Praying To God In Jesus Name
The Exodus Tabernacle
The Gate: Praise
As we begin this journey
through the sanctuary, we first enter through the gate on the east side:
"Enter into His gates
with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise." (Psa 100:4)
This is how we are to approach
God. He wants us to acknowledge and appreciate His goodness and praise Him for
it. It is not just because He wants praise but because, as we are impressed
with His goodness, we will be encouraged to seek Him and depend on Him more. It
is for our good, not His.
There is a saying:
"Praise before petition." He wants us to ask but knowing that God is
good and eager to answer our prayers puts us in a suitable frame of mind to
even express our needs and our wants to Him.
God says He will give us
"... the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ..." (Isa
61:3) and surely He has given us many reasons to praise Him. An attitude of
gratefulness, thanksgiving and appreciation for what we have has actually been
shown to be good for our health.
The Exodus Tabernacle Part 2.
Altar of Burnt Offering: Confess Sins
After entering through the
gates, the first object we would encounter is the altar of burnt offering. It
is because the true, antitypical Lamb of God was offered for us that we can
have forgiveness (justification) of sins. This is where we can confess our sins
to, as it were, clear our record and approach God with a clean slate.
"f we confess our sins
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (1John 1:9)
I believe that this
confession-forgiveness process is very misunderstood. The confession part is
where we unload our guilt, we admit our wrongs and our sinful condition. This
is an important part of the process of healing from our sinful state. Many understand
this to be a precondition for God forgiving us. That it how, in the English,
1John 1:9 (above) reads.
However, upon closer study,
we learn that there are different words in the original for forgive. One word
describes forgiveness as it happens in the heart of the forgiver (God) and
another expresses forgiveness as it is received by the forgivee (the penitent
sinner). God never holds our sins against us in terms of loving us less when we
have sinned. In His heart, we are forgiven, unconditionally. For us to feel
forgiven we have to accept the forgiveness and confession is helpful for us to
realize our need and accept the forgiveness offered.
This is a wonderful truth
(read more details) that is so encouraging. Understanding His great love for us
encourages us to confess and receive forgiveness. That is what happens at the
altar of burnt offering:
"And I, if I be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32)
We always approach God
through His Son who declared Himself to be the way to the Father:
"Jesus saith unto him, I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
me." (John 14:6)
The Exodus Tabernacle Part 3.
The Laver: Be Washed of Sins
The laver represents
cleansing from sin. It is where we can pray to be conformed to God's will and
understand the process of sanctification (becoming holy):
"And be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom
12:2)
God's will for us is that we
follow His will and gain the benefits that are built into obedience.
"I delight to do thy
will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." (Psa 40:8)
An understanding of God's
word helps us in the change:
"Sanctify them through
thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17)
Here are more verses about
God's goal for us in this area:
"Make you perfect in
every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in
his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.
Amen." (Heb 13:21)
"Who gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:14)
The Exodus Tabernacle Part 4.
The Candlestick: Pray for the Spirit
On our walk through the
sanctuary, we next enter the holy place where there are three articles of
furniture. On our left side would be the seven-branched candlestick
representing the spirit of God described as:
"And the spirit of the Lord
shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."
(Isa 11:2)
God is eager to give His
Spirit, His presence to be with us at all times:
"If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13)
However, He will not impose
His presence where it is not desired. In fact, we are told of a condition of
receiving His Spirit:
"And we are his
witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given
to them that obey him." (Acts 5:32)
The Exodus Tabernacle Part 5.
The Table of Showbread: Study of God's Word
On the right side of the holy
place, opposite the candlestick is the table of showbread with 2 stacks of 6
loaves each of showbread or the bread of the presence.
Each stack had one loaf for
each of the first 6 days of the week. On the seventh day, the Sabbath, the
loaves were eaten by the priests in the holy place (Lev 24:9) and replaced with
new loaves. Bread, that we need for physical sustenance is likened to the word
of God which is also needed to sustain our spiritual life.
We are to partake daily from
the word of life:
"But he answered and
said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4)
As we partake of the word, we
are partaking of Jesus Himself (and eternal life):
"I am the living bread
which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for
ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world." (John 6:51)
The Exodus Tabernacle Part 6.
The Altar of Incense: Personal Petitions
To this point, we have
started our worship time with prayer (at the gates of the sanctuary), we have
confessed our sins (at the altar of burnt offering), we have prayed for
cleansing (at the laver), we have prayed for the Spirit of God in our lives (at
the candlestick) and we have partaken of His word (at the table of shewbread).
Now we are standing at the altar of incense just before the curtain into the
most holy place. This is where we can send our personal petitions upwards to
God. Prayer is likened in scripture to incense which rises heavenward:
"Let my prayer be set
forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice. (Psa 141:2)
Prayer was offered at the
time of incense:
"And the whole multitude
of the people were praying without at the time of incense." (Luke 1:10)
In Revelation there is
reference to the golden altar before the throne which would be the altar of
incense just before the curtain into the most holy place which contained the
ark of the covenant over which was the Shekinah glory shone above the mercy
seat. Prayer prepares us to meet with God, to be in His presence.
"And another angel came
and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him
much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the
golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which
came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's
hand." (Rev 8:3-4)
The Exodus Tabernacle Part 7.
The Ark of the Covenant: Forsake Defects in Character
The ark contains the law of
God. We are to compare our lives with the law of God, the eternal standard.
Where necessary, with His help we are to make changes that we might be
conformed more and more to His character.
"Search me, O God, and
know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psa 139:23-24)
The first verse of that Psalm
implies that God has already searched and known us:
"O LORD, thou hast
searched me, and known me." (Psa 139:1)
The purpose of our time at
the Ark of the Covenant is really for us to examine ourselves in the light of
God's standard for us. It is also for us to be in His presence, dwelling up on
His character. That is what will give us the motivation to want to keep His
law. Having spent time in the presence of God, we are then ready to go forth to
meet our day and its challenges.
"Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
(Isa 26:3)
We should do everything as
though we are in the presence of God because, of course, He sees and knows
everything we do.
The Exodus Tabernacle - A
Pattern for Us
We are told that the Exodus
tabernacle was modeled after the true tabernacle in heaven:
"Now of the things which
we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the
right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the
sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not
man." (Heb 8:1-2)
This is where Jesus, our high
priest ministers for us. Understanding that and the significance of the items
in the sanctuary can make more our prayer time more meaningful and give it a
structure based on heaven itself.
Model your prayers after the
sanctuary, the Exodus tabernacle, and you will be approaching God in His way.
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