THIS chapter begins the account of the tabernacle as shown to Moses in the mount.
Some of my young readers may wonder what tabernacle means. In other words, it was a tent, but this particular tent was for God to dwell in, in the midst of His people, so the eighth verse reads, “Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” His tent was to be a sanctuary, that is, a separate holy tent according to His character, entirely different than the people’s tents.
If we were to go to the White House in Washington, D. C., we would be permitted, at certain times, to go through it with a guide, but there would be certain rooms into which we would not be permitted, for they are private for the president and his family. The same thing in the Capitol, he would have his private room where his private secretary would be allowed in with him, but the public, and even very great men, would not be permitted. That would mark Him as having a place of honor above all the people. That is the way with God, He is the Supreme Ruler, and His dwelling place must be according to His position and character, therefore His tent had to mark His holiness, as well as His dignity, as the Supreme Ruler, so only those who were set apart for His service, would dare come into His presence. If any others attempted to come in there, death would be their immediate judgment.
The 9th verse shows also, that God was very particular that Moses should not allow his own thoughts to come in, in the making of that tent, but it was to be according to all that He would show him, and the last sentence of that verse is, “Even so shall ye make it.”
This gives us quite a lesson too in connection with God’s things; we must be very careful that we do not have our own thoughts as to how to serve the Lord, or approach Him, but must have His word to show us what to do.
The starting point must therefore be according to God’s Word, or we will be wrong all through our path. The first thing, then, with us is to be sure we have God’s way to be saved. Many people would tell us to be good, and then we would be saved. Others would tell us to pray, and then God would save us. Again another class would tell us we must keep the law of God, and then He would save us; but God’s Word tells us that it is,
Someone may say then, How are we to be saved? Or how can we have that salvation as our own, that He gives according to His mercy, and by His grace, for everybody does not have it? Our side is to have the faith, and that is simply to believe what God has said, because HE has said it. So the word from God by Paul and Silas to the jailer in answer to his question, “What must I do to be saved?” was
This then is God’s way. It is through His grace that is, undeserved favor, that HE saves us, but the means that He has used, is the death of Christ, so the Scripture says,
“Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Rom. 5:99Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9). All this then is the means God uses to save us, but believing it makes it our own.
This then is the starting point, and I trust that each of the young readers, has been particular to have God’s way, and take God’s Word just as He has given it; and in our next chapter we will continue with the wonderful lessons of the tabernacle.
ML 04/09/1922