2000 Apr XXXIII 4(00)William Grotheer -- The Signifance of the Wilderness Sanctuary -- Editor's Preface --
In writing to the Hebrews, Paul indicates that the Gospel was preached unto the Israelites as well as it had been preached to those to whom he was writing (4:2). The gospel message to the children of Israel, though not a different gospel, was revealed in "types" and "shadows."
These examples and shadows, while prefiguring the true, could never take away sin.
However, they did serve a purpose.
Through these we can understand the service now being ministered in the heavenly sanctuary by our great High Priest, who when He has finished His priestly work will come a "second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28).
Within the "review" of "The Significance of the Wilderness Sanctuary," we note the faulty translation by the NIV of Heb. 8:5 in contrast to the strict adherence to Greek grammar by the KJV. There are certain traditional perceptions of the types and shadows for which no Scriptural justification can be found. These we had to question, and seek to present their meaning in the light of what is actually stated in the book of Leviticus. Where there is silence, assumptions are not justifiable.
In the previous issue of WWN, in the "Editor's Preface," we mentioned some exegesis which made us cringe without identifying the source or the text that was being mutilated. In thinking about it, we did not believe this was fair to our readers, so in this issue we discuss this text and note the source of the faulty exegesis.
The editorial - "Let's Talk It Over" - touches a very vital issue - Honesty or Policy. If we give our word, should we keep it, or can we just ignore what we have said? It also enters into another area. What obligation is incumbent upon one who publishes? Does he have a right to be discourteous,and not even acknowledge the receipt of an inquiry which might question what he writes? It would seem that if a response challenges his position, if he sincerely wants truth, pure and unadulterated, he would be willing to dialogue and let his position be thoroughly discussed and questioned. We talk about righteousness by faith, but we see very little of it.
"Review, and then Review again, and Review all that you've Reviewed"
The Signifance of the Wilderness Experience -- In the previous issue of WWN, we discussed not only the experience of Israel in their consent to the Old Covenant, but also the lesson it conveys to us today; namely, that man is powerless to keep His commitment to God. Another way must be found.
While in the mount with God (Ex. 24:18), Moses received the blueprint for the Sanctuary to be built in the Wilderness (Ex. 25:8-9).
This Sanctuary and its services were integrated into the "type" covenant that God made with Moses and with Israel (Ex. 34:27).
The "old" covenant which Israel broke in the worship of the golden calf no longer had validity.
The stated purpose of the wilderness Sanctuary was that God wanted to dwell among His people (Ex. 25:8).
The Psalmist describes the "Shepherd of Israel" as He "that dwellest between the cherubim" in the most holy apartment of the Sanctuary (Ps. 80:1). In another Psalm, Asaph sings, "Thy way, 0 God, is in the sanctuary" (Ps. 77:13). But access to God was limited. Only the High Priest, and then only once a year, could enter the second veil into the presence of the Divine Glory which enshrouded the ark of the covenant. The common priests could enter the first apartment or holy place. The individual Israelite was restricted to the court which surrounded the Sanctuary. There he brought his confessional sin offering.
The offerings and their objective were outlined in a separate book - Leviticus. All sins were not covered, only sins of ignorance when brought to memory (Lev. 4:27-28). In other words as stated in the book of Hebrews, "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins" (10:4). "The law made nothing perfect" (7:19).
What then was the purpose that God had in mind in having this wilderness sanctuary erected? Nothing is indicated in the Old Testament, except that Moses was to build the sanctuary and its furniture according to the blueprint shown to him at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 25:40).
Paul in the book of Hebrews uses this verse in connection with the ministry of the priests (Heb. 8:4-5). The KJV reads - "There are priests that offer gifts according to the law who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things." However, the NIV reads - "There are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven." These translations are not saying the same thing. Is it the sanctuary that is "a copy and shadow or is it the service of the priests which is "the example and shadow of heavenly things"?
Both "example" or "copy" ('upodeigati) and "shadow" (skia) are in the dative case. Robertson stated that "the accusative, genitive and dative are all cases of inner relations, but the dative has a personal touch not true of the others. The dative is not a local case. There was originally no idea of place in it. It is thus a purely grammatical case. (It) is used of a person, not place" (A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, p.536).
Thus Paul is saying that the "example and shadow" are related to the service of the priests, and not the "place" they serve.
The sanctuary reflected a service, and was not intended to convey the reality of heaven. This should be readily grasped by one simple comparison. In the sanctuary built by Moses, the first apartment, or holy place, contained as one of its articles of furniture, the Table of Shewbread (Ex. 25:23-30). While in the New Testament, one can find reference to the other two articles of furniture, the candlesticks and the altar of the incense as a part of a heavenly sanctuary, there is no reference to a "heavenly Table of Shewbread."
While there are many spiritual lessons which can be drawn from the typical pattern given to Moses, we need to be constantly mindful in the study of the sanctuary that the emphasis is not on the "place" symbolized but upon the ministry of the One who serves -
The "minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Heb. 8:2). This is indicated to be "the sum" or chief point (v.1). If we had been as diligent in focusing on that ministry as we have been on seeking a significance for every article, and aspect of the physical structure of the sanctuary, we would be well in advance of where we are now in our perception of truth.
The Daily Service --
"The altar of burnt offering, which stood in the court outside of the tabernacle, was always In use; that is, there was always a sacrifice on the altar. Each morning a lamb was offered for the nation, and this lamb, after being prepared by the priests, was placed on the altar, where it was slowly consumed by the fire. It was not permitted to burn quickly, for it was to last till evening, when another lamb was offered, which was to burn till the morning offering was ready. (See Ex. 29:38-41)
"Thus there was always a sacrifice on the altar, day and night, a symbol of the perpetual atonement provided in Christ. There was no time when Israel was not covered by a propitiatory sacrifice. At whatever time they sinned they knew that a lamb was on the altar and that forgiveness was theirs upon repentance. The Jewish Encyclopedia, volume 2, p.277, says, ' The morning sacrifice atoned for the sins committed during the previous night, the afternoon sacrifice for the sins committed in the daytime.'
"This morning and evening oblation was offered every day of the year and was never to be omitted. Even though there might be special occasions that called for more elaborate sacrifices, the morning and evening burnt sacrifice for the nation was always offered.
On the Sabbath day this offering was doubled: two lambs were offered in the morning and two in the evening.
Even on the Day of Atonement this ritual was carried out.
Sixteen times in chapters 28 and 29 of Numbers does God emphasize that no other offering is to take the place of the continual burnt offerings. Each time another sacrifice is mentioned, it is stated that this is besides the 'continual burnt offering.' From its perpetual nature it was called the continual, or daily, sacrifice. ...
"It ... needs to be emphasized that the temporary provision made for sin in the daily sacrifice for the nation became efficacious only as the offender made personal confession of sin and brought his individual sacrifice for sin, just as a sinner is now saved by Christ's sacrifice on Calvary only if he personally accepts Christ. The death of the Lamb of God on Golgotha was for all men, but only those who accept the sacrifice and make personal application of it will be saved. In the light of these considerations the statement in I Timothy 4:10 becomes luminous: Christ 'is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.' From day to day the lives of sinners have been spared; they have been saved temporarily and provisionally. But this extended grace will not avail unless they repent and turn to God. ...
"Spiritually viewed, the national burnt offering signified two things: first, Christ sacrificing Himself for man, providing atonement for all; second, the people dedicating themselves to God by putting all on the altar. (It was the whole lamb that was offered in contrast to certain parts as required in the sin offerings.) It is to this latter that Paul referred when he admonished Christians, 'Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is youi reasonable service.' Rom. 12:1." (M. L. Andreasen, The Book of Hebrews, pp.372-374)
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Pausing here because there is just a lot to digest before we go on.
It's true that we need to understand the Sanctuary all of it. The structure as well as the service of it. When you build a house is it there just to look at? No. What good is an empty house to anyone? An empty house with no one to live in it will soon deteriorate. An empty house with no one to upkeep it will become unlivable.
The point to an empty house is exactly what?
Having a Sanctuary without any service would be what? An empty house, a place with no meaning, serving no purpose. So to expound on the fact that the service of the Sanctuary is important to understand seems only logical to me. The things of the Sanctuary have no purpose without the services attended to them.
I look forward to more of this study of the services of the Sanctuary, Jesus is OUR High Priest and as such we need to know what our High Priest in all His capacity does. The role of our Lord and Savior, as Sacrifice and Redeemer, as Lamb and Lord needs a lot of study, we need to know Him and have Him know us.
By the grace of God, by the will of the Father, by the mercy of our Lord and Savior...
Amen.
12/31/09
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
The loins of your mind.
loins. a. The region of the hips, groin, and lower abdomen. b. The reproductive organs.
The loins of the human body are typically considered the reproductive organs- coming from the loins of so and so. The loins have that power to reproduce, they are the source of reproducing without them mankind would never have lasted as long as it has. From Adam and Eve we've all descended but where our parentage goes from there isn't quite so traceable. Some families can go way, way, way back in tracing their lineage others not quite so far. Regardless of being able to trace our heritage we know that it has been through the loins of various men and women that we've come into existence by the Grace of God.
The loins of our minds- our minds don't reproduce...or do they? Think about it. Our minds bring about our actions. Generally without the thought coming from our minds our bodies do not react. Again, typically, people do not thoughtlessly as if in their sleep without a thought in their head, do anything. The thought comes first. Yes, sometimes we react so quickly to something it's easy to say, 'I did it without thinking.' But in reality the thought came first before the action even if it's only a split second between the two. Our minds literally control things. Our actions come from thoughts. The loins of our minds un-girded would me what?
If you keep something un-girded it's not secure, it's not ready.
Gird
1. a. To encircle with a belt or band. b. To fasten or secure (clothing, for example) with a belt or band. c. To surround. See synonyms at surround.
2. To equip or endow.
3. To prepare (oneself) for action.
Our bodies left un-girded are exposed to the elements. Soldiers left un-girded are more vulnerable to the weapons of warfare. To be un-girded is to be unprepared, unprotected, unsecure, unequipped. So when it is mentioned that we are to gird up the loins of our minds it's really saying what? That our minds left unprotected are vulnerable.
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
We have to protect our minds, our thoughts we have to be mentally and emotionally prepared for a life following Christ. People say it should all come easy or were not doing it right. They say there should be this happy-happy, joy-joy dancing and singing experience that never ends. They look at professed Christians and hold them to a higher standard than those who are not professed followers of Christ. In truth as followers of Christ we are to place all our hopes in Him and the world to come and not here. When we keep our hopes here on earth we are subject to a lot of heartache and upset.
We are to be mentally prepared- sober.
One definition of sober is- Marked by circumspection and self-restraint.
When our minds are not girded and we give no thought to what we do or so it's not showing self-restraint or circumspection. Having our thoughts protected means to think before we act and show the restraint necessary for one whose mind is stayed upon Christ. You hear that saying- 'What would Jesus do.' And it's truly something we need to have in our mind always.
Our minds need to be guarded, our thoughts filled with Christ and we need to hope to the end for the grace that is given to us by Jesus.
As we go into this new year, let us have the loins of our minds girded, let us be sober, and filled with the hope we can only find in Jesus. We will be hoping the new year brings us good things- better jobs, better health, better grades in school, stronger friendships, better relationships, etc. We hope for a renewal of good things in our lives and yet we know that not much is going to change from this last day of the year to the new one. No magic switch is pulled which will shift our fortunes from one way to the other. The hope is really that throughout the year that our lives do get a bit better in all respects and yet as followers of Christ we know that in this world we have great enemies- all the enemies Christ and His disciples had all down through the ages. The same enemies in different forms war against any who follow Christ. The enemy's goal is to turn us from Christ back to Satan without us even realizing it, or with us realizing it but feeling helpless to stop the turning. This isn't something that will ever change, new year or no new year, that unseen war will go on and on and we all fight in it one way or another. The battle will be fierce the closer the end is and we need to realize this as we have our hope for the new year. Let our hope be for a stronger faith that if our whole worldly existence falls apart somehow- jobs, health, family etc, that our faith remains and grows by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior in love, now and forever!
Amen.
12/31/10
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Jas 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Judged by the law of liberty. The law of freedom.
Definition:
1. liberty to do or to omit things having no relationship to salvation
2. fancied liberty
a. licence, the liberty to do as one pleases
3. true liberty is living as we should not as we please
True liberty is LIVING as we should NOT as we please.
The law of liberty. The law of our freedom exists. We live everyday with laws that are supposed to be geared towards keeping our physical freedom, don't we? Here in the United States we call it the land of the free and we do that because for the most part we are free- aren't we? No dictating ruler can snap their fingers and enslave us, right? It's a criminal act to take away our freedom unless we break the law, a law set up to keep us safe and respectably living among others, yes? So we know what it is like to have our freedom threatened and yet we know what it's like to have our freedom protected- it all depends on which side of the law you want to be on, doesn't it? If you want to break the law the law becomes a law of bondage, a law of restriction. If you want to keep the law it is a law of freedom, of protection.
The law of liberty, the law of freedom. The whole law. The moral law of God - the Ten Commandments, the Ten Laws.
A person who robs someone might proudly say at least they didn't kill someone, but it doesn't make them any less guilty of robbery. A person who commits adultery might proudly say at least they didn't rob someone, but they are still guilty. A person who hates God might say at least they don't kill, steal, or commit adultery, yet they are still guilty. Are you getting the point here? We might never steal, kill, commit adultery, lie, covet, take God's name in vain, worship any other God, honor our mother and father, bow down to statues, but we feel it's perfectly fine to worship God on a day of our choosing - that God will most certainly overlook that broken law because in essence we are worshipping Him on a day, just not the seventh. We honestly believe that God is more than willing to bend this one law that He's left a lot of leeway in this law for us to interpret it as we desire. Do we believe that God meant we could steal little unimportant things and it's okay, just so long as we don't steal important pricey things? No, we don't believe that for a moment. Did God mean it's fine to not honor your parents on occasion just so long as you honor them the majority of the time? You get where I'm going with this, God made His laws without being wishy washy. God gave us these laws as a rule of living in Him, living how He expects us to live. The covenant He made was one of love, and the realization that it'd be impossible for us to keep His perfect law of liberty brought with it- forgiveness, for when we would fail to obey. Our Savior kept this perfect law of liberty, He fulfilled it in ALL ways without faltering in a single point. And it's because of His life of perfection that we too can claim a life of perfection- through HIM. We must rely upon Him in ALL things. We must honor that perfect law of liberty, giving respect to God's moral laws in all ways and when we fall short we need to ask for forgiveness and cling to the only one who can forgive us, our Savior.
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Jas 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
There is no patting ourselves on the back for keeping most of the laws of God. There is no reward for picking and choosing what we find acceptable as a law and what we don't. The same moral law that gives us the command not to murder - which we ALL really can comprehend without any faltering- is the same moral law that gives us the commandment to worship God -setting aside the seventh day for worship. There was a reason God grouped those ten moral laws together, a reason we can try to pick apart to fit our own agenda but in the end it is ONLY God's agenda that matters, not ours. God never meant for those laws to separate. In fact Jesus grouped them into the laws of loving God and mankind.
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus knew that out of love for God the first four of the ten moral commandments would be kept, just as He knew that the last six of the ten moral commandments would be kept if we love our neighbor as we would be loved. He said- ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS.
Can you imagine truly LOVING God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind? Also can you imagine truly loving others and YOU desire to be loved? The same respect, the same caring, the same kindness, the same thoughtfulness and understanding you long for- loving others that way- loving ALL others that way?
Just imagine it, how wondrous it must be!
Why in the world would God EVER want to do away with His moral law? Why? There is absolutely NO reason in heaven or earth that God would want to do away with His moral law, none. God created the PERFECT moral law- a law without flaw, a law of liberty. Yes, He did make a law that was done away with- a ceremonial law, but NEVER did He do away with His moral law and it really astounds me that people think He did away with His moral law, it's just so incredibly hard to comprehend why He would ever do away with His moral law, or why He would even want to.
Only those who believe in the freedom to break laws, only those who truly feel free when they are breaking laws- are the ones who can comprehend it because they do not want to love God with all their minds, their souls, their hearts and they most assuredly do not want to love others as they would be loved.
By the grace of our LORD and SAVIOR may we be HIS FULLY! Loving God with all our heart, souls, and minds!
In His forgiving love!
Amen.