There is a saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.” A skilled artist can portray more in a picture than an expert author. La Gioconda, better known as Mona Lisa, is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, finished between 1500 and 1504. This ‘is considered one of the most beautiful portraits ever executed.”1 Hundreds of people from all over the world have spent untold thousands of dollars just to see this painting. There is so much to see in this painting. Art can show more details of the time period, degrees of emotion, etc. than writing ever can.
If man can do such a good job painting a picture on canvas, how much more can God give a picture of His Son, Jesus Christ, by making a three dimensional model of Jesus. God has done just that. In the Old Testament, God instructed Moses to make a tabernacle of worship exactly according to the pattern which was shown him on Mount Sinai. This pattern is explicitly shown in scripture to foreshadow or be a type of Jesus Christ. This so clearly shows Jesus that a lifetime of study on this subject alone, could never reveal all that this shadow has to offer.
As Frank C. Thompson says, “The value of symbols lies in the fact that they express important thoughts more clearly and in much less space than words.”2 God has, and will continue to reveal more about Jesus to His people this representation of His Son.
The word tabernacle means “to dwell” and can be translated “dwelling,” “dwelling place,” “habitation” or “abode.” The tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build was a dwelling place for Jehovah, the Mighty God of the Israelites. It has a purpose at the time it was built – it was a place of worship to God and a place where God could dwell among His people (Exodus 25:8).
This purpose was awesome in itself, yet it was only a small part of the significance that God had planned. As the Bible says:
“The law (including the tabernacle and the sacrifices) is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves.” Hebrews 10:1
The tabernacle was a shadow and type of heaven (Hebrews 8:1-2, 5), worship (Hebrews 10:2, 28), the believer (Revelation 1:6), our means of coming before the Holy God (Hebrews 9:14) and Jesus Christ Himself (Hebrews 8:1, 9:23-28, 10:5-14, 21).
While on earth, Jesus said to His disciples just before His death:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Basically, Jesus was saying He is the way to God, the truth about God, and the life of God. Undoubtedly Jesus realized the direct parallel these three terms had to the three sections of the tabernacle. The three tabernacle had three different compartments that the priest could enter, and Jesus, in John 14, shows three aspects of His life that parallel these three compartments.
The Outer Court, Jesus the Way
The Outer court was a large, uncovered area on the desert floor surrounded by linen curtains separating people on the inside from those on the outside. It contained three things. The third was the tabernacle itself which will be discussed more later when we study Jesus as the truth and life. The first as the messy brazen altar which was 3 ½ feet and 7 ½ feet long and wide where animals were sacrificed. The second article was the bronze layer which was given no dimensions. Cornwall explains the laver somewhat:
Since the Hebrew word, kiyor, which we translate as “laver”, implies something round, we have generally assumed the laver was a round bowl on a pedestal. But that is only a presumption, for the Scriptures are silent about the shape, size and method of construction of the laver. Two things are clearly stated, however. We know that Bezalel made it, and that it was fashioned entirely of the highly polished brass mirrors denoted by that vast company of women who volunteered their service in the construction of the tabernacle (Exodus 38:8).3
The Linen Gate;
Access to the outer court could only be obtained through the entrance on the east side. This gate was open for anyone at any time. There was only one way to enter into the tabernacle to worship God and this was through the gate. Jesus said in John 10 “I am the gate.” Now in John 10, He was not actually talking about the gate to the tabernacle but about the gate to the sheep pen.
Yet the parallels to the two are profound. In Psalm 78:52 the writer is clearly writing about the Israelites wandering in the desert:
“But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.”
God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, are called His sheep. The only way to the Father as shown in John 10 is through Jesus as the gate of the sheep, and the only way for the priests (believers today are called priests according to Revelation 1:6) to come to come to the Father in the tabernacle is through the gate. In both the tabernacle and the sheep pen, there are no other means to enter. Jesus said:
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
Jesus is the only way to the Father. No other religion, belief, or religious system will bring you to God:
“For there is one God and one mediator between God, and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:6.
As believers we need to understand that we are not to try to uplift our denomination or religion, but to life up “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” 1 Corinthians 2:2. When witnessing, there is power in the name of Jesus, not in the name of your denomination. This needs to be the focus – Jesus as the way. Jesus said “I am the way…” In the tabernacle Jesus is shown as the only way into the outer court.
The walls around the courtyard were made completely of linen. Revelation 19:8 reveals what linen stood for;
“Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints).”
Does that mean that the surrounding of the outer court represents our good works? Not if proper interpretation of scripture is used. Scripture backs up scripture and scripture reveals scripture. Philippians 3:9 completes the puzzle here:
“not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
Believers are to be clothed in clean linen which is righteousness, not obtained through their own righteousness but through a righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Jesus is the only way to obtain righteousness. It is up to the believer, by faith, to enter that tabernacle, but it is Christ who clothes us with righteousness. Not even Abraham could obtain righteousness from his own acts:
“It is not through that law that Abraham and his offspring obtained the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith” Romans 4:13
As believers, we need to understand where our righteousness comes from. Just as the priest is set apart from the world and surrounded by the linen garments which represent righteousness, the believer is set apart from the world and is called to live a life of righteousness in Christ.The
Bronze Alter:
After entering into the outer court through the gate which represents Jesus, the first object seen is the alter. This bronze alter is covered with blood and mess. There is nothing attractive about it. On the alter are offered sacrifices to take away sin. Because all people are sinners and God is holy, it is impossible for any person to come into God’s presence in their sinful state unless their sins are completely taken way. That is what the alter did. Rather than the sinner paying for their own sin by death, an animal was sacrificed in their place:
“For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the alter; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Leviticus 17:11
Atonement means “reconciliation” and is the only way that one can come back to God. It is only through the alter that anyone would have their sins completely paid for and be able to come back to God. The animal on the alter actually stands in the place of the person bringing the sacrifice. God’s wrath is poured out on the innocent animal instead of the guilty person. This animal actually became the sin of the person and it was killed with the sin.
The alter represented the cross while the animal being sacrificed was a type of Jesus. Talking about Jesus, the Apostle Paul said:
“God has made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” I Corinthians 5:21
Jesus actually became our sin and died, bringing sin to the grave with Him. The author of Hebrews show that the Old Testament types of Jesus (bull, sheep, goats, etc,) could never take away sin but were only temporary until Jesus came to fulfil the law:
"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship…But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 20:1, 3-4, 10
The alter is absolutely essential in coming before God and without it there can be no reconciliation between God and man. Likewise, Jesus is the only way that anyone can come before God. At both the alter and the cross sin was paid for. The alter was the way that the priest would be cleansed and atoned so that he could continue in the priesthood duties. In the same way, Jesus is the only way the believer can be cleansed and atoned so that he or she can continue in their Christian life.
Another interesting point can be observed here. The cross is the centerpoint of all of scripture, yet the alter is only the first article in the tabernacle. The cross is not the end in itself, but it is the major door that we as believers can be reconciled to Christ. It is good to kneel before the cross of Christ and receive the blood shed there, but there comes a time when we need to continue to see what else Jesus has to offer. The alter is only the beginning in our walk through the tabernacle.
The Bronze Laver
Once the priest is atoned with the blood, he moves on to the bronze laver. This is filled with water where the priests wash their faces, hands and feet. It is rarely meant for the whole body. The Apostle Paul, through a revelation from God, explains what the laver represents:
“Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing of water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27
And again in 2 Corinthians:
“…let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness our of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
Just as the priest has to wash himself with the water before entering the tabernacle, the believer-priest today has to wash with the “washing of water through the word” Ephesians 5:26. This washing allows the believer to be holy and blameless, not in themselves but through Christ. This passage, as well as others, shows that the laver represents the living Word of God. We need not only to have Jesus die for us once and for all, but we need a daily cleansing with the cleansing power of Jesus. The laver brought holiness to the priest before coming before God. In the same way, the believer receives holiness from Jesus so that person can come before God. The laver is the only article that is not given any dimensions. Since the laver represents the holiness of the believer, we see that God has not placed any dimension on holiness. It is not bound by religion or routine but is set by whatever dimensions God has set for every individual believer. It is refreshing to know that God will lead the believer and that personal works do not get the person to heaven.
Without the laver, the priest could not enter the tabernacle without dying. The laver is another part of the way to God (the glory of the farthermost room in the tabernacle represents the Father). Jesus is once again shown as the way to the Father. Without a continuing washing with the Word of God, the believer has no hope of entering God’s presence. The Word of God needs to become a daily part of the lifestyle of every believer.
The work of the cross is a one time work. But the Word of God needs to be applied regularly. “The blood speaks of the cross, and the water speaks of the living Word of God. The blood deals with past sins; the water with present ones.” 4 The book of Hebrews shows the importance of the laver/Word of God in the life of the believer:
“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
According to Exodus 38:8, the laver was made with the mirrors that the women had probably brought back from Egypt. Therefore, it is clear that the priest would see himself and any impurity that needed cleaning. He could either walk away and forget about the dirt on himself or he could clean himself. James brought up the same topic in his book:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive ourselves. Do what it ways. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks in the mirror, and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” James 1:22-24
James show the Word of God is like a mirror. There is nothing more revealing than the Word of God. As the Bible speaks about how to live a life of holiness, any reader, with the help of Jesus, cannot help but see the sin in their own lives. There is dirt that can easily come after the priest’s morning wash and be seen at the laver in the tabernacle. In the same way, the believer can easily defile himself or herself in a split second even after coming from the prayer closet and repenting of all their sins. It is easy to pick up dirt (sin) in the walk of life, and there is a continual cleansing needed for the believer.
The Word of God is powerful. It will reveal the sin in your own life, and the Bible should be read and meditated on for that very purpose. If the believer sees himself/herself in the Word of God and yet does not do anything about it, it has no purpose. A person can look at himself in the mirror in the morning, see his messy hair and walk away without doing anything. In the same way, a believer who, through the Word of God, sees sin in his own life but does not “comb his hair” defeats the purpose. It is actually worse to see the sin and do nothing. It is so important to do what the Word of God says:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves…” James 1:22
The laver first reveals the dirt on the priest’s body, then it requires a response. Finally, the laver brings refreshing. In the hot desert, the priest is greatly refreshed from having their feet washed. In the same way, the Word of God is refreshing. For believers to come to God, they need to have the refreshing Word of God “cleanse their feet.” Upon returning from the presence of God, the priest once again needs to clean himself. When in God’s presence the believer is usually refreshed but afterward, he may again become worn out. The Word of God is most refreshing for the believer at this time. There needs to be a foot washing after being in God’s presence, also. The Word of God needs to become a regular part of the life of the believer because it is here that he or she will receive the revealing, cleansing and refreshing that cannot be obtained anywhere else.
The door of the courtyard, the alter and the laver all show Jesus as the way to the Father:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Any person, after entering the gate and receiving Jesus as the Lamb of God and receiving the work done on the cross, and the cleansing work of Jesus can enter the tabernacle which is the next step. The tabernacle which consists of the holy place and the most holy place shows Jesus as the truth. Jesus reveals the truth in the full Godhead (Colossians 1:19) and only through Jesus can the full truth of God be seen.
The Holy Place, Jesus the Truth
Once fully atoned for by the blood and cleansed by the washing of water through the laver, the priest enters the Holy Place, This fairly large room, 15 feet wide and high and 30 feet long, contains three pieces of furniture. The first is the large candlestick with seven branches. The second is the Table of Shewbread which across from the candlestick. Thirdly, the priest will see and smell the alter of incense. Each of these reveal powerful truths about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Candlestick
As the priest looks to the south wall, he will see the 120 pound candlestick. This beautiful work of art teaches some powerful truths about Jesus. The candlestick was hammered out of pure gold with six stems protruding from the main stem making a total of seven arms and seven wicks. There are also wick trimmers and trays with the candlestick.
Just after Jesus’ birth, Simeon the prophet, prophesied over Jesus that He would be:
“a light of Revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” Luke 2:32.
The Apostle John begin his gospel by writing about Jesus:
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John 1:4-9
The Bible gives many more proofs that Jesus is the light of the world. He shines in the darkness, but the darkness hates the light. Jesus is the light to the lost and dying world. Many will accept but most will refuse the light. Just like waking up to a bright light and flinching from the pain as your eyes adjust, the non-believer is usually blinded by the light. But if the unbeliever is willing to receive the light, that light will illuminate for them to get to heaven. Jesus reveals the truth of the Father by being the light.
Encouraging is the fact that Jesus shines His light through us as imperfect human vessels. We are simply the wicks. We carry the light of God to the lost and dying world. Through us, Jesus has chosen to reveal the truth of God to the people living in darkness.
It is interesting to note that there are also wick trimmers and trays with the candlestick. If Jesus is perfect, then why would there be utensils to tend to the candlestick? It is because the candlestick also represents us as imperfect believers, We are the wicks that needs a continuing trimming to get rid of the black char around us. We will continue to have a stench of sin that need a constant trimming. We need to search our hearts to see if we have been allowing Jesus, the great High Priest, to trim us on a continual basis.
Another curious thing about the candlestick is that it is completely hammered out of one piece of gold, a very tedious, yet rewarding job. Likewise, Jesus was beaten and bruised for our sins. A careful reading of Isaiah 53 is recommended to gain the grasp of what Jesus actually did for us:
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11
God disciplines those He loves and did the same with Jesus. On earth Jesus was allowed by God to be beaten and bruised. This moulded Jesus to be the Saviour that we can love and adore. Hardships make and mold into the beautiful, or, they destroy. How we respond to God working in our lives will determine whether we look like a candlestick or a piece of scrap gold that never amounted to anything. (Not all hardships are from God, but God will use them to make the believer into a beautiful work of art.)
Since the candlestick also represents us as believers, we need to be very careful how we live and receive with joy the work God is doing in our lives.
“You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:15-16
Each believer is a light sent out from Christ. We are representatives of Christ and are sent to reveal the truth to a dying world. Are we letting our light so shine before men that people are coming to Christ because He is a light through us?
Table of Shewbread
Along the north wall, parallel to the candlestick, is a gold covered Table with twelve loaves of bread placed in two rows. These loaves of bread are made without yeast and are replaced each week. They sit for the whole week in an incense filled room soaking in the smell and presence of God coming from the next room. Each week new loaves of bread are placed on the Table and the priests are allowed to eat the loaves that have been sitting in God’s presence seven days. Around the Table are two sets of crowns.
The bread represents Jesus:
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry…For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day,” John 6:35, 40
Bread is considered a basic food element. Bread, at least in biblical time represented all food and without it no one could survive. Likewise, Jesus is the basic element of our spiritual lives. Without Him we could never grow or even survive. Jesus is the basis for everything the believer does. We do not need to rely on other spiritual activities to survive, but, rather. Have complete fulfillment in eating of the living bread. Ourja boards, fortune telling, horoscopes, etc should not have any part in the believer’s life because they are a part of eating something other than Jesus Christ. To take part in these activities is equivalent to saying that Jesus is not sufficient but is only a part of our lives. Jesus needs to become the basis of our spiritual lives, and not only the basis, but the only thing we eat of.
The bread on the Table was made without yeast. Throughout scripture, yeast usually refers to sin, and, therefore. Jesus was the bread from God that had no sin. Jesus was without sin while on earth and for eternity will continue to be the bread of life without yeast/sin.
Notice that there were twelve loaves of bread, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus is a personal saviour and will meet each person individually. He is not one large loaf, and, in the same way, He died for each person individually.
The bread sat in the presence of God for seven days. It was almost impossible for the priests to sit in the Holy Place for seven days soaking up the presence of God, but they were able to eat the bread which had sat there. Seven is the number of completeness. For the bread to sit in God’s presence for seven days is the same, symbolically, as saying that it sits in God’s presence continually. Jesus is continually before the Father and as we eat of Him, we receive the same nourishing through Him as sitting soaking in God’s presence continually. Jesus is the source of life. This is revealed through the bread.
Yet another truth is shown at the Table of Shewbread. There are two sets of gold crowns around the Table. In the Old Testament two people wear a crown. The priest wore a crown as well as a king. Jesus has become both a King (Acts 17:7) and High Priest (Hebrews 8:1) before God on our behalf. It is Jesus that:
“on his head are many crowns.” Revelation 19:12b
Jesus is crowned in scripture in Psalms 8:5 as quoted in Hebrews 2:7:
“You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
The Psalmist had great revelations of Christ (Psalm 119:8) and probably saw in the temple many types God had revealed to him. It is very possible that the crowns on the Table of Shewbread represent glory and honor – the two crowns with which Jesus was crowned.
The Table of Shewbread is another article in the Holy Place that reveals the truth of Jesus and shows that Jesus is the truth of the Father.
Alter of Incense
By now, the priest would be almost overwhelmed by the strong sweet smell of incense that is burning continually at the golden alter. The strong smell would remain on the priest long after leaving the Holy Place in the same way cigarette smell remains on someone after being around a smoker. People would know that the priest had been around the alter of incense because the smell would carry with him as he left the tabernacle.
Revelation clearly shows what the incense represents:
“…and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayer of the saints.” Revelation 5:8
The incense represents the praise, worship and prayers. Psalms 141:2 also shows what the incense is:
“My prayer be set before you like incense.”
The final article of furniture before coming into God’s presence is the gold alter. Praise and prayer are the highest form of worship to God. It is before God in praise that we become saturated with the sweet smelling aroma that comes from praise and worship to our God. It is fascinating to note that both the worshipper and the worshipped receive blessing from the alter of incense. Our purpose in worshipping God should not be to receive something from God, our motives should be solely to worship Him, but it is impossible when true worship is offered to God to come away without smelling of the sweet smelling aroma of God’s presence.
God gave clear instructions that no one was allowed to make incense for any other purpose. In fact, this was enforce by death. Why was God so strict? God is a jealous God and will not allow us to offer worship to others. Also, no other incense can be offered on the alter of incense. This is because God will not accept any worship except true worship. We must worship God in spirit and in truth only (John 4:23). God desires the very best we have to offer and second best will not do. Cain made a terrible mistake to offer the best he had from his garden instead of from his animals as God had asked. We need to be careful that we are not only offering God worship, but that we are offering God true worship. This can only be tested from Scripture and a careful searching of our hearts to see if our worship is pure and sweet to God:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12, 16:25
Is the incense we are offering to God the pure offering He has asked for?
Even more important than the incense we offer God is the incense that Jesus is offering to God on our behalf:
“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Hebrews 9:24
“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25
Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us day and night. It is so encouraging that He is so concerned that He is continually interceding for each one or us. What a God we serve! Our every step is ordered by God because Jesus is praying for us all the time. We need to pray that we are in God’s will so that the prayers of Jesus are not nullified by our disobedience. Just as the High Priest, twice a day, on behalf of the people, burns incense on the alter offering a continual aroma before God, Jesus, our Great High Priest, offers to God continual prayer on our behalf. In the alter of incense, the truth of Jesus is shown in that He is the great interceder on our behalf. The perpetual intercession of Jesus for us in revealed in the alter of incense.
Jesus the Life, Most Holy Place
Only once a year can the High Priest come into the Most Holy Place, into the very presence of God:
”But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, never without blood, which he offered for himself and the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” Hebrews 9:7
The Most Holy Place, also known as the inner room, represents the life of Jesus as it reveals the Father. It is here that the glory of God rested in a physical, visual way. Any person around the tabernacle could actually see the glory cloud resting on the tabernacle. The presence of God was much more powerful in the inner room. Only if the priest was properly sprinkled with blood and water could he enter the room and exit again alive. In the Most Holy Place was the ark of the covenant and the Mercy Seat:
“The ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.” Hebrews 9:4
There was also a huge curtain that separated the outer room from the inner room. This curtain represented Jesus:
“…through the curtan, that is, his body.” Hebrews 10:20
When Jesus died on the cross, His body was spiritually ripped in two at the same time as the curtain was physically ripped in two. Only once a year could the High Priest enter the Most Holy Place because Jesus had not yet died. After Jesus death, any priest could enter the Most Holy Place anytime. In the same way, we as believer-priests can come before God at any time because we have access to the Father through Jesus. Jesus has died for us so that we can come before the Father. Jesus is the great High Priest and through Jesus, the curtain, we can have complete access anytime. His death completed the last step in us coming before God, for we can now be spiritually sprinkled with the blood, washed with water, and enter the Most Holy Place.
The Ark of the Covenant is the greatest picture of Christ in the whole tabernacle. It was made with wood and covered with gold, inside and outside. Gold in scripture represent deity. Wood represents humanity. The Ark of the Covenant shows Jesus as the God-man. He is fully God and fully man just as the Ark of the Covenant is made of both wood and gold. (Bronze, as used in the outer court, represents judgment. It is the judgment that is poured out on Christ on the cross and on Jesus as the living Word when He dwelt among us. The bronze alter and the bronze laver represent judgment represent judgment while all the other articles represent the deity of Christ since they are covered with gold.) The Ark of the Covenant is unique above all the other articles as Epp points out:
The brazen altar pointed to His sacrificial death. The laver typified His cleansing ministry through the Word. The table of showbread pointed to Christ as the Bread of Life. The golden lampstand spoke of Christ as the Light. The altar of incense pointed to Christ as our intercessor.
The Ark of the Covenant distinctly spoke of the Person of Christ—not what He has done, but who He is. When we see who and what Jesus Christ is, we will better understand and be able to evaluate His work.5
The three articles in the Ark of the Covenant show Jesus as who He is. In the ark were, first, the golden jar of manna. This shows Jesus as the provision for the people. Jesus is our source of life and the very basis of our living. The second is Aaron’s rod that budded. Once Aaron was challenged by the people as to whether or not he should be the High Priest. The rod represents God appointing the High Priest to that position. God proved that Aaron should be the High Priest by allowing Aaron’s rod to grow almond buds. In the same way God is well pleased with Jesus as the High Priest. The third article in the ark is the two stone tablets. These show Jesus as the Word. He is the living Word of God in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). These also show Jesus as the life. The Word of God has become alive and has become quicker than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). It is living. Jesus is the living High Priest. He does not have to enter the Most Holy Place every year but dwells there continually. Jesus is also the living bread of life.
On top of the Ark of the Covenant is the Mercy Seat. This was made of one piece of pure gold. It represents the mercy of Jesus. Even though we are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God, Jesus has mercy on us and has made a way for us to come to God. The blood needed to be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat each year. It represented to blood of Jesus that is ever before the Father pleading on our behalf. It is Jesus’ blood living and pleading for us that we might not sin.
It was from the Mercy Seat that God spoke with Moses and the High Priest giving them directions in leading the people Israel:
“There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. Psalm 25:22
We are believers can now enter before the Mercy Seat and get our directions from God. The Christian leader needs to understand this more than anyone because orders from God are needed to do what God wants:
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1
Many times our work seems useless even though we work so hard, and we think we are doing everything right, but unless we are doing things the way Jesus wants us to, we may be laboring in vain. We need our orders from God, this comes from coming before the mercy seat of God.
“The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.” Psalm 99:1
Jesus is seen as the life in the Most Holy Place. He is the living manna, High Priest and the Word of God. He is the living blood that is
ever pleading on our behalf. He is ever living as God, with God. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Jesus said in John 14:6:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
These words are powerful because they mean so much more than what first meets the eye. We can see that, as in the outer court, Jesus
is the way. As we move to the Holy Place, the truth of Jesus is revealed. Finally, in the Most Holy Place, Jesus is seen as the life. God
has given such a model of Jesus that years if study could never reveal it all. Yet, caution needs to be taken in studying about Jesus in
the tabernacle. It is very easy to know about Jesus but much harder to get to know Jesus. The Apostle Paul’s heart cry was to know
Christ (Philippians 3:10). Is our heart cry the same? After learning about each of these articles, the student of the Word needs to
apply what was learned. Otherwise, it is like the priest that looks at himself in the bronze laver and walks away without doing
anything about it. It is time to gain a living relationship with the author of life and the architect of a most fascinating tabernacle with
instructions straight from the throne room of heaven. He has given us a model of our Lord, will we study to apply it?
Footnotes
1 Universal Standard Encyclopedia, Editor, Joseph Laffan Morse, Unicorn Publishers Inc. New York, USA 1954 Pg 5830, Vol. 16.
2 Thompson, Frank Charles. Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, B.B.Kirkbride Bible Co. Inc. Indianoplois, Indiana, USA 1908 Pg
2010.
3 Cornwall, Judson. Let Us Draw Near. Bridge Publishing, Inc. South Plainfield, NJ USA Pg 66.
4 Cornwall, Judson. Let Us Draw Near. Bridge Publishing, Inc. South Plainfield, NJ USA Pg 68.
5 Epp Theodore H. Portraits of Christ in the Tabernacle. Back to the Bible, Lincoln, Nebraska. USA 1976. Pg 133.
Bibliography
Cornwall, Judson. Let Us Draw Near. Bridge Publishing, Inc. South Plainfield, NJ USA
Epp Theodore H. . Back to the Bible, Lincoln, Nebraska. USA 1976
Holdcroft, L. Thomas. The Pentateuch. Western Book Company, Calif. USA 1966.
Holman Bible Dictionary for Windows. Hiawatha, Iowa. Parsons Technology. 1994
Lesson, Mel. Christ in the Tabernacle. Sunshine Hills Foursquare Church. Surry. BC 1990
Quick Verse for Windows. Hiawatha, Iowa: Parsons Technology 1994.
Serendipity Bible For Groups. New Testament Version, Serendipity House, Co., USA 1988.
Simpson, A.B. Christ in the Tabernacle Christian Publications. Pennsylvania, USA, 1985.
Soltau, Henry W. The Holy Vessels and Furniture of the Tabernacle. Kregel Publications. Michigan, USA 1973.
Soltau, Henry W. The Tabernacle, the Priesthood and the Offerings. Kregel Publications. Michigan, USA 1972
Talbor, Louis T. Christ in the Tabernace. Moody Press, Chicago. USA 1978.
The Compact Bible Dictionary. Regency Reference Library. Zondervan Publishing House. Michigan, USA 1967.
Thompson, Frank Charles. Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. B.B. Kirkbride Bible Co. Inc. Indianoplois, Indiana, USA 1908
Universal Standard Encyclopedia. Editor Joseph Laffan Morse. Unicorn Publishers, Inc. New York, USA 1954.