#6 Tabernacle: From Egypt to Mt. Sinai
Was the tabernacle of Moses and the separated priesthood along with the sacrifices and the offerings God’s best plan for Israel? To understand why God ordained these things, we must go back to Egypt and follow the Children of Israel to Mount Sinai. Please examine and familiarize yourself with the map of Egypt and the Wilderness to Mt. Sinai. This map represents the approximate path of Israel’s escape from Egypt.
Israel was in total bondage to Egypt and lived under the sovereign authority of Pharaoh. He had the power of life and death over Israel. Israel was the slave of Pharaoh and his servant to do his will. They were forced to work without pay. They were slaves in every sense of the word.
However when they cried out to God for deliverance, God prepared Moses and sent him
as their deliverer. Moses carried God almighty’s command to “Let my people go.” Pharaoh ignored God’s command. God sent plagues, signs, wonders and miracles upon Egypt but Pharaoh would not let them go. It was only the death of the Passover Lamb, along with the observance of the complete feast of Passover, that could deliver Israel. It was the blood upon the lintels and the two doorposts that protected the firstborn from death. God told Israel to completely eat the lamb before morning. Nothing was to be left over.
EXO 12:7 ‘Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. EXO 12:8 ‘And they shall eat the flesh that {same} night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. EXO 12:9 ‘Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, {both} its head and its legs along with its entrails. EXO 12:10 ‘And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.
They also had to eat it in a carefully prescribed manner. EXO 12:11 ‘Now you shall eat it in this manner: {with} your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste-- it is the Lord’s Passover. It was by carefully keeping the complete feast that deliverance came to Israel.
Passover is the picture for us of Calvary. 1CO 5:7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are {in fact} unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 1CO 5:8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
The Church must participate in every aspect of the Cross and not pick and choose what it wants to experience. Total deliverance comes by complete participation in the Cross. Perhaps this explains why we see so many different levels of experience in the Church. The eating of Christ in John 6 refers to Passover.
It was when Israel kept the complete feast that the cloud formed that was light and warmth by night and a covering and shelter by day. This cloud was unknown to Israel until Passover. It was at Passover the cloud formed to lead Israel out of Egypt, as the Angel of the Lord went ahead of them.
EXO 14:19 And the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. (HEB. MA’LAK ELOHIM ). Also translated many places as “The messenger of God.” The meaning is “One who is sent “. The Messenger of God and the cloud functioned together to lead the Children of Israel to the Red Sea.
At the Red Sea, God told Moses to strike the water with his rod and the water parted. Israel crossed over on dry ground. The Messenger of God passed behind Israel and stood between Israel and the Egyptian army. The cloud also passed over Israel and stood between Israel and the Egyptian army. God told Israel to stand and see the salvation of God.
EXO 14:13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. EXO 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”
After Israel passed through the Red Sea, the Egyptian army followed. When Moses again stretched forth his rod, the water of the Red Sea closed over the Egyptian army and all were drowned. Not one survived. God said “The enemies you see today, you will not see again forever.”God saved them that day. EXO 14:30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. But didn’t God save Israel by the Blood? Yes! Also by the water!
In 1CO 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 1CO 10:2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 1CO 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 1CO 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 1CO 10:5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. 1CO 10:6 Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved. 1CO 10:7 And do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “ The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play. “ 1CO 10:8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 1CO 10:9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 1CO 10:10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 1CO 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Some are offended by the thought in I PET. 3: 21 “ that baptism now saves you “ 1PE 3:21 And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The fact is Israel was saved by the blood in Egypt and they were saved by the waters of baptism at the Red Sea. In Egypt they were saved from death by the blood and at the Red Sea they were saved from their enemies. Both experiences are important. God takes no pleasure in saving His people in Egypt and then leaving them in Egypt. His purpose is to get His people to Canaan. The message is clear. To escape Egypt and Pharaoh’s army it is necessary to be properly baptized. These particular enemies are destroyed by baptism while God’s people are saved by baptism.
Israel was baptized into Moses. We are not baptized into Moses but we are baptized into Jesus Christ. The authority over Israel’s life changed at baptism. They were under Pharaoh’s sovereign authority but that ended at the Red Sea. On the other shore they came under the authority of Moses, God’s servant, who was under the authority of God. It is not God’s plan to be saved by the blood and stay under Satan’s authority. God’s plan is for us to be baptized into Jesus Christ and come under His sovereign authority.
If we can see how Egypt is a type of the world, Pharaoh is a type of Satan, the Red Sea is a type of baptism, the cloud is a type of the Holy Spirit and Moses is a type of Jesus Christ we will see how God has intended for His people to walk out their salvation.
As we weave in the crosswise threads, it is clear God is not pleased with the doctrine of accept Jesus Christ as personal savior and baptism is optional. Neither is baptism before Passover a valid “baptism experience.” Enemies are not destroyed if the water is applied before the blood. It was only the blood that could deliver the first born from death. Then it was the water that delivered Israel from their enemies. It is obvious this is the sequence God has designed.
Our purpose is to bring us to Mt. Sinai and see why God ordained the Tabernacle of Moses and a divided priesthood. Israel passed through several experiences from the Red Sea to Mt. Sinai but we will just look at two.
As Israel traveled further into the wilderness they ran out of food. There were no harvest fields in the wilderness. No grocery stores. No restaurants. No store houses. There was no food and no place to get food. If Israel didn’t get food, they recognized they would all die. Israel was in a desperate situation. But God proved He could prepare a table in the wilderness. His provision was to rain down bread from Heaven. He fed them with manna, Angel’s food. They all ate and were saved that day from death by starvation.
Now they were saved by the blood, they were saved by the water and they were saved by the manna. Some in Israel were not cleaver enough to gather the manna. In the same way today some in the church are not cleaver enough to understand the absolute importance of eating daily from God’s word. The manna from heaven, Angels food.
If Israel had not learned to eat from the manna they would have died. The picture is clear. Many who neglect the Word of God die spiritually.
Then Israel ran out of water and there are no rivers in the wilderness. Just desert and stones. Israel would surely die of thirst. EXO 17:3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
But God’s provision was in the Rock. Moses struck the Rock and the rock split.
EXO 17:6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Water ran out like a river and they all drank and were saved. PSA 78:15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave {them} abundant drink like the ocean depths. PSA 78:16 He brought forth streams also from the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.
Now Israel was saved by the blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt. They were saved by the waters of baptism at the Red Sea. They were saved by the manna in the wilderness. They were saved by the water out of the rock. By now we should be able to redefine what salvation really means. God’s purpose is to totally separate us from Egypt and all that means and bring us into Canaan and all that means. That is God’s salvation. In I PET. 1 - 3 - 9 ) Peter speaks of this salvation. He calls it “ The salvation to be reveled in the last times. “
The picture is clear. We must walk out our salvation. Salvation is not one static experience. We could call salvation “Our walk from Egypt to Canaan.” In Ver 9 Peter says the out working of our faith results in the salvation of our souls. The final salvation will include those who began the race and also finished the race.
1CO 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but {only} one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 1CO 9:25 And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then {do it} to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 1CO 9:26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 1CO 9:27 but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
About three million souls left Egypt but only two entered Canaan. The church must
do better than that.
Israel finally arrived and camped in front of Mt. Sinai. EXO 19:1 In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
Some interpret this to mean on the 90th day after they left Egypt because it mentions 3 months. This was on the first day of the third month after they had left Egypt. Israel began their journey on the 15th day of the 1st month. The 15th day of the 2nd month made 30 days out of Egypt. From the 15th day of the 2nd month to the last day of the 2nd month was 15 more days, for a total of 45 days. They came into the wilderness of Sinai on the 1st day of the 3rd month or on the 46th day. This is very important to understand because God came down on Mt. Sinai on the 50th day.
Israel was commanded to keep a feast every year of the 50th day after Passover. It was called the Feast of Pentecost. The reason this whole experience at Mt. Sinai is so important to understand is because this is a picture for us of Pentecost. From this whole experience at Mt. Sinai we will see there is much more to Pentecost than speaking in tongues.
On the 47th day Moses went up the mountain to talk with God. Now God revealed His plan for Israel. God said His plan was to make all of Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, a people for His own possession. ( EXO. 19 - 1 -11 )
God spoke two requirements for Israel to fulfil His purpose. Obey His voice and keep His covenant, Then they would be His people who were His own possession. God’s plan was very simple.
Moses went back down the mountain and told the people God’s plan. All the people said
“All the Lord has spoken we will do!” Moses went back up the mountain and told God what the people said. Israel agreed to God’s purpose. This was then the 48th day since they had left Egypt.
God told Moses to tell the people to set themselves apart today, the 48th day, and tomorrow, the 49th day, because on the 3rd day ( the 50th) God would descend upon the mountain. When the rams horn sounded a long blast they were to come up to the mountain. God’s plan was for all the people to assemble at the foot of the mountain on the morning of the 50th day. When the trumpet sounded the people were to come up into God’s presence, hear his voice and obey. This was God’s requirement to make all of Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation a people for God’s own possession. The people were confident that would be no problem. Therefore they prepared themselves and waited.
On the 50th day God descended upon the mountain in fire and smoke and Mt. Sinai became like a furnace of fire. The whole mountain began to shake violently in an earth quake. The trumpet sounded louder and louder. Moses said something to God and God answered him back with a loud sound. Some translations say with thunder. God called Moses to the top of the mountain and told him to go down and tell the people not to come up the mountain.
Since this is all a type and a picture for us of Pentecost, it is essential we understand what really happened on the 50th day.
Exodus 19 doesn’t give us the details of what really took place when God’s presence came down on the mountain. EXO 20:18 And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw {it,} they trembled and stood at a distance. This gives us some insight into how the people responded. When they heard the sound of God’s voice and saw the lightning flashes and thick cloud, the people trembled with fear. They backed up from the mountain and stood at a distance. The people then gave their plan to Moses.
EXO. 20 - 19 “ Speak to us yourself and we will listen, but don’t let God speak to us, lest we die.”
This request changed history and set the course of their relationship with God until THE WORD OF GOD became flesh and God once again spoke directly with Israel.
Moses explained to the people that God was just putting the fear of Him in them so it would remain with them so they would not sin. Since Exodus 19 & 20 do not give us a full picture of what happened we may see more in DUET. 4 - 10 -14.
In Deuteronomy 4 & 5 Moses is relating to Israel what took place that day at Mt. Sinai. Moses said God spoke to you His covenant, that is the 10 commandments and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. While it appears both of these things happened together, there were actually about 40 days between God speaking the 10 commandments and God writing the commandments on stone. After God spoke the 10 commandments He called Moses back up the mountain and added the statutes and the judgements. We will see later why this is so significant . This was the fourth time Moses had gone up the mountain to talk with God. ( EXO. 20 - 21 )
The fourth time up Mt. Sinai God gave Moses the statutes and the ordinances . These included slaves, violence, animals, restitution, Sabbaths, the feasts, and an extension of God’s covenant, and God’s commandment concerning the heathen living in Canaan. God also made a promise to Israel. If they serve the Lord their God He will bless their bread and their water and He will remove sickness from their midst. ( EXO.23 - 25 ) Moses went down and told the people all that God said.
Again the people all responded “All the words which the Lord has spoken, we will do.” Moses wrote down the words of the Lord in a book. He then had the young men offer up sacrifices to God. Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins. The other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then Moses read the book of the covenant in the hearing of all the people. Again the people responded “All the Lord has spoken we will do.” Now Moses could take the blood and sprinkle the blood on all the people. He tied the people to the covenant with blood. ( EXO. 24 - 5 - 8 )
Keep in mind Mt. Sinai is a picture for us of Pentecost, the Feast of the 50th Day. Moses had brought the people into covenant to the Word of God with God by blood. “Moses now assembled the 70 elders of Israel along with Aaron and his sons. He also took his servant Joshua and all went up the mountain together. 75 men went up to the presence of the Lord. This act proved that the people could have ascended Mt. Sinai and lived.
EXO 24:9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, EXO 24:10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. EXO 24:11 Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank. EXO 24:12 Now the \Lord\ said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” EXO 24:13 So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. EXO 24:14 But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.” EXO 24:15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
There they saw God and ate and drank. Moses gave the men clear instructions about waiting there on the mountain and Moses and Joshua went on up the mountain to meet with God. Even “leaders” have a difficult time adjusting to God’s plan. It is so easy to adapt our own plan!
It was at this time that God gave the 10 commandments written on stone. Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. Now, at this time that God gave Moses the pattern for the tabernacle. Aaron and his sons were appointed as the priests and instructions were given concerning their duties and their garments.
As Moses and Joshua were going down the mountain Israel had already made the golden calf. Aaron and his sons along with the 70 elders were supposed to be waiting on the mountain. Instead they were down in the valley participating in the celebration. When Moses saw the idol and the naked people he threw the 10 commandments down and broke them, signifying the broken covenant.
( EXO. 32 - 15 - 19 ). It was out of this abomination with the false god that God chose the tribe of Levi to minister in the tabernacle. When Moses saw the idol of gold he asked who is on the Lord’s side ? Come and stand by me. The tribe of Levi did as Moses said. Moses said, take your sword and kill all who have worshiped the golden calf. The tribe of Levi obeyed and God made them the priests.
EXO 32:26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, {come} to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. EXO 32:27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man {of you} put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’” EXO 32:28 So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. EXO 32:29 Then Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord-- for every man has been against his son and against his brother-- in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”
In Exodus 33 we see an amazing thing. God was going to send Israel on up to Canaan without the Tabernacle and therefore without His Presence. Instead He said the Angel of the Lord will go before you, but His Presence would not go with them, lest He destroy them. Moses interceded for Israel and God agreed to go with them.
God called Moses up the mountain the 7th time and this time He gave the 10 commandments written on stone the second time. In Duet. 4 Moses just says God spoke to you from the mountain and gave you the 10 commandments written on stone. To search the scriptures means to search all the scriptures and fill in all the details. The details are not all in one place.
DEU 4:33 “Has {any} people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard {it}, and survived? DEU 4:34 “Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within { another} nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? DEU 4:35 “To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him. DEU 4:36 “Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire.
This gives us more details of what took place at Mt. Sinai. It is in Deut. 5 that we see what took place. It is this information that helps us fill in the details to complete the picture. God had given Israel the invitation to come up the mountain and hear His voice so they could obey.
In DEU 5:2 “The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. DEU 5:3 “The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, {with} all those of us alive here today. DEU 5:4 “The Lord spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, DEU 5:5 {while} I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain.
Moses said “You were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain, therefore God said, and he repeated the 10 commandments. God intended to speak with Israel face to face but they were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. For that reason God spoke His commandments from off the mountain. In verse 22 Moses said God added no more. Just the 10 commandments. The statutes, the ordinances and the judgements were added later because of Israel’s lack of response to God’s voice. They were added in verse 31.
Because of the terrible sight of God’s presence on Mt, Sinai and His great voice the people begged that no further word would be spoken to them. HEB 12:18 For you have not come to {a mountain} that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, HEB 12:19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which {sound was such that} those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them. HEB 12:20 For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” HEB 12:21 And so terrible was the sight, {that} Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.”
God had given Israel His plan but now Israel gives God their plan. Instead of us coming up to God’s presence and hearing His voice, let Moses go up to God’s presence and hear what God will say. Then he can come and tell us and we will obey what he tells us. Don’t let God speak to us again Himself or we will die, we would rather hear it from a man and be safe.
Many in the church today are still looking for some man who will go up the mountain to God’s presence and hear His voice and come and tell them what God has said. Let us hire a pastor who will seek God for us. We will hear God’s words through him. They are still looking for a ministry like Moses. Many pastors are trying to develop a ministry like Moses. However that is not the New Testament plan. Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice.” Not my pastors hear my voice.
God’s plan for the church is for the ministry to lead the whole flock up into God’s presence to hear God’s voice themselves. This was God’s plan at Mt. Sinai and this is God’s plan at Pentecost. What we see at Mt. Sinai in type we should see in the church, in reality, at Pentecost. As God restores the church according to the pattern of the Tabernacle, we should see the type become the reality. The church in training must become the church in fulfillment.
The question before us is this: Why the tabernacle of Moses, the sacrifices, the burnt offerings and the priesthood ? If God is sovereign and can do whatever he wants to, where he wants to, when he wants to and to whom he wants to, why didn’t God make all of Israel a kingdom of priests and a Holy nation? The answer of course is man must properly respond to God’s revealed plan. When we run away God can’t do His work.
In Jeremiah 7 - 21 - 28 God gives us more insight. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He didn’t say anything to them about sacrifices and offerings. He also didn’t say anything to them about a separated priesthood or an earthly dwelling place for God. What God commanded them was “Obey My voice and I will be your God and you shall be My people and you shall walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.”
The problem was, Israel didn’t obey. They didn’t even try to hear God’s voice. They didn’t want to hear God’s voice. They walked according to their own council and according to their own stubborn heart. Instead of going forward up the mountain into God’s presence they went backward away from God’s presence
God’s purpose was to build up a nation who was a kingdom of priests. Israel would have had to ascend up the mountain into God’s purpose. Instead they backed up away from God’s purpose. They stood at a distance. This is still the trend in the church today. They want the blessings but they want someone to seek God for them, then hands on them and “impart the blessing.”
Israel asked God to appoint a man over them who would hear God’s voice and come and tell them what God said, then they would do it. God agreed to do it according to their request. It is amazing how this is still the normal today in the church.
DEU 5:28 “And the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. DEU 5:29 ‘Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!
God said through Jeremiah that He was faithful all those years to get His prophets up early and send them to Israel to speak to them all that God was saying. Yet they would not listen or even try to hear. They stiffened their neck and ignored God’s prophets.
Moses confirms this again in DEU 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. DEU 18:16 “This is according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ DEU 18:17 “And the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. DEU 18:18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. DEU 18:19 ‘And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require {it} of him. God set a prophet over them because they were afraid because of the fire and didn’t want God to speak to them any more. He said this is what you requested at Mt. Sinai. ( HOREB )
God said He would raise one final prophet from among Israel and God would send Him to speak to Israel. However, If they refused to listen to that prophet who would speak in His name God would require judgement. Of course this is exactly what happened!
Peter reminds Israel of this fact in ACT 3:22 “Moses said, ‘The Lord God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed in everything He says to you. ACT 3:23 ‘And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ACT 3:24 “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and {his} successors onward, also announced these days. ACT 3:25 “It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ACT 3:26 “For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one {of you} from your wicked ways.” ACT 4:1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple {guard,} and the Sadducees, came upon them, ACT 4:2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Peter said that Prophet, of whom Moses spoke, is Jesus Christ. Whomever rejects the words of God’s final Prophet, God will require judgement of that man. Jesus told Israel several times, the words that I speak to you are not My words but of Him who sent Me. You will be judged by the words that I speak to you. All this was because of what Israel requested of God at Mt. Sinai. We ought to be very careful about what we ask God to do.
There are many lessons to be learned from this Mt. Sinai experience. All these things were written as examples for us on whom the end of the ages have come. (I COR 10 - 11 )
God ordained a feast every year so that Israel would remember their experience at Mt. Sinai. It was called “ THE FEAST OF THE 50th DAY “. It was also called “THE FEAST OF WEEKS “. It was also called “THE FEAST OF HARVEST “. This feast began on the 50th day after Passover. It was on this very day that God poured out His Spirit in ACTS 2. It was on the first day of the FEAST OF THE 50th DAY. THE FEAST OF PENTECOST. Mt. Sinai is the shadow, Pentecost is the reality. Israel rejected God’s plan at Mt. Sinai. Some of the church has rejected God’s plan at Pentecost. Some who have accepted the FEAST OF PENTECOST have not experienced all of the reality of what God shows in type at Mt. Sinai.
It is not the purpose of this paper to share on the experience of Pentecost. Our purpose is to share on the Tabernacle of Moses. Since these two things are so closely related we should understand why the Tabernacle of Moses was introduced. Also particularly why the Levites were chosen to do the work of service in the Tabernacle. God’s plan today is for every “believer” to be a priest that is functioning in His Kingdom. We are called “priests” but we actually become a “priest” when we function as a priest by doing the work of a priest.
God gave Moses the pattern for the Tabernacle after Moses had ascended to the top of the mountain the 5th time.( EXO - 24 - 9 ) Our problem is we think one time is all it takes to hear God’s complete plan. God’s plan is revealed in stages and according to His people’s response. It was the 5th time up the mountain that God gave Moses the plan for the priesthood of Aaron and his four sons. They were appointed to minister to God. Their garments were carefully specified. Their consecration was carefully ordained, even to the filling of their hands. God promised to consecrate the Tabernacle with His own glory.
After the priests fully consecrated themselves to God’s purpose, God said He would consecrate the priests to minister TO HIM. God also called craftsmen of all kinds and filled them with the Spirit of God in all wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and in special craftsmanship to make the appointments for the tabernacle. ( EXO. 31 - 3 ). But why did God choose the Levites as the next level of priests ?
First the Levites stood on God’s side at Massah when there was no water. The rest of Israel quarreled with Moses and said “why have you brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children with thirst?”( DUET. 33 - 8 ). At that time the Levites observed the word of the Lord and kept God’s covenant. Again at Mt. Sinai when Israel made the golden calf, the tribe of Levi did not participate. Moses called all those who would stand on the Lord’s side, and who would stand against the ones who had worshiped the golden calf, to stand by him. The tribe of Levi stood on God’s side and against those who had worshiped the idol. They took their sword and killed 3000 of their own relatives who had worshiped the calf.
( EXO. - 32 - 25 - 29 ) & ( DUET. 33 - 8 - 11 )
God now appointed a priesthood to stand in the peoples place to do the work of service in the tabernacle and to stand before the Lord to minister to Him. God also appointed the priesthood to stand before the people to minister to the people as a substitute for God ministering to the people Himself. God’s original offer was to make all of Israel a kingdom of priests. Even the tribe of Levi didn’t respond to God’s offer to come up the mountain. However they were chosen as priests because of their faithfulness at Massah and at Mt. Sinai. We should add, they were just earthly priests and not all that God intended . This is still a type for us today who are seeking for an eternal and spiritual priesthood.
The Tabernacle Of Moses was a tremendous blessing but that was not all that God intended at Mt. Sinai. The sacrifices were a tremendous blessing but that was not all that God intended. However, all that happened at Mt. Sinai was a picture for us of what God wants to do at the fulfillment of the reality at Pentecost. If we understand the shadow, the reality will be much clearer. All this confusion about Pentecost is not necessary. Mt. Sinai is the shadow,. Pentecost is the reality.
This confusion could be reduced if we could just accept that Pentecost is much more than speaking in tongues. That whole year at Mt. Sinai is the unfolding revelation of Pentecost. No one thing says it all. Tongues is the introduction, but surely not the complete, comprehensive experience. We also can’t stand outside and think we see the whole picture. The Red Sea is not a good picture of Mt. Sinai. Mt. Sinai stands alone in all the other experiences of Israel. Nothing else takes it’s place. There is no other substitute. It is the place of COVENANT.
What happened at the Red Sea was tremendous. The manna from heaven was tremendous. The water out of the rock was tremendous, but Mt. Sinai stands alone in it’s own blessing. None of the other experiences can substitute. How can we compare the cloud leading Israel out of Egypt with the mighty presence of God at Mt. Sinai. Israel wasn’t afraid of the cloud. God didn’t shake the earth at the Red Sea. God didn’t reveal his purpose at Elim. If we look objectively, and honestly at Mt. Sinai, we will see it stands alone. If we look objectively, and honestly at Pentecost we will see it also is unique. While that is another subject, it is intricately connected to the Tabernacle of Moses. Still we must proceed to the subject of this paper.
The Tabernacle of Moses was not God’s best plan but explains God’s best plan. The priesthood after the order of Aaron was not God’s best plan but explains God’s best plan. The sacrifices and offerings were not God’s best plan but explains God’s best plan.
God’s alternate plan at Mt. Sinai begins in EXO 25:8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. The purpose is revealed in EXO 25:22 There, above the Mercy Seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. God’s plan for Israel was to speak directly to them. Israel’s plan was for God to speak to a man who would then tell Israel what God said. God’s plan was better but He agreed to do it the way Israel asked. We should find what God’s plan is first and ask accordingly. It works better.
God’s plan was for his people to dwell in His Presence, but the people didn’t agree. They were afraid because of the fire. God reveals His heart In Exo 25:1. If my people won’t come up into my Presence the I will come down to dwell in their presence! The next best plan was to dwell in a Most Holy Place on earth in the Tabernacle that was pitched in the center of Israel’s tents. However, this dwelling place for God must be sanctified, cleansed and set apart by blood before. God could dwell with Israel. In the New Covenant God still wants to dwell IN His people. Jesus said “ You know the Holy Spirit who has been with you, but He shall be in you.” In you is the better plan! God came in Jesus Christ to dwell among His people and to speak directly with them.
If we are sensitive, we can feel the longing of God’s heart as the pattern for the Tabernacle is revealed. God really wants to dwell in his people. At Mt. Sinai that is not possible. At Pentecost that IS possible.
In the tabernacle we shall see the shadow of God’s plan. God must give the revelation of the reality. However, Pentecost is not just a “valid doctrine. It is a valid experience! To argue about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit or the doctrine of when He comes or if tongues are for today or if miracles have passed away is ignorant. If we just accepted what the Bible says that would be a beginning. However, just believing a doctrine is nothing if we haven’t experienced what God has revealed through the doctrine.
No doctrine is established for the doctrine’s sake but for the experience sake. The “doctrine of salvation” is good but if we haven’t experienced “salvation” what good has knowing the doctrine done for us? Knowing all the scriptures about “water baptism” is good but if we haven’t had a valid experience of baptism [which means when the scriptures are fulfilled in our experience] how have we benefitted?
Suppose Israel learned the doctrine of Canaan and all about the land that flowed with milk and honey but then stayed in Egypt or died in the wilderness, how would they obtain the promise? God promised them Canaan before they left Egypt but that generation that had the promise never possessed the land. Did God fool them or made them a false promise? Not at all!
They could only possess that portion of the promise that they put their feet in. In other words we must actually experience the promises of God if they are to become a reality in our life. .Some “ministries”, as a matter of fact, criticize those who are seeking for the actual experience as those without faith. Their “doctrine” is “by faith we achieve without experience!” We shouldn’t be so ignorant about spiritual things!
In the Old Covenant, the Law could not supply “Life” so the New Covenant was established upon better promises and is initiated by forgiveness of sins through blood and the impartation of a new life. This is not just a cleansed old life but the provision is for the death of the old life and a resurrection into a completely new kind of Life which is the same Life that God has. Each of these provisions are a vital experience to restore man back to a condition where he will be able to fulfill the purpose of God. Without the actual experience all we have is doctrine!