Too much going on in this passage to talk about all of it, so I’m just going to make a few notes.
We are told in Exodus 27 that the lampstand sits in front of the inner curtain. If the light shines forward the room will be dark and the curtain will be illuminated. Common sense would say “light the room” but that’s not the purpose of the lampstand. It’s illuminating the holy place. Lampstands are mentioned in several places in the Bible. In Zechariah 4:10 the lamps are the “eyes of the Lord”. In Revelation 1:20 they represent the church. The one thing that is common to both is that they are holy.
In verse 19 we learn that the Levites offered sacrifices before the Lord so the people would not be struck with plagues when they came near to God’s presence. I find myself musing about this. I guess Levites were always the plan, which means that God knew He wouldn’t be able to get close to the people without harming them from before they left Egypt. I was trying to create an image in my head where the people would walk with God without the need of Levites, but when they created the golden calf God changed His mind and refused to go with them. I was thinking that maybe because of that sin the Levites became neccessary. But that can’t be the case, since the High Priest is a Levite, and Jesus is our High Priest. Jesus was always the plan…so the Levitical order must have always been the plan as well.
The fact that the people were allowed to participate in the Passover a month late, even though it’s linked to a certain day tells us something of the importance of the event. If that weren’t enough, the Lord offers up a judgment against anyone who is able to participate and yet chooses not to. I wonder if any of this carries over to communion (which is the new covenant metamorphosis of Passover)? If we fail to take communion when it’s offered to us, is that as dangerous as taking it when were aren’t truly repentant?
The fiery cloud didn’t tell the people in advance if they were staying for a day or a year. Every morning when you awoke you must have looked toward the tabernacle to see if you were moving today. When the cloud moved, there was no discussion, everyone knew what to do. When the cloud was stationary, no one talked of moving. I wish we had a fiery cloud today that helped us decide what to do. Actually, we have something better…the presence of the Holy Spirit. But there are times when the directions He gives don’t seem as obvious.
I am amazed at how little time it took to tear down the Sanctuary and set it back up. If I am reading this correctly, when the community moved the first group would be in the new place about the time the middle of the group was moving. By the time the tail end of the group began to move, the tabernacle was already set up in the new camp. That means they could take the tabernacle clear down and set it back up every day if they needed to. No wonder God gave them all specific jobs to do, along with a whole tribe to attend to it. The whole process must have really been something to see. In fact, nothing is ever wasted with God. I would be willing to bet that if you looked at the community of Israel moving in the desert from above, you would see the same action as some part of the human body if viewed under a microscope, or of the universe through the lens of the telescope. That’s just how God works.
Just like the lampstands, the trumpets are mentioned often in Scripture. It’s the trumpet that sounds the beginning of festivals, and the call to battle. It’s the trumpet that calls the community to assemble, and in Revelation God returns to the blast of a trumpet. I wonder, if it’s a single blast at the rapture will that mean only the leaders are taken and the rest remain here throughout the tribulation? Will there be more than one trumpet sounded at the rapture? I wonder why we always talk about the Shofar, but never about the trumpets? The two are different instruments, but the shofar, “rams horn” seems to be more popular. Psalms 81:3-4 I see here that the trumpets were to remind God of His covenant with the people. There’s an amusing thought….why does God need a reminder? And if He doesn’t, why would He command that it be written and recorded this way?
Faithfully,
PR