Carrying The Presence of God
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. Exodus 25:8-9 (KJV)
There is so much symbolism in the tabernacle. If you read Exodus 25-27 it shows the tabernacle, its furnishings, and how it was all to be made. It is interesting that it was all portable and was designed to be carried on poles. We are to carry the things of God wherever we go.
The first item was the brazen altar. It was where the animal sacrifices took place. Brass represents judgment, which Jesus took for us. This altar was a type of the cross, and the animal sacrifice was a type of Christ and His sacrifice for all mankind. Now, we are to carry the cross and Christ in our hearts, minds, and lives, declaring that Jesus has fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices when He became the Lamb of God who carried our sin to the cross. We are to carry that message wherever we go (John 1:29, John 3:14)
Next, there was the brazen laver, which was for cleansing. Once we are cleansed by Jesus’ shed blood, we must be cleansed daily by the washing of the water of the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). In carrying the Word of God in our hearts and minds and speaking it out of our mouths, we can live a clean life. The laver was highly polished and showed a reflection of the one being cleansed. The Word of God is also a mirror that reflects who we are in Christ, which draws others to the Lord (James 1:25).
The first two items were in the courtyard. The next three items were located in the Holy Place, inside the tabernacle enclosure. The table of shewbread was there, upon which was placed the bread of the presence. As we feed on Jesus, the Bread of Life, through His written Word, we carry the presence of God (John 6:32-35, 51, 58). This enables us to enjoy His presence and show others that they can enjoy the presence of the Lord and fellowship with Him in His Word.
The following item located in the Holy Place was the golden candlestick. It represents the illumination of our hearts and minds by the Word. Jesus is the Word, and He is the Light of the world. As we behold Jesus, our understanding is illuminated to see more of who Jesus is. He is the Light of Life, and we are to carry that light to a dark, lost world (John 8:12, II Corinthians 3:17-18).
The altar of incense was the final item located in the Holy Place. This altar is a picture of our hearts and incense is a picture of prayer and worship to God. In our hearts, we carry prayer without ceasing to God. It also speaks of a lifestyle of continual worship unto God (Exodus 30:1, 8 Psalm 141:2, Luke 1:10, Revelation 8:3-4, I Thessalonians 5:17).
The last items were located in the innermost enclosure in the tent, the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies. The ark of the covenant was a wooden chest overlaid with pure gold. It is a picture of God’s throne and presence. Wood represents humanity and gold represents deity. We are to carry the presence of the Lord in our hearts everywhere we go. We are to make His presence known to others, and thus, reveal His glory. The Holy of Holies was to be entered once a year by the high priest only. We have become God’s tabernacle and we are priests unto God. Jesus, our High Priest opened the way for us to enter God’s presence and live there now and forever (Hebrews 4,4, 6, I Corinthians 3:16, II Corinthians 4:7, I Peter 2:5, 9).
The mercy seat is the last piece of furnishing, and it was also in the Holy of Holies, a lid placed on top of the ark. The high priest sprinkled the blood on this seat on the day of atonement. Jesus has made atonement for us. He is our mercy seat, our atonement. We carry His mercy, His atonement, everywhere we go. We find mercy and not judgment at the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 2:13, 18, Hebrews 10:19-22). We obtain mercy, and we can carry it to others, telling them that God is not mad at them. We can bring to them the message that they can receive God’s grace and mercy to be saved.
These items were all designed to be carried by poles, which shows that we must not only carry the things of God with us, but we must handle them with respect and honor. We are to carry them wherever God leads.
