The Tabernacle Tour #1
(Teaching notes)
Bible study Lesson 1:
Anchor scripture:
Hebrews 9:1-10
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John14:6)
Welcome to the tabernacle of Moses…
Given to Moses by God on Mt Sinai…
It tells the story of redemption…and shows us the Way to Salvation…
It is the place where God (His shekhinah glory) came to dwell among us, before he came as one of us.
(“Shekhinah” - literally means “dwelling”
The Glory of God with man.)
A walk through…
As we enter in at the east end (just as Jesus came into Jerusalem from the East gate…and will come again the same Way) we come face to face with an imposing altar: Exodus 27:1-7
This is the first place you are confronted with when you enter in…it is so noticeable you cannot avoid it. It is an appalling place…
What was its purpose?
The place of sacrifice…of bloodshed.
Every sacrifice for sin required by God is going to be made on that altar:
Read Leviticus 1:1-13
These animals were being sacrificed in the place of people…
Imagine the stench..the smoke...
…where the sacrificial blood never ceases to flow…
And where the fire never seems to go out!
As we read Leviticus 6:8-13, we could liken this to a picture of Hell (as described by Jesus in Mark ch.9:47-48)
There are daily sacrifices, weekly…monthly…annual - multiple sacrifices!
And all basically for sin!
Who or what does this altar point to?
It either points to the vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ…or it will point to us, if we do not repent.
Every sacrifice made on this altar was for the sins of the people…and will be fulfilled (for all of us)…by Jesus’s One sacrifice on the cross
***Leviticus 6:24-30 gives us another reminder of the seriousness of sin and transgression…and paints an extremely vivid picture of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Sacrifice ***
{On a practical note:
Bronze is a very poor conductor of heat, making it an effective material in the structure of this altar.}
It is a great and terrible place…but you cannot enter God’s presence without going through it. …because “all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
This is our Way in…to the dwelling place of God.
Read:
John10:9
John 14:5-6
***This place is a foreshadowing of The Cross…
a confrontation of how appalling is our sin.
You could not enter the tabernacle and ignore that altar…and we cannot enter into Salvation without acknowledging our sin upon Jesus’s body…on the cross!***
(1John1:8-9)
As we go further, we see that everything in the outer court of the Tabernacle is overlaid entirely with bronze…including this altar:
Because bronze symbolizes Judgment…
Look at Revelation 1:15
The feet of Yeshua are described as being like burnished bronze:
Christ took the judgment for us - but also overcame our sin - for us: So now all sin - and it’s consequences, are under His feet…especially Satan, whom He crushed (A spectacular fulfillment of Genesis 3:15). Seeing the judgment of God in the feet of Yeshua, shows us exactly what He has gone through - and overcome - for us.
But, here is also a serious connotation…that those who do not receive this mercy will be crushed with Satan under this judgment - this is why Jesus’s feet still appear as bronze…burnished bronze - perfect and complete judgment. (Matthew 21:44). A sober reminder to John, and all of us, where we have come from, and what it cost The Lord to bring us out.
Next read Numbers ch. 16
Korah and company are guilty of the highest blasphemy against the Lord…and the instruments they used are literally being hammered into the bronze (the judgement) of the altar -
See Numbers 16:38-40…
In the same way that our own transgressions were literally hammered into the hands and feet of Yeshua.
One could argue that this altar ✝️ is fashioned out of the sins of the people: Neither it, nor the cross that it pointed to, would exist, except for our sin.
1Peter2:24.
Read Numbers ch.21
*Serpent = the classic symbol of sin…and in Israel’s case, also a symbol of its consequences (They were being bitten by snakes)
*Bronze = judgement
*A pole = The Cross - Galatians 3:13
This is a picture of Jesus’s Crucifixion…John 3:14
Why is the altar shaped as a square?
There seems to be a lot of squares in God’s plan…the altar of sacrifice…the altar of incense…the new Jerusalem:
The square seems to be symbolic of the four corners of the earth…a phrase used more than once in the Bible…
not because they’re sporting any kind of notion that the earth is flat - but more likely referring to the four points of the compass:
With every side of the altar identical…because whether we come to Christ from N. S. E. or W. we all approach as equals…sinners;
so the significance of this altar means that all who approach it are welcomed and accepted equally and identically by the God who forgives sins.
(See Revelation 21:10-17)
At each of the four corners are four ram’s horns…
Signifying strength…
But also protection…
The right of sanctuary…
The strength of God that is also merciful -
not only for Israel, but to the four corners of the earth (North, South, East, West)
Because: Tied to the horns of the Alter would be the sacrifices for sin (see Psalm 118:27) - all foreshadowing the Sacrifice that would atone for the sins of the entire world - from North to South and East to West. This is why, from the mouth of John the Baptist comes the monumental declaration “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”. (John 1:29)
Read 1 Kings ch.2…
Joab, fleeing from the judgment of King Solomon, also holds on to the horns of the altar,
Joab was most definitely guilty…
He deserved to die (being responsible for the brutal and cold blooded murder of several people, including one of King David’s own sons) and he did indeed die - but…
he also knew that this altar was one of substitution - that the blood of animals - not humans - was supposed to be shed at that altar…as substitutes.
How is this a picture of us?
In order to be born again and enter God’s Kingdom, we must first embrace the Cross, facing up to our sin and acknowledging that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, shed His blood in our place…so we do not have to die…
What we do need to do, is throw ourselves on the mercy of the One who did…we must cleave to the cross, binding ourselves to Jesus, as the sacrifice was bound to the horns of the altar in Psalm 118. This is our Salvation.
As we’ve already said…This is our Way in:
(Remember: John10:9 &John 14:5-6)
This is is the place of death…
Christ’s death….and ours…
because when he died…so did we:
Romans 6:1-11
So its a place of death, but also resurrection…where we are born again to a new life. (John3:3)
We are now entered in to the tabernacle…there should be no going back at this point… because to willfully reject the Cross, having been confronted with the reality of it, is to crucify Jesus over again (Hebrews 6:4-6)
So, back to 1John1:9…
If we confess…
He is faithful to FORGIVE…This is what has just happened at this huge altar…
and to CLEANSE…See link Lesson 2 - The laver (wash basin)
https://sarahshalom777.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-tabernacle-tour-2.html?m=1&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
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