Today’s selected reading continues in the New Testament epistle written unto the Hebrews. More specifically today’s passage begins with the eleventh verse of the ninth chapter and continues through to the eighteenth verse of the tenth chapter. “But Christ being compelled an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building: neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:11-14).

 

            “And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testimony is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament if of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the boo, and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy palace every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:15-28).

 

            “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers there unto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should takeaway sins. Wherefore when he cometh in top the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou, wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (bin the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hat perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:1-18).

 

            When you come to the ninth chapter of the New Testament epistle written unto the Hebrews you will find the author continuing to write concerning the mystery of the earthly Tabernacle. What’s more, is that when you read the words found in these chapters you will find the author of the epistle writing concerning our Lord and how He is vastly supreme and better than the whole Old Testament sacrificial system. Not only this but the author takes the time to demonstrate how the Old Testament sacrificial system was a shadow and a type that pointed to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. If there is one thing we must needs recognize when reading the words found in this epistle it’s that Christ’s ministry in fulfilling the shadows and types contained in the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant it’s that our Lord not only fulfilled part of this while He was in the flesh among us here on the earth but He would fulfill the rest of it after ascending unto the right hand of the Father which was in heaven. We dare not and must not miss and lose sight of this for it calls and draws our attention to the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding our Lord and how He was the fulfillment of the Tabernacle under the Old Covenant, He was the fulfillment of the sacrifice, and He is the fulfillment of the role, the office and ministry of the high priest. When we think about the sacrificial system implemented in the wilderness as Moses received commandment from the living and eternal God we must needs understand that it was not perfect and that it wasn’t meant to last forever. Perhaps the single greatest truth surrounding the sacrificial system was that it wasn’t meant to last forever throughout the generations.

 

            As I sit here today thinking about and considering the words which are found in this passage of Scripture I can’t help but be brought face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth that even in the Tabernacle itself there is the mystery and revelation that it was not meant to be last forever. If you take the time to read the Old Testament you will find that during the forty years the children of Israel wandered and journeyed through the wilderness they had the Tabernacle among them. Wherever the pillar of fire by night or the pillar of cloud by day stopped it would be in that place they were to set up the camp of the children of Israel. What’s more is that not only were they to set up the camp of the children of Israel but the very first thing the children of Israel were supposed to set up the Tabernacle first. If you take the time to study the layout of the camp of the children of Israel you will find that the entire camp was divided into four sections—one section of three tribes to the north, one section of three tribes to the south, one section of three tribes to the east and one section of three tribes to the west. Each of the twelve tribes were to set up their tents around the Tabernacle facing the house of the LORD which was present among them. The children of Israel were to set themselves round about the Tabernacle thus signifying that the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the altar of sacrifice and the glory of God were at the very center of their being and their existence. This is something we dare not and must not miss and lose sight of for when you think about the children of Israel in the wilderness you must recognize that the Tabernacle was the centerpiece and the focal point of their existence. It was the various different clans of the Levites who were responsible for setting up and taking down the Tabernacle when there was movement of the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire and they would carry the articles and instruments of the Tabernacle from one place to another as they journeyed through the wilderness.

 

            If there is one thing I cannot help but be absolutely gripped and captivated with it’s how the children of Israel were to set themselves up round about the Tabernacle which was present among them in the midst at the center. AT THE CENTER! GLORY AT THE CENTER! WORSHIP AT THE CENTER! PRAYER AT THE CENTER! SACRIFICE AT THE CENTER! The more I think about and consider this the more I am brought face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth regarding the Tabernacle and how it was indeed meant and intended on being the center of their entire existence. The camp of the children of Israel would and could not be anywhere else but round about the Tabernacle with the pillar of fire by night or the pillar of cloud by day over the Tabernacle in those places they stopped. We dare not and must not miss and lose sight of this incredible truth for concealed within the pattern of the Tabernacle is the revelation that the glory of the living God and worship of Him was to be at the center of them in the midst of the camp. What’s more is that if you read the words which are found in the epistle written unto the Hebrews you will find that concealed within the Ark of the Covenant was the tablets of stone which contained the commandments and Law of God given unto Moses atop the mountain of God in the wilderness. This is important for if the Tabernacle was at the center of the camp of the children of Israel then that means the Ark of the Covenant was at the center of the camp of the children of Israel. If the Ark of the Covenant was at the center of the camp of the children of Israel then that means that both the glory of the living God as well as the Law of God was at the center of the children of Israel. Both the Law and the glory of the living God were at the very core and center of the existence, community and fellowship of the children of Israel.

 

            The reality and truth surrounding the earthly Tabernacle and its being at the very core and center of the existence of the children of Israel is something we must needs recognize and understand within the very depths of our soul. There is something incredibly powerful and unique when you think about and consider the way the camp of the children of Israel was set up and specifically how it was set up round about the Tabernacle which was present in the midst of them. The Old Testament book of Moses—specifically Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy—demonstrates and reveals the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding the very existence of the Tabernacle and its standing at the very center of the children of Israel. Wherever they would stop and set up the camp in the midst of the wilderness the Tabernacle was always the very first thing that would need to be set up for there was absolutely no way for the various camps of the different tribes to be set up without and apart from this. The setting up of the individual camps of the tribes of Israel with their clans and families and households was entirely centered around the Tabernacle having been set up among them in their midst. In fact I would dare say that the camp(s) of the children of Israel would and could not be set up until after the Tabernacle was itself set up among them in their midst. Oh there is a great mystery surrounding the Tabernacle and its vital and central role among the children of Israel. There is something incredibly powerful and unique about this when you take the time to consider it for it brings us face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding the altar being at the very center of the existence of the children of Israel in the midst of the wilderness. .

 

            I sit here today thinking about and considering the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding the Tabernacle and its central and critical role among the culture and society of the children of Israel. The very existence of the children of Israel in the midst of the wilderness was indeed to be centered around the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle represented the glory and presence of the living God. Oh there is something truly wonderful and powerful when you consider this for it brings us face to face with the reality that the altar which represented worship and sacrifice was to be at the very center of the very existence of the children of Israel. The altar represented that place where worship of the living God would be manifested through sacrifices of gifts and offerings which were brought unto the priests by the children of Israel. This is something which warrants strong consideration for it brings us face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth that worship and sacrifice were to be at the center of the culture and society of the children of Israel. With the Tabernacle having been set up at the very center of their existence it brings us face to face with the reality that the living and eternal God intended for worship and sacrifice to be at the very center of the existence of the children of Israel while they journeyed through the wilderness.

 

            It’s incredibly interesting to think about and consider the fact that while the children of Israel were journeying and wandering through the wilderness they were not offering sacrifices unto the LORD for the Tabernacle would not be set up until they stopped. It was only when they stopped in a place of rest before the LORD they would then worship the LORD through their sacrifices and offerings. So long as the children of Israel were wandering through the wilderness and walking together with their families, their livestock, their possessions, their households and the like there would be no sacrifice. It would only e in the place of stop sacrifice and offerings could take place among them in their midst. IN THE PLACE OF STOP! THE PLACE OF STOP! THE PLACE OF STOP AND REST! This reality and concept of stopping and resting is truly unique when you take the time to think about it for worship and sacrifice could only take place in the place of stop and rest. So long as the children of Israel were journeying and wandering through the wilderness they were entirely and altogether unable to engage in worship of the living God before and at His altar. Oh there is something truly astonishing and captivating about this when you take the time to think about it for it brings us face to face with the beautiful truth that even within our own lives it is more often than not in the place of stopping and resting we find the freedom and the ability to worship the living God. What’s more is that more often than not worship, sacrifice and offering before and in the sight of the living God is in and of itself an act of rest and stopping within our daily lives. Pause for a moment and think about the fact that when you commit and give yourself to worship, to sacrifice and offering you are indeed giving yourself to a place of stopping and resting within your own daily life.

 

            When you commit yourself to worship and to coming before the LORD with your sacrifices, your gifts and your offerings you are indeed deliberately making the decision to stop what you are doing and enter into a place of rest. This is actually quite interesting when you think about the fact that in the third and fourth chapters of this epistle the author speaks of a rest which Joshua son of Nun brought the children of Israel into upon their entering the land of Canaan. Oh we know that once the children of Israel entered into the land of Canaan—not only did the manna stop but the Tabernacle would be set up among them in a permanent place. Once they entered into the land of Canaan the Tabernacle would be set up in Shiloh and by the time of David and Solomon we find mention of the high place at Gibeon where Solomon would worship the LORD before the Temple would be built. It’s important to note that the rest I am speaking of is rest from the journey, rest from the wandering, rest from constantly moving and constantly going. Oh I am convinced that if you take the time to think about this you will have to admit that more often than not it is when you slow down, when you stop and when you enter into a place of rest you are truly able to give yourself to worship before the LORD. With this being said we must needs understand that not only does worship take place in the place of stop and rest but worship itself is also resting and stopping in the presence of the living God. This is something we dare not and must not miss and lose sight of for when we think about worship we must recognize that worship in and of itself takes place in the midst of stop and rest but worship is also stopping and resting within our own hearts and lives. Most men and women find it difficult to worship before the living God in His presence while they are constantly on the move and going going going and it is only when they slow down and actually stop what they are doing they are able to worship in the presence of the living God.

 

            I find it absolutely necessary to pause for a moment here and ask you a very pointed and yet powerful question. As I ask this question I would like you to be truly honest with yourself and with the eternal and living God and with His Holy Spirit which dwells inside of you. How often do you stop and rest within your daily life? How often do you take the time to slow down, to stop and truly rest in any given day within your life? Are you one who is always on the move and always on the go? Are you one who in the midst of always being on the move and always on the go and finds it difficult to worship before and in the presence of the living God? Are you one who finds it difficult to slow down, to simply come to a full and complete stop and even to enter into a period of rest? I am absolutely convinced that in order to truly enter into a place of rest there is a great need for us to first slow down, then come to a complete stop and then and only then can we enter into a place of rest. [With this being said I must needs pause for a moment and declare that it is possible (and even necessary) to partake of an inward rest within our heart(s), within our soul(s), within our spirit(s) and even within our minds. There is a great need to recognize and acknowledge that while rest can in fact be the absent of movement it can also be the quieting and stilling of our hearts, of our minds, of our souls and our spirits. What’s more is that as much as rest can in fact be a destination it can also be a way of life and a state of being within our every day lives. We dare not and must not relegate and confine rest to simply being a physical place and the absence of movement. There are times when the greatest movement that needs to cease is not necessarily our physical movement but the constant movement of the thoughts that race and rage within our minds.}

 

            I continue to write the words which are found in this writing and I am brought face to face with the tremendous truth surrounding this concept of rest within our lives. It is absolutely imperative we recognize and understand that rest within our lives is as much a state of being as it is the absence of movement. There might be times when it is not easy to stop moving and going because of responsibilities within our every day lives. As a direct result of this it becomes absolutely critical that rest be a state of being within our hearts, within our souls, within our minds and within our spirits. I am convinced that one of the greatest places to be in within our lives is not only being at rest within our inward selves but also being in a place of rest with the absence of movement. We dare not and must not miss the incredible importance of this for it calls and draws our attention to the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding the reality that we as the saints of God must needs understand the importance of rest within our every day lives—not only rest in the sense of the absence of movement but also rest as a state of being within our hearts, minds, souls and spirits. Oh there is an intrinsic and great link that exists between the glory of the living God being at the very center of our existence as well as being in a place of rest and stop within our lives. The more you read and study the language that is found in the Old Testament books of the Law the more you can and will encounter the incredible reality that it was in the place of rest and stop the glory of the living God could be manifested among the children of Israel in their midst. It was in the place of resting and stopping from their journeying and their wandering they were truly able to enter into a place of worship, of sacrifices, of offering and experiencing the glory of the living God. Oh we dare not and must not miss and lose sight of this and how absolutely incredible it truly is for it calls and draws our attention to how absolutely critical and vital rest and stopping truly is within our every day lives.

 

            I write these words and I am brought face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding the reality of how the Tabernacle was to be at the very center of the existence, the culture, and society of the children of Israel. What’s more is when you think about it the Tabernacle was to be at the very center of the rest and stop itself. THE TABERNACLE IS AT THE VERY CENTER OF RESTING! THE TABERNACLE IS AT THE VERY CENTER OF THE STOPPING! The more you think about and consider this the more you are brought face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth that not only was the Tabernacle to be at the very center of the camp of the children of Israel but the Tabernacle was to be at the very center of that place of resting and stopping within their lives. Oh there is a great need to recognize and understand how important this is for when you read and study the history of the children of Israel in the midst of the wilderness. So long as the children of Israel were moving in the midst of the wilderness the Tabernacle would and could not be set up among them in their midst. It was only when they stopped their movement, their journeying and their wandering they were able to set up the Tabernacle among them and truly enter into a place of worship.

 

            As I sit here thinking, contemplating and meditating upon these words I find myself coming face to face with the incredible truth that the rest and the stop of the children of Israel in the midst of the wilderness was never anything that was ordered and orchestrated by themselves. If you take the time to truly study the journeys and wandering of the children of Israel in the midst of the wilderness you will find that their resting and their stopping was ordered and orchestrated by the living and eternal God. The final chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus provides us with perhaps the best picture of this for it describes how whenever the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night went up from the Tabernacle it was the sign to take down both the Tabernacle and their camps and follow the Angel of the Lord wherever He led them through the wilderness. Conversely, however, it was whenever the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night stopped and rested and abode in a certain place they were to themselves stop, set up the Tabernacle and then set up their camps and tents round about the Tabernacle. This is something we must needs recognize and understand for when you think about the process of resting and stopping in the midst of the children of Israel in the wilderness you will find that their rest and their stop was divinely ordered and orchestrated by the living God. It wasn’t up to them nor according to their own will, plan and desire they were able to enter into a place of stop and rest. The rest and stop they entered in the midst of the wilderness was never something they desired or orchestrated themselves but rather something they were forced into according to the divine will, plan and purpose of the living God. With this in mind I invite you to consider the following words which are found in the final verses of the fortieth chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus:

 

            “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. You shall put in it the Ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil. You shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it; and you shall bring in the lamp stand and light its lamps. You shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the Testimony, and put up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle. Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. You shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen at the court gate. And you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it; and you shall hallow it and all its utensils, and it shall be holy. You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be most holy. And you shall anoint the laver and its base, and consecrate it. Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of meeting and wash them with water. You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to me as priest. And you shall bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. You shall anoint them as you anointed their father that they may minister to me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did” (Exodus 40:1-16).

 

           

“And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. So Moses raised up the tabernacle, fastened its sockets, set up its boards, put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. And he spread out the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the table in the tabernacle of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle outside the veil; and he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the lamp stand in the tabernacle of meeting, across from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle; and he lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the gold altar in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the veil; and he burned sweet incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He hung up the screen at the door of the tabernacle. And he put the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering as the LORD had commanded Moses. He set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water there for washing; and Moses, Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and their feet with water from it. Whenever they went into the tabernacle of meeting, and when they came near the altar, they washed, as the LORD had commanded Moses. And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work” (Exodus 40:17-33).

 

“Then the clouds covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 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”  (Exodus 40:34-38).

 

With this passage in mind I invite you to consider the following words which are found in the Old Testament book of Numbers—specifically the ninth chapter. If you turn and direct your attention you will find an additional reference concerning the cloud and the fire in the midst of the wilderness and in the midst of the children of Israel. Consider if you will the following words which are found in the ninth chapter of this Old Testament book beginning with the fifteenth verse:

 

“Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. At the command of the LORD the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not journey. SO it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the LORD they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the LORD they would journey. So it was, when the cloud remained only from even until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. At the command of the LORD they remained encompass, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses” (Numbers 9:15-23).

 

ACCORDING TO THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THEY WOULD REMAIN ENCAMPED! ACCORDING TO THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THEY WOULD JOURNEY! I am absolutely convinced there is a great need for us to recognize the importance of what is found in the words within this passage of Scripture. The words contained here in this passage serve as an additional reference concerning that which we read in the final chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus. I previously mentioned that the resting and stopping of the children of Israel was according to the divine will of the living God and here within this passage we encounter the tremendous truth surrounding this reality. Moses wrote in this particular section of the book of Numbers that the children of Israel would cease their journeying through the wilderness at the command of the LORD. Conversely they would resume their journeying through the wilderness at the command of the LORD. What’s more is that when you read the words found in this passage you will find Moses speaking of two days, a month, or even a year of the cloud remaining above the tabernacle. This is incredibly important for not only did the living God determine when they would stop and rest but He also determined how long that period of rest was for. Not only this but the children of Israel had to be just as prepared to rest as they would to depart and journey through the wilderness. If there is something worth recognizing within this passage of Scripture it’s that the children of Israel were stopped by the command of the LORD and they were set forth by the command of the LORD. In addition to this they could remain in a place overnight and would have to pack up the following morning and depart or they could be encamped during the day and they would have to pack up and journey by night.

 

There is something incredibly unique and powerful about this when you take the time to think about it for it brings us face to face with the tremendous truth that the children of Israel were divinely led and guided in the midst of and through the wilderness. Their rest and their stopping was divinely orchestrated and ordered by the living God and this means that they could not determine when they would stop in the midst of their journeys. Not only this but they could also not determine when they would move forth from a specific place within the wilderness. It would be in the place of resting and stopping the children of Israel would set up the Tabernacle among them in their midst and it was the living God who divinely orchestrated and ordered that rest and stop. With this being said it’s necessary for us to recognize that it was in those places of rest and stopping when the children of Israel would encamp round about the Tabernacle among them in their midst. It was in those places of resting and stopping they would and could enter into a place and period of worship in the sight and presence of the living God. There in that place where they themselves would rest and stop they would be free to worship the LORD with their gifts, with their sacrifices and with their offerings. What makes this all the more intriguing and captivating when you think about it is I can’t help but wonder if there weren’t those present among the children of Israel who were anxious to engage themselves in worship of the living God with their gifts, sacrifices and offerings while they were journeying in the wilderness. Is it possible there were men and women among the children of Israel who were entirely and altogether anxious within their hearts and spirits to enter into that place of rest and stop—perhaps so they could present their sin and guilt offerings before the LORD? Is it perhaps possible that there were those among the children of Israel who could not wait and were anxious to stop and rest that they might engage in worship of the LORD with their freewill offering simply to worship the living and eternal God?

 

 

The more I think about and consider this particular truth the more I am brought face to face with the fact that the resting and stopping of the children of Israel in the wilderness was divinely orchestrated and ordained by the true and living God. The children of Israel could never decide when it was time for them to stop nor could they ever decide where they needed or wanted to stop. The children of Israel would faithfully follow the pillar of cloud by day and would faithfully follow the pillar of fire by night and whenever and wherever either stopped they themselves were to stop. IT would be in those place where the pillar of cloud or the pillar of fire stopped the children of Israel would themselves stop and enter into a place of rest. What’s more is that it would be in those places of rest and stop the children of Israel would indeed be able to enter into and engage in worship of the true and living God. OH please don’t miss and lose sight of this for it brings us face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding the rest and stopping of the children of Israel and how it would be in those places of resting and stopping they would be free to enter into and engage in worship before the living and eternal God. So long as the children of Israel were journeying throughout the wilderness the brazen altar would not be set up among them and therefore no sacrifices, offerings or gifts could be made unto and before the living God. When, however, the Tabernacle was reared up, the altar was put in place and fire was burning upon the altar it was essentially as if the Tabernacle was open for worship and the altar was available and accessible for worship.

 

I consider the tremendous reality surrounding these distinct truths and I can’t help but be brought face to face with the absolutely wonderful truth surrounding the Tabernacle being at the very center of the camp of the children of Israel. With the Tabernacle being at the very center of the children of Israel both the glory of the LORD and the Law of the LORD would be at the very center of them in their midst. This is something we dare not and must not miss and lose sight of for it calls and draws our attention to the absolutely wonderful truth that while the Law of the LORD was to be obeyed even when they journeyed through the wilderness it was at the very center of their existence when they were camped in the wilderness and each family’s tent was set up round about the Tabernacle. Please do not lose sight of this and how absolutely wonderful it truly is for it brings us face to face with the wonderful truth surrounding the camp of the children of Israel and how the camp was set up in such a way that the glory of the LORD and the Law of the LORD was to be at the very center of their existence. There were times when the glory of the LORD would fill the Tabernacle when it was set up among them in their midst, however, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night would also ways upon and over the Tabernacle. There is a great need to understand and pay close attention to this for it brings us face to face with the fact that the children of Israel were to center their lives around the glory of the LORD as well as the Law of the LORD. The children of Israel were to live their lives and pattern their existence after the glory of the LORD and after the Law of the LORD with both being at the very center of their existence. At the very center and core of their existence was indeed the children of Israel living their lives in full view and in light of the glory of God and with the Law of the LORD at the very center of who they were as a people.

 

Oh the more I think about and consider this the more I am brought face to face with the incredibly awesome and wonderful truth surrounding the glory of the LORD and the Law of the LORD being at the very center of our own existence. The glory of the LORD represents the divine presence of the living God as well as our freedom to worship Him with our gifts, our sacrifices and our offerings. The glory of the Lord speaks of His divine presence among us and it is His divine presence that must needs be at the very heart and center of our existence. Our entire lives must needs center and revolve around the divine glory and presence of the living God and we must needs be men and women who commit and devote ourselves to worship in the sight and presence of the LORD. With this being said the Law of the LORD represents the authority and government of the LORD within our lives as He requires obedience and faithfulness. Not only does the LORD require obedience and faithfulness but the Law represents the call to holiness and righteousness within our lives. Perhaps the question that is best asked at this particular juncture is whether or not the glory of the LORD and the Law of the LORD are indeed at the center of your existence as one who professes to be a saint of the living God. Is your life centered and founded upon the glory of the LORD and His presence as well as the Law of the LORD and His government. There is a great need for us as the saints of God and as the disciples of Christ to be those who truly recognize and acknowledge the importance of both the glory of the LORD and the Law of the LORD to be present among us within our daily lives.

 

I write these words and I am brought face to face with the incredibly awesome and powerful truth surrounding the importance of the glory of the LORD and the Law of the LORD within our lives. If we are truly honest with ourselves we must needs admit and acknowledge the fact that we have been called to be people who live in light of the glory of the LORD and in light of the government of the living God within our lives. It is the Law of the LORD—His commandments and His statutes—that serve as the very foundation of our existence as we have been called to live lives of righteousness, of purity, of holiness, of obedience and of faithfulness. Show me a man or woman who has at the very heart and center of their existence the glory of the LORD and the Law of the LORD and I will show you a man or woman who not only walks in worship and communion with the living God but a man or woman who walks in holiness and righteousness in the sight of the living God. What’s more is that this pattern and type was found in the life of Abraham who was the patriarch of the children of Israel. If you take the time to read and study the Old Testament book of Genesis you can and will find Abraham was a man of both the tent and the altar. Abraham was a man who journeyed throughout the land of Canaan and wherever he stopped he would set up two very important things—the altar and the tent. The tent represented the fact that Abraham was a stranger and pilgrim in a strange land while the altar was the means whereby Abraham would indeed worship the LORD his God who had called Him out of Ur of the Chaldeans. It was the living and eternal God who called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans and even from Haran and unto the land of Canaan where He would walk in obedience and faithfulness in the sight and presence of the living God. Consider if you will the following words which are found in the twelfth chapter of the Old Testament book of Genesis beginning with the first and opening verse:

 

“Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sara his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, To your descendants I will give this land. And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain easy of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south” (Genesis 12:1-9).

 

“Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the south as far as bEthel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 13:1-4).

 

Pay close attention to the words which are found within these passages of Scripture for when you read of Abraham’s journeys in the land of Canaan you will find that he was indeed a man of the tent and the altar. So long as Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan he would dwell in tents—not only signifying that he was a stranger and pilgrim in the midst of the land but also granting him the freedom to move throughout the land. We dare not and must not miss and lose sight of this and how absolutely incredible it truly is for it brings us face to face with the awesome truth surrounding Abraham being a man who was a stranger and pilgrim in the land but who also worshipped and called upon the name of the LORD. Scripture makes it very clear that when Abraham built an altar He would call upon the name of the LORD. This is something that warrants strong consideration as it brings us face to face with the incredible truth that Abram was indeed a man who engaged in continual fellowship and communion with the living and eternal God. It is no wonder Abraham was and is considered to be a friend of God for he was not only a man of obedience and faithfulness but he was also a man of the altar who called upon the name of the LORD in those places he had pitched his tent. This is worth noting for when you consider his descendants and their journey in the wilderness you will find that they too were strangers and pilgrims in the wilderness who were simply passing through until the time came when they would cross over the Jordan River and enter into the land of Canaan west of the Jordan. The children of Israel would dwell in tents so long as they wandered and journeyed through the wilderness and these tents would signify and suggest they were strangers and pilgrims who were passing through the wilderness until they would once and for all enter into and come unto that place of rest which was found in the land of Canaan.

 

The New Testament epistle written unto the Hebrews does indeed speak of the rest which Joshua the son of Nun led the children of Israel into after their journeys and wandering in the wilderness had come to an end. While they were in the wilderness, however, there would be period of rest and stopping for them for when the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night stopped anywhere in the wilderness they were themselves to stop and set up camp there in that place. Their coming(s) and their going(s) were divinely orchestrated and ordained by the living and eternal God and they were required to walk in obedience and faithfulness before Him in His sight and presence. This is something which warrants a tremendous amount of consideration as it brings us face to face with the awesome and wonderful truth surrounding their resting and stopping according to the command of the LORD. What we must acknowledge within our own lives is whether or not we are able to obey the command(s) of the LORD when He calls us to rest and stop. Are we men and women who are sensitive to the leading, the guiding and the directing of the living and eternal God and such who recognize when we have been called to stop and rest? Are we those who are willing and know how to stop and rest that we might indeed enter into and engage in worship before the living and eternal God? Are we those who understand that more often than not it is in those places of resting and stopping we are indeed able to worship before the LORD at His holy altar? Not only this but are we those who recognize and understand that there are specific seasons within our lives—two days, a month, even a year—when the LORD calls us into a place of rest and stop that we might simply worship before Him in His presence? Do we understand and acknowledge that it is the LORD who orchestrates and ordains those periods of rest and stop within our lives that we might indeed enter into a place of worship, prayer, communion and fellowship with Him?

 

 

Having said all of this I find it necessary to call and draw your attention to the absolutely wonderful truth that we have indeed been called to live our lives with the glory of the living God at the very center of our existence. We as the saints of God and the disciples of Christ must recognize that we have been called to be those who know when we are to enter into a place of stopping and resting that we might establish—or perhaps re-establish—the glory and presence of the living God at the center and core of our lives and existence. There are times when the living and eternal God can and will bring us into seasons and places of resting and stopping that he might re-center and re-focus us. There are times within our lives when our continued movement and our continued going has caused us to lose sight of what truly matters and what is truly necessary within our lives. Oh it might very well be that this was at the very heart of the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night stopping at certain places and at certain times while the children of Israel were present in the midst of the wilderness. It would be when the pillar of fire or pillar of cloud stopped and rested in a certain place the children of Israel themselves were to stop and rest in those places. OH please don’t miss and lose sight of this and how absolutely incredible it truly is for it brings us face to face with the wonderful and beautiful truth that the living and eternal God knows when we need to stop and when we need to rest. I am convinced this is precisely the beauty that is found in the twenty-third chapter of the Old Testament book of Psalms as well as the beautify that is found in the forty-sixth chapter of the same Old Testament poetic book:

 

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; he leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:1-6).

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah. There is a river those streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, who has made delegations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; he burns the chariots in the fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:1-11).

 

As I prepare to bring this writing to a close I find it necessary to return to the New Testament epistle written unto the Hebrews. Within this portion of Scripture the author sets forth the understanding that Jesus is indeed better than the Tabernacle which was ministered under the Old Covenant. What’s more is the Lord Jesus was and is indeed the fulfillment of the sacrifices, gifts and offerings which were given unto Moses in the midst of the wilderness. It was the LORD who Himself was the sacrifice which was offered in our place and which was presented as an offering in the sight and presence of the living God. It was the LORD Jesus who was indeed the fulfillment of the blood that wa shed for the remission of sins for without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins. The Lord Jesus Christ was indeed that One who satisfied and fulfilled the justice and righteousness of the living God during the days of His flesh when He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. We must acknowledge and recognize this within our own hearts and lives for when we consider the Lord Jesus we must acknowledge that He was not only the fulfillment of everything that was represented in the Tabernacle but He was also the representation of the Tabernacle within our hearts and lives. It is because Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrifice and Tabernacle we are indeed able to experience the glory and presence of the living God in an even greater measure and degree than the children of Israel could ever have experienced.

 

If you read the words which are found in this passage of Scripture you will find the author describing how the earthly tabernacle—despite the glory thereof and despite its ordinances—was not perfect. The earthly tabernacle could not fully accomplish and complete within the heart(s) and lives of those who presented sacrifices and offerings for it could not make them complete in matters of the conscience. This is something the author of the epistle written unto the Hebrews writes and speaks of for they describe how the priest would always go into the first part of the tabernacle and would perform the required services. It would be into the second part of the Tabernacle—the Holiest of All and the Holy of Holies—that the high priest went alone once a year with blood which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins. When Christ, however, came as a High Priest of the good things to come with a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands He would not minister the blood of bulls or goats but would minister His own blood which He shed for the remission of sins. It was the Lord Jesus who entered into the Holy of Holies once and for all and obtained eternal redemption by presenting His own blood which was shed for the remission of our sins. The author of the epistle written unto the Hebrews asked if the blood of bulls, goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh then how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. It is for this reason Christ is indeed the Mediator of the new covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

 

It is because the Lord Jesus sacrificed and offered Himself once and for all that we have not only obtained eternal redemption but a way was made into the Holy of Holies. We have been granted access to the very throne of the living God and are able to come boldly before the throne of grace that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. It is because of the work of Jesus we have confidence and boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies whereby we might enter into the divine presence of the living God completely free to worship before Him in His sight and presence. The question we must needs ask ourselves is whether or not we are indeed willing to be men and women who are willing to rest and stop knowing that it is in the resting and stopping we are able to worship before the living and eternal God. Are we willing to be men and women who allow both the glory and government of the living God to be manifested within our hearts and lives? Within the city of Jerusalem the symbol of the glory of the LORD was indeed the Temple while the symbol of the government of the living God was the throne of David. When you consider the New Jerusalem which will be manifested it’s important to recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ will indeed sit upon the throne of His father David and will rule the nations with a scepter or iron. The question we must needs ask ourselves is whether or not we are indeed willing to be those who indeed allow the glory and government of the living God to be truly manifested within our lives. Are we as the saints of God and we as the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ those who are truly able to walk in the fullness of the glory and government of the living God within our lives and allow ourselves to make and keep the living God the very center of our beings and our existence. Are we as the saints of God and we as the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ those who are truly able to be such who allow the glory and government of the living God to truly be manifested within our lives and live with Jesus at the center of it all. JESUS AT THE CENTER! CENTER OF THE ROOM.