study from where we left off.

Recap

 

In Awesome Hands part 88, we started the studies on the tabernacle which themselves start in chapter 25 of Exodus.

Often times I ask myself how do scriptures which were pinned thousands of years ago apply to me today. After all, the world will tell you as a Christian that the bible is just a collection of stories written by sheep herders and superstitious neanderthals.

So when I dive into the topic of the tabernacle and what is means for me today, given that it is no longer physically around, I have to consider what the world thinks (and by extension what most naturally comes to my mind too) and what we know as being Holy Spirit inspired writings. After all, it does take Faith to believe and of the bible.

Having arrived at our first verses covering the commandments of the tabernacle, we read:

Exo 25:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

In this first study, we covered what it means to willingly offer to the Lord. Given that we know that freewill is a false doctrine according to scripture, we covered various scriptures that show that it is the Lord Himself who places a thought or action upon the hearts of those He is going to work with.

Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

Here in Acts, Stephen expounds on what the tabernacle meant for the children of Israel even though they had no clue what was happening except for what the PHYSICALLY could relate to.

As a result of simply leaning towards their own understandings and the desires of their carnal hearts, this is how they reacted to Moses and how WE react to those God sends our way. Anyone we are sent to will have the SAME reaction.

Act 7:35  This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
Act 7:36  He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
Act 7:37  This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
Act 7:38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Act 7:39  To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Act 7:40  Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Act 7:41  And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

Because we all rejoice in the works of our own hands, we know that this series of studies we are covering about the tabernacle are telling us how the tabernacle is one of WITNESS to and for us.

Act 7:44  Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

The other major point that was brought out in the first study covering the tabernacle is that Stephen looked stedfastly into heaven instead of how the KJV says that he looked “up”. This is an important distinction because it shows us that Stephen, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, was able to see the heavenly things versus only being able to see physical things.

Truly, the tabernacle that we are talking about and that Stephen emphasized to those gathered to accuse him of being blasphemous against the law is of one witness against them. This was what Stephen was caused to “willingly” do as an angel/messenger of God and it is the same for us today.

Act 6:15  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

The purpose of studying the witness of the tabernacle

 

We all need to understand the spiritual significance of what the tabernacle, which God is building with His hands, means to us today and in our lives directly. This was the focus of the second study in this covering of the tabernacle.

After all, we are the temple of God where God dwells and when folks desire to “see God” they have this desire because God has sent them to you in your lives for your and their benefit. Likewise, we are always on display as the temple for all of those we interact with everyday.

Like Stephen, we will be questioned and ridiculed for what and why we believe what we do. Our job is NOT to worry and answer their criticisms because THEY HAVE NO FAITH which can only be gifted by God. Rather, we are to be a WITNESS to those around us.

We are who God would have WORSHIP Him and how do we worship God?

Act 6:14  For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.
Act 6:15  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

Act 7:1  Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
Act 7:2  And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Joh 4:27  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

See, Jesus comes on a cloud of great witnesses who worship in spirit and truth. We have Faith to know and believe the Truth.

Our worship is to be a witness to this and that is what the tabernacle is all about.

The items within the tabernacle are placed there to witness to us who it is we are to the Lord. There are various chambers or rooms, various components with those chambers and they all have spiritual significance.

In the second part of the series covering the tabernacle we studied the connection what God telling us what we must do as working for the tabernacle and what that Love would look like.

We saw that God will call teachers to teach and bear fruit of the Truth of the Word of God, but that we all in some capacity have been called to teach to those sent our way. There are certainly “callings” which tell us how to act in certain situations, but we all have been given the capacity to teach the Word of God in deed and example.

There are men who have been called to teach when the church is gathered, there are women who have been called to teach the younger women and children. Men have been called to rule their homes well and women have been called to teach their children the ways of the Lord. We all have been given a capacity and role to teach.

This is the willing offering of our service to the Lord, but within that offering there are fine details that reveal to us the mind of the Lord on the importance of the place He dwells spiritually.

The example and shadow of heavenly things

 

The third study covered the various items of gold, silver and brass and specifically the differences with some items being made of solid gold while others are overlaid with it.

The spiritual significance of an item being overlaid with gold versus simply being beaten out of solid gold is that the same word used as “overlay” in Hebrew, H6823, is mentioned as “probably rather identical with” H6822 overlay or “tsaw-faw”.

H6822
tsâphâh
BDB Definition:
1) to look out or about, spy, keep watch, observe, watch
1a) (Qal) to keep watch, spy
1b) (Piel) to watch, watch closely
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1950
H6822
tsâphâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 38
watchman, 14
2Sa_18:24-27 (5), 2Ki_9:17-18 (2), 2Ki_9:20Isa_21:6Eze_3:17Eze_33:2Hos_9:6-8 (3)
watch, 5
Gen_31:492Sa_13:34Isa_21:5Hab_2:1 (2)
watchmen, 5
1Sa_14:16Isa_52:8Isa_56:10Jer_6:17Mic_7:4
look, 2
Psa_5:3Mic_7:7
looketh, 2
Pro_31:27Son_7:4
watching, 2
1Sa_4:13Lam_4:17
behold, 1
Psa_66:7
beholding, 1
Pro_15:3
espy, 1
Jer_48:19
waited, 1
Job_15:22
watched, 1
Lam_4:17
watcheth, 1
Psa_37:32
watchman’s, 1
Eze_33:6
well, 1
Pro_31:27

A watchman COVERS the thing he is watching with the concept of “I am covering your back” or I am “looking out for the city”.

The watchman covers the city with his ability and the safety net of covering the city with a watchful attendance to said safety.

The significance of items being overlaid is that they show us that we are watchmen for the things concerning the temple of God, the tabernacle where He dwells. Our service is to serve in this capacity by worshiping in spirit and truth.

The ark is overlaid with gold while the mercy seat and cherubim are of solid beaten gold.

Hearken to the sound of the trumpet

 

The item that we covered in the fourth study was the table of shewbread.  Like the ark, this is a table made of wood but overlaid with gold.

Given what we learned with the connection of overlaid gold being directly rooted in watchmen, this table of bread takes on an important spiritual significance to us.

The table we are concerned with is not the physical table overlaid with gold in the physical tabernacle that is being setup with Moses, but we are concerning ourselves with what the table represents to us in the Spirit.

Luk 22:29  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
Luk 22:30  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

There is the “table of the Lord” we must all be aware of. At this table, we partake of the cup of the Lord with the Lord, so like any table we have fellowship at (since that is what eating a meal at a table is all about – fellowship with family, friends, peers and loved ones) we must know the “manners” which are expected.

When eating at the Lord’s Table we must recognize the table we have been seated at. Here is what is on the table.

Lev 24:5  And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
Lev 24:6  And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.
Lev 24:7  And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 24:8  Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
Lev 24:9  And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

We studied that before we can ever consider eating at the table of the Lord, this spiritual table of shewbread, we must deal with the “devils” that desire to sit with us at this table.

1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1Co 10:15  I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
1Co 10:17  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
1Co 10:18  Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

The bread we break is the COMMUNION of the body of Christ. Since we are focusing on doctrines of devils within this 4th study, we must also recognize that as watchmen we watch the gate of “that great city”.

Whenever we allow someone to worship false idols and false spirits, i.e. false doctrine WHOM we consider a brother or sister in Christ, then we are allowing the polluted bread to sit on this table the Lord has covered with His gold.

How does the gold “overlaid” on the showbread table have anything to with doctrine? Remember, we are at the gate COVERING the protection for the city called JERUSALEM.

We are the watchmen of the gate and MUST keep the sanctuary holy by doing what the Lord commands. Our duty as watchmen is to tell God’s people to listen to the trumpet of the Lord!

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The golden candlestick

 

In the fifth study we covered the golden candlestick and how it was made. The candlestick itself was very important in that it has many details which can easily be read over and missed if not looked into.

For one, there are almond shaped blossoms on each of the branches and on the stem multiple times.

Almond trees which produce these blossoms do so as one of the first trees in the spring to blossom.

What we can learn spiritually will add to this knowledge that the almond tree is among the first to “do something”.

The Hebrew word H824 used as almonds in the verses we are covering on the tabernacle is a denominative word form H8247 meaning “almond”. This Hebrew word (H8247) has a root of H8245.

H8245
shâqad
shaw-kad’
A primitive root; to be alert, that is, sleepless; hence to be on the lookout (whether for good or ill): – hasten, remain, wake, watch (for).
Total KJV occurrences: 12
H8245
shâqad
Total KJV Occurrences: 12
watch, 6
Ezr_8:29Psa_102:7Isa_29:20Jer_5:6Jer_31:28Jer_44:27
watched, 2
Jer_31:27-28 (2), Dan_9:14
hasten, 1
Jer_1:12
remain, 1
Job_21:32
waketh, 1
Psa_127:1
   watching, 1
Pro_8:34

What was very significant about the almonds who are all over the candlestick of LIGHT, is that they are also connected to the watchmen.

Ezr 8:29  Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.
Psa 102:7  I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
Jer 31:28  And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.

In order to solidify the connection of “watching” with the almond and almond tree, here is what the Lord gave to Jeremiah to admonish us with:

Jer 1:11  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
Jer 1:12  Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

The word used in verse 12 here in English is “hasten”, but it is the only time that the translators of the King James used “hasten”. If you look at the Strong’s list I posted above, you see this is the same word H8245 meaning “watch”.

(ASV)  Then said Jehovah unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it.
(BBE)  Then the Lord said to me, You have seen well: for I keep watch over my word to give effect to it.

The last connection we covered with the golden candlestick was its connection to Zechariah 4 and the two olive trees which provide the oil for the light.

Without recovering that entire study here, I’ll just say that oil is connected with the spirit of the Lord and the anointing of the Spirit.

Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
1Jn 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The two anointed ones stand by the Lord and pour out the oil which they themselves have been anointed with.

As can be seen by those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the Holy Spirit has revealed that gold, almonds (watching) and olive oil (Holy Spirit and power of God the Father) are VERY important to our Christian lives today. We are the priests who are being trained up first on how to handle the items of the sanctuary and to do the duty of a priest which is to keep His commandments faithfully.

The splendor of the tabernacle

 

The last study that has been completed before this recap study was on the beginning of chapter 26 of Exodus.

We talked about the various layers of the covering of the tabernacle and how they represent different aspects of Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him.

There are layers of fine linen, goats skins and rams and badgers skins.

The blue, purple and scarlet colors are all important to show us the progression we make in our walks with the Lord and what we are being called to.

We have a war of the flesh and spiritual happening daily, and as this war rages on, we have a progression happening from fleshly carnally minded “red” to heavenly minded “blue”.

The layer of fine linen, in particular, is the only part of the covering of the tabernacle that is referred to as “the tabernacle” whiles the other layers are those which are seen on the outside.

The splendor of what was seen on the inside of the tabernacle was not something that could be seen from the outside because what was seen on the outside was the basest layer of “flesh”.

Someone “passing by” would never know all these gold items and wonderfully made linen coverings and curtains were hidden inside.

This is equivalent in many spiritual types to what is held on the inside of us since we know where the spirit of God is and it is in His kingdom.

In the next study, we are going to pick up with the second part of Exodus 26 and continue covering the fine details of what the Lord has given us in order to help us understand our calling in Him and our relationship with our Lord.

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