The Place of Meeting
Notes
Transcript
The Place of Meeting
The Place of Meeting
What have we seen so far in the book of Exodus? There is so much that has happened in a couple dozen chapters. The Lord has rescued and delivered his people. He protected them, gave them the law, correct them and guided them.
“Exodus began with a people enslaved. Under the violent, tyrannical rule of the pharaohs, the Israelites were bound in chains and forced to build great cities along the Nile. They suffered and died in Egypt, a land that was not their home. But God had a plan for their redemption. According to his covenant promise, he would rescue them from Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land.
This morning we are going to talk about the tabernacle.
“The tabernacle is a reminder that God wants to dwell with His people. God would later dwell with His people in a great way when Jesus came to “tabernacle” with us in order to bring us into God’s presence.”
The Hebrew word is mis kan and I’m pretty sure thats exactly have you say it. It means abode, dwelling, tent, place of meeting.
What have you enjoyed most about setting up your home?
“Homes are not only a place to live, but they also serve to enhance our relationships. We set up our homes so that there are rooms for resting and privacy along with rooms for meeting and visiting. When God set up His house with the Israelites. He had designed every room down to its furniture placed in the appropraite places. Yet God was not setting up His home for mere aesthetics, but to reveal his nature and His redemptive plan of salvation.”
Point 1- Worship of God Centers on His Holiness
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 6 You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, 7 and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court. 9 “Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. 10 You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. 11 You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
The construction of the tabernacle represented a culmination of God’s redemptive work in the exodus and a fresh beginning of their experience of God’s saving presence.
What are some ways we celebrate and remember the Lord’s salvation?
Church, communion, baptism, fellowship. Hopefully in daily prayer and meditation.
The tabernacle was designed by God with increasing levels of holiness as one proceeded inward toward His presence.
Now that God’s people were free from Pharaoh’s bonage, God was preparing them to serve and worship Him alone. Ultimately that is what the deliverance from Egypt was all about right—being oppressed and under the rule of Pharaoh and now having the freedom to worship the one true and living God.
We see here in verse 2 a pointing back to what had happened.
2 “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
This was the one year anniversary of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. First birthdays are a big deal in our culture. We did one and I’m sure I will end up doing one for this baby and following ones. We make it a big deal to remember the miracle of life, that God has intriquently designed this human and brought it to viable self-sustaining life and it is able to detach from the mom and live and breath on its own. That is amazing. They go through so, so many milestones in one year. So many amazing things and so we gather family and friends and celebrate.
Personally I think part of it is Mom and Dad realize they are entering a whole new ball game with the next phase of life and they need more things.
And so here we are—one year after this deliverance from Egypt. How would they celebrate? Worship of God and obedience to His commands. They had been freed from these false Gods to serve the one true God alone.
There is so much in Exodus about the Tabernacle and we could spend a good deal of time just talking about the design and what all what have been included but thats not what we will focus on.
The design and components of the tabernacle reflect God’s Holiness. There was the tent of meeting or the tabernacle proper. Within there was the most holy place where the ark of the testimony was to be placed and screened off with a curtian, out of view.
Then there was the holy place, when the golden “altar for incense” was located. The table of bread and the lampstand was placed here. Then there was the courtyard with an altar for sacrifices and the basin for washing.
One commentator shares this, “The three rooms of the tabernacle—the courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place—represented increasing levels of holiness and replicated Mount Sinai. At the base of the mountain of God, the Israelites were to prepare themselves for the coming of God’s holy presence. Just as the people could not touch the mountain, so they could not go into the holy place. And just as the priests could go partway up the mountain with Moses, so the priests could go into the holy place. But only the one whom God called to intercede for the people could go to the top of the mountain to hear the voice of God from the smoke and lightning. So too, only the one high priest could go into the most holy place where God dwelled.”
Point 2—Worship of God Centers on His Forgiveness
12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water 13 and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. 14 You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, 15 and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”
How should the Lord’s choice of Aaron as priest encourage us? The only person I can think of who spit in the face of God more and trampled on his power and worth was the Apostle Paul. Aaron was left in charge of the camp and he gathered the jewelry that God has promised and given to them and he made it into a golden calf. Then to make it worse, he pretended he knew nothing about it. I just happen to drop this stuff in the fire and it came out like this?
And yet God chose him and used him greatly.
God’s choice of Aaron as a preist was a great act of mercy and demonstrates God’s desire to cleanse and use imperfect people for His Holy work.
“God’s intention for humanity is that we be a kingdom of priests, not just a kingdom with priests. Although God set up the priestly system in the OT due to the sinfulness of humanity and people’s need for a mediator, His ultimate purpose is that we come to God directly, through the mediating work of Jesus Christ, thus eliminating the need of another priest. because of the work of Christ on the cross, exemplified in the tearing of the curtain that prevented access into the holy of holies, Christians are free to approach God with boldness.”
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
There is a reason that at the cross the curtain tore in two—the veiled was removed and believers have direct access to God via the blood of Christ.
And yet we see in the OT the way God set this up—he set apart Aaron and his sons for priestly ministry. Even though Aaron had fallen into grievous sin, the Lord’s mercy and grace would restore him to serve as the mediator between God and humanity.
We have some information in the text here about some things that needed to be done to set the tabernacle and the priesthood apart. Just as the tabernacle itself had to be set up and anointed for the service of the Lord, so did those ministering in it.
Again looking ahead to the new testament church, just as Aaron and his sons were set apart so that they could minister in the tabernacle, Hebrews says we too can now come into the presence of God being set apart.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
By faith, we are in Christ and clothed with His righteousness.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Point 3—Worship of God Centers on His Presence
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
The cloud that had led the people filled the tabernacle, revealing that the holy god of glory is unapproachable apart from His grace.
The tabernacle was a temporary measure for God to dwell with His people. The eternal fulfillment is found in Jesus and the Holy Spirit
The cloud that had led the people byday and night now descended upon and covered the tabernacle.
“The people had seen glimpses of his glory before. They had seen it in the pillar of cloud and fire that protected them from Pharaoh’s army and guided them through the wilderness. They had seen it in the miracle at the Red Sea, when God was glorified in the deliverance of Israel and the destruction of Egypt. They had seen glory in the fire and smoke on the distant heights of Mount Sinai. Moses had seen the glory too (or at least the back of it) when he met with God on the mountain. But neither Moses nor the Israelites had seen the glory come down to earth in all it radiant splendor, as it did when it hovered over the tabernacle, filling that sacred space with glory.”
The cloud of God’s glory was a theophany—a visible manifestation of the invisible God.
“The tabernacle was pulsing with radiation. FB Meyer says this, “Brilliant ligbt, of surpassing glory, here spoken of as the ‘the glory of the Lord,’ which was undoubtedly the Divine Shechinah, shone from within the Tabernacle itself, so much so that the very curtains were transfigured by its glow and the whole place was transfigured and rendered resplendent with glory.”
“The God of the exodus—the God of power, who made the heavens and the earth; the God of justice, who plagued the Egyptians; the God of love, who kept his covenant with Israel; the God of providence, who led his people through the wilderness; the God of truth, who gave them his law; the God of mercy, who atoned for their sins; the God of holiness, who set them apart for service—this great God was present in glory. When the people looked at the tabernacle, the could see that God was in the house.
The tabernacle now functioned as God’s dwelling place but not yet the meeting place since something had to be done to bridge the gap between a holy God and sinful man. Leviticus is the next book and it describes actions that had to take place to make sinful man right and able to draw near to God. The earthly tabernacle was just a shadow the heavenly tabernacle.
5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”
This tabernacle would one day come in more full and complete form.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
“We too have been delivered and are waiting to arrive at the final destination. We, like the Israelites, are poised to reach our rest. On this journey, we follow our holy Redeemer as he guides us to the Promised Land. Admittedly, there is no cloud overhead, but we have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us. He brings us to the goal of our salvation just as surely as the cloud guided the Israelites to their ultimate destination. The people of God should take great comfort in this. The God of Exodus is still guiding. God is present with his people wherever they go, for he still leads and guides them, not to Canaan but to a “better country—a heavenly one.”
4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
“This is the message of the exodus, as it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Once we were in bondage to sin, enslaved by its tyranny. But through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—our Passover Lamb—God has delivered us from the Egypt of our sin. Now he is leading us through our earthly wilderness, with all its difficultes and dangers. The great God of the exodus will never leave us or forsake us. In the church he has set up a sancturary where even now we may enter his presence for worship. And one day soon Jesus will come down in glory to take us up into the glory that will never end. Everyone who trusts in him will be saved for the glory of God.”
What are some ways you can remain mindful of the presence of God each and every day?