WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson
commentary
For Sunday November 24, 2013
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TRAVELING LIGHT
(GOD seeks worship from HIS people)
(Exodus 40)
It is for the purpose of GOD, that the
Christian is called. It is by the work of the HOLY SPIRIT, that a person’s life
is hallowed towards GOD. It is by the sprinkling of the blood of JESUS CHRIST,
that past sins are forgiven, and we look forward to a future of obedience to
GOD.
In Exodus 40, verses 1-33, Moses
chronicles for us, a vivid description and account of how GOD instructed him to
set up, and furnish the newly constructed “Tabernacle of the LORD”. It was to
be the place of “the highest form of corporate worship of GOD on earth”. In
fact, the LORD HIMSELF was to come down and grace this holiest of places.
Basically, those instructions entailed these three things;
·
The physical arrangement of the sanctuary’s interior and exterior parts,
and, the courtyard curtains (v. 1-8)
·
The “consecration”, or “setting aside for holy use”, of the Tabernacle
and its contents (v. 9-11)
·
The washing, dressing, and anointing of the “Priesthood”, namely, Aaron
and his sons, to serve GOD and the people in the sanctuary (v. 12-16).
The Tabernacle was completed within a
year of the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt. They had arrived at the foot of Mount
Sinai about three months after leaving Egypt. Immediately following the
Israelites acceptance of the “LORD’s Covenant” (Exodus 24:18), Moses, then went
into the mountains of Sinai for 40 days. He also spent another 40 days on the
mountain for “covenant renewal”, or the recording of the “Ten Commandments” on
stone tablets (Exodus 34:28). That left approximately 6 ½ months, to collect
the materials needed, and, to construct the Tabernacle itself.
This passage serves as a clear
indicator that the LORD does not want HIS people to go for a long period of time,
without our corporate worship of HIM. HE
also seems to want it to be done in a formal setting, pre-designed in detail,
by HIM. We have to learn “how” to worship GOD, just as we have to learn any
other spiritual principals. The examples of worship given to us in this passage
of Exodus are, quite literally, designed into the Tabernacle. For instance, we
see the golden lampstand symbolizing GOD’s Glory, which should be at the desire
of every Christian. We also see the spiritually strategic location of the “Ark
of the Covenant” in the “innermost” Holy place in the Tabernacle, symbolizing
where GOD was to meet HIS people.
The Tabernacle’s central importance
in the lives of the Israelites is graphically depicted in the Old Testament
Book of Numbers. When the Israelites set up camp in the wilderness, the
temporary Tabernacle tent, or, “Tabernacle of the Congregation” was always
placed in the center of the camp, with the Levites camping right next to it
(Numbers 1:53). However, after this permanent structure was erected at Shiloh,
it remained there throughout the “period of the Judges” in Israel, from the
time of Joshua, until the time of Samuel.
In the New Testament Greek, the word used
for “dwelt”, by the Apostle John (John 1:14) is “skenoo” (shay-no-o), and it
means “tabernacled”, which means “occupied, resided, or “lived in”. This is the
only place in Scripture where this particular word is found, and it speaks to
the importance that GOD places on man’s worship of HIM. It says, in effect,
that, we should actually “live” our perpetual lives in full-time worship of
GOD, because HE is worthy to be worshiped and praised continuously.
GOD’s instructions, as to how we
should worship HIM, must be adhered to, in our generation, just as it was in
the time of Moses, or Joshua, or all of the other judges of Israel. Our purpose
is not to set new standards and ways of the worship of GOD, but rather, we
should cleave to the guidelines that HE has already set and established. So let
us always aspire to “worship GOD in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to
HIM”, not us, and let us always seek to guard against letting “sin” and “culture”
dictate GOD’s Christian doctrine in HIS church. That way, the LORD’s glory can
bless and fill our modern-day sanctuaries, and we can once again sense the
difference between the “professed Christian Church”, and “the World”.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official
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