WHY DO ALL THESE DETAILS MATTER TO US NOW?
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)
Now Moses has received the
proper instructions from God about what is to go inside the tabernacle; and God
is telling Moses exactly how to construct the actual physical tabernacle itself.
As with everything else we have
studied; the instructions God gave Moses in building the tabernacle were
very symbolic. Almost every element of
this very special tent called the Wilderness Tabernacle has a meaning underneath the surface.
We will discuss those meanings
further; but first let’s think about why they were meant to be so
significant.
Exactly what is God saying to
mankind with the example of this wilderness tabernacle?
God is actually saying many
things; but today before we start analyzing what the tabernacle is built of and the
symbolic meaning of such things; let’s
look at why all this symbolism matters.
Sir Martin Lord Rees, a famous
scientist and astronomer, has explained that the universe is shaped by six
mathematical constants, which; had they varied by even a millionth or a trillionth
of a degree; would have resulted in us having no universe at all.
Keeping this in mind and considering
how mind-boggling that thought is to us; let’s also consider the fact that a
few Torah scholars have discovered that the construction of the wilderness tabernacle
is based on the same theory and scientific principles as God’s creation of the
universe.
Thus; the tabernacle becomes for
us a symbolic reminder of the whole universe that God has created.
To carry this thought just a step
further; consider that the Divine Presence of God within the tabernacle is
symbolic of the fact that His Divine Presence exists throughout the cosmos.
Thus, the tabernacle is a man-made
structure of a God created design that focuses attention on a divinely created
universe.
This divinely created universe is
precise and mathematically exact; but just one slight change in calculations and
life on earth would no longer exist.
When we read Psalm 104:24; “How
many are your works, Lord; in wisdom You made them all.” We know that the
proper translation of the word “wisdom” means “precise, exact craftsmanship.”
The only other such man-constructed,
God designed space in the holy scriptures that speaks of such precise
craftsmanship is from the passages of the instructions that God gave to Noah on
how to build the ark.
When men make changes in God’s
precise order of the things of the universe, there are consequences.
Both Noah and Moses had to follow specific instructions and do it all
EXACTLY as God designed. This was one message we learned by observing
the scriptures about the construction of the tabernacle.
Everything God does has more meaning
than meets the eye.
We must learn to see
with the eyes of our souls.
This deeper meaning
is not seen by many living in the world today, simply because they do not want
to know the truth of the message. They
only want to know what THEY think, what THEY see and what THEY want to do. They don’t really care to look deeper into
God’s way.
God’s precision and order
matters.
Change just one little thing
about God’s order, and/or His original plan, and the rest of everything else
changes too.
God put man on earth to
keep the order He originally designed.
For mankind that means we must be careful about what we say, think and
do. It ALL must conform to God’s
pattern.
There is great wisdom in the words
of Rabbi Sacks who has said: “There is a
precise choreography to the moral and spiritual life just as there is a precise
architecture to the tabernacle.”
We must align our minds, hearts
and souls to the creator of the universe.
It matters in the end, and to be precise; it matters all the way through till the end.
The ark of Noah was constructed with two purposes in mind:
1) To protect the godly living on the earth and
2) to destroy the ungodly living on the earth.
This tabernacle in all of the
precise dimensions given to Moses acts symbolically the same.
In the end of the story – our bodies along
with God’s Holy Spirit living within them become the living tabernacles that
all of this symbolism describes. In
these last days of mankind – we are nothing but walking tabernacles, or little
tents that contain portions of God’s glory.
When God makes his move; as He finally did in the days of Noah, and the
world as we know it does not exist anymore; will your tabernacle carry you
through to the next place?
It will be a whole new, fresh, clean
place where nothing ungodly can enter. It
will be the New Jerusalem which God will send down from Heaven.
Will you meet God’s
specifications; or will you be lacking in the proper clothing for this New Holy City?
Will you be covered in the blood
of Jesus and filled with God’s Holy Spirit? If you don't have these clothes; all you have to do is ask. God answers every prayer from every soul on this earth. He is waiting to hear what is on your mind. He will help you; but you must decide to call on His name.
If you are not willing to call on God and conform to His very generous and easy requirements; your earthly tabernacle
will be destroyed with the rest of the world whenever the New Jerusalem comes
down from heaven.
So you see the importance of
these very specific dimensions and instructions for the things of the tabernacle
which Moses is now hearing and which we are about to study. They carry huge implications for eternal life
in God’s universe. A wise person will
learn from all of these specific elements of the tabernacle and implement what he
learns into his days here on earth. A
foolish person will walk away saying “none of those things are important.”
What path will you choose?
With this strong and significant
introduction; we will be discussing more of the building of the wilderness
tabernacle in the weeks to come.
Be watching for the next session
in COME AS A CHILD LESSON 158 posting next Thursday.
