tabernacle

May 2, 2022May 9, 2022

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

This is our last post in the series on the Feasts of Israel and was the last feast in the Jewish religious year held on 15^th to 21^st Tishri, five days after the day of atonement. It is found in Leviticus 23:33-40:

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites: “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. (These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.) So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”’ So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.”

April 15, 2022April 24, 2022

THE HOLY OF HOLIES, THE ARK OF THE COVENANT AND THE MERCY SEAT

In this last post in this series we are going to be looking at the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat. It can be found in Exodus 25:10-22:

“Have them make an ark of acacia wood – two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you. Make an atonement cover of pure gold – two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make on cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”

April 13, 2022April 24, 2022

THE ALTAR OF INCENSE

The last piece of furniture we are going to look at in the Holy Place before going into the Holy of Holies is the altar of incense. This altar was used purely for offering incense to God and we find it described in Exodus 30:1-9:

“Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high – its horns of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding – two on each of the opposite sides – to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law – before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law – where I will meet with you. Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come. Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.”

April 11, 2022April 24, 2022

THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

The next item of furniture we get to in the Holy Place opposite the candlestick is the table of shewbread or the bread of the presence. This table is described in Exodus 25:23-30:

“Make a table of acacia wood – two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them. And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its putchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings. Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.”

April 8, 2022April 24, 2022

THE CANDLESTICK

In this post we are going to look at the candlestick, which is the first piece of furniture we will look at in the Holy Place. It looked similar to a Jewish menorah today and can be found in Exodus 25:31-40:

“Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand – three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch , three on the next, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair – six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

April 6, 2022April 24, 2022

THE BRAZEN LAVER

The brazen laver was like a wash basin at which the priests used to wash before entering the tabernacle or presenting a sacrifice. It can be found in Exodus 30:18-21:

“Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

And in Exodus 38:8:

“They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.”

April 4, 2022April 24, 2022

THE BRAZEN ALTAR

The first piece of furniture we come to in the Old Testament tabernacle is the brazen altar. This was the altar at which sacrifices were made and it is described in Ex 27:1-8.

“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. Make all its utensils of bronze – its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners. Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. Make the altar hollow, out of boards, it is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.”

March 14, 2022March 14, 2022

TYPOLOGY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

One of my favourite studies in the Bible is that of typology, how the Old Testament is really a shadow of the New Testament. There are many stories in the Old Testament that are not only true in themselves but are also meant to teach us something about the New Testament. One of these is the Old Testament tabernacle.