Tehillimandpoetry

VAYAKHEL - AND HE ASSEMBLED

Exodus 35:1 to 38:20

1 Kings 7:13-26

Hebrews 9:1-14

Review: We draw to the close of the book of Exodus with these next two studies. In Exodus we have studied the journey of the Israelites from a world of slavery in Egypt to being the betrothed Bride of Yahweh at Mount Sinai. After exchanging vows and sharing the cup of the Covenant, Moses was ushered into Yahweh’s Presence on the mountain for forty days and forty nights to receive the plans of the Bridal Chamber for Israel. This Bridal Chamber is the shadow of the true tabernacle/mishkan, and in many ways, a representation of the Messiah as well. It was not soon after Moses departed that the betrothed Bride broke her Wedding vow and adulterated herself before another god who was in the form of a golden calf. When Moses returned and saw this, he broke the tablets of the Marriage Covenant in the same place that they had made their original vows to Yahweh. After cleaning the camp of idol worship and the loss of three thousand lives in the plague that followed, the people witnessed Moses once again coming into the Presence of Yahweh. With the camp restored, the hearts of those who remained were moved to worship. Through Yahweh’s grace, Moses returned with a new set of tablets outlining the ketubah inscribed by the finger of Yahweh restoring the Israelites once again.

The Sabbath - Exodus 35:1-3

Up to this point, the people of Israel still had not heard what Yahweh shared with Moses the first time when he was up Mount Sinai those forty days and nights. He assembled the whole community to receive the words Yahweh shared, which began with the instruction for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a guideline for the Bride, as every seven days she is to be faithful to rest during this appointed time with her Bridegroom. The Sabbath is affectionately called the wedding ring and is a test to see if she will be a loyal Bride. Thus the Sabbath begins the teaching of the tabernacle/mishkan, the Bridal Chamber. Without the Sabbath, there is no Bridal Chamber.

The Sabbath not only represents the seventh day, but also Yahweh’s Feast Days. In the Spring, the first and last day of the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread are both High Holy Sabbaths. Fifty days later, the Feast of Pentecost/Shavuot is also a High Holy Sabbath.

In the Fall, the Sabbath ushers in the prophetic Day of Blowing/Yom Teruah, which falls on the New Moon Festival/Rosh Chodesh. This feast points the Bride to her wedding day ten days later called the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur, also a Sabbath. Five days after the wedding is the first day of the seven day Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot (the wedding reception), a Sabbath. The Feast of Tabernacles closes with an extra day called the Eighth Day/Shemini Atzeret. Shemini Atzeret is likened to the Bridegroom asking the Bride to linger one extra day with Him after all the wedding guests have returned home. This extra day is a Sabbath and is as a thousand years representing the 7000th year/Messianic Era – back to The Garden (Hebrews 3:1-4:16; 2 Peter 3:8).

The true Believer (Bride of Yeshua) wants to be found celebrating and keeping the Sabbath days holy, undefiled by activities such as work (trade and commerce) or by doing his or her own personal thing like shopping, yard work, garage sales, baseball games or other common preoccupations. The Bride is to set the Sabbath and Yahweh’s Feasts apart as holy. Six days she is to do all her work with this one day called Sabbath devoted entirely to being with her Bridegroom, the joy of her life. The Sabbath sets Yeshua’s Bride apart from all other associations.

Offerings - Exodus 35:4-5

After the instructions regarding Sabbath, Moses shared regarding the offerings and materials the children of Israel were to bring for the building of the tabernacle/mishkan. They did not need to worry about where these would come from, as Yahweh had originally given the Israelites the resources to build the tabernacle when they left Egypt. This gave the people an opportunity to offer from the abundance they had. There was one condition: Yahweh would only accept the offerings if they were given from a willing heart. Those hearts that were truly circumcised would have the freedom to freely give to Him. An uncircumcised, compromised heart, one that was not totally surrendered to Yahweh, would not be able to give freely. Hard hearts have a rebellious nature. There would be conditions attached or justification for keeping what they had. This is idolatry. Unforgiveness and bitterroot judgments constrict and restrain the heart from walking freely in Yahweh’s will. The stone tablets represented the people’s stony hearts. Believers are to desire a heart that is after the Spirit life of Torah (Yeshua) realized through the redemptive process. The offerings given freely reveal what type of heart the people had. This is why Yahweh was looking for the free will offerings; offerings which had no conditions attached.

Current reports reveal that less than two percent of believers fulfill the commandment for freewill offerings or tithes. Of that percentage only a few give consistently. Some hold back portions for personal reasons or justify by giving it to an outside cause. Many do not understand redemption. The offerings are a redemptive act. A heart that is conditional is not redeemed and cannot build the tabernacle/mishkan. If the offerings are based on conditions such as performance of leadership or a receipt for tax benefits or any reason outside of being exclusively given to Yahweh, then there is no foundation for the tabernacle to be built on. Yahweh’s house is not built on attitudes or conditions, as the whole tabernacle/mishkan is built on a foundation of redemption.

Redemption is a free gift from our Messiah. Yahweh has given us the building materials to walk out His redemption. The Israelites in Exodus 35 gave from the abundance of what Yahweh had already given them. It was never theirs to begin with; but was a gift. If we understand this principle of the tabernacle/mishkan and the house we are to build for Him, then there will always be enough in our storehouses to freely give. This is the redemptive lifestyle of Yeshua (Ezekiel 36:24-32).

Isaiah 66:1-2 “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool, where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?” (Hebrews 3:1-4:13)

Materials for the Mishkan - Exodus 35:5-19

Moses then gave instructions about the articles the people could offer for the building of the tabernacle: gold, silver and copper; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastplate. Then he asked for those who were skilled to come and help make the furnishings of the tabernacle and the priestly garments.

Exodus 35:20-28 “After hearing what Moses spoke, the whole community moved away from him - only those who were willing and whose hearts responded then came forward and brought offerings to Yahweh.”

The men and women who came forward brought all kinds of gold jewelry as a wave offering. Those who had blue, purple or scarlet yearn or fine linen or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or hides of sea cows brought them. People also brought silver or copper, and those with acacia wood presented it as an offering. Skilled women spun the blue, purple or scarlet yarn and fine linen for the fabric. Leaders brought onyx stones and other gems for the ephod and breastplate. They also brought spices and olive oil for the light, the anointing oil and fragrant incense.

Exodus 35:29 “All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to Yahweh freewill offering for all the work Yahweh through Moses had commanded them to do.”

Of the entire body of Israelites only a portion came forward with offerings needed for the tabernacle. The true Bride of Yeshua will bring forth her offerings to the Bridegroom and she (Israel: male/female) will come from within the body of believers.

Bezalel and Oholiah

Exodus 35:30-36:7

As the offerings were brought forward, Moses appointed Bezalel and Oholiah who were assigned by Yahweh as the skilled craftsmen to do the work of the tabernacle. Bezalel from the tribe of Judah was filled by the Spirit of Yahweh to design in gold, silver and copper, the cutting of stones and to work in wood. Oholiah from the tribe of Dan was his assistant. He was filled with the ability to teach craftsmen, designers, embroiders and weavers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen. These two men represented the two witnesses of Yahweh: the House of Judah and the House of Israel. The people continued to bring freewill offerings every morning until the craftspeople said, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work Yahweh commanded to be done. And the people were restricted from bringing more (Exodus 36:5-6).”

The Tabernacle - Mishkan

Exodus 36:8-38

Bezalel and Oholiah came forward as well as every person Yahweh had gifted with a craft or the skill to design and create the necessary items for the Mishkan. Scripture was very clear about the fact that they were to follow Yahweh’s instructions to the letter.

Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Torah, until all is accomplished.”

Everything in the earthly tabernacle replicated the heavenly tabernacle. Many of the furnishings in the tabernacle were made of acacia wood covered with gold. Acacia wood represented man’s humanity and gold represented Yeshua’s Divinity, which illustrates that the redeemed are covered with Yeshua’s holiness and purity.

The colors of the curtains and hangings each denoted Yeshua’s pure nature. Blue represented His heavenly nature, purple for His Kingly sovereignty and scarlet His sacrifice. The white linen spoke of His purity, silver indicated His redemption, and copper, His refining fire. As we go through the pieces we see how many symbols of the Messiah’s presence are in the tabernacle.

Skilled men began working on the construction of the tabernacle, starting first with the ten curtains for the outside of the mishkan. They were made out of finely twisted white linen, with blue, purple and scarlet yarn embroidered in a cherubim design, then hung with gold clasps.

A curtain of goat hair was spun for the covering over the mishkan and fastened by copper clasps. Over that they made a covering of ram skins dyed red, and also a covering of hides of sea cows.

The frames of acacia wood followed, using two silver bases to support each frame. Silver is a reference to redemption, and two bases represent the two witnesses of the Messiah Yeshua, the House of Israel and the House of Judah to whom redemption was given when our redemption price was paid. The whole mishkan was built on redemption, the fulfillment of which is solely found in the Messiah.

The craftsmen also made acacia crossbars to support the roof and connect to a center crossbar that extended end-to-end. The frames and crossbars of acacia wood were also overlaid with pure gold. Pure gold corresponds to Yeshua, who has forgiven and covered our sinful nature with His righteousness.

The curtain that partitioned off the Ark of the Covenant was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen also with cherubim embroidered into the fabric. Four posts of acacia wood were overlaid with pure gold supported by four silver bases (again, speaking of redemption). The curtain was hung using pure gold hooks.

The entrance curtain to the mishkan was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen. The five support posts had overlaid tops and bands of gold held by five bronze bases which indicates the way into the tabernacle was through His Word: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – The Gospel.

The mishkan is a picture of Yahweh tabernacling with His ekklesia/people, and how our hearts are to be made in the image of Him. Now, let’s look inside….

The Most Holy Place - Exodus 37:1-9

The Ark: Yahweh works in our lives from the inside out, beginning first with our heart. It is the same with the tabernacle/mishkan. The Ark was made of acacia wood covered in pure gold. It contained the Ten Statements and stood alone in the Holy of Holies. The Ark represents our hearts seeking to walk in the lifestyle of the Messiah and joined with Him in Covenant.

The Mercy Seat: The covering over the Ark is commonly called the mercy seat. It is made of one piece of hammered pure gold. Its design speaks of heavenly things, namely Yahweh’s instruction for life, as well as Yeshua’s covering over us. The English word ark is equivalent to the Hebrew aron; the verbal root of which speaks of gathering. Keeping this word in context, we can understand the Ark to be the vessel or gathering place for the testimony of the Word of God, as expressed in the tablets. We identify with Yeshua as the Incarnate Word of Yahweh and thus the Torah as our covering.

The mercy seat was to be placed on the Ark from above. The mercy seat is translated from the Hebrew word kapporet, which is from the root kopher, which means to atone, cover, or ransom. This word is translated as propitiation in Romans 3:25. As it is with all words in the New Testament/ Brit Chadashah, their meaning is established in the Tanakh (Genesis to Malachi). Yeshua’s atoning blood surrounds the principles of God, and only after this ransoming work of grace is placed on the Ark, is the heart of the Holy of Holies complete. The mercy seat is to be the place where the blood is to be sprinkled by the High Priest. The mercy seat and the Ark together form one vessel. His covering must precede our approach to God. This Ark, a furnishing in the singular, is God’s witness covered by His mercy. Torah and grace are intrinsically connected, just as the vessel and the cover form the whole, so too the Testimony and His covering form the whole message of the Good News called The Gospel. In other words: Torah without Yeshua is invalid and Messiah without Torah is lawlessness. Only when Torah and Messiah come together can there be truth/Life!

The two cherubim, made of one piece with the mercy seat, represent the two witnesses of the Messiah, the House of Judah (believers coming from the Jews – Age of Law) and the House of Israel (believers from the church – Age of the Messiah). Together they represent the Messianic Age. The two cherubim on the atonement cover represent two people groups who are facing each other in unity and bowing under their wings (a Hebrew idiom for talet), looking intently into the Word of Yahweh. They are a prophetic message of the two houses coming together as one in Messiah Yeshua in the Messianic Age – “and then all Israel will be saved” (Zechariah 4; Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:8-10; Romans 11:21-27).

Ephesians 2: 14-16 “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both [House of Israel and the House of Judah] one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation [the sin of dishonor], having abolished in His flesh the enmity [the death sentence], that is, the law of commandments [against the sin of dishonor] contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two [Houses], thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity [the guilt coming from the sin of dishonor]” (Zechariah 4; Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:8-10; Romans 11:21-27).

Romans 11:25-27 “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel [House of Judah] until the fullness of the Gentiles [House of Israel] has come in. And so all Israel [all twelve tribes] will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob [All twelve tribes of Israel]; For this is My [Marriage] Covenant with them, when I take away their sins [of dishonor].’”

Yeshua, the very personification of Yahweh, atoned and covered our sin of disobedience once and for all. “We are justified freely by his mercy through the redemption that came by Yeshua. Yahweh presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith [obedience] in His blood” (Romans 3:24-25). It is here “above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony” that He meets with us face to face/paniym - presence to presence.

It is interesting to note the two poles never left the ark and were not removed while Moses was in the wilderness or when the ark was in King Solomon’s Temple. This indicates that the ark was to be ever mobile according to the Holy Spirit’s/Ruach HaKodesh leading and that it had not reached its final resting-place.

The Holy Place - Exodus 37:1-29

The Veil: The Holy Place was separated from the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) by a veil. It was this veil of separation that was torn from top to bottom when Yeshua died (Matthew 27:51). The torn veil represents circumcision of the heart. Yeshua broke off the chains of death that separated us from Him and opened up a way for us to walk out a redeemed lifestyle in Him. We are no longer under the law of sin and death. Rather, we are now free to enter into the Bridal Chamber by way of Yeshua.

Contained in the Holy Place were the Table of Showbread, the Menorah and the Altar of Incense. These could not be seen from the Outer Court. One had to enter beyond the veil in order to see and understand the ministries they speak of. The only entrance into the Holy Place was through a veil, and only priests who were consecrated could enter. This is why redemption of the soul is so important as only the circumcised heart can enter into the ministry of the Holy Place. Our walk and behavior must match our confession, for a lifestyle of holiness is still the way into the Holy Place.

1 Peter 2:8-10 “They [the Israelites] stumble, being disobedient to the word [the Marriage Covenant given them by Yahweh through Moses at Mount Sinai], to which they [the Israelites with Moses] also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (Peter is quoting: Exodus 19:5-6 and Hosea 2:21-23 to bring identity to the people he is speaking with).

The Table of Showbread - Shulchan

Exodus 37:10-16

The Showbread/shulchan is in the Holy Place with the menorah and altar of incense. Only the priests were anointed to care for the Showbread. The table was made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold. In John 6:51 Yeshua shared, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, [the manna that fell in the desert]. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever. This Bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” And in John 6:48: “I am the Bread of Life.” The bread of Yahweh is Yeshua. This bread is called the bread of the face/paniym, the bread of the presence, the continual bread, the bread of ordering, the consecrated bread, and the Holy bread. (Exodus 25:23-30; 35:13, Numbers 4:7, 1Chronicles 9:32, 1 Samuel 21:3-6, Leviticus 24:1:9, Matthew 12:3-4, Hebrews 9:2).

Three Hebrew words reveal the ministry of the Table of Showbread and the Bread:

•Lechem (Strong’s H3899) bread, to eat, to consume or feed upon.

•Paniym (Strong’s H6440) face, countenance, inquire or meet at the mouth and speaks of His Presence.

•Ma’Areketh (Strong’s H4635) to arrange in a row, set in a pile or to stack up.

All are a reference to Yeshua and His disciples/talmudim (the Bride). A Believer’s walk is displayed through the Priesthood and the furnishings of the Holy Place in accordance to His Word (our Marriage Covenant).

The Showbread Table displays twelve unleavened loaves, which stand for Yeshua’s Kingdom authority given to the twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob) to govern the earth.

Isaiah 9:7 “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will perform this” (Ezekiel 37:21-28).

John 6:57-58: “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever.”

The Lampstand - Menorah

Exodus 37:17-24

The Menorah was made of one solid piece of pure hammered gold in the exact pattern and design as Moses witnessed on the mountain. The process of refining gold to a pure state then hammering it represents the believer’s walk coming from exile, with a slave mindset, to being transformed to walking as a Priest in the Presence of the Holy One (Hosea 2:9-23). The exquisite detail on the Menorah mirrored the walk of the Bride to her wedding. The design called for cups in the shape of almond flowers with buds and blossoms to be placed in a specific arrangement on the Menorah. The cups represented the Feast Days of Yahweh that point the way to the wedding. Following Yahweh’s appointed Feasts three times a year produces an abundance of fruit depicted in the buds and blossoms on the stems of the Menorah. This fruit of Yeshua produced the light or oil to see His Word. The table of showbread represented His Word (See reference section for more information on the Menorah).

The mishkan had no light of its own so it was imperative the Menorah stay lit. The Menorah was also the only light by which the priests (believers) were able to see the Showbread (the Word of Yahweh). In the same way, we have no light of our own, and without the Menorah’s light we cannot see the Word of Yahweh. We need to fill our hearts with His Word (Presence) everyday in order for our light to burn bright.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

The almond tree is the first to bloom in the spring, and its flowers, called firstfruits, appear on the branch even before the leaves. The almond tree is also called the awakening tree. This tree obviously points to Yeshua and His chosen people. Scripture says of Yeshua, “[He] is the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18). In Him was life, and the life was the light of men, who are also firstborns in Him. In John 8:12 is Yeshua’s declaration, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The light shines brightly when pure, finely pressed olive oil and regularly trimmed wicks are in order. The pure oil that burns brilliantly represents the atoning sacrifice Yeshua went through for us (Isaiah 53:5). The light from the oil also typifies the progressive redemption of a believer as the vinedresser. Yeshua works deep within our hearts, pressing and trimming us regularly to produce the light of His Glory as a testimony to the Nations.

The wicks were made from the worn, white linen priestly garments that were torn into strips, woven and rolled then placed in the seven lamps on the Menorah. They represent the priestly connection. The Menorah sheds light on the Showbread, the Word of Yahweh, and the Altar of Incense, the prayer and praises of His people. It is the process of the Vinedresser that keeps the light burning continually in the heart that is circumcised.

In Zechariah 4:2-14 the prophet sees a Menorah with seven bowls, and two olive trees on either side. The angel asks Zechariah, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the menorah?” Zechariah does not know. The angel asks him again about the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil. Again Zechariah does not know. Finally the angel says, “These are the two who are anointed to serve Yahweh of all the earth.” The two olive trees are the two anointed ones called the sons of fresh oil that produce oil, which then flows into the menorah. The sons of fresh oil are two people groups.

Revelation 11:3-4 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”

It is the Menorah that provides light designed for the ministry to Yahweh and thus to the world. We see that it is the plan of Yahweh–by His power–that He have Two Witnesses, represented by two olive trees, the two lampstands, and the term sons of fresh oil in Zechariah, Jeremiah and Revelation. His two witnesses, or people groups, that shines forth and testifies of His goodness and His glory.

The two people groups are the ones being transformed into Yeshua’s royal priesthood and holy nation. A wick is needed as a conductor for the oil in the Menorah. Worn priestly garments make up the wicks and represent those who are priests, the ones who are well acquainted with how to serve a holy God. These come from the House of Israel and the House of Judah, the sons of fresh oil who walk a priestly lifestyle and so produce oil. Oil is the evidence of Yahweh’s priesthood walking in right order by way of Yeshua’s appointed paths of righteousness. This priestly walk denotes knowing the difference between what is called clean in Yahweh’s Kingdom and what is unclean, what is holy and unholy and how to celebrate His Kingly Feast Days: Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Shavuot/Pentecost, Yom Teruah/Day of Blowing, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, and Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles in their appointed seasons. The sons of fresh oil are from the two houses of Israel–united together–one in Yeshua’s hand. They represent the reunified Twelve Tribes of Israel (Yahweh’s government), who are becoming the light of Yeshua to the Nations, walking in the order of Melchizedek and bringing restoration to David’s fallen tent (Isaiah 35; Ezekiel 22:26, 44:23-25; Amos 9:11; Acts 15:16-17; Hebrew 7; 1 Peter 2:9).

The priestly walk of the Bride is needed to join the Menorah to the oil. Without the priestly attitude, lifestyle and connection, the fire of the Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh has no place to ignite the flame. The priests in the tabernacle were serving Yahweh not man.

The Altar of Incense - Mitzbe’ach

Exodus 37:25-29

The Altar of Incense was made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold and placed between the Showbread and the Menorah in front of the veil in the Holy Place. The incense is for Yahweh, not man, and represents our prayers of praise and worship that rise before Him continually as incense at the first hour of prayer (9 AM - the morning offering), the second hour of prayer (at Noon) and the third hour of prayer (3 PM - the evening offering). We are not to offer strange incense here. No fleshly prayers are to be offered on this Altar, neither for our selves nor for others. All prayers are to glorify Yahweh with the presenter’s whole being. It is a place of intimacy.

Today, we are called the living temple. All that we are learning about the tabernacle of Moses and the furnishings represents the Body of Messiah. As believers walking in Covenant with Yeshua, the ministry of the furnishings are still active and to be revealed in our daily walk and lifestyle. Today many are returning to these daily prayer offerings and seeing lives transformed (1 Corinthians 3:17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).

Psalm 55:17 “Evening and morning and at noon [the hours of prayer] I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”

Psalm 141:2 “May [our prayers] be set before [Him] like incense; may the lifting up of [our] hands be like the evening sacrifice.”

Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-4 “And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Matthew 20:1-16; Acts 2:1, 10:3).

Urim and Thummin

The mishkan described in Exodus is detailed right down to its gold hooks and silver bases, along with a fur lined roof over gold covered planks and boards. The rabbis believed that the tabernacle’s pattern–with its given dimensions, layers of fur on the ceiling, and all the gold furniture set in their specific places–created a charge. Even the priestly garments woven with gold and the ephod with stones set in gold could easily have been a part of the current of the tabernacle’s electrical field when the priests came to serve before Yahweh in the Holy Place. The rabbis believed this is how Yahweh directed them – that the Urim and Thummin could light up the stones on the breastplate to lead the Children of Israel. This represented the Presence of Yahweh, Yeshua the living stone of Israel and the Light of the world.

Exodus 28:29-30 “Whenever Aaron enters the holy place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before Yahweh. Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breast piece, so they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters the presence of Yahweh. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before Yahweh.”

If the mishkan had an electrical charge and the mishkan is now in our hearts (1 Corinthians 6:19), how does this affect our walk? Today, Yeshua serves in the heavenly tabernacle, which we are taught to mirror after His pattern. Paul and the apostles walked in one accord with it and the fruit was evident for all as many were healed and the dead rose to life. Is the glory of Yeshua shining as brightly in us as it did during the time of Moses? Have we established our hearts in the pattern that Yahweh gave to Moses? The only thing that hinders our walk is us, as all was finished at Calvary. For many to be healed and raised to life we need to take hold of our inheritance and walk in a redeemed lifestyle to be truly empowered by the Spirit of the Holy One’s power and authority (Exodus 34:29-35).

The Brazen Altar

Exodus 38:1-7

Continuing in the study of the tabernacle, we now look at the Outer Court ministry, beginning with the Brazen Altar. After entering through the doorway (Abrahamic Covenant/salvation) into the Outer Court of the tabernacle one first came face to face with the Brazen Altar. The purpose of its ministry is the sanctification and redemption of the soul (as in thought and heart issues). This altar reveals how to walk out a redeemed lifestyle. The journey of the priesthood desiring an intimate relationship in Yeshua starts here. The mishkan is a picture of our redemption–body, soul and spirit as a whole complete unit. The heart is the seat of our emotions and guides our decisions and activities. The Outer Court ministry is there to serve us. It can only be effective if we are willing to surrender any independent self will of our heart on to this Altar and choose to walk after Yeshua in accordance with His Covenant to us.

None of the animal sacrifices offered thus far could take away the dysfunction in our lives. They could only cover the sin but not conquer it all together. Only in Yeshua’s perfect sacrifice of His Body and shedding of His Blood could our sin be atoned for and taken far away from us, never to be seen again. This could only happen if we truly surrender to Yeshua. We can try and do it on our own by works and good deeds but salvation comes only by faith. We cannot attain our own salvation by our own works. Our faith must be in Yeshua’s faithfulness, not in our own faith or flesh. The tendency of man is to try to save oneself by creating his own set of rules governed by the dictates of his heart instead of trusting in Yeshua’s salvation and allowing Him to create a new heart that walks after Him.

Matthew 9:13 Yeshua said, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Hosea 6:6).

Daniel 9:11 “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.”

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Yeshua, is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

“When Yeshua came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Holy of Holies once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Yeshua, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to Yahweh, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living Yahweh” (Hebrews 9:11-14).

As believers in Yeshua, if the offering of the Lamb of Yahweh cleansed our soul/consciences, how much more does this understanding encourage us to place any animalistic tenancies, attitudes, characters and offenses that separate us from Him on to the Brazen Altar? Many of us walk around with mindsets that stand in opposition to Yahweh and bring death toward us spiritually and physically. Repenting is a sweet aroma before Yahweh. Turning from our lawless and unrighteous ways restores us back to Him. When we do, Yeshua’s blood covers our sinful ways and clothes us in HIS Righteousness.

2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 “For we are the temple of the Living Yahweh. As Yahweh has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their Elohim, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate,’ says Yahweh. ‘Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for Yahweh.”

Daily Offering - Daily Prayers

The free will animal offerings to Yahweh on the Brazen Altar also coincided with the daily free will offerings of prayer to Yahweh at His appointed times: called the 3rd hour of prayer at 9AM; the 6th hour of prayer at noon, and the 9th hour of prayer at 3 PM. The physical animal sin sacrifice has been permanently fulfilled through Yeshua, but the daily animal offerings have temporarily stopped at this present time, as there is no physical Temple in Jerusalem. Does this mean that the offerings we offer up and daily prayers stop? Do we need a temple to activate these? According to Scripture, the Living Temple is still active as we, believers in the Body of Messiah, represent His Temple today (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

Daniel 8:13-14 “Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, ‘How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?’ And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’”

Today, Yeshua’s death has appropriated His Temple to be raised within believers/His Bride. If the temple is standing, the temple services are still active. Yeshua’s death is not a synonym for cessation of the offerings or hours of prayer. On the contrary, they are very much active because Yeshua fulfilled the Law/Torah; therefore it is a privilege to participate in them today.

The times of prayer carry a prophetic quantity for believers, as the prayers of the saints go before Yahweh in His Heavenly Kingdom. All through the Bible we see His people coming before Him at His appointed times to declare His Glory (Numbers 28).

Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day (9, 12 and 3), and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

Acts 3:1“Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour”

Acts 10:3 “About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius!’”

The Laver - Exodus 38:8

By the time believers have learned the ministry of the Brazen Altar in surrendering their soulish ways they are ready to approach the Laver. The Laver is the renewing of the heart for service before Yeshua. Water is a representation of the cleansing power of the Spirit of Yahweh bringing the redeemed a change in status.

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”.

Exodus 38:8 tells us the Laver was made from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. This would have been a much sought after position. Great care would have been given to their appearance, but vanity would have been behind it. The women learned that the mirrors showed up flaws in the condition of the heart thus in giving over their mirrors it reminded them they were to reflect Yahweh’s beauty, not a beauty of their own making. The Laver is ever a reflection of the purified soul, which reveals the truth behind the Ministry of the Laver.

1 John 5:7-8 “For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood and the three are in agreement.”

The Outer Court - Exodus 38:9-20

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the Tabernacle of Yahweh is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and Yahweh ‘Himself’ shall be among them’” (Revelation 21:3).

Yahweh has always desired to dwell among His people, that is why he revealed Himself at Mt. Sinai and when He, as the Word, became flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14).

“Let them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” (Exodus 25:8-9).

The Outer Court is the place where the soul is purified. We learn that the furnishings of the Brazen Altar and Laver illustrate the process of this cleansing. The entrance into the tabernacle was through Yeshua who called himself the Gate (John 10:7). Yeshua also said, “I am The Way, The Truth and The Life” (John 14:6). The Way is the name of the first gate or entrance leading to the Outer Court of the tabernacle. The Truth is the entrance into the tabernacle and the first room called the Holy Place, and the Life is the entrance into the Most Holy Place/the Holy of Holies. The Way, the Truth and the Life is also a Hebrew idiom for the Torah – The Gospel. Yeshua was saying He, the Living Word, was and is the Tabernacle. Through the design of the Tabernacle Yeshua is showing us a visual picture of Himself and what the walk of redemption looks like. For those who take hold of His Gospel - it is a Tree of Life!

Ezekiel 43:10-12 “Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them. This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.”

Philippians 3:8-12 Paul said, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Yeshua ha Mashiach, the Messiah, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Yeshua and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Torah, but that which is through faith/emunah in Yeshua–the righteousness/tzedakah that comes from Yahweh and is by faith/emunah. I want to know Yeshua and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which the Messiah/Yeshua ha Mashiach, took hold of me.

To Be Continued…

Shabbat Shalom,