“On The Behalf Of The Children Of Israel”
“In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.” Exodus 27:21 (KJV)
I just finished up Exodus and have been a few days into the book of Leviticus. To be honest, my heart doesn’t really jump for joy in anticipation of plowing through Leviticus. Now, since we know the problem isn’t on God’s end, then it has to be me.
My Morris Study Bible had a great note which helped immensely in refocusing my appreciation of this book. Let me quote it for you.
“A remarkable phenomenon in Leviticus is the large percentage of the book that consists of verbatim quotations from God Himself. All the Bible is divinely inspired, but the particular method of inspiration varied widely from book to book. In this particular case, these portions of the book have actually been divinely dictated.”
Another source says: “In more than 50 places it is said that the Lord spoke to Moses.”
In other words, God put a lot of Himself into this book. He invested a lot of thought and energy (if I can say it that way) into making sure He communicated exactly what He wanted to get across to His people.
Of course, the whole Bible is God-breathed, inspired. His fingerprint is all through it. It is His DNA expressed first in Yeshua made flesh and also in all His written Word. To read the Bible is to explore the very nature of God Himself.
In Exodus, we have the particulars about the structure of the Tabernacle. In Leviticus, we have the particulars about the function of the Tabernacle.
When I was reading this section about the Tabernacle, it occurred to me that the whole structure and function is much like a symphony. It really is amazing how all the parts fit to become the whole.
I’m presently listening through the symphonies of Mozart by Karl Bohm. I’ve listened to all the symphonies several times. I have them by five different conductors leading different musicians. They all bring their own particulars to the same body of work. But in the end … it’s still Mozart. His essence is in his work. And when presented in his spirit within the framework of his musical scoring, it is amazing.
With that backdrop to my thinking …
The Tabernacle all flows and works together in perfect harmony and unity with a specific purpose. Nothing is out of tune and everything moves together in sync. Every aspect of it bears forth His purpose and ownership. For it to present God in His fullness it all has to be done His way. When it’s not … well, then you have “strange fire” and death. Hence, Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10.
We’re told in the New Testament that our bodies are actually the Temple of the Holy Spirit of God Himself.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
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?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. I Corinthians 6:15-20
This is an obvious connection between the Tabernacle and the Glory of God resting upon it back in the Old Testament. The Tabernacle was the place, the avenue through which He showed Himself to His people and the world.
That’s why Yeshua (God made flesh) got so upset when He came into the Temple of His day. His physical representation of Himself was so far removed from what it was supposed to be that He would just as soon destroy it. Which, in fact, He did very soon thereafter.
All the discussion of the Tabernacle in Exodus and Leviticus isn’t just wasted space. However we, for the most part, have grown up in the New Testament church mindset. As such, we viewed most of the stuff back there as not for us.
Instead —
We viewed it as being for a disobedient people, the Jews, that needed all this legality because they didn’t know about Grace or the Holy Spirit. They needed Law.
Whereas, we on the other side of the Cross don’t need Law because we have Grace and the Holy Spirit. Following that same logic, we should therefore be … obedient. Right!
All the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is for all of God’s people all of the time. It’s not parsed out for different people during different time frames. It’s one unified whole flowing together in perfect symmetry. It is God’s symphonic work “on the behalf of the children of Israel.”
I love the fact that as the Tabernacle was then, so are we now. We are various parts, each specifically made to fit together into a complex unified whole called … The Body Of Messiah.
I was in the school band for several years back in the day. I always knew when I hadn’t prepared as I should have. And … it showed when I came and sat next to those around me that had put in the time. Plus, after the bandleader gave me a good verbal kick in the seat of the pants, it encouraged me to get my act together the next time.
So …
Remember:
For an orchestra to function properly, the individual members must prepare, show up, perform their parts, make beautiful music together and …
In the case of the local assembly …
Bring glory to God our Saviour.