Why Christmas?

Have you ever wondered about Christmas? Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem and not in Jerusalem? Why did God speak to some people by angels and others in dreams? Why was Jesus born in a stable and not in a tool shed or a carpenter’s workshop? Why was Mary chosen to be His mother and Joseph His father? Why were His first visitors shepherds and why did the Magi bring Him those particular gifts and not the traditional baby gifts?

As I thought about these things I decided that I would look both into Scripture and outside of Scripture for my answers. In the next few pages I attempt to answer many of the questions why things happened the way they did and not some other way.

Jesus is unique in that He is God Immanuel. Not only was His life unique so was His birth. I hope and pray that these next few pages will make you appreciate the Christmas story even more. May we never lose the wonder of Christmas.

Immanuel

All throughout this study of the Tabernacle the word or name Immanuel has been in my mind. Isaiah said in 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." The name Immanuel means "God with us." Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The word rest is "to set a tent over" or to Tabernacle. That was evident for the people in Moses' time when there was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
In the end I thought of Chris Tomlin's song Jesus Messiah.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Lord willing, will be our final lesson in this series on the Tabernacle. One person wrote, "The most thought provoking for me in the study of the Tabernacle is the holiness of God. I stand more amazed than ever that God invites us to come to Him saying 'Abba Father'" Another wrote, "First of all I want to say how much we have learned these last few Sundays. The tabernacle has always been a fascinating subject for me, but how you have related it to Christ's being present in it has been a real eye opener. I knew the book of Hebrews referred to Christ being superior than the old system, but I see now that the old system was always about Christ."
It has always been my goal in teaching the Old Testament to show Christ. When Jesus talked with the disciples on the road He opened the Scripture and showed them that it spoke about Him.

The Church of the Perfect Storm

Before I make my comments about this book I would like to say two things:
First, I admire the zeal of the authors of this book in finding ways to reach their generation.
Second, I do not recommend this book. Why?
This book is about experience and not about truth. Like most post-modern writers they begin with the theory that language cannot render the truths about the world in an objective way so they fall back onto experience. However, the Word of God is about language and expressing truth in that language. Paul says, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" Romans 10:14
Alan Jamieson talks about leaving, getting away from the safety of the church. It is more than leaving the church because we want to experience something. It is not the church's fault but the people who make up the church including those that are leaving. What do we do when the old ways become dry and stale? It is not the time to abandon the truths but to remain. Dryness and staleness comes to all at one time or another but the key is to keep on keeping on.
Dries Lombaard says that what people want today is experiences and not words. The problem for Christians is that experiences must be base upon truth and truth is communicated by words. He also criticizes hierarchical structures and would throw it all away instead of setting it right. There are two distortions that come to mind. One is the dichotomy between the clergy and the laity in all things. The other is having no distinction between them.
Finally, the main reason I cannot recommend this book is found in the essay by Thomas Bandy on page 135. He writes, "The emerging human passion to be beside oneself reveals the yearning to be beyond oneself, to escape human limitations just enough to touch, or be touched by, the Holy. The fact that there is no consensus about the nature of that holy grail is unimportant. The conviction is all that matters."
One final thought. Most people will find this book difficult to read because in spite of the fact that the authors value experience over words they love to show off their ability to use words.

Two offerings

There were more than two different offerings but there are two that are very similar and most people do not see the difference. The first is the sin offering which deals with the principle of sin and the second is the trespass offering which deals with the practice of sin.
As Christians we need to understand the difference. Being forgiven of our sin, the sin principle if you wish, is a once and forever event while forgiveness of our sins is an ongoing process. Jesus died for both our sin and our sins. We must not reduce sin just to sinful acts. Even if we never committed a sinful act we were still born in sin and are guilty before a holy God.

The Tabernacle and Worship

The gate is the place of entry. No one can come to the Father but by Jesus.
The bronze altar is the place of reconciliation. We are reconciled to God by Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross.
The laver is the place of cleansing. We need to be cleansed, we need to cleansed by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross.
The lampstand is the place of light. Jesus said that He was the light of the world. He has translated us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
The table is the place of fellowship. He is the bread of life. He desires t have fellowship with us.
The altar of incense is the place of prayer.
The Ark is the place of communion with God. He said, "I will met you there and commune with you between the cherubim."

Tabernacle books

Here are some of the books that I used in our study of the Tabernacle.

Now it is your turn

Next Sunday evening will be the last of our lessons on the Tabernacle. It has been a very rich study for me and I want to end these lessons by giving you a chance to do the following:
Express to all of us what you have learned about worship from the Tabernacle.
Ask any questions you wish about the Tabernacle. Mike and I will do our best to answer those questions. If you could send the questions ahead of time we would really appreciate it as it would give us more time to research our answers. Email me, post a question on this blog or give me a phone call. All questions and comments are welcome. Thanks for being part of this study.

Without Blemish

When the priests were chosen for ministry in the Tabernacle they had to be free from blemishes. They could not be crippled or blind or any other defect. If they had a defect they were still cared for as Levites but they were not able to serve in the Tabernacle.
Sometimes people want to serve God but they have blemishes that keep them from service. Maybe they have been unfaithful in their marriage or have a violated God's laws with other relationships. Sometimes a pedophile gets saved and wants to serve but there has to be restrictions on him. Some may say, "Where is the grace in this?" There is still grace, they were redeemed by grace, they stand blameless before God by grace but it is also important to keep away from any appearance of evil or anything that may bring shame upon the name of our God.

Old and New

Hebrews 9 and 10 give us a contrast between the old and new covenants. Under the old covenant atonement was in the earthly tabernacle but in the new covenant it is a more perfect tabernacle not made by human hands, not part of this creation. In the old covenant the blood was from bulls and goats but in the new covenant it is the blood of Christ that atones for the sin. Hebrews 10:1 tells us that the old covenant was imperfect but the new covenant is perfect. Hebrews 10:10, 11 tell us that the old covenant could never take away our sins but under the new covenant we are made holy by the blood of Christ. Under the old covenant the sacrifices had to be repeated again and again while under the new covenant the sacrifice is once and forever.
Finally, under the old covenant only the High Priest could pass through the veil into the holy of holies but under the new covenant the writer of Hebrews tells us that we have the boldness to enter into the Most Holy Place by the blood of Christ and the way has been made for us to enter through the veil. Why would anyone ever want to go back to the old when they have the new?

Not about us

Worship is about God and not about us. The role of the Priest was first to God. "Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins." Hebrews 5:1 The High Priest knew that it was not possible for a sinful man to approach an Holy God unless his sins were atoned for. That is why his first role was to offer sacrifices for sins, first for his and then for the people. "He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness." Hebrews 5:2 After this he had an overseeing role, first for the people and then for the process. He was able to deal gently with the people because he knew that God was merciful to him. But he also was a guardian of the process. No one could come to God unless they came in the prescribed way. Though we have access to God because of our High Priest Jesus Christ we still must come to the Father in the prescribed way, through the cross.

A Snapshot of Grace Revisited

When thinking about the High Priest I was reminded of an older post that I had written. I refer you back to The Accuser and the High Priest that I posted on the three days, June 3, 4,5 of 2008. Take time to read it again.

The Work or the Person

I know this is a theme I have written on before but it keeps coming back to me. As I was reading again about the furniture in the Tabernacle I was reminded that the brazen altar, the laver, the lampstand, the table of showbread and the altar of incense all speak about some aspect of Christ's work but the Ark speaks of His person. Now I know that you cannot really separate the Person of Christ from what He does but we must remember that what He does is because of who He is.

Ministers unto the Lord

"Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests." Exodus 28:1 Many times we look at ministers of the Gospel as ministers of a church but they are first ministers unto the Lord. It is not a career that they have chosen but they have been chosen for the ministry by the Lord. All too often churches look upon their ministers as their employees and therefore they are answerable to them. Ministers are accountable to their churches but they are answerable to their God. Two errors can happen. First, churches think that they can dictate to their ministers because they are their employees. Second, ministers think that they are not answerable to their churches as they are answerable only to God.

Keith Price

Last night we were studying the Holy of Holies. My friend Mike took us to 2 Corinthians 3 where Paul talks about the ever increasing glory. Whenever I hear this passage I think of Keith Price who taught us from that passage of Scripture. Keith Price has gone to be with the Lord but I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to hear that man preach.

My first time

Tonight my wife wrote the following for someone who presented this as Eleazar the High Priest.

Jehovah, Yahweh:
It is I, Eleazar, Your High Priest. I am asking that you would bless me and that I would receive favour in your sight as I present my first YOM KIPPUR offering to you. Amen

I am so apprehensive. This will be my first time to stand before Yahweh in the Holy of Holies since my father Aaron died. I am aware that my brothers paid with their lives by sinning before a Holy God. God has called my tribe and my family to be his priests and my father was the first. Now that the Day of Atonement is here I know that no detail can be overlooked.

I was anointed with holy oil on my head. The sacrificial blood was applied to my right ear, right thumb and right big toe. I have wholly consecrated myself to Yahweh and his service.

What a humbling experience it was to be washed in the Tabernacle laver from head to foot and then have the fine linen undergarments placed on me by the other priests. I pray that my life would be as pure as these white garments. What great care it takes in this dusty place to keep from getting soiled.

Now for the people. Ah, the people. Only Yahweh knows if they have truly observed this Special Sabbath. Only He knows if they have fasted from sundown to sundown and kept a day of solemn rest. He alone can judge His people in this regard and know if they are ready to keep YOM KIPPUR as a time to be free from their sins.

Although I saw my father keep this tradition, I am afraid that I will forget something or that my sacrifices will not be acceptable. My first offering must be for myself and the other priests. The second must be the choice of two goats. After we cast lots, then one will be sent into the wilderness as a “scapegoat” while the other will be sacrificed.

When I enter the Holy of Holies alone, it will be just Yahweh and me. I remember standing outside in the holy place while my father offered sacrifices. We would be silent and listen for the tinkling of the bells on the hem of his robe to know that he was still moving. Some priests suggested that the High Priest should have a rope tied to his ankle so that if he should die because of an unacceptable offering, then his body could be dragged out. I just want my offering to be acceptable to Yaweh and not have to worry about the rope.

I must have incense to burn to fill the room and cover the mercy seat as I pray for mercy for my people. The golden cherubim will watch as I sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat.

When Yahweh has accepted me and my offering for the people, there is so much jubilation as first the priests in the tabernacle and then the entire nation realizes that their sins have been atoned for another year. The noise and cheering can be so loud that it is deafening after the silence of the Holy Place. Oh what a contrast! It is like coming from a tomb of death out into the open as if I had been resurrected. New life after atonement—what a thought! Will I feel that?

I feel the tension of preparing and taking part in this long and precise ceremony. I know that it is an honour to be part of the priesthood but the weight of this duty rests heavily on me.
Will Yahweh demand this Day of Atonement forever?
Will the blood of goats be forever demanded for our sins?
Will Yahweh ever provide another way to pay for the sins of his people?

I wonder.

Mercy Seat

Over the Ark of the covenant was the mercy seat. We are told that it was between the cherubim on the Mercy seat that God would commune with man. The New Testament word propitiation that is used in Romans 3:25 and I John is the same word. The word propitiation means the act of becoming favourably inclined. Romans uses the word to refer to Christ Jesus. He is our propitiation, our mercy seat, the place where we can commune with God.

The Law

The third item in the Ark according to Hebrews 9 was the Law written on two tablets of stone. This law has been the basis for criminal law for years but lately that has come under attack. We are no longer responsible for our actions but rather we are victims. Change society and we won't have crime. However, the Ten Commandments make it clear that we are responsible. The Law shows that we are sinners in need of a Saviour. Oliver Wendell Holmes began to shift the foundations from the justice that was ultimately derived from God's Law to social and economic polices proven scientifically to work best (according to Holmes). A century later we know that this does not work.

The Rod that Budded

The second item found in the Ark that is listed in Hebrews 9 is Aaron's rod that budded. The story of the rod is found in Numbers 16 and 17. The story is about rebellion against God's appointed leaders. One thing that is evident is that God will not tolerate rebellion. Saul discovered this when he took upon himself what God had told him was the responsibility of Samuel. Samuel gave this word to Saul from the Lord and that was that to obey is more important than sacrifice.
God reminded us through the story in Numbers is that He is the ultimate authority and He has given authority to certain men, men like Aaron.

Manna

In Hebrews 9:4 we read of the contents of the Ark. "This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant." The first item mentioned is the jar of manna. The manna of the wilderness is a picture of Christ, the "Bread of Life." No wonder God wanted it saved in the Ark of the covenant as a reminder that Christ is our life giver.

180 times.

In the description of the Tabernacle and its furnishings the Ark is mentioned 180 times. It was central to the Tabernacle and everything pointed to it. We sometimes treat God as if He was another person but the Israelites were taught that God had to be respected and thought of as holy. The Ark represented the holiness of God and every detail pointed to that holiness.
The Ark was to be moved in a particular way that was commanded by God. The poles for carrying the Ark were always in place and when it came time to move their camp the veil was taken down and used to cover the Ark. Then the priests could take the Ark by the poles upon the shoulders and carry the Ark.
When David first wanted to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem he did not take time to read what God commanded. Therefore when Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark he was struck dead. The Israelites had not treated the Ark with the respect that God demanded and Uzzah thought he could help God by keeping the Ark from falling.
Today we often don't treat God as a holy God but rather as our friend. One of the reasons I did not like the book The Shack was that it did not treat God as holy but made Him common. It is time that the church learned to respect the holiness of God.

Colours

In the ancient world the clothing had very little colour. Only the rich could afford dye to make different colours. That is why Joseph's coat was such a prized garment.
From the outside the Tabernacle was like any other tent but inside there it was rich in colour. The gate, the curtain and the veil all had blue, scarlet and purple colours in their design. The blue was the heavenly colour, scarlet the colour of blood which speaks of sacrifice and purple was the royal colour.

The Rope

I one time heard a preacher talking about the High Priest entering into the Holy of Holies. He talked about the preparation and then he said that he had a rope tied around his ankle so that if he died while in the Holy of Holies they could drag him out. I had heard that story so many times I believed it was part of Scripture but it is never mentioned in the Word of God.
Now it may be true that in years after Moses that they adopted the custom but it was not part of the original direction given by Moses to Aaron. It seems to me that it grew out of a spirit of fear rather than a spirit of trust. God desired that people would come to Him in the proper manner but not because of fear but because of grace.

Thanks Dale

Last Sunday afternoon my friend Dale painted the outline of the Tabernacle on the back lawn of our church. What was impressive was the size of the courtyard but when one looked at the size of the Tabernacle itself you were again surprised by the smallness of the Tabernacle when compared to the courtyard.
However, there was one small problem. Last Sunday was the day we changed back from Daylight Saving time to standard time and by the time church started in the evening it was too dark to see the outline.

House or furniture

When we were looking for a new house in Thunder Bay we found one that we really liked. The price was good, the location was great and it had the room we wanted. However, there was one problem. The living room was designed in such a way that there was no place to put the piano. We ended up rejecting that house and finally built one that suited our needs (and our piano).
Most people buy a house and then think about the furniture that goes into that house. But when God gave Moses the instructions for the Tabernacle He began with the Ark. The instructions were to build a sanctuary for the ark

Why Shouldn't God Love Me?

There is this tool for sharing the Gospel that begins with the line, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." The problem today is that the reaction of some people is what I stated in the title, "Why shouldn't God love me? Isn't that what God is suppose to do?" Gone is the idea of the wrath of God.
When the priests entered the Holy place they knew that God would judge them with death if they approached Him in the wrong or common way. God had prescribed how they should approach Him and they knew that they had to come to Him that way and that way only.
Yes, God is a God of love but He is also a God who judges sin and sinners. God does not love us because we are lovable but because He is God.

It is finally over

The race for the white house has finally ended and I think I am no different than most when I say I am glad that it is finally over.
There was much more at stake than just the presidency of the United States. The battle was over world views. Do we beleive that God of the Bible is the only true GOd or are we thinking that this life is all there is? The newly elected soon to be president may pretend to be religious and be "christian" but does he believe in the God of the Bible? The Bible says that there is only one way to approach Him and that is by the cross just as there was no way into the Holy of Holies except by the altar. We may not like all the blood and sacrifices but that was the way God said that sinful man could approach a holy God. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. We can try to sanitize religion but it is not the way to approach a holy God. He said, "When I see the blood I will pass over you."

Who or What?

I once heard a preacher say, "More than important than who God is, is what He does." I immediately reacted to that statement and after that I listened critically to him because his theology was suspect at best. The Ark represents who God is while the mercy seat what God does. There would not be a mercy seat without the Ark. Who God is determines what He does not the other way around.

Thanks Bob

Last night I was joined in the discussion on the Tabernacle by my brother-in-law Bob. We spent most of our time looking at the Table of Showbread. He referred to David when he was running from Saul and came to the priests at Nob. He asked for bread and all they had was the showbread. The priest made an interesting comment. He told David that he could have the bread to eat if he and his men were ceremonially clean. It was a striking reminder that it is only those with clean hands and a pure heart can enter into communion with God. As we come to the communion table we are to examine ourselves to make sure that we are ceremonially clean and then we are to eat. Our relationship with God does not depend upon what we do but on what He has done but our fellowship with Him can be marred by being unclean.

To show off the bread

A few weeks ago we gathered as a family for Thanksgiving dinner. The table was set and many remarked on the beauty of the table and its settings. However, it would have been silly if that is all the family came to do, that is, to admire the table and then go home. The setting of the table had a purpose and that was to feed those who gathered around the table.
The purpose of the table of showbread was not to be admired itself but to show off the bread. Similarly the Word of God is not to be admired but to be our daily food. But it doesn't stop there. It has an even greater purpose and that is to show off the Living Word, Jesus Christ our Saviour.