February 6- Hey, Look At Me

February 6, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Exodus 23:14-25:40; Matthew 24:29-51;
Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view
- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. 
~Atticus Finch 
 To Kill A Mockingbird

Exodus 23:14-25:40

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence.  The story is basically a tale about how prejudice against other people can be recognized, fought, and overcome. In order to represent the death of innocence about the fundamental goodness of mankind, Harper Lee refers to the death of these songbirds in the novel. The mockingbird is a picture/symbol.


Today God gives the Israelites and the world several beautiful pictures/symbols of the coming of the Christ that the nation of Israel will carry with them into the wilderness, into battle, and finally, into the Promised Land. These are symbols that the Israelites can see and touch. They are a physical representation of the Messiah's character and work on earth.

After finishing recording the Law, Moses reads the Book of the Covenant to the people.  They enthusiastically respond that they will do everything the Lord has commanded (Exodus 24:7).  Wow.  Ignorance is bliss.  Moses takes seventy leaders up to the mountain and they see God on what appears to be pavement made of brilliant sapphires.  This same picture is part of what John sees in the book of Revelation.  The regular folks who aren't up on the mountain see smoke and clouds during this episode.  The power of God is revealed to the Israelites.

Next comes the process of creating the symbols of God that the Israelites will carry with them.  The Tabernacle is the tent structure that the Hebrews take with them as they move towards the Promised Land.  It will be where God meets with them as they worship.  The plunder that they received from the Egyptians is now used as an offering to create the Tabernacle objects for worship.

I am going to talk about three main objects in the Tabernacle that represent Christ:

• The Ark:  Placed in the Holy of Holies (most sacred area of the Tabernacle) the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat were where God would meet with the children of Israel. The ark was a wooden chest made of shittim wood, which was basically indestructible.  The chest was to be covered inside and out with gold.  This is a picture of Christ as both man and god.  The wood is his humanity and the gold is his deity.  Notice that the wood and gold are not mixed, blended or mingled.  Christ was fully human and fully God.  This is a mystery we cannot completely grasp.  The ark was not an empty box.  It contained Aaron's rod that budded and pointed to Aaron as the priest.  This rod in the box represents that Christ is our High Priest who goes before us to the Father as an intermediary.  The fact that the rod budded represents Christ's resurrection.  Oh, what a happy symbol this is for all of us who face death!  The Ten Commandments are in the box.  They represent that Christ fulfilled the whole Law while on earth and never broke even one commandment.  This confirmed that He alone was a perfect spotless sacrifice. The tablets also represent Christ's Kingship. Christ is also the Law giver and the Law enforcer. There is manna in the box.  Manna represents that Christ is the Bread of Life for all.  He is our spiritual sustenance and through partaking of His body of sacrifice, we obtain eternal life. The manna represents Christ's office as a prophet.  The mercy seat, which was a separate gold piece of furniture, was where blood was sprinkled from the sacrifice.  Could you get a more perfect picture of Christ's work?  I think not.  Jesus came to die and have his blood sprinkled on the mercy seat to provide mercy and grace for you and me.  His blood secures forgiveness for our sins.

• The Table of Showbread: This table is made of shittim wood and has 12 loaves of bread on it. The twelve loaves represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the church.  It is a table of provision.  It shows that God provides for our needs.  It shadows the Last Supper and the practice of Communion that Jesus implemented. Jesus is our Bread of Life.  We are what we eat.  As believers we must come to the Table of Showbread and sustain our spiritual lives on Christ and his words.

• The Golden Lampstand: This is the perfect picture of Christ's deity.  Remember, God created Light first.  God claims to be Light.  He is the Light of the World.  The symbol of the pure gold lampstand in the dark Tabernacle is the picture that Christ is our Light in a dark world.  The lampstand was one piece of gold beaten into the form of a shaft with almond branches with fruit and blossoms.  The blossoms would contain oil that lit the lamps. Jesus often speaks of how a tree must bear fruit to be a good tree.  Here is a representation that he is the Good Tree.  The oil that lights the Lampstand is the Holy Spirit.  It is Christ and the Holy Spirit that illuminate our souls to know God and cause us to bear fruit (Galatians 5:22).  Thank God for this picture and the reality that it represents.

What do you think about these symbols?  I love that God is creative as He teaches us about Himself.

Matthew 24:29-51

Jesus continues to explain the end times to the disciples.  Here is what we are to look for:

• The sun and the moon will be darkened.  Stars will fall from the sky and the powers of heaven will be shaken. - Vs. 29
• The sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear and this will cause the nations to mourn deeply. -Vs. 30 Do you sense regret?  I do.
• He will come on the clouds in great glory.- Vs. 30
• His angels will gather his chosen people from the farthest reaches of heaven and earth.- Vs. 31
• Jesus says that his words remain forever- vs. 32
• His return will be like the Flood in Noah's day.  People were busy working, partying, getting drunk, oppressing people and boom, the end comes.  - Vs. 37-50
• Jesus promises to punish the hypocrites and the evil.  He reiterates that there is a place with weeping and gnashing of teeth. -Vs. 51

Jesus is a prophet.  What do think of his prophecy?

Psalm 30:1-12

I love verse 11 of this psalm.  You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.  This is the case for all believers who have had the sorrow over their sin forgiven.  Now it's time to dance!!

Proverbs 7:24-27

We can think of countless politicians and movie stars who have had their reputations ruined because they were caught sleeping with prostitutes.  This ancient proverbs shows us that this has always been a problem.  Wisdom proclaims that men should steer clear from sexual immorality.  This would include pornography. As we have discussed, God sees sex as a symbol of a spiritual truth and condition. The spiritual truth is that God wants an intimate relationship with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. He is a faithful husband. Sexual immorality messes with His picture.

What did you notice today?  Let's talk about it.

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton