Outside of the tabernacle in the court was an alter where the people would bring their sacrifices which the priests offered up to God. Verses 1-7, "He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width— it was square—and its height was three cubits. He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze. He made all the utensils for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze. And he made a grate of bronze network for the altar, under its rim, midway from the bottom. He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, as holders for the poles. And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze. Then he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it. He made the altar hollow with boards."
Sacrifices were important to God, but not more important than being reconciled with fellow man. If you aren't right with God first, then man second, your gift is meaningless. Matthew 5:23-24, "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." The point of this is not to give you excuses to avoid offering at all, but to encourage you to have peace with God, and live peaceably among men. These are after all the most important commandments. Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Verse 8, "He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting." I love that the women were willing to sacrifice their mirrors for the work of the Lord, even if it was at the expense of their outward appearance. These women could do this because they spent their time serving God, assisting the priests with needs of the temple. Had they spent their time at home, focused on their fleshly desires, their eyes would've been on self instead of on heavenly things. It makes you pause and consider, where is my focus throughout the day? We all fall short at times, but Jesus needs to be a priority in your day, not an afterthought as you head to bed. Imagine what the church would look like if the women were busy in their day serving God, rather than socializing with each other.
Verses 9-20, "Then he made the court on the south side; the hangings of the court were of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long. There were twenty pillars for them, with twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. On the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars and their twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. And on the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and their ten sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. For the east side the hangings were fifty cubits. The hangings of one side of the gate were fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and their three sockets, and the same for the other side of the court gate; on this side and that were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. All the hangings of the court all around were of fine woven linen. The sockets for the pillars were bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their capitals was silver; and all the pillars of the court had bands of silver. The screen for the gate of the court was woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. The length was twenty cubits, and the height along its width was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court. And there were four pillars with their four sockets of bronze; their hooks were silver, and the overlay of their capitals and their bands was silver. All the pegs of the tabernacle, and of the court all around, were bronze."
Around the outer court were massive curtains forming a barrier around the house of God. The curtains were made of fine white linen symbolizing righteousness, and the gate was blue, purple, and scarlet. This would prevent those from casually walking into the courtyard without proper respect due to God. The bride of Christ will be adorned in fine white linen as well. Revelation 19:7-8, " 'Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.' And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Ultimately it is God that does the work in us, but it doesn't mean we do nothing to make ourselves ready. The foolish virgins did not prepare themselves to meet their bridegroom, and the door was shut to them permanently. Matthew 25:13, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
The word can cleanse us, if we receive it with belief, and actually do what it says. Ephesians 5:25-27, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." Anyone who has ever worn white knows that there is no tolerable amount of dirt and stain. Instead of making excuses for our filthiness, we must cleanse ourselves in preparation to meet Him. 2 Corinthians 7:1, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width— it was square—and its height was three cubits. He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze. He made all the utensils for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze. And he made a grate of bronze network for the altar, under its rim, midway from the bottom. He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, as holders for the poles. And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze. Then he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it. He made the altar hollow with boards.
ReplyDeleteExodus 38:1-7
The court of the the tabernacle was a place were the Israelites could go before the holy place and the holiest of holies. It contained the altar and the bronze laver. The altar was for the Jews to sacrifice to God, which the priests would do it for them. The sacrifice was to cover their sins, but it was not permanent, which is why they had to continually do it.
The Jews kept sacrificing right up until Jesus died on the cross, which got rid of the need to sacrifice. He was the last and final sacrifice, which wiped away all our sin. Now if people put their faith in God and ask for His forgiveness, He will wipe away all their sin
"He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width— it was square—and its height was three cubits. He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze. He made all the utensils for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze. And he made a grate of bronze network for the altar, under its rim, midway from the bottom. He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, as holders for the poles. And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze. Then he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it. He made the altar hollow with boards." Bezalel continued to build the temple add the Lord commanded. He built an altar for the jews to bring a sacrifice to the Lord. There was an outer court outside of the holy of holies and the holy place. In total there were three sections. The high priest was only allowed in the holy of holies, and the rom outside of that contained the lampstand etc. The priests went in this room. The court outside of that was open for the children of Israel to come to God. This is where they would bring their sacrifices.
ReplyDelete"This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses. And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, a weaver of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine linen. All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: a bekah for each man ( that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men. The offering of bronze was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. And with it he made the sockets for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils for the altar, the sockets for the court all around, the bases for the court gate, all the pegs for the tabernacle, and all the pegs for the court all around." These were all the materials used to build the whole temple. These materials were offerings from the jews. They had given more than enough to the Lord to build this temple. The Lord used them to provide. The Lord can use other people to provide something to someone else. He can chose to use anyone. God could have miraculously provided all the materials, but He didn't. He chose to use those who willed it in their hearts to give.