fbpx

Portion 57

Golden Text: Ex 25:1-10
Readings for the week:

Day 1: Ex 25:1-10

Day 2: 1R 5

Day 3: 2Ch 24

Day 4: Mal 3:13-18

Day 5: Heb 1

Day 6: Eph 4:17-32

I- A tabernacle for the people.

In this portion God commands Moses to build the tabernacle that would represent the entire redemptive work of man. As a spiritual being, man needs a relationship with God, but there is one reality: “Sin separates him from Him.” So, the only way he can get closer to God is through divine grace[1], that is, that He invites him. The law and the tabernacle offered the practical demonstration of man’s sinful reality and the need for an outward work covering sin before God respectively.

However, the tabernacle, although it allowed man to draw closer to God, did not solve man’s sinful problem, which is why we say that it “represented” him. The tabernacle was a shadow of the reality that would come later in the person of the Messiah. And as we said in Portion 43, everything that has to do with the tabernacle is found in the so-called chukim (illogical instructions that symbolize a reality), which once it is revealed are replaced by what they referred to[2].

This tabernacle was to be erected amid the tribes, for the greatest dignity of the human being is to be found in freely allowing God to be the center of his life. God must be the center of a person’s life, his family, and his nation; and so, on until we reach the ends of the earth.

II- Dignity by grace.

God’s grace toward man is so excellent that it implies man’s dignity (Ex 25:2). The Creator could perfectly well have made the tabernacle appear there as He did with planet Earth amid cosmic chaos. In short, a construction that had such a great function had to be excellently illustrious in all its details. However, He preferred to have the collaboration of all the people. Why? very simple, because this dignifies the people.

God’s opportunity to contribute our offerings in His work dignifies us as His children. It is not that man is not worthy by the mere fact of being God’s creation, but that sin in him has caused him to lose and confuse such precious value. Some have gone so far as to say that dignity is a concept that arose with Christianity, but this is a mistake on a grand scale. The dignity of the human being is present from his creation, because it is inherent in the image of God in man. Therefore, God always treated him as a worthy being, even if man did not perceive him that way.

III- God in us.

Interestingly, when God says, “And they will make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell in their midst” (Ex 25:8–9), He is literally saying that it will be to “dwell within them.” Some will say, “How will this be because it is supposed to be a promise to the church given by Christ?” Well, first, it must be understood that Jesus is God and He is also being heard by the people at that time. And, secondly, that it is not the same as what is being talked about. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit and here he is referring to a divine temporal presence (שָׁכַנְתִּ֖י). With this God makes it clear that He is not only interested in the order that the sanctuary can have, but also in the order that the individual life of His children should have. If one is special and excellent, the other must be too.

IV- A special place to worship.

We know that any of the places used today to worship God are not in themselves either this tabernacle or the temple in Jerusalem. Therefore, the laws that were for them do not apply today, although many insist on saying that they are in the house of God to maintain order or give a spiritual tone to the matter, but He is also making it clear that the place where He is worshipped should not be used for anything, as they want to convince us today with the concept of multipurpose including rentals to unconverted or things like that.

Of course, the meeting place, without needing to be called the house of God, since it was an exclusive title for the tabernacle and then for the temple, must be used for multipurpose, otherwise we would need a gigantic building to do all that needs to be done. However, we must understand that these multipurpose must be holy, that is, to consider that they are for the glory and service of God. What are those purposes today, then those decided by the leadership of a congregation in full communion with the Holy Spirit to serve Him with joy.

 

Questions:

1.- Explain how these chukim were replaced after the Savior came.

2.- Do you think that the things asked of God here have any spiritual significance? If your an-swer is yes, mention what some of them may be.

3.- How can you really contribute to the support of your local congregation?

 

[1] The concept of Grace is to be understood as God‘s ‘unmerited favortoward man.

[2] Hb 9:11.

Under Construction..

MAKE A DIFERENCE TODAY