Hugh Stephenson

GM Will. Confessions of two non-detail guys. Even so, there are clearly some key details God wants me to know and will tell me through the tabernacle and its elements. What does God want me to know, be reminded, learn? Tabernacle itself- All or part of Chapters 25-31 are about the tabernacle, including the detail about the priests, their garments, their consecration, and service. Chapters 35-40 are about preparations and execution of the construction as well as the erection and consecration. That’s 13 of the 40 chapters, almost 1/3 of the entire book. CLEARLY there are foundational understandings that are being conveyed. Thinking more about this- It isn’t clear how much this generation knew about the Patriarchs as they lived over 400 years prior with no written record. Even so, they had not heard from God since then. So it makes sense that God would want/need to educate and equip them.

Hugh Stephenson

ONE- The tabernacle was a portable temple. A “tented palace for Israel’s divine king”. He’s enthroned on the ark. I have not fully appreciated this direct link to the later temple build by Solomon. How does this connect to the indwelling the Holy Spirit in me? -It was the means through which he would dwell with them. -Metals: the closer you got to the Ark the more valuable the metals bronze, silver, gold. -Colors: Purples denotes royal, and blue denotes divinity TWO- The tabernacle links to the garden of Eden, God’s dwelling place before the Fall. Noting the east facing entrance guarded by cherubim, gold, the tree of life, “lamp stand), and the tree of knowledge, (law). https://www.gotquestions.org/tree-knowledge-good-evil.html https://www.gotquestions.org/tree-of-life.html https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/tree-of-life/ https://bibleproject.com/podcast/tree-knowing-good-bad/ BRONZE ALTAR– Upon entering the tabernacle the first thing that one sees is the place where sacrifices are made to God so that the people can come to Him. The offerings were burnt offerings. “The sacrifices in the Old Testament pointed forward to the perfect and final sacrifice of Christ.” Got Qs. https://www.gotquestions.org/burnt-offering.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Old-Testament-sacrifices.html https://bibleproject.com/podcast/what-did-burnt-offerings-really-mean/ “We present to Him our bodies (Romans 12:1-2), or material wealth (Philippians 4:18), praise and good works (Hebrews 13:15-16), and a broken heart (Psalm 51:17).” “God met the Israelite where he was, in the courtyard, rather than where He was, within the veil.” "The position of the Altar just inside the entrance to the court made it as clear as symbology could that the beginning of fellowship between God and man must be in sacrifice." “Nevertheless, the Israelite had to make a special effort to approach God, by entering the courtyard to present his offering (cf. 2 Cor. 5:18-20). There was only one entrance (cf. John 10:9; 14:6).”

Hugh Stephenson

PRIESTLY GARMENTS- -Vivid colors represent the Glory of the Lord. -The colors are the same ones used in the tabernacle itself. -The jewels and stones name each of the 12 tribes. -The Urim and Thummim were given to convey God’s will, (c.f. Holy Spirit in NT). -The garments cover the entire body so that no “nakedness” would be shown in God’s presence, (c.f. Genesis 3:7) Consecration- Al the elements; the tabernacle, the materials, the tools/implements, the garments were “set apart” therefore represented God’s holiness. “Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process. Am I continually separating myself and looking to God every day of my life?” https://utmost.org/look-again-and-consecrate/ “Thus God’s dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise, which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21–22).” (Constable).

Michael Sisson

Re:Ex 27:21,28:43 Ex 27:21 (NASB) “In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD; >>>it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.<<< Ex 28:43 (NASB) “They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. >>>It shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.<<< Both chapters conclude with statements that these statutes would remain applicable in perpetuity. If we accept the p’shat (simple, historical/grammatical interpretation) of these verses, we must conclude they are in effect “forever,” and were not abrogated by Messiah’s atoning work on our behalf. This understanding agrees with Yeshua’s (Jesus’) own testimony in Mt 5:17-19 and G-d’s promise in Jer 33:17-18. If we believe “forever” means something else here, we should worry what “forever” actually means in other verses like Mt 6:13; Lk 1:33; Jn 6:51,6:58,14:16.

Sue Bohlin

Will, thanks so much! Shine on! I have questions. Hoping there will be a line in heaven for these questions . . . Like, the Israelites were a nomadic people for 40 years in the desert. Where did they get olive oil for the lamp for FORTY YEARS??!!! Where did they get the fine twisted linen for the priests' garments? We are still buying and using Egyptian linen today; did the Israelites bring a bunch of it when they escaped from Egypt? While pondering these questions, I read about God's instructions for the twelve gemstones for the high priest's sacred garment. Where did those gemstones come from? I would imagine, He sovereignly plucked them out of the hands of Egyptians the night of the Exodus when the Israelites plundered their neighbors on the first "trick or treat." From the beginning, He intended for those twelve gemstones to be part of His glorious worship ensemble for the high priest. I bet there were twelve or so people who were very proud of what they had scored off the Egyptians in these early post-exodus days . . . and then Moses would announce that Yahweh commanded that those twelve gems be put on display in Aaron's garment. Here's the rub: the gems never belonged to the people who had them in their possession; they were merely temporary stewards of God's beauty and glory. I would imagine there would be a test of people's hearts who were holding the gemstones: would they freely turn them over to Moses with the understanding that they had always belonged to Yahweh and they had merely been the carriers till it was time to assemble the worship elements, or would they selfishly be like the seagulls in Finding Nemo, "Mine! Mine! Mine!" Or worse, Gollum in Lord of the Rights: "My Precioussssssssss!" What a reminder that every penny that goes through our hands (or our bank account) actually belongs to God, and we are only stewards, or managers, of His treasure. We need to be ready to be tapped on the heart to give back whenever God says, "Time to hand over My treasure," just like the gemstone carriers in Exodus.

Amy Lowther

1. I was always a good helper in elementary school. I progressed through junior high and high school always trying to do what was good and right. I currently work as a Quality Assurance Associate supporting workers in producing quality products and orders for multiple levels of customers. I also currently greet Sundays for Frontlines, welcoming several guests into the church each Sunday, speaking with them and helping them when appropriate to have great experiences. I glorify God by using His values and His guidance to care for everything I do and everyone with whom I interact. 2. I think God is alive in each of us. I think God is a good friend for each of us in everything we do everyday. God loves each of us and wants us to do our best. 3. I can tend to my soul by getting God’s guidance in everything I do and working at life His way everyday when things are good and when things are bad. I can tend to my soul by reading the Bible and sharing it with others, by attending services and applying learned information in daily life, and by serving others.

Michael Scaman

Zechariah will have about 7 surrealistic Picasso like visions that are take offs of aspects of the temple and the law. One will concern the 4 horns on the alter. After the surrealistic visions of the temple and law, Zechariah speaks much much more plainly about the coming Messiah.