December 28, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Song of Solomon 7-8

Weekly Memory Verse: Hebrews 13:8

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

I am not going to go into all the articles of the temple in order to keep the study moving.

Exodus 25:1-9 (NASB95)
¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. ³ “This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, ⁴ blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, ⁶ oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. ⁸ “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. ⁹ “According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.^[1]

One thing that stands out to me in these verses is that God expected Moses to go to the people in order to get the provisions for the tabernacle that He was instructing Moses to build.  Remember, in the last chapter all of Israel had committed to making God Lord of their lives and they had all committed to keeping the Ten Commandments along with the Mosaic Covenant.  These were not what was on the tablets that Moses would bring down off the mountain later.  God expected them to go through with what they had promised and was giving instructions based on their statement of faith.

God did not magically provide all the gold, silver, bronze and other materials that were to go into the tabernacle, the people had to give the items out of their pockets.  These are the same items that the people carried by hand out of Egypt.  God was asking them to give up the wealth that they had hoarded on their exodus from Egypt.  This was the money and goods that they had gained after four hundred years of captivity.  How would you feel?  God promised to live among them, and it was their responsibility to prepare for His presence.  The other side of the coin is that they would not have anything and would still be in captivity if it were not for God's intervention.  The point is that it all belonged to God; it was on loan to the people.  That is where our heart should be at.

Exodus 25:10-22 (NASB95)
¹⁰ “They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. ¹¹ “You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. ¹² “You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ “You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ “You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ “The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. ¹⁶ “You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. ¹⁷ “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. ¹⁸ “You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ “Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. ²⁰ “The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. ²¹ “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. ²² “There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.^[2]

There are several characteristics that are involved in it.  First consider the poles that are permanently mounted in the ark.  God did not want the ark to be touched when it was moved by human hands.  It was holy.  One time later the ark is placed on an oxcart, and a person is struck dead when he tries to steady the ark.  It is much to sacred to be carried by anything other than God's people.  It was not large, 23" wide by 39" long and 23" high (Bible Knowledge Commentary).

The cover or Mercy Seat that was on top of the ark has a special significance to all believers.  God used this small area to meet with His people on the day of Atonement when the blood of the lamb was sprinkled on the lid to cover the sins of the people.  This ark was the one piece of furniture that was designed to carry the tablets that God was going to give to Moses.  It also carried other things later which God indicated were to go into it. 

Hebrews 9:4-5 (NASB95)
⁴ having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; ⁵ and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Hebrews 9:11-14 (NASB95)
¹¹ But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; ¹² and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Galatians 2:20 (NASB95)
²⁰ “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (NASB95)
¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

Romans 3:25 (NASB95)
²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; ^[3]

(propitiation can also be translated Mercy Seat) Jesus is spoken of in Hebrews as being our High Priest and He sprinkled His own blood on the mercy seat, covering sin forever, and completely making atonement for sin through all eternity. 

The Cherubim that protect the Mercy Seat signify the importance of this article.  It stands as a reminder that the angels protect the throne of God.  I also wonder if it signifies the way that God protects His believers that are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

Exodus 25:23-30 (NASB95)
²³ “You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. ²⁴ “You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it. ²⁵ “You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. ²⁶ “You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. ²⁷ “The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ “You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. ²⁹ “You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ “You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.^[4]

The Table of Showbread held twelve loaves of bread that signified the twelve tribes of Israel.  These held the grain offerings and the drink offerings that were necessary for the law that would later be given. This table signified the staying power and the way that God provides for His people. This table was also to be carried by poles, and not to be transported by human hands. 

Exodus 25:31-40 (NASB95)
³¹ “Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. ³² “Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. ³³ “Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower—so for six branches going out from the lampstand; ³⁴ and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. ³⁵ “A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. ³⁶ “Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. ³⁷ “Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. ³⁸ “Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ “It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ⁴⁰ “See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

Psalm 119:105 (NASB95)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

John 8:12 (NASB95)
¹² Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 14:6-9 (NASB95)
⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. ⁷ “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” ⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ^[5]

The lampstand is significant to us because it lit the tabernacle so that the priests could see to perform their duty.  Practically it provided light so that the priests could function, and was always burning bright.  The seven lamps indicated the light of God.  Jesus built upon this when He came to earth revealing that He is the light of the world.

I had hoped to develop this study further, but time has caught up with me.  If you wish to add to the study feel free to write in.

Father, as we consider Your word today, open our eyes so that we can understand and apply it to our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner.