Fri.’s Devo - Tabernacle to Temple

Read: 2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11; Romans 7:1-13: Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 19:22-23
The furniture in the temple was much larger than the furniture in the tabernacle. The altar in the tabernacle was 5x5x3 and the altar in the temple was 20x20x10. The laver in the tabernacle was made of the women’s mirrors. The one for the temple was huge and sat on the backs of twelve metal oxen. Instead of the one menorah in the tabernacle there were 10 in the temple. Ten tables for the shewbread replaced the one in the tabernacle.
The temple was dedicated on the Feast of Tabernacles which represents our continual walk with the Lord’s presence always with us. The glory of the Lord filled the temple and was so heavy that the priests could not even stand up to minister. Solomon spoke to the people and blessed them and told them God’s heart in having a place where his name would be worshiped. Inside the ark would be the covenant of God that he made with his people.
In Romans, Paul reminds the people of the law about the death of the first husband and how it is the dead man’s brother who is to marry her and produce seed on the earth. Paul explains that this is a law to teach us doctrine. We are first married to the law that points out our sin and brings death. It has to die for us to receive the new husband who is Jesus. Only through this husband will we receive life. If you look at all the women listed in Matthew 1 in the genealogy of Jesus, you will see that they all follow this law. Hagar’s husband died with no heir. She had her twins with Judah. Rahab had many husbands as she was a harlot but she didn’t have an heir until she married Salmon and had Boaz. They had Solomon. Ruth’s husband died with no son until she married Boaz and had Obed. Bathsheba is implied in verse 6. She was married to Uriah with no son until he died and she married David. These are all pictures of this law of grace.
We will never be fruitful following the law, but when we die to our own will of trying to be good, and we receive the new covenant of grace through the blood of Jesus, we become fruitful. If we go back to trying to follow the law, we are committing spiritual adultery. When we refuse to allow the grace of God to free us from our past we are going back under the law and committing adultery, spiritually speaking. We have to totally marry Jesus and the new covenant. The law is holy and righteous and good and are our standard. They reveal what sin is so it can die in us and God’s righteousness can grow.
Lord, thank you for your laws and thank you for the better covenant of grace.