Doug Van Pelt

The Great Exodus.40

This chapter has some exciting details in it, for it is where the tabernacle of Moses is set up for worship. It's amazing, I think, that this tabernacle was a portable temple. God showed up and made His presence known. During the day a cloud settled on it and at night a fire was inside the cloud. Whenever the cloud lifted, all of Israel would break camp and move that very day. This is a community on the move. I wonder what all the implications are of that. It was very practicle, because God's purpose was to bring the people into His promised land; but it probably says a few things about His flexibility, His dynamic-ness, and His adventurous Spirit.

It's fascinating how His presence seemed to gravitate towards the special "Ark of the Covenant," which included the "Testimony" (which biblical scholars say refer to the tables which had the Ten Commandments carved into them), a jar of manna (from God's provision for their desert travels, which turned into maggots the following day, but the manna in this jar conversely stayed fresh), and Aaron's rod that budded (a walking stick that bud like a living bush). On top of this special box was the "atonement cover," which was also called the "mercy seat."

I've been told that this symbolizes or represents Jesus Himself. His sacrifice was an act of mercy from God and God's "mercy," so to speak, came between us and His law (or His justice, which would, in all honesty, find us guilty; and thus be toasted). I would love to have been one of the Israelites that entered the temple and just hung out in the courtyard. When the glory of the Lord filled the place, the courtyard definitely had some overflow glory happening. It would be amazing to enter the Holy of Holies, of course, but not even Moses could enter the Tent of Meeting, "because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."

I'm sure that the people of Israel, the Jews, knew that God was real. They didn't doubt His existence. I'm kind of jealous of them for that experience; but we have it pretty good on this side of God's ultimate justice action (the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection), which changed history for good. In that way, I bet those righteous Jews in Heaven are probably somewhat jealous of us, getting to live in this age of grace.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at October 16, 2008 01:58 PM