The Veil

 

Exodus 26:31-35

 

October 7, 2024

 

The Tabernacle Part 5

 

“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.  And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver.  And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.  You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.  And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.

 

This, veil was a barrier, and no priest could go beyond the veil into the Most Holy place except the high priest. He could only enter once a year, and that on the Day of Atonement.

ii. Spiritually speaking, in dying for our sins Jesus with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).

iii. In the temple, this veil was torn from top to bottom at the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:51), showing that through His death, there is no longer a barrier to the Most Holy place.

iv. Now the Most Holy Place is open to us: brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His flesh(Hebrews 10:19-20). The torn veil of Matthew 27:51 also symbolizes the broken body of Jesus, through which we have access to the Most Holy Place.

v. “When at last the Man in whom all perfections were realized, had made full atonement for sins, the symbol of separation was destroyed.” (Morgan)

a. Put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy: The Ark of the Covenant (here called the ark of the Testimony) was behind the veil in the Most Holy place.

b. Set the table outside the veil: The table of showbread was on the north side of the tabernacle (on the right as one entered the tabernacle) and the lampstand was toward the south (on the left as one entered the tabernacle).

i. The furniture in the holy place spoke of three great obligations of walking with God: prayer (the altar of incense), fellowship (the table of showbread), and to receive illumination (the lampstand).  (Taken from Enduring Word)

The Veil is no longer a barrier between God and man, Jesus has given us assess to His Father, even greater He intercedes for us sitting at the right hand of the Father.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

 

The Tabernacle Part 4

 

Exodus 26:26-30

 

October 6, 2024

 

 

The Tabernacle Part 4

 

“You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end.  You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.”

a. And you shall make bars of acacia wood: Each bar was made of acacia wood and overlaid in gold. Seemingly, the bars ran the entire length of each side, linking together each board into one system.

b. The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end: Four bars ran horizontally on each side, linking each board. One bar – the middle bar – was invisible, running in the middle of each board.

i. This speaks to both the visible and the invisible unity among God’s people. The system of linking bars was both visible and invisible.

c. According to its pattern, which you were shown on the mountain: The repetition of this phrase (Exodus 25:9, 25:40, 26:30) suggests that Moses received a vision of exactly how the Tabernacle should look. He had to communicate this vision to the craftsmen who did the actual building.

i. God works the same way in leaders today. He gives them a vision of what His work should be, and the leader passes it on to others who will do much of the actual work. Moses could not have remained silent about what God had shown him, or the work would never have gotten done.”  (From Enduring Word)

As a mentor, often the Lord will put on my heart something I need to share with the man I’m mentoring.  It is normally an insight from the Scripture.  One of the greatest needs in today’s Church is for older men and ladies to be encouragers and guides in their Spiritual growth.  You will find that in Titus 2:2-12.

 

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

 

`Who am I

 

 

`Who am I 

 

 

As I explored my Identity, I had to begin with who I was and why I am the person I am today.  I was a liar, a thief, a person of little value to the community.  Something changed all of that; it happened long before I was born, and I am not unique, no, not extraordinary; it has happened to millions of people since that one event took place.

 

Often, as I look into the mirror of my true identity, I understand how blessed I am, for who I am today is a gift that cost me nothing; I could not acquire it, it was not for sale, and it could not be earned, and I did not earn or deserve the gift.

 

It was a gift designed in heaven before the foundation of the world came into being.  God saw before creation, and the Creator saw me long before I was.  As I said, I’m not unique, but this is my story, and it must be told.

 

Before I was, God the Father saw me and loved me, and His Son, His only Son, was asked to come to earth and die on the cross and shed His blood to cover my sins that were many.  On that day in history, Jesus Christ not only conquered sin but death and the grave!  In three days, the Godman arose in victory, and the gift was mine for the taking.  At the age of 27, in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, I bowed my knee to a Holy God and asked for His forgiveness for wanting to be in control of my life.  That night, around 10:30 p.m. I received my new identity.

 

I am free from the control of sin; it has no hold on me, no authority over my choices.  Am I sinless? No, but it is a choice, and each time I choose to sin, I break fellowship with my Father, but I never break our relationship.  I’ve been sealed, I’ve been adopted into the family of God, I am His, and He is mine.  To restore our fellowship, I must confess my sin with a broken and contrite heart.

 

As I stated, I’m not exceptional, just forgiven, and it is a grace gift that has eternal value.  My friend Bill worked up a list of Scriptures; this is just one of many, Gal. 4:7, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

 

What does that verse mean to me?

WOW!  I’m family

 

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Tabernacle Part 3

 

Exodus 26:15-25

 

October 5, 2024

 

The Tabernacle Part 3

 

“You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.  Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame.  There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle.  You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side;  and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons;  and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames,  and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame.  And for the rear of the tabernacle westward, you shall make six frames.  And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear;  they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners.  And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.

 

a. For the tabernacle, you shall make the boards of acacia wood: Each board was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. Each board was 15 feet (5 meters) high and 2 feet 3 inches (about .75 meters) wide.

b. Twenty boards for the south side: The north and south sides of the tabernacle had 20 boards each. The back (westward) side was six boards wide with two corner boards, for a total of eight boards across the back.

i. Scholars debate whether the surrounding boards made a solid wall around the tabernacle or were more of a frame with the fabric coverings providing the wall. The idea of a solid wall seems more likely.

c. Coupled together at the top by one ring: Each board was joined together by a system of tenons (tabs) with rings, through which ran bars. Each board had four rings through which the bars ran, and the corner boards had eight rings, four on two sides to accommodate the corners.

d. So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver; sixteen sockets: Each board rested on two sockets of silver, each socket made with one talent of silver. Therefore, each board rested on a base of 264 pounds (120 kilos) of silver.

i. Silver is the metal associated with redemption and payment for sin (Exodus 21:32, Leviticus 5:15, 27:3, 27:6, Numbers 18:16, and Deuteronomy 22:19). Jesus was betrayed for silver (Matthew 26:15). The tabernacle’s foundation was silver – pointing to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

ii. Perhaps the dual nature of the foundation had to do with the two sources of revelation – the Old and New Testaments.

iii. The silver of redemption also separated the tabernacle from the dirt of the desert floor. This is an illustration of the truth that Jesus’ redeeming work separates us from the world.

 

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

 

The Tabernacle Part 2

 

Exodus 26:7-13

 

October 3, 2024

 

The Tabernacle Part 2

“You shall also make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make.  The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size.  You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent.  You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.

“You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole.  And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.  And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it.  

a. Make curtains of goats’ hair: The second covering was made of goats’ hair, producing a fabric dark, thick, and coarse – somewhat like felt. This covering was made by joining together five or six strips of fabric, with each strip being 45 feet (15 meters) long and 6 feet (2 meters) wide.

and. According to Kaiser, this goat hair “Came from long-haired goats and most likely was black in color. It was a coarse material that was often used to weave tents. Felt would be a modern equivalent.”

b. Couple the tent together, that it may be one: The set of five strips and the set of six strips were joined together with a series of loops and bronze clasps. The inner covering or curtain used gold clasps, but the second covering used bronze.

c. The remnant that remains… shall hang over the back of the tabernacle: Since the goats’ hair layer was six feet (2 meters) longer than the fine linen layer, the extra length covered over the back portion of the tent.

d. A cubit on one side, and a cubit on the other side: Since the goats’ hair covering was wider by 3 feet (2 meters), this layer completely covered over the fine linen layer.

i. Therefore, the fine linen layer – the “heavenly” set of coverings – was completely obscured and overlapped by the dark covering of goats’ hair. It was not open to observation, even in part. Heaven remained hidden to all except those who entered in through the door of the Tabernacle.  From Enduring Word

The door was the only way to enter the Tabernacle, and in the book of John's gospel the chapter 14 the sixth verse, Jesus tells us about another door.  “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Many a person will stand before Jesus after physical death wanting to enter that door.  The key will not be your acts of righteousness to be seen by man, but your dependence on what Jesus did on the cross.  I do not believe anyone who understands what hell is going to be like would wish it for anyone but the devil and his demons.  These are the words of Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Today is the day of Salvation, so by grace and faith, God will give you, the Lord, to forgive your sins and come into your life as Lord and Master.  That is the key to the door.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

The Tabernacle Part 1

  

Exodus 26:1-6

 

October 2, 2024

 

The Tabernacle

“Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.  The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size.  Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.  And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise, you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set.  Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another.  And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.

From the Enduring Word, a. “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen: The tabernacle was a tent with a frame and a series of elaborate coverings. This section describes the first covering, the one seen from the interior of the tabernacle.

i. The plans for the tabernacle were revealed to Moses from the inside out, starting with the interior furniture and then working out. We approach the sanctuary from the outside in, but God builds the sanctuary from the inside out. He works in His people according to the same pattern.

b. Fine woven linen… with artistic designs of cherubim: The designs on this covering were visible only from the inside of the tabernacle. Therefore, on the inside of the tabernacle, one saw cherubim all around – as one would see in heaven (Psalm 80:1, Isaiah 37:16, and Ezekiel 10:3).

i. In association with the cherubim on the ark of the covenant, Trapp noted: “Golden-winged images, made by God’s special appointment, and set out of sight. Hence, then is no warrant for the use of images in churches.”

c. Five curtains shall be coupled: The fine linen curtain was made by sewing together five curtains, each one 42 feet (14 meters) long and 6 feet (2 meters) wide. They were first joined in sets of five, and then joined together to cover 42 feet (14 meters) by 60 feet (20 meters).

d. Make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps: The sets of five curtains were not to be sewn to each other, but joined by a system of loops on the fabric and gold clasps to link the loops from one set of five curtains to the other set of five curtains.

e. So that it may be one tabernacle: The spiritual principle illustrated with this method of joining the curtains is unity in diversity. It is the same idea of Romans 12:5: we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

 

I do not often go to commentary’s but today it seems the right thing to do, and this writer was blessed by how God began showing Moses how to build the tabernacle from the inside out.  For that is what has happened to me, first he had to do His work on my heart, and then he began to work on my fleshly life.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Golden Lampstand

                                                              

                                                                Exodus 25:31-40

  

October 1, 2024

 

The Golden Lampstand

“You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.  And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;  three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.  And on the lampstand itself, there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers,  and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand.  Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold.  You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it.  Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold.  It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a tale^nt of pure gold.  And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

You do recall that Moses took Joshua up the mountain with him, for God was going to not only give Moses the Ten Commandments, but the details on all that was to go into the Tabernacle.  We also must remember that God was moving them around in the wilderness for 40 years because of their lack of trust in God.  The tabernacle in the wilderness was a portable place of worship that God commanded the Israelites to build after he rescued them from slavery in Egypt. It was used from a year after they crossed the Red Sea until King Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem, a period of 400 years.

And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.  What was in God's place of worship was made by man; the architect was God, and the project manager was Moses and Joshua.  I can only imagine the details as they were given to the craftsmen.

So, I ask how one can get an application from these verses. I have been up a few mountains, but it was not to get a set of rules to live by; could mine and your lampstands be our studying of the Scriptures?  Has God not called us to that task in 2 Timothy 2:15? “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

The Scriptures have all one needs to live a righteous life, but as a pastor who taught Jan and me and a bunch of teenagers in our home said often, “You would be better off not picking up this book if you are not going to obey its teaching.”  

I wish I had taken that to heart. I have many regrets for not doing so in my thirties.  You may be wondering, does Bob not understand that if He confessed his sins with a broken and contrite heart, God will forgive him and remember them no more?  Yes, 1 John 1-9,  ^“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Also in Isaiah 43:25, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Now let me tell you who does not forget the one Jesus called the thief, the one who came to kill, steal, and destroy.  So act on the Scriptures and tell him to pound sand, better yet, run to Jesus.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice