Foundations: Meet with me! Exodus 24-31

Foundations: Meet with me!

Exodus 24-31

Intro: God does not lead into chaos, He leads into order.

• Bondage, Hope, Deliverance, testing, trusting, Law, Obedience Faith. It is all there moving Israel to be the covanant people By living like the covantna people.

1. Move young people into places where they get to see God’s hand. Ch. 24

“Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.””

Exodus 24:1-4, 12-14 ESV

• • God gives us what He requires and what we need.
  • While God is moving, we are to learn to wait.
  • Be an assistant until God brings you forward.

2.  Generosity is a result of spiritual gratefulness. Ch. 25:1-9

“The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.”

Exodus 25:1-3, 5, 7-9 ESV

• • The Lord is worthy of our generosity.
  • The Lord wishes to use our generosity to multiply His work.
  • The Lord blesses generosity.

3.  God designs His meeting place and its function. (The Tent of Meeting)

• The Arc of the Covenant. V10-22
  • Gold-covered acacia box containing the two stone tablets, Aaron’s rod, and manna; mercy seat with two cherubim on top.
  • Christ is the true “mercy seat” (propitiation, Rom 3:25; Heb 9:4-5). God meets with His people in Christ; the law is fulfilled in Him.
• The Table for bread. V23-30
  • Acacia table overlaid with gold holding 12 loaves of bread, replaced every Sabbath.
  • Jesus is the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35); the 12 loaves point to Him sustaining all God’s people (the 12 tribes → the Church).
• The Golden Lampstand. V31-40
  • Pure hammered gold with 7 lamps, providing the only light in the Holy Place.
  • Christ is the Light of the World (John 8:12); the 7 lamps = perfect, complete light of the Holy Spirit through the Church (Rev 1:20).
• The tabernacle plans. Ch. 26
  • Four layers: fine linen with cherubim (innermost), goat hair, ram skins dyed red, and porpoise/sea-cow skins (outermost).
  • Christ’s incarnation: beautiful humanity (linen), ordinary appearance (goat hair), sacrificial death (red skins), and protection from the storm of judgment (outer layer).
• The Bronze Alter. Ch. 27:1-8
  • Acacia wood overlaid with bronze; place of animal sacrifice, continual fire.
  • The Cross of Christ—wood + metal; Jesus offered Himself as the final sacrifice (Heb 10:10-12; the bronze speaks of judgment borne).
• The Court. V9-19
  • Outer courtyard enclosed by white linen curtains hung on bronze pillars.
  • Righteousness (white linen) and judgment (bronze); only through Christ’s righteousness and atoning death can anyone enter God’s presence.
• Oil for the Lamp. V20-21

““You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.”

Exodus 27:20 ESV

• • The Priest’s Garments. Ch. 28
    • The Ephod: Made of fine twisted linen and yarn. Two onyx stones engraved with the 12 tribes name set on shoulders. This is a symbol of intercession. Christ will bear His people on his shoulders and will intercede for us continually. (Luke 15:5, Hebrews 7:25)
    • The breast piece of judgment or decision: Pouch with 12 stones on it containing Urim and Thummim that helped discern God’s will. Christ is the ultimate breast piece for all believers. We are engraved on HIs heart and his law is engraved on ours. He helps us find God’s will.
    • The Robe: Blue with gold bells and pomegranates around the hem. Bells were necessary to know that the priest is still alive when meeting with God. Christ is our acceptable mediator.
    • The Turban and gold plate: the plate was engraved with Holy to the Lord. The people were still sinful but high priest would bear the sin debt on his shoulders and would God to God with the plate that declared to God the holiness of the people.
    • The Tunic, sash and linen under garments: Fine linen symbolizing righteousness and purity. It covered nakedness and protected ones moral purity. Christ was spotless and righteous. HIs righteousness was imputed to believers. Rev. 19:8

Hebrews 4–10 repeatedly calls Jesus our Great High Priest, who entered the true heavenly sanctuary “not with garments of gold and linen, but with His own blood.”

• He wears our names engraved on His heart and shoulders forever.

• • The alter of Incense. Ch. 30
    • Gold-covered acacia altar in front of the veil; perpetual incense burned morning and evening.
    • The prayers of Christ and His people ascending to God (Heb 7:25; Rev 8:3-4); Jesus ever lives to intercede.
  • The Bronze Basin. V17-21
    • Bronze basin with water for priests to wash hands and feet before ministering.
    • Cleansing and sanctification by Christ and the washing of the Word (John 13:8-10; Eph 5:26; Titus 3:5).
  • Anointing Oil. V 22-38
    • Special fragrant mixture used to consecrate priests and furnishings.
    • The Holy Spirit who anoints and sets apart Christ and His Church (Luke 4:18; 2 Cor 1:21-22; 1 Jn 2:20,27).
  • Gifts of Craftsmanship. Ch. 31:1-11

“The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.””

Exodus 31:1-11 ESV

You are destined by ‘God to meet with him and work for his glory.

Why this is important for us today. It is important for us see that God did not just design mankind and the world, but He is the designer of the relationship we are to have with Him. He has gone through great effort to show us and lead us into covenant with Him.

*Beauty of the heart of Christ!