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THE Tabernacle which God commanded the people of Israel to construct in the Wilderness of Sin, and in connection with which all their religious services and ceremonies were instituted, was, the Apostle Paul assures us, a shadow of good things to come. (Heb. 8:5; 10:1; Col. 2:17) In fact, the whole nation of Israel, as well as its laws and its religious services and ceremonies, was typical. This being true, our understanding of the plan and work of salvation now in progress, as well as their future development, cannot fail to be greatly enlightened by a careful study of those "shadows" which the Israelites, for our edification, were caused to repeat year by year continually until the Gospel age introduced their antitypes--the realities.1 Pet. 1:11; Heb. 10:1-3 It is not simply to gain a historical knowledge of the Jewish forms, ceremonies and worship that we come to the investigation of this subject, but that we may be edified by understanding the substance from an examination of the shadow--as God designed in arranging it. We shall fail to attach sufficient weight and importance to the shadow unless we realize how carefully God guided and directed all of its details. First, he took Moses up into the mount and gave him an illustration of the manner in which things were to be made; Secondly, he charged him to be careful of every particular--"See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." (`Heb. 8:5`; `Exod. 25:40`) So, too, with all the minutiae of the service: every jot and tittle had to be exactly performed in the type, because it illustrated something greater and more important to come afterward. And in order that these shadows might all be exactly performed, and that the people might not become careless, the usual penalty for any violation was death. For instances see `Exod. 28:43`; `Num. 4:15,20; 17:13`; `2 Sam. 6:6,7`; `Lev. 10:1,2` Realizing God's care in making the "shadow" should not only give us confidence in its correctness, that not one jot or tittle of it shall fail until all be fulfilled (`Matt. 5:18`), but should also awaken in us so great an interest in God's plan as would lead us to examine closely and search carefully for the meaning of those shadows. And this, with God's promised blessing, we now purpose to do, assured that among those who are truly God's consecrated ones--his children begotten of his Spirit--"he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." The Tabernacle The Tabernacle too makes known The altar and the laver stand Oh wondrous thought! We here can dwell! So while the Harvest still is here, -Poems of the Way (p. 108) Court | Holy | Brazen Altar | Laver | Lampstand | Table of Shewbread | |
