Wed.’s Devo - Our Tabernacle

Read: Exodus 30:11-31:18; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 8:27-32 God told Moses that when he took a census he was to collect a price for each person. This price was a small piece of silver which would be their redemption price. It was a picture of the price of Jesus’ life that bought our salvation. To take a census was too number or count the people. It was a ceremony of accountability. We will all meet before God on the Judgment Day for this census and be judged according to our works. If we have our silver, our symbol of redemption, we will not be counted but be redeemed. This ceremony of redemption was to keep the plague from striking the people as they were being counted. The blood of Jesus is our ransom price for our soul. Everyone, rich or poor pays the same amount. Everyone is worth the same in God’s sight. Sanctification, purifying ourselves from our sin is pictured in the basin of water that the priests would wash their hands and feet. Hands represent the things we do - our work. Feet represent the way we walk with the Lord. If those things are pure then we can approach God. God gave them the recipe for the incense and oil to use as the anointing oil to anoint the things in the Tabernacle and the priests. A different recipe for incense was used to light on the Table of Incense. This was a symbol of our prayers that go up to the Lord as a sweet aroma. He called this incense “most holy” because that is how God looks at our prayers. The Lord chose Bezalel as the master craftsman to make the furniture, engrave the gemstones and carve the wood. His name means “under God’s shade”. He would be in God’s presence the whole time he worked. His helper was Oholiab which means “tent of his father”. He was anointed to help built the tent of God for the people. Together they made all the things for the Tabernacle just like Moses had seen them on the mountain. They were a replica of what Moses saw in heaven. Then God gave them the gift of the Sabbath and its regulations. It was the seventh day, set apart to rest and be restored and renewed for the coming week. It was to be a holy day dedicated to the Lord. When Moses finished speaking he gave the people the two stone tablets written by the finger of God of all his commandments. In Matthew, Jesus was betrayed with Judas’ kiss. His disciples scattered just like the prophet said. Jesus put the soldier’s ear back on, because he didn’t want his disciple to be held accountable. Then, Jesus was taken to Caiaphas’ house to be tried before an illegal assembly and a mock trial. When none of the false witnesses could agree, they caught him on truth. When Jesus refused to defend himself, it just made them madder. Isaiah 53 says that “he was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her sharers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.” When the high priest demanded he tell them if he was the Messiah or not, Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothing and cried “Blaspemy!” Then the others shouted, “Guilty!” They spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. In the Old Testament we have the building of the Tabernacle in all its beauty and in the New Testament we have the defiling of the true Tabernacle of God. Lord, we are the tabernacle of Jesus on the earth. May we honor each other’s Temple and not judge one another. May our words be to build up and not to tear down.