Yesterday Angie Trevino, Amanda Finke and I attended an anti-human trafficking conference that was incredibly eye-opening. Did you realize the I-10 corridor in Houston is the #1 hot spot in the U.S. for human-trafficking? Some of those are domestic, and some foreigners, some minors and some adults, both male and female, some for sex and some for labor--but all of it breaks the heart of God and goes directly against His commands to His people.
Since we just read the above Scripture last week, I had to include it in light of all we learned at the Free the Captives conference. I hope we soon have the opportunity to share with you more and especially the exciting ways you can be involved to stop this evil right here in our city as well as overseas. Human trafficking heavily affects the street kids down in Montrose, and it likely preys on the unsuspecting refugees with whom we work in Los Arcos. And God expects His followers to do something about it.
“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” (Deut. 27:19)
“This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’" (Zech. 7:9-10)
This past week we read about the people making everything God commanded them to do for the building of the tabernacle. God was incredibly detailed, leaving nothing for them to figure out on their own, so that this earthly tabernacle would perfectly shadow the heavenly one we will see someday. Each part of the tabernacle had significance. For example, the altar of incense with its pleasing aroma is referred to in Revelation.
"And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." (Rev. 5:8; emphasis mine)
"And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel." (Rev. 8:3)
We also see the connection of the lampstand with its seven branches (the lampstand plus three branches on each side) with the seven lampstands surrounding Jesus in heaven in Revelation.
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters...and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." (Rev. 1:12-15, 20b)
The bread of the Presence was probably an obvious one for you, as well as the basin for washing. One aspect that really jumped out at me while reading about all the different sacrifices for burnt offerings that were required was this: those priests that served at the temple to offer the sacrifices on behalf of the people would be stained all over with blood. What an image of the blood of Jesus covering our sin to give us His righteousness! And we know that all the followers of Jesus Christ are priests in the kingdom of God.
"... you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)
The altar of burnt offerings foreshadowed the cross on which the Lamb of God would be sacrificed to take away the sins of the world. That cross was stained with our Savior's blood just as the sides of the altar were stained with the blood of the animals offered upon it.
Even the priests' garments foreshadowed a heavenly reality. They point to the priesthood of Christ as well as the priesthood of believers. Think of the significance of the names of the twelve tribes being over the chest of the priest, pointing to the spiritual reality of Jesus bearing our names on His heart. We read of His flowing robe and sash in the visions given to Ezekiel, Daniel and John (John's vision is recorded in Revelation). Do you see also the significance of the breastpiece of judgment containing the Urim and the Thummin on Aaron's heart? Aaron bore the judgement of Israel, but God will bear the judgement of the entire world.
Not only do these garments point ahead to Christ but to His bride as well--the priesthood of believers. The beautiful stones placed on the ephod are also mentioned in Revelation 21:19-20 when one of the angels in heaven shows John the bride of the Lamb--the New Jerusalem.
(John is speaking.) "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst." (Rev. 21:1-2, 19-20; emphasis mine)
Now do those stones on the ephod of the priest seem more significant? And just as the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved on these stones, so will they be engraved on the twelve gates of the Holy City; and the names of the twelve apostles will be engraved on the foundations of the Holy City of heaven.
"It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed... and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Rev. 21:14; emphasis mine)
But perhaps my favorite image is the turban of the priests, also referred to as a crown, with a gold plate fastened on it with the engraved words "Holy to the LORD," situated right on the forehead.
"It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD." (Ex. 28:38)
Take a look at what Jesus says to John in Revelation.
"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev. 2:10b)
"I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name." (Rev. 3:11-12; emphasis mine)
"They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads."
(Rev. 22:4; emphasis mine)
Glory to God! I can hardly wait! We know that when we came to faith in Jesus Christ we were marked with the Holy Spirit, sealed for that Day to come, as a king would seal an important document with his signet ring (Eph. 1:13). So in the spiritual realm, we already bear the name of Christ on our heads!
There is so much symbolism in the consecration of the priests and their ordination that points ahead to those in the pastoral ministry to the church as well as to all of us who have been given the ministry of reconciliation (which is every believer in Christ). "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5:18; emphasis mine) There is also much symbolism and foreshadowing in the sacrifices and offerings that were commanded by God, but I'll sum it all up with Paul's words to us.
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2)
Two final things I want to point out both have to do with veils.
- the veil in the temple
As you may know, only the priest could go into the Most Holy Place, also called the Holy of Holies, and this only once a year--on the Day of Atonement (tons of foreshadowing there!). This drove home the point to God's people of His perfect holiness and how our sin separates us from God so that we cannot go into His presence. We need the blood of a perfect, spotless Lamb sacrificed for our sins, washed clean by our High Priest Jesus, with His priestly robe of righteousness upon us and His name written on our forehead, so that we may go before God into His presence as a child approaches a loving father.
Only Jesus could make a way through that veil that separated the people from the mercy seat of God.
(the moment of Jesus' death on the cross) "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split." (Matt. 27:50-51; emphasis mine)
Glory! Never again would the followers of Jesus be separated from the presence of God. We now have total access to God in prayer, going into "the Holy of Holies" all on our own!
The ark of the covenant, upon which was the mercy seat of God, remained behind that veil in the Most Holy Place. It was above the mercy seat that the visible presence of God actually came down like fire. Can you imagine being the priest who saw that? It came right down between the two cherubim facing each other with their wings overshadowing the mercy seat. What a beautiful image of the angels surrounding the throne of God in heaven!
It also points ahead to another time when God in the flesh lay between two angels facing one another. Take a look at what Mary Magdalene saw when she looked inside Jesus' tomb on the day of His resurrection:
"And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet." (John 20:12)
Beautiful--just like the cover for the ark of the covenant behind the veil. Jesus issued in a new covenant for God's people with His death and resurrection.
- the veil in the temple
- the veil worn by Moses
I want you to read the following passages and see if you see the beautiful connections with this other veil. A number of years ago this touched me so much that I based the name for my ministry--Unveiled Ministries (when I speak for women's retreats and conferences or write Bible studies)--on 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 .
- Exodus 34:29-35
- 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
Don't you love that? I do!
I also love how Exodus ends, and I pray this for our body of believers at LifeBridge every Sunday. Not for a literal pillar of cloud or fire (although that would be extremely cool), and not so that it keeps us from entering--because we CAN enter by the blood of Jesus! But I pray that God's presence is so powerfully with us in worship and study each Sunday that we all leave changed. And I pray that we never move or do anything unless directed by the presence of our God.
Because they did everything for the building of the tabernacle exactly as the LORD had shown them:
"Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys." (Ex. 40:34-38)
Dear one, you are now the tabernacle of God, and His presence goes with you by day and by night throughout your journey to your Homeland.
"Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16)
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