104 - He'll Leave the Light on For You

You pick up your Bible. Is there more as you see on this or something you mean it's just words printed on paper may look like just print on a page, but it's more than Inc. join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our as we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than someone's home, you're welcome welcome welcome things. The lights are on and there's food in the fragrance of the food come in.

Well believe it or not that's how goddesses were welcome in his house see it today on more than Inc. evening and welcome to our dining table.

I'm Dorothy and I'm Jim and it's a beautiful morning and we are here today in Exodus 25 talking about the furnishings in the tabernacle stuff and blouse that that the place where God is said no build me a tent and I will dwell with you there in in your midst, and so last week we talked about that.

The temple are the tabernacle itself, and that and then the ark of the covenant, the most holy thing in the deepest, most holy place. Top of the list price list is the arc of a crime and we talk little bit about the incredible detail that was given regarding the building of these things.

So today we have before us a couple of more furnishings, 90s are not actually in the holy of holies with the ark, but they are outside that veil, which we actually have gotten instruction about inside the tabernacle, but the next thing on the list that God communicates to Moses is the table for the red and the golden lampstand, and so these are very interesting pictures yet. I'll remind you get if you and your last time there's there's great. Everyone of these things has great teaching of God is not arbitrary and how he designs what is brilliant. They're meant to be, so that when you see them either in your minds eye to read them here semen for real though make you stop and say I think I know something about the God who lives in this test and report because if we if God's using the picture of this is my tent where I dwell among you, well you know every place where you live.

If you're going to live in a tent, you have to have table eat right and have have something to give you light America's a because old-fashioned tents didn't necessarily have Windows and what you keep in the tent are the most precious things that are required for year life. So, since this is the purpose of this we saw in chapter 25 proceeded to make a sanctuary that I may dwell in your members than these things are going to reflect the very nature and character of God in his intention to dwell in our midst.

So they all have meaning that you can the least. I have been chewing on my entire life, but this represents what this is saying what to say. What I see something like this. So listen very carefully to the very specific design specifications for these things that were going to be inside God's tent inside his portable house and and ask yourself what is this telling me about God and what is this telling me about the opportunities I might have. To be in God's presence and running was telling me. And last time I mentioned to slightly quickly in the ark for me since the ark is holding will will hold, we don't know yet but I'll tell you what spoiler the 10 Commandments will be in their home and will be more.

In fact but but the things in there represent God's word to the nation of Israel.

His commitment to the nation of Israel and their testimonies and witnessing to their statements of truth of the most holy things that God wants his people to know and understand exactly and so they're put in the box that that looks extraordinarily wholly covered with gold covered with symbols of two cherubim Horicon of the guardians of heaven is a very precious precious thing in its its rep together in this vision of it being like a throne of God himself, so it it tells you a ton. You can work on all your life and I we talked last week and I'll bet the gold right in gold through the ages has always been recognized as as the most precious, most beautiful metal and when we when we read about the ark. We really emphasize the fact that said not cover the outside of it and cover the part that no one will ever see again. As you know, why would you waste the gold putting nightmare got his things precious down to its area for its reflecting the holiness and processes and goals of the right material. In fact, when you skip fast-forward when we get the actual temple built for Solomon. The inside of it wholly holds it in her room at the ark will reside itself.

Every wall is covered with covered with coal so it's really it's a remarkably good picture if you walked in and say I'm in a different place you can imagine the sense of the radiance right because gold gold plate or gold leaf is very reflective in a very glowing radiant sort of way will we move away from the ark. That's one thing that be inside there and then.

Today were going to cover two more things to be inside the tabernacle and what to start in the reboot were in chapter 25. If you're following with this we read from the ESV versions of the trip you up too much and I'll start with verse 23 will look at this table.

This meant for Brett, so you shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be it's like a cubit its breath and a cubit and 1/2 its height, and you shall overlay it with pure gold to make a molding of gold around it and you shall make a rim around it by handgrips wide and a molding of gold around the rib and you shall make it for make for it four rings of gold and fast.

The rings to the four corners at its four legs and close to the frame.

The ring shall lie as holders for the poles to carry the table and you shall make the poles of acacia wood overlaid them with gold in the table shall be carried with these and you shall make its plates and dishes for incense and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings and you shall make them of pure gold and you shall set the bread of the presence on the table before me regularly what all the present bread of the Pratt is a mysterious term, so he describes force just the construction of this table like 3 feet every bag no. 3 feet long, about foot FY about about waist high table is just the table covered with gold and yet what's what's most intriguing about this table is the very last sentence I think you can put bread on this bread and it was not just anyone. Pratt. This bread indicates the bread of the press and Scott right so if you think about that in terms of the experience of the people up to this point what they experienced that God and bread right God had been giving them man every single day from the day he began which indicated his presence and ability to write the bread that comes down out of heaven. Oh, didn't Jesus and bread comes down on heaven and gives life to the world is my flesh, so we talked a lot about this already in relation to the manna but here were actually taking bread and he'll talk more about this later. If you if you look in the Kissel talk about what's going beyond it's going to be a loaf for every try right so that more detail unpacked, but that I would say this is an essential place to apply your studies guilt. You are listening. If you run across this bread of the presence look in your cross-references in your column in your Bible and find out where else that is talked about men and probably at the top of the list will be. Leviticus 24 where we again we have the bread table associated with the lampstand because those are the two prominent pieces of furnishings in this part of the temple tabernacle and and it will get a description there of. How often they replaced it and what happened to it to replace it every Sabbath, every Sabbath engine was given as food for the priest as a priest for something else could eat it. It was just designated them over. There was a very famous historic error David as his running for his life, so may not result on the question Jesus makes reference Jesus references that yes of this is not just some of this cure is that Sambol right so but it is interesting again. You step back and you say, why would God want as as a principal part of the stuff that's inside his tabernacle in God's tent. Why would he want to set a table with 12 loaves of bread. Why would you do that. What is it telling. If you walked into this room and you looked around to see something else and sign.

We looked around and you see this gold covered wooden table about 3 feet long and it's covered with loaves of bread you would save yourself are reading today faster if you come into somebody's house and the table is set with my way right 12 loaves for 12 loaves for each of the 12 tribes so anything that well think about it. A second incident where Jesus fed the crowds, he broke that bread into 12 pieces and picked up 12 baskets full right one from everybody so all on this picture, the more it unfolds for you and I like to I think the simplest interpretation is where I started but it's got deeper years to look at this and say, God, God has set the table for us to join him and remember talking about before the covenants were always capped off with a meal is since this is saying God saying to us, I'm glad to hear I set the table for you and whose include everything every person is the 12 number so it's it's really a fascinating thing to have. Inside here I mean it really is. I just thought about over the years Jesus is the bread of life in the manna from heaven.

I mean it's it's a great picture.

Pick it is so much so take your concordance and look look up branches presence. And you know chase down Brad yeah and look especially for the New Testament references to Brad and then narrow that down.

Look for the words of Jesus regarding bread and think of bread in an ancient sense for us is Frank's boring part of a meal well and these days. Bread is attached to all kinds of problems with our digestive lettering. People are highly sensitized to glue, but anciently, anciently, anciently, Brad was the essential food that ran everyone had to have is the necessary day necessary daily food. So that's were talking about this being filled, just like we have the role of men ahead with them. It was the necessary portion that kept them alive for a generation is interesting even when the disciples asked Jesus teach us to pray pray this way like give us this day our necessary daily prayer necessary daily food. I was interested to buy this phrase the spread of the present range trend that is when you look in different English Bibles built the phase of phrasal differently because it's a little ambiguous. It literally in Hebrew means the bread of faces, faces well when you come in the presence of God. You're facing him and that's why face-to-face with face-to-face and it's a scary thing to be face-to-face with God because he is our judge. He's into Huber Justice and stuff.

I so there's always this idea about do you want to be in the face of God or that's action behind the idea that no one can see him face him and survive because you're in the presence of a holy God who treats sin without your well increasing horribly so well okay let's leave that aside for a minute and let back to the bread of the print what I'm saying is a sickness to face this in the presence go together to come and is of God. You're actually coming to face him and so that's why this bread of face-to-face kind makes sense when you think about whether to their fellowship or just drawing near to God and being a spirit being in his house and sitting at his table and eating bread with him right so that's I think that's the picture I think that's a picture, it signals a lot of hospitality and a lot of a lot of delight on God's part to have you. Being it is stable.

That's what it sings you're coming into this very holy austere place that speaks of the holiness of God.

The same breads on the table is that you think this is the wonderfully vision inside it. I if I was writing the Bible I would've invented this, but as I look at it. It warms this place so much we can't say I'm glad I probably smelled good.

Probably so well actually know that it smells unique because you read in Leviticus about how there was incense mingled bread with frankincense ranking sent yeah which is stinky by it but I don't know exactly how that works but later on will discover that the formula for the incense that they used in the tabernacle was absolutely unique. You could not use that particular formulation in anywhere else so that there was this unique fragrance when it entered into the holy place smelled like it always identified with got well so removed from this table, loaves of bread on it to a lampstand unit read that sure one picking up in verse 31 you shall make a stand of pure gold.

The lampstand shall be made of hammered work. It's base it stands its capsids can't seize. That is, flowers shall be of one piece with it, and there shall be six branches going out of his sides.

Three branches of the lampstand on one side and three branches of the lampstand. On the other side of three caps, almond blossoms, each with a calyx and flour on one branch and three caps made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flour on the ranch.

So for the six branches going out of the lampstand and on the lampstand itself.

There shall be four caps made light on blossoms with the complexities and the flowers and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand that calyx sees in their branches shall be of one piece with it, and the whole of it.

A single piece and a hammered work of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it and the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it.

It's times in their trays shall be a pure golden shall be made with all these utensils out of a talent of pure gold and see you make them after the pattern for that which is being shown you on the mountain.

The pattern it's important. It says something okay so I need a lampstand well for one thing will find out pretty soon the tabernacle is is no window as it would be pitchdark inside. In fact, is covered with skins I mean is not a translucent lease and only source of light is there, comes from this lampstand.

This is it. This is the lampstand was not small.

It was very large and in fact we have a wonderful semi contemporary picture of the actual thing because when Titus went in in 70 A.D. and wiped out Jerusalem. He came back in the year after he died, he made a monument to Monroe Stiller to the site. They looted the arch of Titus is in Rome and on the side of it. These got they got a picture grieving of them walk in this stuff out of the temple and their right. These guys are holding over their heads is is so we know what I don't like and we know the size of it. It's roughly man's eyes a little bit less. You could reach. You know where to put the oil and stuff. It was a big thing was just it was not just a lamp on top of the table. It was a man size… You and by the way it had. It had seven things on the top. If you see if you have Jewish friends. They have a menorah around Hanukkah that actually has nine things on the top. This one only has seven so that's how you can check out which one stands for Israel the temple which one stands for Hanukkah, but because that picture on the Titus arch in Rome of that of that that lampstand gets that that's been the very one yeah right out of the temple.

We can look at that and say well that's actually a symbol for Israel to this very day. That picture is on almost all of Israel's currency is that lampstand from that Titus arch in Rome and it River edits this is this thing right here. Talk about historical connection is amazing. So the question arises my mind. Not only is Whitey delight because this physical you could see your way around there without it.

What is it mean that the light is coming from seven lamps at the top of what looks like a golden almond tree tree is a fact if I do it I'd make it like a grapevine. I don't if I make a moment to anymore. All the blossoms of the omens are. That's were the lights coming.

It's interesting that the Scripture the whole story of Scripture begins in an garden and there's great emphasis on the tree and we find the tree again and revelation when everything is put right so I'll that's not a mistake. Yet this lampstand is in the shape of a flowering tree. I suspect they are that there is a there is a veiled reference there to the tree of life yes and the light that comes from the tree of life. Given by the knowledge of God. Knowing God is the source of light and life, and that's important because, again, if the very flawed Jim was writing this I would put 12 I would like we have on our flag, you know, we have we have 13 bars and we've got 56, 50 stars, and it tells you about the different parts of the country.

Here I would put one on for every truck, but he put seven on instead of 12, which tells you very instantly seven is so associated with God enough to try. But the light is coming from God that not coming from the tribes is coming from God's incompletion cursor seven of them so well, and it's all it's all a unified unit right were told is all from a single source.

This step required some considerable artistry to create this amazing furnishing a source of light and it was heavy. I mean, when you look at the arch of Titus much.

The old way because he said he used. I looked it up as a 75 pound McGinnis 75 pounds of pure gold, which in today's money would be over $2 million is a lot of gold. They walk away from Egypt. With that much gold they must well wishing wasn't one guy wasn't carrying the whole thing amongst people. 2 million people assess for gold and silver and jewelry and precious things. Can you believe that they left Egypt with them much gold use the riches of Egypt they did.

They just don't care why were they out there complaining got nothing fancy worked quite wealthy. They were quite wealthy. They got a great bootstrap start is you can't eat gold and there's no place to buy food in the desert. So the problem ball by itself.

But he said to be make sure you don't make it last verse.

The pattern for them is gotta be specifically what God has shown Moses on the mountain so this this lampstand which we have so well described here takes up a lot of verses is telling us something really powerful about not only the source of light inside the tabernacle with the source of light in God's house, coming from God himself, and it's completely comes from a holy device of gold which makes it a holy sort of thing and I've always wondered about the almond tree think as I reflect back when I was in college I was in central California and it was surrounded by nut farms, almanacs and New Orleans yeah and I remember in the very early part of the year like February March when the almond trees blossom to the almond blossoms like these 55 lobe pedals that are white and are just there a lot like there a lot like apricot blossoms on white so you would do it going to parts the center Valley, California. Look out there and you see the sea, white flour is just beautiful was stunning. It was stunning and so there's a service fruitfulness in this bursting out of life that comes out omens. There's something about this picture of the omens and the life from these flowers that's bringing this like it. It's a given. You had asked what is me. Okay, so the flower actually got and all of creation teaches you.

That's the flower is the promise of the fruit that's coming that's right right so the fact that this light is that that picture of the flowering life-giving trace is the source of light is really a lovely one to coupon if we said that everything in this temple speaks of who God is and how we come to God and and it all points to Jesus. Well John. In the beginning of his gospel says you know in him was life and the life was the light of men delight right. Jesus himself said I might world so in the symbology of this entry part of the tabernacle to that so dark in a sense, could you say that it represents the darkness of mankind's outer entry you coming in and there really is no source of light except for the light that comes from God himself could have very well be that when God says, dwell amongst you saying I'm drawing in a place that's that's profoundly dark and if it worked for me there would be no light would be no understanding of the way things really are right. If it weren't for the life that I that I bring to this and that's what light reveals is and it is the status of things as they really are yeah yeah right because if you're in the dark. You really don't know what you can't see right ending. I said this many times in our modern culture. We miss that because McCrone like no light everywhere but not want to go camping when I go camping understand how problem or problems are pieces of the moolah force and stuff like that and you're just very thankful for flashlight will God saying that this world were in because the phone that your mankind is a very dark place in the place where you come in to meet with God. This outer portion of the tabernacle is dominated by utter darkness. If it weren't for the presence of God so light garage.

I were in the dark and you see a light glimmering in the distance. That's what you look at test you will write so were told here in this passage set it up so as to give light on the space in front if it draws you to it right in this dark room you are drawn to the warmth this light and we know that candlelight is very warm. We would set a mood document candle right exactly and he could have made a candlelight just a single stem candle. He could let the place, but in doing these seven lamps he saying that only my don't like the place on the lighted complete complete style.

I mean like like like you cannot believe seven not just 17 fully, completely and it lights the place were actually the show pictures of putting lampstand and there, and the speculation is that it was off to the side left or right as you walk into the tabernacle and move toward the holy of holies, where the ark was this thing… Your entire path from the entry into the tabernacle up to the entry in the holy of holies in the center zone way what he saying is that this complete and full over the top blinding light of God from the seven candles is actually lighting the way from where you come in in a dark place and come in the presence of God it'll show you the way your your word is a light to my path that's releasing right so AE and it's interesting that in the list of tools that they may cases make it snuff. Ursula couldn't carry it. Let write about. Once you read you set up the tabernacle again. You knew camping place that lamp was kept lit 24 seven we find out that that's one of the tasks of the priests were teasing and tamed the light oil and light lit the whole time.

Bring in the oil.

That's why oil is mentioned, you know, back with beginning each of 20 oh oil for the lamps rice explained… Talk about to write this well if you're going to keep that thing burning all the time exactly.

So here's this wonderful picture of you walk into someone's house and in the inside of the house was just just miserably, black and dark say nobody some nobodies home but when you have something like this not only just the lights that shine in them in the darkness, but these loaves of bread is actually very hospitable but everything is gold is hospitable and it's in his holy. This is a different kind of place and this is a different house I've ever walked into any world and that's what God wanted tell you is I want you to be here, but if it weren't for my light stumbler on my is always on for you. I was on the lamp is on and this begs another question your Bible study years is how does like figure is a metaphor throughout what is was like many, why is it that this particular candelabra of sorts is saying something about light coming simple version is that light shows the way things really are beginning to be my so new long that is standing in this tabernacle, smelling poaching, so were glad to answer and come back and keep talking about the tabernacle to stay here so I'm Jim doing family want to come back as it's really exciting kind of stuff walking next morning is a production of mainstream church is solely responsible for its content. To contact us with your questions or comments.

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