Seeing Jesus in the furniture
Meditating this morning from the book of Leviticus. In chapter 24, God instructs Aaron the priest to continually have the lamps trimmed and the olive oil continually burning before the Lord. These lamps provided light through the oil that was derived from the crushing of olives, they provided light for the Tabernacle and the people's interaction with God the Father.
And then He instructs that the bread be set out before the Lord regularly. There were to always be 6 stacks on one side, and 6 stacks on the other, one for every tribe of Israel. Next to the stacks of bread was the incense continually burning before the Lord.
The tabernacle is a physical demonstration of God's interaction with His covenant people. This has moved me to worship this morning because now, through the covenant of grace, we Gentiles have been grafted into the new Israel, and now we have access into this interaction. This God of power and might that parted the seas and descended on Sinai before the people, that fed them with manna and led them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. THIS GOD is OUR GOD!
What is especially moving is to see how that this every piece of furniture within the tabernacle is a reference to Christ. Christ's sacrifice is the oil that continually brings us light, night and day for our intimate communion with God. It is no mere coincidence that the garden of Gethsemane is also called the Garden of the Olives, here Olives would be harvested and crushed into the oil used to bring light. Jesus praying in that very garden, "Not my will but Thine be done." Literally being crushed from the weight of my sin and from His blessed brow came the blood of the new covenant that brought me from darkness to light!
Christ is the very Bread of life, set forth as the bread, never to be consumed, always before the Father giving us sustenance in our journey. His prayers of intercession on our behalf constantly accompanying us to the throne room. Praise be to God for the covenant of grace poured out for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross who intercedes for us, gives us our daily bread (HIMSELF), and provides light for us to see the manifested ways and movements of the Father in our lives....meditate on these truths today my friends, let them move you to worship!
