The Tabernacle - 250313

SPEAKER 1 Hello. SPEAKER 2 Welcome to Let God Speak. I am your host, Uriah St Juste. This week on Let God Speak, we wrap up our study of the book of Exodus. It has been an exciting journey that began with the children of Israel falling into Egyptian slavery. It captured their deliverance and the struggles of their journey through the wilderness. It has been a journey of triumph mingled with tragedy. All in all, it has been a journey of great faith. In this episode, we explore the construction of the place God chose to dwell as we study the tabernacle today on Let God Speak. On our panel today, we have Rosemary Malkiewycz and John Kosmeier. Welcome, Rosemary and John. SPEAKER 3 Thank you. SPEAKER 2 Please join us as we pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for its power to change lives through your holy spirit. So today, Lord, we ask that your spirit will be with us in this program. Help us to be able to understand in a clear manner that your love for us and your plan of rescue from this world of sin. May this program be a blessing to all who hear and watch. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. SPEAKER 3 Amen. SPEAKER 2 The most expensive house in the world is valued at $5.2 billion. But even if you had that much cash lying around, you couldn't buy it because it's not for sale. This house is Buckingham palace, the home of the King of the United Kingdom and other realms and territories. The palace has 775 rooms, including 52 bedrooms, 19 staterooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms. If an earthly king needs so much space, how much more would the King of kings need? Not much, apparently. Only 45ft by 15ft, or 13.5 by 4 and a half meters. A much humbler king. And we turn our minds to the words that Solomon used when he was dedicating the temple that was built later on in 1 Kings 8. 27, where he says, heaven and the heavens cannot contain God. How much less than this palace that they have built? So we must be reminded that God does not dwell on Earth. He's too big for an actual temple. All of this was very symbolic and pointed to something very important. Now, Rosemarie, we know that in the beginning in Eden, before the Fall, God said to Adam and Eve, if they ate of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and evil, that they would surely die. But there was another important consequence that would come out as a result of sin. What was that? SPEAKER 1 Sin causes separation between Adam and Eve, human and human, as well as God and humans. And one of the reasons is, as we saw in last week's, study, Moses asked to see God's glory, but God had to shield Moses because his glory would have killed him. And let's look at what happened with Adam and Eve when they sinned and the relationship that God had with them. They it says in Genesis 3, verses 8 and 9, verse 8. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So God spent, came to spend time with them, but they hid themselves from God's presence. So once again we get the fact that sin causes separation. And verse nine says, then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, where are you? God knew that they'd sinned. And because nothing is hidden from God, but He knew also they were hiding from him. So he came to them and called them because God wants to be with us. He doesn't want this separation. And he's still calling us and giving us an invitation for us to come to him. And this has always been God's desire to remove the separation that sin has caused. SPEAKER 2 And John, we have this very great teaching in the Bible, the sanctuary teaching, that actually runs throughout the length of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. But when God wanted His presence felt among the people, he told them to build a sanctuary. What was the reason why he gave for building the sanctuary? SPEAKER 3 He stipulated it very simply and very clearly recorded in Exodus, chapter 25. And I'm reading from the new King James Version, and in verse 8 it says, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. Adam and Eve ran away from God, but God wants to be with his people. SPEAKER 2 So the purpose, he says very clearly and simply was so that he can have that closeness with them. He wanted to be in their presence, restore the presence of Now, Rosemarie, some Bible students just shifting gears a little bit here. Some Bible teachers and Bible students believe that the Sabbath was a Jewish institution, that it was for the Jews. What does the Bible say on this issue? Was the Sabbath given to the Jews only? SPEAKER 1 No. And let's look at a little bit. God made the Sabbath long before there was an Israelite nation or any Hebrew person. They came in with Abraham. So let's read in Genesis chapter 2, verses 1 to 3 what God actually did. It says, thus the heavens and the earth and all the hosts of them were finished. And the seventh day. On the seventh day, God ended His work, which he had done. And he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. So God created the Sabbath when there were only two people in the world, Adam and Eve. And God rested as an example because he knew man needed to rest one day a week. We need to have time for refreshment and to spend special time with God. Jesus said in Mark 2:27 that he made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath. It's a very special thing for God to do that. And it was long before a Jew existed in the world. SPEAKER 2 And he could have said the Sabbath was made for the Jews, but He didn't. He said the Sabbath was made for man, mankind, for the benefit of mankind. Now, John, when we look at the Sabbath in Genesis chapter two, what do we see emerging as God's intention of how the Sabbath is supposed to be a benefit or blessing to mankind? SPEAKER 3 First of all, it said that God rested. He didn't need rest in the way in which we understand rest, but he rested to set an example so that we would take out of our so called busy schedules time to spend with God. And secondly, the Sabbath was a memorial of creation and you don't celebrate a building until it's been built. And so the Sabbath could never be Sunday because that was the beginning of the building where Sabbath is the end of it. And so it reminds us that God was the Creator and it would save us from getting involved with evolutionary theories. SPEAKER 2 And that's why when he reminded them in the Ten Commandments, he said, remember? And it's supposed to be something that's continually remembered so we don't get bogged down in erasing him from creation as we have in evolution. Now, Rosemarie, we are covering the end of Exodus and from chapters 35 to 40, we have the construction of the Tabernacle and the instructions that God gave for that. What was the first thing when they were starting construction? God reminded them of something that seems to be a little bit out of place at the beginning. What was it that God reminded them of? SPEAKER 1 Okay, first of all, he told them what they had to do to make it. But then the very next thing he said was, don't build on the Sabbath. You have to observe the Sabbath. And let me read part of this here. It's in Exodus 35, 1:3. Then Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together and said to them, these are the words which the Lord has commanded you to do. Work shall be done for six days. But the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, A Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day. So this was supposed to be a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. In other words, this was a special time between them and God. They were not to mistake the fact of building this sanctuary, this home for God as an excuse to work on the Sabbath day, because this was to be a rest because of God. He knew they needed the seventh day off to refresh their minds and rest their bodies. And so he was looking after them in giving them this decree, this command. SPEAKER 2 It's wonderful that, you know, God is very specific in saying, it's not because you're doing this holy work that it's okay to do it on the holy day. You must take time to rest from all of that hard physical labor. Now, Rosemary, it says that if anyone broke that rule, they were put to death. That seems kind of harsh. Why was this such a serious sentence? SPEAKER 1 Well, first of all, as slaves in Egypt, they had not been able to keep the Sabbath which God had instituted in the Garden of Eden. And so God had reminded them of it, reintroduced them to the Sabbath. When he gave them the manna before the ten Commandments were given, it was a reminder that the seventh day is holy. Holy to God. So when he wrote the law on Sinai, he told them to remember it because they had forgotten. And so he was reminding them of what he had reintroduced them to, and they were never to forget it again. So now God is being very specific that they were to be very strict on keeping the Sabbath even while building a house for him. And it was very serious to rebel, because that's what it would be. If they did any work on the Sabbath, it was rebellion. And rebellion did meet with the death sentence. It was all about the Sabbath. Sorry. The Sabbath is all about God and who gave it. It's all about worshipping that God and not about the people who keep it. We've got to keep our eyes on God when it comes to Sabbath. SPEAKER 2 Very good. Now, John, God said, let them make me a sanctuary. He could have said, let there be a sanctuary, and there was a sanctuary. Why did God not say, just let there be a sanctuary? And it just appears. SPEAKER 3 There'S nothing like working for something to influence your possession of it. And here in Exodus 35, reading from verse 4, Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, this is the thing which the Lord Commanded, saying, take from among you an offering to the Lord, whoever is of a willing heart. And here God wanted a connection with his people in the sanctuary, but it was their building. But it came from a willing heart. And that's what God wants. He didn't need all the things that were needed to build the temple, but he did need people who would go in there as a result of their willing heart. SPEAKER 2 So it's a heart to heart connection. SPEAKER 3 Absolutely. SPEAKER 2 Now, that same verse you read from Exodus 35, 5, the end of tells us what God asked them to bring. He asked for gold, silver and bronze. That's pretty precious and expensive material. Was this pride on the part of God? Ostentation? Was he being showy? Why did he ask for those particular types of material? SPEAKER 3 Well, God had worked a little plan. Because when they were taken out of Egypt, the beginning of Exodus, they were told to ask the Egyptians for pay for all the work that they'd done. SPEAKER 1 Or to spoil the Egyptians. SPEAKER 3 Yeah, to spoil the Egyptians. And so here it was already there. And the people were given things to pass on with a willing heart. But verse five of that same chapter, it says, take from among you an offering to the Lord. Verse 8. I mean, oil for the light and spices, for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense. So it wasn't only the pretty things, but also the practical things in the service from day to day. SPEAKER 1 That's right. SPEAKER 2 Very nice. Now, viewers will recall in the previous lesson, lesson six, through the Red Sea. And I think John made the point that when the children of Israel left Egypt, they did take from the Egyptians riches which they were entitled to because they gave all this free labor. So when they left, there was a little bit of wealth that they possessed. And we also see in Exodus 35 that it wasn't just riches, but they were skilled people. They were blessed with human resource capacity, skilled craftsmen, weavers, tailors and stonemasons, rosemary. I'm thinking of the church today. What else is needed? What else was needed before Moses could have mobilized the people to begin to work? SPEAKER 1 Okay, first of all, the things that they got for the Egyptians, most of it was meant for the temple. And that's why God had them get those things from the temples. They put them on to wear them, to carry them, because it was too hard to carry them some other way. But they weren't intended for them to keep. That's an important point with all of this. But the word willing, or the form of it, is used five times in Exodus 35 alone. So the workers and Those who gave had to give from a willing heart. Let's read Exodus 35, 32, 31. And Moses said to the children of Israel, see, the Lord has called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And he has filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship. So apart from willingness, they had to have the Holy Spirit. Because without the Holy Spirit, you can't do the work of God. It's your own work. And Lucifer tried it. And without the Holy Spirit, he was filled with pride and rebellion. So we've got to remember today, anything that we do for God, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to do it successfully the way God wants. Because you desire to give back to God, then you desire to do those things for others with a humble, willing and faithful and faithful service, not for self beautiful. SPEAKER 2 So working for God comes as a response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Or else we might be tempted to do it out of pride and our own power, our own strength and our own power. Now, John, the construction of the temple, that was a huge project. And we look at it in terms of the church today and the mission of spreading the Gospel. Paul wrote something in the New Testament to the churches in Ephesus that parallels what happened in Exodus 35. What did he write that's instructive to the church today? SPEAKER 3 Paul was struggling with the church of Ephesus and the question of unity, doing things together. And here in Ephesians chapter four, he says, endeavoring to keep the unity of, of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, one Spirit, just as you were called in, one hope of your calling. And so when you come down to verse 11, it introduces what the situation really is, and that is that he gave some to be apostles, some were prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. In the Old Testament, that was needed in order to build the sanctuary there. In the New Testament, these qualities are needed amongst all the different people so that we can build up Christ Church worldwide. SPEAKER 2 And when you think of the church today, there are so many jobs that are needed to run the church. And you don't want there to be chaos where people are tripping over each other, people are doubling up, you Know Paul encourages the church. Recognize your area of giftedness and your skill sets and work in that area as the Holy Spirit prompts you. And that's a very good model for unity. Working together. Now, Rosemarie, there was an amazing result when the Holy Spirit fell on the hearts of the people. What. What was their response when the Spirit prompted them? SPEAKER 1 Let me read Exodus 36, 6, 7, because this is amazing. So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, let neither man nor woman do any more work. For the offering of the sanctuary, and the people were restrained from bringing. For the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done. Indeed, too much. Can you imagine if in the church today people would bring their offerings? And the church could say, we don't need this. We've got too much already. There's more than enough to get all the work done. That would be the most amazing thing I could imagine happening. But when the Holy Spirit is in control, when he's controlling hearts, there's no need to urge the people to action. Those who have the resources and those who have the ability will give a willing service. SPEAKER 2 I can't imagine a church treasurer refusing money. SPEAKER 1 No, no, I can't either. But still, Moses did. SPEAKER 2 Yes. Now, one of my favorite passages on the sanctuary is actually found in the Psalms, Psalm 77, 13, where the Psalmist says, your way, O God, is in the sanctuary who is so great a God as our God. So the sanctuary is a model of how God saves John. Now, what is there in the construction of the sanctuary that tells us the role of obedience in the plan of salvation? SPEAKER 3 The book of Exodus is divided into two sections. Chapters 1 through 24 are the chapters of liberation. God had heard their crying. Now they were liberated. And then from 25 right through to the end of the book, we have there the picture of the sanctuary. How around about chapter 35, God had given instructions on what they were to do, and then he came back from 36 on to see in particular whether they had actually done what had been planned. Because God wants us to express our obedience to him, not as slaves, but. SPEAKER 2 As his children, in a loving relationship. Now, Rosemary, there was sin in the camp. That's what the sanctuary was about, you know, dealing with the sins of the people. How would God dwell in a place where there was constantly sin? SPEAKER 1 Well, we have to look at the sanctuary to see that and the different parts of it, because it reveals the plan of salvation. There was the courtyard, and in the courtyard is where the sinner would bring their offering, and they would have to confess their sins over that offering, placing their hand on the head. And then that offering would have to be killed in place of the sinner. The. And this would be the atonement. But it's not finished yet, because then the priest would have to take the blood from that sacrifice into the holy place, into the tabernacle itself, and sprinkle it in there before God. But that didn't even finish it. Because once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest would go into the most holy place and he would minister there to take the sins out of the sanctuary. And because otherwise they have actually piled up there. And so that was judgment day. And if your sins hadn't already gone into the sanctuary, they were still on you. But this is the process of forgiveness and the cleansing of the sanctuary where God can actually be among his people because they have been forgiven and cleansed. SPEAKER 2 And that's ultimately what he wants to do. The connection. SPEAKER 1 That is what he wants. SPEAKER 2 But the removal of sin from the people. Now, John, Exodus ends on a very high note. And throughout the book of Exodus, we see the struggle of uncertainty. The people, they are held captive. You know, they are struggling with their the promise that God made to Abraham. Moses is uncertain about his calling. They murmured and complained at every challenge. How does the ending of Exodus close that loop of uncertainty and give hope to the people and to us? SPEAKER 3 The last chapter of the book of Exodus, chapter 40, says it very simply, God with man. And here in verse 34. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting and the glory of God the Lord filled the tabernacle. Verse 38. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. It's pretty good to live under the shadow in God's shadow. SPEAKER 2 And God was with them. SPEAKER 3 And God was with them. SPEAKER 2 God was their gps, their God positioning system. SPEAKER 3 Absolutely. SPEAKER 2 Now, Rosemary, when Moses completes the actual erection of the sanctuary, the glory of God descends and fills the tabernacle. What are the implications of this for worship today in the church? SPEAKER 1 That happened when Moses erected the tabernacle. It happened again when Solomon's temple was built, that God's glory, his Shekinah glory came down and filled the place. And you can see that in Second Chronicles 5:14. But as spectacular as that is, it was not the beauty of the building, the music, the service, the preaching, or anything that was the most important thing. It was the sense of God's presence among his people. And that is what we need. The Bible says that we are to worship him in spirit and in truth and in the beauty of holiness. And when we do that, God will fill his place and fill our hearts. SPEAKER 2 Now, John, as spectacular as those two dedications were, death and sin still reign. How is God ultimately going to eradicate sin? SPEAKER 3 Revelation 21:3 behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them. They shall be his people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. SPEAKER 2 Ultimately, that separation will end with God dwelling. Thank you. That's all the time we have for today. I can think of no other way to end this series on the book of Exodus than with this quote. The final words in the book the Great Controversy by Mrs. Ellen White. This is what it says. The Great Controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From him who created all flow life and light and gladness throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things animate and inanimate in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy declare that God is love. Aren't you glad that we have a loving God who has revealed to us in clear detail his plan to rid this world of suffering and death? Trust him today to be your Lord and Saviour and look forward with hope to live in his presence forever. We are glad that you have joined us today on Let God Speak. Please remember that all past programs plus teacher's notes are available on our website, 3ABNAustralia.org.au. That's the number 3abnaustralia.org.au or you can email us on [email protected]. Join us again next time. God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.