GLEANINGS IN EXODUS

LESSON 28

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE (Cont.)

– By E. L. Bynum, Pastor

Memory Verse: Ex. 26:30 (N.W. 27:20)—————Lesson: Ex. 26:15-37

II. THE BOARDS & FOUNDATION. v. 15-30

A. The Boards Of The Tabernacle. v. 15-25

1. Made of shittim wood a type of His humanity. v. 15. Heb. 2:14, 17, Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. I Tim. 2:5, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Though He was human, His was perfect humanity. I Pet. 2:22, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. II Cor. 5:21, For he hath made him [to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. I John 3:5, And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

2. The size of each board was 15 feet by 27 inches. v. 16

3. The tenons. v. 17. These were fingers or hands that projected in order to secure the board to the foundation.

4. The number of boards. v. 18, 20, 22

5. The corner boards. v. 23. These remind us of Christ the chief cornerstone. Isa . 28:16, Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Psa. 118:22, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. I Pet. 2:7-8, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

B. The Foundation Of The Tabernacle. v. 19, 21

1. Each board was supported by two sockets of silver. v . 19

2. The sockets made of the redemption or ransom money. Ex. 30:11-16

3. The silver was made into the 100 sockets of silver. Ex. 38:25-27.

a. Each socket was of 1 talent or about 80 to 100 lbs.

b. All the foundation weighed from 8 to 10 thousand lbs.

4. Silver speaks of the blood, the price of our redemption. I Pet. 1:18-19, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Lev. 17:11, For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Heb. 9:22, And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. I Cor. 6:20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

5. This reveals that blood redemption is foundational to all of God’s work on the behalf of His people.

C. The Bars For The Tabernacle. v. 26-28

1. Five bars for each wall to stabilize the boards. v. 26-27

2. The middle bar reached from end to end and was invisible. v. 28. Ex. 36:33, And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.

D. The Covering For The Boards. v. 29-30

1. The boards were covered with gold. v. 29

2. The bars to be covered with gold and the rings to be made of gold. v. 29

3. All to be done according to the pattern. v. 30

E. The Typology. v. 15-30

1. It is all a type of Christ.

a. The wood typifies His perfect humanity.

b. The gold typifies His eternal deity and glory manifested.

c. The silver represents His blood redemption as the foundation of all things done for sinners.

d. The bars represent Christ the perfect man and God the Son securing eternally His work of redemption.

2. It also typifies the church as the dwelling place of God.

a. Christ the redeemer is the foundation. Isa. 28:16. I Cor. 3:11, For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. I Pet. 2:5, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

b. His people are partakers of the divine nature. II Pet. 1:4, Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

c. The church is local and was purchased by the blood of God. Acts 20:28, Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

d. The church is a building fitly framed together which groweth into an holy temple. Eph. 2:21, In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.

e. That temple is an habitation of God through the Spirit. Eph. 2:22, In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. NOTE: “As the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, was the dwelling place of God, so the church (I Cor. 3:12-16), and this is the church at Corinth, not visible and universal, nor invisible and universal, but the church located in the city of Corinth, just as the Tabernacle was located in the midst of Israel in the wilderness and later the Temple in Jerusalem. In Ephesians 2:19-22, this is the church at Ephesus to whom this circular letter was primarily addressed. This same church is also called the House of God (I Tim. 3:15).” -Studies in Exodus, by Dr. Louis Entzminger, pages 53-54.

III . THE VEILS FOR THE TABERNACLE. v. 31-35

A. The Inner Vail. v. 31-35

1. Its colors, cherubim, and cunning work. v. 31

2. Its pillars, hooks, and sockets of silver. v. 32

3. The veil divided between the holy place and the most holy place. v. 33-35

4. The typical meaning.

a. The veil was a type of His body. Heb. 10:20, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.

b. Christ in His perfect sinless life, barred the way (as a veil) to God the Father.

c. Christ in His perfect death, rent the veil and made a way of access to God. Matt. 27:50-51, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.

d. The Lord Jesus Christ took our sins (the one thing that barred our access to God) in His own body on the tree.

e. He opened up a new and living way. Heb. 9:11-15, But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Heb. 9:23-26, It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

B. The Outer Vail. v. 36-37

1. This veil was the very door of the tabernacle. v. 36

2. Its colors and construction. v. 36

3. Its pillars and hooks. v. 37

4. It too typifies Christ by which we must come for fellowship and service.

CONCLUSION

The outside of the Tabernacle may have been drab, but on the inside it was a place of great beauty. Psa. 27:4, One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. Psa. 26:8, LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Psa. 65:4, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Psa. 84:1-2, 4.

It is the same with Jesus Christ. Those outside of Christ see no beauty in Him. Those in Christ see Him in His glory. Col. 2:9, For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

—by E. L. Bynum

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. What was the height of the tabernacle walls?

2. What were the tenons and what was their purpose?

3. What was the foundation made of, and what does it typify?

4. Where did they get the material for the foundation? Be specific

5. What was the ratio of sockets to boards?

6. How many bars were there, and what was their purpose?

7. What was used to cover the boards?

8. How did the walls and foundation typify Christ?

9. How did they typify the church?

10. What was the purpose of the inner veil?

11. What did this veil typify?

12. How does the rending of the veil relate to this?

LESSON 27

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE

By E. L. Bynum, Pastor

Memory Verse: Ex. 26:14 (N .W . 26:30)————Lesson: Ex. 26:1-14

CORRECTION for last week: The dimension of the table should have been about 36″ long, 18″ wide, and 27″ high. Ex. 25:23

I. THE CURTAINS FOR A COVERING. v. 1-14

A. The Linen Curtain. v. 1-6

1. Only those inside of the tabernacle could see this curtain. They had come by the way of the brazen altar, a type of the cross. Only those who are in Christ can see the beauty and glory that is invisible to the lost. Eph. 3:8, 10, 16, Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ … To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God … That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. Col. 2:3, In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Psa. 96:6, Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

2. The spotless curtains point to the holiness of Jesus Christ. v.1

a. The priests were dressed in this same kind of material. Ex. 28:39-43

b. On the day of atonement Aaron was dressed in this kind of material. Lev. 16:4, He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

c. The fine twined linen represents the righteousness of the saints. Rev. 19:8, And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. We learn what man is without that righteousness of Christ imputed to us. Isa. 64:6, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

3. Their colors: blue the color of heaven; purple that of royalty; scarlet the color of blood; and white tells of righteousness, and all these point to Jesus Christ.

a. Blue, purple and scarlet are found together 24 times in the book of Exodus.

b. The priestly garments also contained these colors. Ex. 28:5-6

4. The dimensions of each panel of the curtains was about 42′ long by 6′ in width. v. 2. The whole curtain was about 42′ x 60′.

5. The Cherubim. v. 1. Probably the same as the living creatures of Ezek. 1:5-11.

a. These beautiful colors were used in embroidering the cherubim on the white linen.

b. They symbolize the presence of God. The priests on the inside serving, were constantly reminded that God was watching them. Psa. 61:4, I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. Psa. 91:4, He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psa.17:8, Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings. Psa. 36:7, How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psa. 57:1, Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psa. 63:7, Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

6. Loops of blue and taches of gold. v. 3-6. (A tache was a hook and the selvedge was extreme edge). The taches unite the curtains and they typify Christ’s unity with the Father and with His people. He also unites the Father and redeemed man in Himself.

B. The Curtain of Goats’ Hair. v. 7-13

1. The goats’ hair reminds of atonement. v. 7. Lev. 16. Atonement has to do with covering.

a. The goat was used as a sin offering. Num. 28:17, 22; Lev. 23:15, 19; and Num. 29:1, 5.

b. These curtains pointed to Christ as the sin offering for the sins of His people. II Cor. 5:21, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Isa. 53:10, Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

2. The number of curtains were eleven. v. 7. This was one more that the linen curtains, in order to overlap.

3. They were longer, to overlap and cover the linen curtain. v. 8. Each panel was 45′ x 6′ and the whole curtain was 45′ x 66′.

4. Divided into two parts, 6 and 5. v. 9

a. Six is man’s number and five is the number of grace.

b. Note that six is man’s dominant number. Twelve inches in a foot; 36 inches in a yard; 60 minutes in an hour; 24 hours in a day; and 12 months in a year.

5. The taches were of brass, which speaks of judgment. v . 11

a. The brazen altar was where the sin offerings were burnt. Ex. 27:1-8

b. The serpent of brass, a type of the sacrifice of Christ. Num. 21:8, And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. John 3:14, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.

6. The overhang. v. 12-13. To all that entered, this would be a reminder of the sin offering. Isa. 53:6, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Heb. 9:28, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Isa. 44:22, I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Psa. 103:12, As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Isa. 38:17, Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

C. The Rams’ Skins Dyed Red. v. 14

1. Red is the color of blood.

2. The ram was the offering for consecration of the priests. Ex. 29:26; Lev. 8:22-29

3. The ram was Isaac’s substitute. Gen. 22:13, And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

4. This curtain points to our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without His offering we could not be consecrated for service

D. The Badgers’ Skins Covering. v. 14

1. This was the drab outside cover which is all the world could see. This is as the world sees Christ. It is no wonder that the following Scriptures are found in the Word of God. Psa. 27:4, One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. Psa. 26:8, LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Psa. 65:4, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Psa. 84:1-2, 4, How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

2. Whatever this animal was, it skins were made into shoes. Ezek. 16:10

3. This was one of the offerings. Ex. 25:5. They literally gave up their material for shoes. This may seem like too great a sacrifice, but God took care of their feet. Deut. 8:4, Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Deut. 29:5, And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. Phil. 4:13,19, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

4. The curtain portrays His humiliation. Phil. 2:7, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

CONCLUSION

The Tabernacle reveals the person and work of Christ. They needed no more than this. We need nothing more that Christ, and we should add nothing else to Him. Col. 1:19, For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Col 2:3, In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Col 3:1, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Eph. 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. As the song writer wrote, “Christ is all I need.”

—by E. L. Bynum

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. How many coverings did the tabernacle have?

2. How many sections did the linen curtain have, and how many did the goats’ hair curtain have?

3. How did the inside appearance of the linen curtain remind us of Christ?

4. What does the fine linen represent?

5. What does the Cherubim symbolize?

6. What does the loops of blue and taches of gold typify?

7. What does the goats’ hair remind us of? What was the goat used for in the sacrifices?

8. Six is_________number and five is the number of_________.

9. Why were the taches of gold for the linen curtain, and of brass for the goats’ hair curtain?

10. The rams’ skins dyed red point to who or what?

11. What else did the Israelites use the badgers’ skins for?

LESSON 26

THE FURNITURE FOR THE TABERNACLE

—by E. L. Bynum

Memory Verse: Exodus 25:40 (N.W. 26:14)————Lesson: Ex. 25:23-40

I. THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD. v. 23-30

A. The Table. v. 23-29

1. Dimensions. v. 23. It was about 36″ long, 18″ wide, and 27″ high.

2. Made of shittim (acacia) wood. v. 23. This speaks of HIS humanity.

3. Covered with gold. v. 23. This speaks of HIS deity.

4. The crown. v. 24-25. This speaks of HIS kingship.

5. Golden rings and staves. v. 26-28. This would reveal to those that carried it, that they were on a Divine mission.

6. Dishes, spoons, and bowls of gold. v. 29

B. The Bread.

1. Made of fine flour. The recipe is found in Lev. 24:5-9

a. There were twelve loaves representing one for each tribe, before the Lord.

b. The frankincense shows us that it was offered to a king. Lev. 24:7. Matt. 2:11, And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

2. Bread removed every Sabbath day and placed in a basket for the priests to eat. To be eaten in the Holy Place only.

C. The Bread a Type of Christ.

1. Christ as the corn of wheat. John 12:24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He was ground in the mill of suffering. John 12:27, Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. He was brought into the fire of judgment. John 12:31-33, Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.

2. Christ the living bread from heaven. John 6:51, I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

3. We are to feast upon the living Word as revealed in the written Word.

D. Leaven A Symbol Of Evil.

1. Jesus warns of leaven. Matt. 16:11-12, How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. I Cor. 5:6-8

2. Bread on table 7 days, which is God’s number of perfection. Christ spent a whole life here on earth and no leaven was found in Him.

E. Christ As Food.

1. Only the priests could feed upon the shewbread. Lev. 24:9; Matt. 12:4, How he (David) entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

2. Every saved person a believer-priest. I Pet. 2:9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Rev. 1:6, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

3. The bread cost the priest nothing.

4. The sustaining food of the believer is: the written Word and the Living Word.

5. Only bread on the table. Nothing fancy such as pie etc. Why is it that people want a carnival atmosphere, joking, entertainment, movies, and magic tricks when they come to Church? WHY is not CHRIST and His Word enough?

F. They Were To Eat Standing Up.

1. Not one chair in the Tabernacle. It was not a place of ease. They were to be ready to move on a moments notice.

2. Passover was to be eaten with shoes on, loins girded, staff in hand, ready to leave on a moments notice.

3. Lord’s Supper looks forward to His coming. I Cor. 11:26, For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. When He comes, will he find us standing, loafing, sleeping, or serving.

4. Bread is a product of death, crushing, baking in heated oven We need to see Him being crushed, dying, and suffering for us. If so, we will be busy standing, going, and serving.

II . THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. v. 31-40

A. The Purpose Of The Candlestick. v. 31-40

1. The candlestick was the symbol of a person. Note “his” in v. 31 . John 8:12; 9:5, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Isa. 42:6, I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. Isa. 49:6, …I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles….

2. The candlestick to furnish light on shewbread and for priests.

a. We are not to worship in ignorance, but in the light of truth. John 4:24, God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

b. To do this, we need the light of the Word of God to lead and guide us in our service. Prov. 6:23, For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.

3. No windows in the Tabernacle, but there was the candlestick for the Holy place and Shekinah light for the Holy of Holies

B. They Were Not To Walk In The Light Of Nature Or Reason.

1. If they walked in the light of nature or reason, they had to get outside the Tabernacle.

2. Outside they could not see the beauty of the inside.

3. The light of reason invents evolution, Fatherhood of God, and a bloodless religion.

a. Instead of blood as the remedy for sin, it is religion, morality, ethics, ordinances, education, psychology, and psychiatry, etc.

b. The natural man does not receive spiritual things. I Cor. 2:14, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

4. The believer walks in the light of the Word. Psa. 119:105, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

5. Natures light becomes spiritual darkness to the unbeliever. Matt. 6:23, But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

C. The Candlestick.

1. Made of pure gold which speaks of the deity of Christ.

2. The gold was beaten, the oil beaten, both speak of the suffering of Christ.

3. That which symbolizes Christ, sometimes symbolizes His body, which is the New Testament Church. It also sometimes symbolizes individual Christians.

4. One central shaft, and the 6 branches were hooked to it. Six is the number of man. Incomplete unless attached to the central shaft which typifies Christ.

5. It was to give light over against it. v. 37.

a. The light was to reveal the candlestick which was a type of Christ.

b. The seven individual candlesticks (not a seven branched) represent the seven churches of Asia. Rev. 1:12, 13, 20, And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

c. Each individual church is the body of Christ, and without Him in the midst, there is nothing to honor God. I Cor. 12:27, Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. This was addressed to the church at Corinth. I Cor. 1:2, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth….

6. The Candlestick beaten. It was hammered on the anvil. God’s great men experienced this. Moses, Joseph, Daniel, and Job all had this experience. Perhaps the worst part was not the hammering, but the pecking to make flowers, knops, etc. [Knop is “knob, bulb (as ornament)”]

D. Are We Shining?

1. God wants the Christian to Shine. Matt. 5:14, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Phil.2:15, That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.

2. Where can we shine best? In the Church. Rev. 1:20, …the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

3. The Holy Spirit in us is the oil. Rom. 8:9, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. I Cor. 6:19, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

4. The purpose of our shining. Matt. 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

5. Lamps must be cleaned and adjusted to burn properly.

6. The old oil lamps of yesterday had to be cleaned, trimmed, and adjusted. If too high they exalted self, if too low the flame was smothered and they would smoke.

—by E. L. Bynum

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. What was the dimensions of the table?

2. What two materials was it made of, and what did they typify?

3. What was the bread made of, and what did this symbolize?

4. When and where was the bread to be eaten, and who was to eat it?

5. What are we to feast on?

6. Leaven is a symbol of _________?

7. Why coup they not eat sitting down?

8. What or who does the candlestick symbolize?

9. What was it made of?

10. What does the Bible say about Christians shining?

11 . Where can the Christian shine best?

12. What is the oil for the candlestick a type of?

LESSON 25

THE FURNITURE FOR THE TABERNACLE

By E. L. Bynum, Pastor

Memory Verse: Exodus 25:8 (N.W. 25:40)————Lesson: Exodus 25:1-22

The Tabernacle is described in chapters 25-27; it is constructed in chapters 36-38; and it is set up in chapters 39-40. It pictured Christ and His work. See Heb. 9:1-3, 23-24; I Cor. 10:1-11; and John 2:14.

I. THE OFFERING FOR THE TABERNACLE. v. 1-9

A. The Manner Of The Offering. v. 1-2

1. It was an offering ordained of God. God could have created the Tabernacle, but He did not. He blessed His people by allowing them to give and build. We have the same privilege in giving and labouring to build His local church.

2. Only Israel was to participate in the offering. They gave so much that Moses had to ask them to stop. Ex. 36:6-7

3. It was to be given willingly from the heart. It was not a tax. We can only give what God has provided us to give. I Chron. 29:14, But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

B. Fourteen Materials For The Offering. v. 3-7

These materials and their typical meaning is very important in the study of the Tabernacle. There are 14 items mentioned which is God’s number of perfection doubled. Two is the number of witness.

1. Gold speaks of deity manifested and is a type of Christ. v. 3

a. It is estimated that a ton of Gold and three tons of silver were used in the Tabernacle.

b. They got this wealth spoiling the Egyptians. Ex. 12:35-36

2. Silver speaks of redemption. v. 3. Ex. 30:11-16; 38:27; I Pet. 1:18-19, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

3. Brass speaks of judgment. v. 3. Num. 21:6-9; John 3:14-15, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

4. Blue speaks of that which is heavenly in nature or origin. v.4

5. Purple speaks of royalty, the color worn by Easter kings. v. 4

6. Scarlet speaks of sacrificial blood. v. 4. The color was the extract of a worm. These words are about Christ. Psa. 22:6, But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7. Fine linen speaks of spotless righteousness. v. 4. Rev. 19:8, And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

8. Goat’s hair speaks of Christ as the sin bearer. v. 4. Lev. 16:5, 15, 21

9. The ram’s skin dyed red speaks of the devotion of Christ. v. 5. A ram used as sacrifice of consecration in consecrating the priests.

10. The badger’s skins speak of Christ in His humiliation. v. 5. Isa. 53:2, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. It was used to make the outer covering of the Tabernacle and they made shoes out of badger skins. Evidently this was a different animal than our badgers.

11. Shittim wood (acacia) speaks of the humanity of Christ. v. 5

12. Oil for the light was a type of the Holy Spirit. v. 6

13. Spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense. v. 6. This speaks of sweetness, the preciousness and fragrance of the pure spotless life of our Saviour.

14. Onyx stones, and stones for the ephod and breastplate. v. 7. These speak of the glory of Christ, the glory which He had with the Father. John 17:5, And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

C. The Management Of The Offering. v. 8-9

1. To be used making a sanctuary for the Lord. v. 8

2. God would dwell among them. v. 8

3. It was to be made according to God’s pattern. v. 9

II. THE ARK FOR THE TABERNACLE. v. 10-22

Instead of beginning with the Tabernacle itself, the Lord begins with the furniture. The first piece was the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat which were kept in the Holy of Holies. There are 3 arks in the Bible. (1) Noah’s ark, pitched within and without which speaks of atonement. (2) Moses’ ark of bulrushes which was also pitched. (3) The golden ark of the Tabernacle which was sprinkled with the blood (atonement). All 3 were intended to protect their precious contents.

God had a plan for the Tabernacle and all of the furniture. They could not deviate from it. God has a plan today for building His local churches. We dare not deviate from it.

A. The Directions For The Ark Of The Covenant. v. 10-16

1. The ark was one of the most important pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle and was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Heb. 6:18-20, That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Heb 9:4-5, Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Heb. 9:11-14, But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

2. The wood which speaks of Christ’s humanity. v. 10

3. It was overlaid with pure gold which speaks of His deity. v. 11

4. The ark wore a crown. v. 11 . We see Christ in:

a. The outer court (place of sacrifice) as the Prophet.

b. The holy place (place of worship) as the Priest.

c. The holy of holies (place of communion) as the King. He was born a king, crucified a king, and is coming as king.

5. The rings and the staves made it portable. v. 12-15. His people are pilgrims and He is ever with them.

6. The contents of the ark. v. 16. Heb. 9:4, Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.

a. The golden pot of manna. John 6:48-51, I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

b. Aaron’s rod that budded, which speaks of Christ in His resurrection power and life.

c. The tables of the law in the heart of it. Christ had the law hidden in His heart, and kept it perfectly for His people. Psa. 40:6-8, Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Heb. 10:5-9, Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law, Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Matt. 3:17, And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Deut. 31:26, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

B. The Directions For The Mercy Seat. v. 17-22

1. The mercy seat made of pure gold. v. 17. This speaks of His absolute deity through which He could satisfy the Father on our behalf, with His sinless blood. It was where God spoke to Moses and Aaron. Psa. 80:1, …thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Psa. 99:1, The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. II Kings 19:15, And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

2. Christ is our mercy seat in heaven. In the following scriptures the Greek word for “propitiation” is “hilasterion,” the word for mercy seat. Rom. 3:25, Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. I John 2:2, And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Heb. 4:14-16

3. The cherubims overshadow the mercy seat. v. 18-20. The cherubims symbolize the justice and judgment of God. Without the mercy seat they would have looked on the broken law, instead they looked on the blood stained mercy seat.

4. The blood sprinkled mercy seat stood between a holy law and a sinful people. v. 21. In Lev. 16, on the day of atonement the blood was sprinkled for all the people. Christ died once for our sins and it will never need to be repeated. Heb. 9:1110:14

5. The place where God met and communed with His people. v. 22. This communion and fellowship was only on the basis of the blood sprinkled mercy seat.

—by E. L. Bynum

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Name the 14 materials that the people were to bring, and state the typical significance of each.

2. What is the significance of the number 14?

3. Who was to bring the offering and under what conditions?

4. Name the 3 arks of the Bible, and the significance of each.

5. What was the ark of the covenant a type of?

6. What materials was it made of?

7. What was the significance of the crown on the ark?

8. Name the contents of the ark.

9. What sat on top of the ark and what was it made of?

10. What stood between the law and a sinful people?

11 . Who or what is our mercy seat?

LESSON 24

THE COVENANT RATIFIED

– By E. L. Bynum, Pastor

Memory Verse: Exodus 24:17(N.W. 25:8)————Lesson: Exodus 24:1-18

The events in this chapter were never repeated again. Their encounter with the Lord in v. 9-11, is truly amazing. It is doubtful that we can full comprehend this in our present life.

I . THE RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT. v. 1-8

A . Moses Called Into The Lord’s Presence. v . 1-2

1. The invitation given by the Lord. v. 1

2. The leaders also invited to come part way. v. 1

3 . Moses alone to come near the Lord. v. 2

4. Other leaders were to worship “afar off” and not to “come nigh.” v. 1-2. The law does not bid the people to come nigh, but there is a great contrast under grace we are invited to draw near. Heb. 10:21-22, And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. James 4:8, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Eph. 2:13, But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

B. The Covenant Accepted By The People. v. 3-4

1. Moses tells the people all the commandments and judgments. v. 3

2. The people accept the words and promise to obey. v. 3, 7. This is a repeat of what they said in Ex. 19:8. The words they promised to obey are specifically given in Ex. 2023. No doubt it should have included all that God would ever say to them. It is unfortunate that they never kept their promise.

3. Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. v . 4 . II Pet. 1:21, For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

C. The Covenant And The Blood. v. 4-8

1. The altar built. v. 4. Joshua 4:3, 9, 20

2. Young men chosen to make the sacrifice. v. 5.

a. Since the Levitical priesthood had not yet been set in order, young men offered the sacrifice. They may have been the firstborn.

b. God could only enter into a covenant with sinful man on the basis of a sacrifice and the shedding and applying of blood. The sacrifice of the blood was for the ratification of the covenant.

c. Jesus had to shed His blood in order to ratify the new covenant.

3. The blood sprinkled on the altar. v. 6. Lev. 17:11, For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

4. The covenant read and ratified. v. 7

5. The people sprinkled with blood. v. 8. Since there were some 2 million or more people, the blood may have only been sprinkled on the representatives of the people. In connection with this act, note the following Scriptures. Heb. 9:16-22, For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Rev. 7:14-15, And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. Gal. 3:10-11, For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

6. It is tragic that Nadab and Abihu had all these privileges, but learned nothing from it. Some church members are like that today. Lev. 10:1-2, And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

II. THE VISION OF GOD. v. 9-18

A. God Seen And The Sacrificial Meal. v. 9-11

1. Moses and the leaders ascend. v. 9

a. They could not go into the presence of the God until the sacrifice was made and the blood applied to the people. v. 5-8

b. Sinful man cannot come into the presence of God without the sacrifice and the application of the blood. Another young man (young in the flesh) Jesus Christ made the sacrifice. I Pet. 3:18, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.

2. They saw the God of Israel. v. 10. We do not know exactly what they saw, since there is no description of God, but rather where He stood.

a. It is clear that God did show some men a similitude or some kind of a veiled likeness of Himself. Num. 12:8; Isa. 6:1, In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Ezek. 1:26, And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. It is certain that Deut. 4:12,15 does not refer to this event, but rather to Exodus 20:1-18.

b. On the other hand we know they did not see God in His fullness. I Tim. 6:16, Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. John 1:18, No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 14:8-11, Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. See Ex. 33:18-23. They did see some evidence of God’s presence and with God veiled in some manner. See Gen. 32:30; Jud. 6:22; 13:22; and Gen. 18:2, 17-22.

c. This problem is more easily resolved when we recognize that this was Christ in angelic form on the mount. Acts 7:38, This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.

3. The clear sapphire signified God’s favor. v. 10

4. This could only be true because God was satisfied with the blood of the covenant. v. 11

5. They did eat and drink before the Lord. v. 11. The next time it is mentioned that they drank, was when they drank their golden false god mixed with the waters of judgment. Ex. 32:19- 20

B. Moses In The Cloud For Forty Days. v. 12-18

1. Moses invited to come up closer to the Lord. v. 12

2. The law promised on tables of stone. v. 12. II Cor. 3:3, Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. They were written on stone to endure, but also they would be broken. Ex. 32:19.

3. Moses goes up into the mount. v . 13

4. Aaron and Hur left in charge. v. 14.

5. The glory of the Lord upon the mount. v. 15-16

6. The awesome glory of God. v. 17

7. Moses in the mount 40 days and 40 nights. v. 18. How beautiful the types in this passage. The 6 days of v.16, speak of labor, the 7th day speaks of rest and completion. The number 40 speaks of testing. Not the testing of God or Moses, but of Israel. In Ex. 32:1-6, we see how they failed during that 40 days.

CONCLUSION: God made a threefold promise to them in Ex. 6:6-8, and he is now fulfilling that promise. (1) God redeemed His people. Ex. 118. (2) God took them to Himself. Ex. 1924. (3) Now He is going to come and dwell with them and be their God. Ex. 25:40

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Discuss the contrast between the people having to worship “afar off” under the Law, and how it is under grace.

2. What did the people promise in regard to the law?

3. Why did not the Levites make the sacrifice in this chapter? 4. What two things did they do with the blood?

5. How are we to explain their seeing God, in the light of the verse that tells us that no man hath seen God at any time.

6. Who was left in charge when Moses went up the mount?

7. How long did he remain on the mount? What is the meaning of that number?