Christ in all the scriptures So Moses finished the work

 Christ in all the scriptures

"So Moses finished the work"  Exodus 38v21-40v33

All the materials, all the engraving, all the embroidery, all the utensils, all the priestly garments, all the pins and sockets and implements, were finally complete.  The say it took approximately 9 months, all done in accordance with the Divine Pattern given to Moses on the mount.  The most outstanding feature in these verses is the repetition (some 19 times) of the phrase "As the Lord commanded Moses.  This being a similitude of things in the heavens, nothing was left to human imagination or design, it was all of God.  The God of perfection, who created and sustains the mathematically precise universe, designed the Tabernacle to represent the Sanctuary in heaven.  In the final section, the glory of God descends and rests on the structure, when all was done precisely to His instructions.  We can do no better than to mark the record of the detailed construction of the place of His dwelling amongst His people.

"All that the Lord commanded Moses"  38v22

"...of blue, and purple, and scarlet...cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses"-39v1

"...fine twined linen; as the Lord commanded Moses-39v5

"...stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses-39v7

"And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod...as the Lord commanded Moses"-39v21

"A bell and a pomegranate...as the Lord commanded Moses"-39v26

"And a girdle of fine twined linen...as the Lord commanded Moses"-39v29

"And they tied unto it a lace of blue...as the Lord commanded Moses"-39v31

"Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they"-39v32

"According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work"-39v42

"And Moses did look upon all the work, and behold they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them"-39v43

"Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he"-40v16

"And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses"-40v19

"And set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses"-40v21

"And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses"-40v23

"And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses"-40v25

"...and he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses"-40v27

"...and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the Lord commanded Moses"-40v29

"...and when they came near unto the altar they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses"-40v32

Emphatically, the Holy Spirit is declaring that the will of God must be done, (even down to the smallest detail) for Him to dwell with man.  In short, the sin of Eden must be reversed, and God must be acknowledged to be God, and His will become paramount..  Sin, in the bible, is characterised as disobedience-Romans 5v15-19, note the words in this section...v15 "through the offence of one, many died..."; v16, "the judgment was by one to condemnation"; v17, "one man's offence..."; v19 "as by one man's disobedience many were made (constituted) sinners.   In contrast the way of salvation was through "the OBEDIENCE OF ONE MAN" v19 (Christ).  Man, born in sin, born into Adam's fallen race, is incapable of meeting the standards of God's righteousness, but one man did, Jesus Christ. who fulfilled all the will of God in our stead.  

At His birth, He came with a vow, according to Hebrews 10v5-14, "Wherefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith..."Lo I come, (in the volume of the book-the whole of holy scripture- it is written of me) to do thy will O God"...by the which will we are sanctified (fitted for God's presence) through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all...for by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified".

In His teaching He would keep the law of God to the letter-Matthew 5v17/18.  "Not one jot (the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet) or tittle (the inflection of a letter giving emphasis) shall in no wise fall from the law till all be fulfilled".  

At His death, He said, "It is finished"-John 19v30.  He said that after all things were accomplished (by that I understand that the demands of God for mankind were fully met- 19v28).  It was only after the last prophetic scripture to be fulfilled from Psalm 69 was accomplished that He uttered that glorious word "FINISHED!"  Exodus 40 proclaims that Moses finished all the work; John 17v4 and 19v28-30 proclaims that Christ finished the work that God gave Him to do, and now the glory of God is with men!!

Every vestige of the demands of God upon humankind were met in full by Christ.  Sin has been fully dealt with, God has been glorified, reconciliation can now be made.  God says it, we believe it, and the rest is glory.  We are going to live with God, there is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and there is no separation from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans chapter 8v1 and v39).

Christ in all the scriptures The sum of the matter

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Sum of the matter    Exodus 38

In the Brazen Altar we have public worship; in the Brazen laver we have personal cleansing; in the pillars and hangings of the courtyard we have public testimony; in the summary of the offerings we have Divine assessment.  These are the main aspects of life in the wilderness for the people of God.  In contrast to chapter 37, this chapter focuses on components outside the sanctuary, and we note the change from the predominance of gold within, to that of brass without.  Brass (or bronze-modern day copper) appears in the Altar of sacrifice, the Laver of cleansing, and the sockets for the pillars of the courtyard.   The symbol of brass in scripture points to the disapproval of God on human sin and His judicial sentence upon it.  It was a serpent of brass raised on a pole in the context of Israel's rebellion-the serpent (the devil) introduced sin into the world.  When Israel rebelled, God said He would make their heavens as brass, and their earth as iron-Deuteronomy 28v23     That is, all rebellion will be crushed and all communication would be broken.  Thus before we enter into the glory of God in the sanctuary, the worshipper is confronted with the judgment of God outside.

The Brazen Altar      Public Worship  This is where sacrifices were offered continually and the fire was never extinguished.  Shittim wood, overlaid with brass, Christ as man suffered the judgment of God against sin.  The brass was heat resistant and able to endure the fire.  Every time a sacrifice was offered on the Altar, (and there were countless numbers of them), it pointed to the one sacrifice of Christ who would bear the judgment of God against sin.  Scripture does not minimise His suffering, nor does it minimise the great victory won, of which we are the recipients.  Peter put it like this in 1st Peter 3v18, "For Christ also hath once (for all) suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) by the Spirit".  He suffered for our sins, He took the punishment that was due to us because of sins.  Of the 42 times the word for suffering occurs in the N/T, no less than 20 refer to Christ.  One is translated passion, another sore vexed.  He felt keenly the impact of sin upon His holy soul, whether it was from demons or men, but particularly on the cross from God as a punishment for our sin.  "His soul was made an offering for sin"-Isaiah 53v10; we can hardly enter into that, for sin was repulsive to Him, yet "He bore our sins in His body on the tree".  Yet again the hymnwriter has caught the thought, "Oh, help me to understand it, help me to take it in, what it meant to thee, the Holy One, to take away my sin!"  The Brazen Altar is the permanent reminder of the selfless sacrifice of Christ for us.  In His body (His pain-racked body) He took the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God against my sin.  This is the message of the Brazen Altar, and is the basis of our worship today.  

The Brazen Laver      Personal Cleansing   The Laver stood between the Altar and the Sanctuary.  It was an indispensable necessity, no priest could enter the Holy Place without first washing at the Laver.  It was a ceremonial vessel for the ritual cleansing of the priests for service in the Sanctuary.  Taking all the descriptions together, it seems it was an upper reservoir for hand washing, with a connecting channel for a foot spa.  The purpose was to remove daily contamination from the desert sands and sacrificial stains from hands and feet.  They had been bathed all over at their initiation (chapter 29v4), but there was need to remove daily defilement.  Something similar to this was enacted by Christ in the upper room in John 13, when He said, "He that is washed (bathed all over), needeth not but to wash his feet".   We live in a sinful world, and it is certain we pick up contamination by contact, and this must be cleansed.  Also we still have within a sinful tendency, and it needs to be suppressed.  Service to God means "clean hands and a pure heart"-Psalm 24v3-4.  This principle is basic to spiritual life and is dealt with in the N/T:  2nd Cor. 7v1, "...let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God"; 1st John 1v9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"; if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous"; in prayer we have to "Lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting"-1st Timothy 2v8; "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin", said David before the Lord-Psalm 51v2; "Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord"-Isaiah 52v11.  To enter into sacred service, whether in prayer or worship or teaching, requires cleanliness of soul, and we need to deal with it before participation-such as in 1st Cor. 11v28 "Let a man examine Himself, and so let him eat..."  The Brazen Laver gives us graphic guidance how this can be done.  The Laver was made from burnished bronze from the looking glasses (mirrors) of the women-Exodus 38v8.  This was a sacrifice for them, who were naturally used to preening themselves in public, but offered them to God in humility of spirit.  So the Laver speaks of self-effacement before God.  The burnished bronze acted like a mirror to the priests who could then see the extent of cleansing needed.  The word of God is  seen as a mirror, revealing our state before God-James 1v22-25.  The word is also likened to water for cleansing-Psalm 119v9, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way, but by taking heed thereto according to thy word?"; Ephesians 5v26, Christ Himself washes us, "That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the (spoken) word".   True worship requires us to be free of the conscience (guilt) of sins as well as the reality of them.  This is only possible in Christ-Hebrews 9v14; 10v2; 10v22.  

The courtyard-symbolising Public Testimony      Enclosing the Sanctuary was the outer courtyard, with pillars displaying the pure white fabric.  There was only one entrance at the beautiful gate, only one way to the presence of God.  The overall picture is of God unapproachable; yet there is a way in, one way only, and Jesus declares Himself to be that way-John 14v6, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me".  The pillars surrounding the Tabernacle are a testimony to Christ.  This testimony is of the perfect humanity of Christ.  The pure white linen hanging, measured from the extremities of the entrance gate, is 280 cubits, answering to the gestation period in the womb of a normal human birth, which is 280 days.  The testimony is of a real man, but a holy man, who was sinless from birth to death.  Not a stain of sin was upon Him; at birth it was said, "That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"; at His public appearing, heaven declared His purity, as the voice of the Father declared His pleasure, and the Holy Spirit rested upon Him.  All through His public life, men and demons were compelled to declare His sinlessness; at His death, He offered Himself without spot to God.  The pure white hanging is testimony to a real man who was impeccably sinless.

There were 60 pillars upholding the 5-cubit high screen.  One reference in Song of Solomon 3v7 suggests these pillars represent mighty power and protection, as in the 60 mighty men who stood around Solomon's bed.  The thought is of vibrant, powerful testimony that will overcome all opposition.  Each pillar stands on sockets of brass, symbol of the judgment of God on sin.  Their standing is secure, as they stand where the fire has been absorbed and extinguished.   It is not precise what the pillars were made of, but we know they were linked to the screen by fillets of silver (redemption)-each one linked to the Holy man who died for them.  The silver fillets encompassed the whole.  Finally, each one was adorned by a silver chapiter, an ornate, crown-like finishing.  The base of the pillars were brass, speaking of judicial condemnation; the tops were of silver, speaking of Divine grace, elevating sinners to an exalted position.  No one saw the bases of brass, everyone saw the chapiters of silver.  Redemption confers on us a status of dignity, that sin had destroyed.  The basic meaning of redemption is the restoration of all that was lost.  We were originally made in the image of God, and redemption exalts us to that dignity.  Of course this brings upon us responsibility, as we testify of Him who stooped to our level to exalt us.

The summation of the offerings    Divine assessment

"This is the sum of the offerings, of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.  And Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses.  And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen"-Exodus 38v21-23.

The Tabernacle consisted of the free will offerings of the people and the craftmanship of Divinely talented individuals.  When it was complete, God summed up the gifts in terms of the value of gold, silver, and brass used in the construction.  The figures are staggering, for God states them to the last shekel, the smallest measure in use.  Is this an illustration of the day when the contributions of His people will be assessed at the bema seat of Christ?-Romans 14v10-12; 1st Corinthians 3v13-15; 2nd Corinthians 5v10.  He counts the gold-29 talents and 730 shekels; the silver-100 talents and 1775 shekels; the brass-70 talents and 2,400 shekels.  All contributions were acknowledged to the tiniest amounts.  Nothing was omitted.  There will be no judgment for the redeemed people of God, but there will be proper assessment of our gifts and the use of them.  In that section in Matthew 10v40-42, regarding rewards for service rendered, He said, "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward".  Everything we give, whether of material or spiritual support, will be rewarded down to the smallest contribution.  What we give, how we give, why we give, will all be assessed by the Divine omniscient gracious One.  The hymn by Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1895) puts it like this, "We lose what on ourselves we spend; we have as treasure without end; whatever Lord to thee we lend; who givest all".  He gave His all for us, and will reward us for the smallest gifts we give back to Him!  

Christ in all the scriptures Secrets of the Sanctuary

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Secrets of the Sanctuary   Exodus 37

Every detail of the Tabernacle is stated twice, once in the design (25-30), and, secondly in the construction (31-40).  Such is the importance of this, that it is repeated in every detail, and we derive such blessing if we study God's picture book of "the patterns in the heavens".  This is how God sees His dwelling with redeemed human beings, and presents us the loftiest view of all.  From design to construction, there is a different order of presentation, but the details remain the same.  In the first section (25-30) the Ark is mentioned first of all; in the second (36-40) it is the first of the vessels of the sanctuary to be made.  Thus the prominence of the Ark is established.  In the design, the Ark is detailed before any other; in the construction the Ark was the first mentioned of the seven vessels of the Tabernacle.  In chapter 37, we have the vessels of the sanctuary-namely the Ark and its Mercy Seat, the Table of Shewbread, the Lampstand, and the Golden Altar of incense.  In chapter 38 there is the Brazen Altar, and the Laver, then the courtyard, all outside the sanctuary.  All of them speak of Christ.

We focus now on the four vessels of the sanctuary, the Ark in the Holiest-the dwelling place of God; the other three in the Holy place-the sphere of the priesthood.  Only God and Moses and the Priesthood saw these sacred vessels.  They all speak of Christ in different ways:

The Ark and the Mercy Seat speak of Christ in Justification...expanded in Romans

The Table of shewbread is Christ in Communion...expanded in Corinthians

The Lampstand is Christ in Illumination...expanded in the writings of John

The Golden Altar is Christ in Intercession...expanded in Hebrews

Together, they describe the wonder of salvation, seen only by God and the Priests.  All four are the secrets of the Sanctuary.  These are awesome truths, beyond anything of this world.  They are of such excellence, they transcend human philosophy, and compel us to make them part of our thinking, as well as arranging to teach them corporately on an ongoing and ever increasing basis.  Such is the matter of their teaching, that it causes the angels of heaven to ponder, to cease their heavenly activity, to wonder whenever God's salvation in all its facets is enacted on earth-1st Peter 1v10-..."which things the angels desire to look into".  The word for desire is earnest desire (they can't get enough of it; they want to see every event, this is something they've never seen before, and they don't want to miss a moment!).  The word for "look into" is literally to bend down!  High and holy creatures, who dwell in heaven, bending down in rapt attention at what God is doing with mankind.  They are not concerned with the lesser issues of this world, these are the things they are watching.  We are on Heavens T.V. to put it so we can understand.  These Heavenly watchers are in wonderment at the grace and mercy of God, we are the object of their constant attention.  Perhaps, in light of that we could give more attention to these things, individually, and corporately.  It is my conviction that each church should set up a programme of teaching to expound to all the wonders of what salvation means.  It is, perhaps the lack of this that has led to so much confusion and debate and division.  The purity, the beauty, the simplicity, the availability, the perpetuity of the gospel, makes all lesser occupations of men to be mere kiddies toys.  What occupies angels, superior in wisdom and power than us, can surely be our primary occupation.  The following are fundamental to the gospel.

The Ark and the Mercy Seat-Christ in Justification

"For He made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him"-2nd Cor. 5v21.  The astounding truth of Justification!  It is all over the New Testament, but primarily expounded in the Roman epistle.   The words for justification, justify, righteousness are diakosine and dikaioo and occur 140 times in scripture, and 42 times in Romans.  Righteousness is the state of moral perfection required by God for entry into heaven, and the words mean literally "straight" with God.  It is clear none of us have it, also that only God can provide it, and this He has done in Christ.  The Ark brings before us the righteousness of God in Christ.

We note, first of all, the greatness of Christ's person in the shittim wood, overlaid with pure gold.  As we have stated before, and it stands repetition, incorruptible humanity with absolute Deity in one person.  Note how Romans marks this fact-1v3-4 ""...concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which came of the seed of David, according to the flesh (Humanity); and was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness" (Deity).  Again, Romans 9v5, ""...of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is God over all blessed forever".   Atop the Ark is the Mercy Seat which covers the Ark, and represents His work.   Romans 3v25 says, "Whom God set forth a propitiation (a Mercy Seat-a place where man can meet God) through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God, to declare at this time His righteousness, that He might be Just and the justifier of every one which believeth in Jesus."  Christ is the Mercy Seat, no longer behind two vails, but now "set forth" in public view.  The golden cherubims, symbolic of God's eternal justice, appear on the Mercy seat, but the flaming sword which cast out humanity from Eden (Genesis 3v24) is gone.  The justice of God has been satisfied.  They spread their wings on high in judicial approval, as they look toward each other and down to the pure gold Mercy Seat.  The sin and failure of man, symbolised in the Ark contents, has been met in Christ; the sin of disobedience in the unbroken tables of stone; the sin of dissatisfaction in the golden pot of manna; the sin of rebellion in Aaron's rod that budded.  From this sacred place God declares His righteousness, His way of making men and women right with Himself, through faith in the blood, from ages past until the end of time!  Nothing in all the world more compelling than this!

The Table of Shewbread-Christ in communion

We cannot live life in a vacuum.  The justified will inevitably adjust their lifestyle for obvious reasons.  Christ provides this new lifestyle with our salvation, bringing quality of life to a higher level.  What people have by faith in Christ-forgiveness of sins, a hope for the eternal future, a Father who loves them, the Holy Spirit to guide them is far superior to anything this world has to offer.  These blessings supersede all earthly problems and fits people for higher service.  When Jesus gives life, He gives it "more abundantly", and it is all acquired by faith.  In the Ark we have union, in the Table, communion; this is unfolded in the letters to Corinthians:

1st Corinthians 1v9, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord".

1st Corinthians 10v16-17, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  For we being many are ONE BREAD, ONE BODY, for we are all partakers of that one bread"

2nd Corinthians 13v13-14, "All the saints salute you.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.  Amen".

All the saints, all believers, share in this communion, it is not a closed communion to anyone who is in Christ.  All the priests partook of the shewbread, even those who had been debarred from serving as priests for any reason.  Our right to communion has not to do with our faithfulness, it has to do with the faithfulness of God.  

The Lampstand-Christ in Illumination 

Christ also illuminates the minds, necessary in a world full of opinions and philosophies.   One of the functions of the Lampstand, the beautiful golden candelabra, was to give light in the darkness, through the night, in the holy place.  This light was powered by oil, symbol of the Holy Spirit.  Scripture says "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path"-Psalm 119v105.  It is the Holy Spirit who inspired the word, and in the word He sheds light on the glories of Christ, which is the purpose of these blogs-refer Luke 24v27, v44.  The light in the Holy Place illuminated the beautiful Lampstand (Exodus 25v37).  Continually, in the darkness, the light was always to shine before the Lord.  The Lampstand is no longer hidden by the vail, it is now in the public domain.  John presents this in his writings:

John 1v4, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men";  John 1v9, "He was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world"; John 8v12 "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life."; John 9v5, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world".   Now that Jesus has left this world in exaltation, is there no more light of God in the world?  Thank God there is, and, wait for it, the light of God is through the churches, as depicted in Revelation 2/3 where the seven churches are characterised as seven golden lampstands!  With all their failure, and weakness, and problems, yet it is through them the light of God shines.  The light of God has never been, and will never be extinguished on this earth, although at times we must admit it is but a flickering torch.  This, of course brings responsibility on us all both individually and corporately, since Jesus said "Ye are the light of the world"-Matthew 5v14, and Paul wrote in Philippians 2v15, "...that ye might be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as luminaries in the world.  By word and by walk, Jesus was the light of God in a dark world, and we are called to be the same.  Any light that we give is reflected light, and should be of "the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ".  No matter the darkness, the light will never go out.

The Golden Altar-Christ in intercession

Notwithstanding the perfection of God's salvation, the reality is that God's people will fail.  The word in John is that "These things are written that ye sin not.  And if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous"-1st John 2v1.  Sin to God is the same, whether it is in a Christian or in an unbeliever.  "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" says the same writer.  He must punish sin in all its forms.  Since He will not punish us eternally because we are in Christ, He must punish sin when it arises.  Thus we need representation before God in this matter, and in 1st John, Christ is our Advocate (legal representative), and in the letter to Hebrews He is our great High Priest who pleads our cause.  1st John deals with more our sin, and Hebrews deals both with our sins and infirmities.  Both need representation before the throne.  We will not know this side of eternity what grief we were spared because of the intercessory work of Christ in heaven even now.  He also preserves from ourselves on the way to glory.  This work of intercession is going on now and to the end of the age.

Hebrews 2v17, "Wherefore, in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

Hebrews 7v25 "Wherefore He is able also to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them".

Hebrews 9v24, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us".

The Golden Altar is His present work for us in intercession for our evils and for our weaknesses.

These are the four secrets of the sanctuary-Christ our Justification; Christ our Communion; Christ our Illumination; Christ our Intercession.

Christ in all the scriptures Heaven upon earth

 Christ in all the scriptures

Heaven upon earth   Exodus 36

We come now to a turning point in the Tabernacle story: "Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man in whom the Lord had put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded"-36v1.  

This is a most thrilling narrative that has resonance in the present day.  It is a deeply spiritual chapter that measures the depths of Divine-Human relationships.  The contrast with chapter 32 could not be greater.  Moses came down from the mountain with more than the two tables of stone containing the ten commandments, the law of God.  He came also with detailed instructions to build a sanctuary in which God could dwell with men.  This section ends in chapter 40 with the glory of God descending on the tabernacle and God dwelling with men for the first time. This fact should immediately draw our attention; that God should dwell with men is surely the ultimate of all existence and the story continues  on into the future when in Revelation 21v3 it is written " And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,  "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God".  This is the first glimpse of heaven upon earth, that will be the experience of all God 's people of all ages.  We move now from design to construction, from thought to practical reality.  

In the chapter there are heart warming themes which we can state now and expand a little later  We see in the chapter God and man working in HARMONY.   We also have a picture of overwhelming human GENEROSITY.    Also we have a picture of unbreakable UNITY;  then a vision of ultimate SECURITY.   Throughout the narrative we have a picture of exquisite BEAUTY; then we have the pillars of  STABILITY.  Overall it is a structure bristling with CHRISTOLOGY.  Sometimes in our weekly church services, we lose the wonder of what we are part of, and it is pictures like these which bring it to remembrance.

God and man working in HARMONY.   This is a persistent theme throughout..."then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man...in whom the Lord had put wisdom and understanding..."-36v1; "...every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom..."-36v2.   This was a physically demanding work, but it had a Divinely spiritual inspiration to it.  Any work for God must have those twin elements, the response of man to use the God-given ability, and the Lord inspiring its use.  This is what happened in the early Church-Mark 16v20, "They went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them..."; Acts 2v46, "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily the saved ones".  There are numerous examples in the N/T of this harmonious work between man and God.  We sing hymns and songs, but it is "from the heart";  we preach sermons but it is "not in the wisdom of men's words, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power"; we do good works but it is not to be seen of men, not for self glory.   True prayer is that which is assisted by the Spirit (Romans 8v20).  God graciously uses the ability of men to effect His work.  Peter records "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man serve let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified, through Jesus Christ"-1st Peter 4v11.  Was this the secret of the success of the early Church?  Is it the absence of this that has led to modern day failure?

Overwhelming human GENEROSITY   Moses had to restrain the people's giving.  This is the opposite to the modern trend of sending out begging letters.  It is the opposite of church authorities demanding an increase in giving from their members.  It is the opposite to preachers persuading audiences to give more on the basis that giving to them is giving to the Lord, only to find those same preachers are living in the lap of luxury.  God did not specify amounts to be given, but they gave spontaneously, they gave generously, and there was enough and more for the task, and they were restrained from giving more.  God is not in the business of  burdening His people.  Some have estimated that the material value of the Tabernacle could have been in excess of  25 million dollars in modern terms.  Its spiritual value is many times more than that.  In these days of publicising charitable efforts, when did we last hear of a church restraining the generosity of its people?

In the curtains we have a picture of unbreakable UNITY   We keep in mind that this Tabernacle was much more than a costly, earthly structure; it was a Divine institution.  It was in fact a "pattern of things in the heavens", an earthly symbol of the reality in heaven, beyond our world.  It was, indeed a little bit of heaven on hearth.  Prominent were the heavenly cherubims (v8), the creatures who dwell in the presence of God.  Heaven had come down to earth.   How do we think of  our church, and, indeed, the global church?  Is it just a religious gathering of people, or is it where God is, in this dark, ungodly world? Paul said to the Corinthians that their behaviour should be such that people coming in should be caused to worship and be able to say "God is in you of a truth"!-1st Cor. 14v23-25.  Is there a sense that God is among us, or is it just another social gathering?  Ten curtains, all of one size, joined together in one curtain.  There were no frayed edges, the selvedge seams were perfect. Over this there was the tent, the curtain of goat's hair, which covers the whole.  The Tabernacle symbolises the dwelling of God; the Tent, the congregation of people.  Together they represent God and man in harmony!  The fundamental message is that the Tabernacle is one, "so it became ONE tabernacle"-v13; "...to couple the tent together, that it might be ONE"-v18.  This principle is repeated in the New Testament...ONE pearl of great price, Matthew 13; ONE bread-1st Cor. 10v17; all ONE in Christ Jesus-Gal. 3v28; ONE new man-Eph.2; ONE body, ONE Spirit, ONE hope, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all-Eph.4.  This is how God sees His people, this is heaven's view, this is the pattern of things in the heavens.  We know what God thinks of the division in Israel between the ten tribes and two.  He will not tolerate it forever, and the divided tribes will once again become twelve.  What He thinks of the present divided state of the Church, we can only imagine.  It is estimated that of all churches professing the name of Christ, there are over 42000 divisions (and counting!!).  In light of biblical revelation this is a disgrace and a dishonour to the name of the Lord.  The time has come for peacemakers to emerge, and for divided groups to find a way of co-operation.  The use of divisive rhetoric must cease, such as "we don't have fellowship with them", or something similar.  We should have fellowship with all those with whom the Lord has fellowship.  This is heaven's view and it is the only view that matters.

It is a vision of ultimate SECURITY     Pictures of coverings from the outside world, and boards standing tall in the presence of God on a foundation of silver sockets come together to proclaim absolute security from within and without.  The comment is that the boards were "standing up"-v20.  Bear in mind the biblical picture is of mankind in a fallen state before God.  The word sin in the bible means "missing the mark", or coming short of the standard required by the God of perfection-Romans 3v23.  This places all who are born into the race in a fallen state from birth.  Yet now they are standing on redemption ground, standing tall before God, overlaid with gold, the righteousness of God.  Also they are joined, indivisibly, with adjoining boards, through tenons and bars, and covered above from the elements around.  Beneath, before, around, and above, they stand together, on the merit of Christ's redemption, as symbolised in the silver foundation.

The Tabernacle is a structure of exquisite BEAUTY   From the God of perfection, who created and sustains the universe, a structure of excellence that withstood the storms of 40 years in a wilderness.  Striking features are:

Mathematical precision  Everything measured by the cubit, the most ready measurement being the length of the tip of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger on an average man's hand.  No need for any other measurement.

Variety of materials     From fabrics to precious stones to gems, to oil and spices.

Rich colours   Blue, purple, scarlet, gold, silver, pure white linen.

Skilled workmanship   Work of the engraver, cunning work in metals and fabric, and untold skilful work (35v35, and 36v8).  Crowns of gold, a lampstand of beaten work, a mercy seat of pure gold with cherubims of beaten gold with wings extended, a brazen laver made from the mirrors of women from burnished bronze, a brazen altar with a central grating, staves and rings to facilitate movement.  Superb embroidery with rich, attractive colours.  Pins and cords to stabilize the structure.  Utensils to perform the priestly work.  We bless God for the riches of gifts given to men.

The Tabernacle was aesthetically beautiful with its precision measurements, its connecting rods and tenons; it appeared ordinary on the outside, but breathtakingly beautiful inside.  Points to Jesus who was outwardly normal, but inwardly outstanding.  As it says in Isaiah 53, "When we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him".  However the view of the functioning priests was quite different.  Its constructed beauty is far outweighed by beauty of the New Jerusalem, the home of all the redeemed in Revelation 21.  Take a breath while you read about that.

The structure was marked by STABILITY     Pillars for the vail, pillars for the door of the Tabernacle, pillars surrounding the entire structure.  Pillars in scripture speak of strength and stability-1st Kings 7v21; Galatians 2v8, Peter James and John were, reputedly, called pillars in the church.  In a fluctuating, changing world, we need pillars, those who stand firm always.  The local church is called a "pillar and ground of the truth"-can suggest stability and also testimony.  The curtains secreting the Holy of Holies, and the Holy Place were upheld by 4 pillars and 5 pillars respectively.   In the house of God there is to be no place for "winds of doctrine", rather speaking the truth in love, for the stability and edification of the saints.  

The beautiful work of construction bristles with CHRISTOLOGY!   Every vessel, every fabric, every utensil, every pin and cord and tenon, and every embroidery, brought together by the work of divinely gifted artisans...they all speak of Christ.  It should be our life's exercise to see Him in every part of this, for without Him it is just another building.  From the materials offered, the gold is His Deity; the shittim wood, His humanity; the silver His work of redemption; the brass, His judgment of sin; the fine linen, His pure, holy righteous character; the blue, His heavenly nature; the purple, His royal majesty; the scarlet, His sacrificial devotion.  And so we could go on to see Him in the Ark and its Mercy Seat, in the Table of shewbread, in the Lampstand, at the Golden Altar, at the Brazen Altar, at the Laver of Brass.  He is everywhere and all these beautiful features can be traced in scripture of Him who is our Saviour, who is "the Bread of God" and the "Bread of life", and who is enough to satisfy us forever.  The Tabernacle was a "shadow of things to come"; what will the reality be?  The inspired Hymn by Christian Andreas Bernstein (1672-1699) seems relevant here.

1 O PATIENT, spotless One!

Our hearts in meekness train,
To bear Thy yoke, and learn of Thee,
That we may rest obtain.

2 Jesus, Thou art enough
The mind and heart to fill;
Thy patient life --- to calm the soul;
Thy love --- its fear dispel.

3 O fix our earnest gaze
So wholly, Lord, on Thee,
That, with Thy beauty occupied,
We elsewhere none may see.

 

 

Christ in all the scriptures Preparing for worship

 Christ in all the scriptures

Preparing for worship  Exodus 35

The chapter contains the details of worship, from the materials to be offered (v5) to the items for the construction of the tabernacle (v11-19).  Nothing was left to human design or imagination.  God is not to be worshipped in any old way, but according to the pattern shewed to Moses in the mount.  These lists of materials and components are repeated several times in Exodus 25-40; the materials and the components all speak of Christ so there is no room for deviation.  Following the call to obey the Lord in observing the Sabbath, the people were invited to bring an offering.  Their offerings in response to the call are revealing.  The God, who made all things in heaven and on earth, needed none of their materials, for He could have provided them all.  What He wanted was the devotion of their hearts, as He does ours today.  This will come out in the study.  God, who in essence is goodness, and who gives abundantly of that goodness, deserves the little that we can give in return.  True worship is not empty handed but gives of the gifts one has received. 

The offering was a heave offering (35v5,v21,v24)   This is associated with the shoulder and suggests strength.  All offerings were to be offered with all the strength they could muster.  The word for heave offering is the Hebrew terumah, and means exalted or lifted up.  This suggests an offering directed exclusively to God, lifted up in worship to God.  It could be said that worship is worth-ship, how we value one so great; and so what we bring expresses that.  

All the offerings and components that made up the tabernacle speak of Christ.  One rendering of Psalm 29v9 (Newberry margin) is "In His temple (this must refer to the tabernacle since the temple was not built in David's lifetime) every whit of it uttereth His glory".  Each and every material and component is, in singularly different ways, symbolic of Christ.  He is the subject of our worship as the New Testament repeats time and again.  So the "gold, and silver, and bronze; and blue, and purple, and scarlet; and fine linen, and goats hair, and ram skins dyed red, and badger skins, and shittim wood; oil for the lampstand, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate"-listed in 25v3-7, that make up the components of the sanctuary, (sacred place of worship) and repeated in 35v5-7, together present the glory of Christ, and understanding of these inspires our worship.  God wants to hear in word or in song our appreciation of His Son.

The materials were the offering of willing hearts (v5,v21,v22,v29), and the components made from them were by wise hearts (v10,v25,v34).  In each the offering was from the heart, it was not a mechanical ritual, but the devotion of heart.  In worship, God wants our hearts; in scripture we are those characterised by love for God-as in Exodus 20v6, "them that love me"; Deuteronomy 6v5, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might"; Romans 8v28, "...them that love God, them who are the called according to His purpose".  Of Israel it was said they had become formal in their worship, they "drew near with their mouth, and with their lips they did honour Him, but had removed their heart far from Him", Isaiah 29v13.  True worship, the worship which God desires, and deserves, is from the heart.  Willing hearts are described in the chapter as "those whose heart stirred him up"-that is human exercise; and "those whom His Spirit made willing"-that is Divine inspiration, man and God in harmony.  Together they brought the offering of the Lord to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation (v21).  Wise hearted refer to those who were gifted in artisanship, an ability which was God given.  These used their talents to create the wonderful components that made up the tabernacle.  Those who were wise hearted, were also willing hearted, using their God-given abilities with passion of heart.  It is a fact, that whether we think of the materials given, or the talents to produce the furniture and fabric, all were God given in the first place.  We are simply returning to Him of His own gifts.  As the hymn writer Christopher Wordsworth (1863) has well recorded:

"Oh Lord of heaven and earth and sea, to thee all praise and glory be.

How shall we shew our love to thee, who givest all?" 

Anything we give is only of what we have received in the first place, as Paul said, remonstrating with the Corinthians in 1st Cor. 4v7, "...what hast thou that thou didst not receive?"  

Offerings came from all groups of the congregation   The idea of one-man ministry, or the existence of clergy and laity, are totally foreign to scripture.  The practice of such has had the effect of stifling the contributions of God's people, and robbing the congregation of much needed dynamism.

All were invited to contribute  v5 "Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering to the Lord"; v20 every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom His Spirit made willing"; v22 "and they came both men and women, as many as were willing hearted"; v25 "And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun"; v26, "and all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom, spun goats hair"; v27 "and the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and the breastplate..."; the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord whose heart the Lord made willing to bring all manner of work...".  The matter is clear, all of willing hearts and wise hearts from all people groups in the congregation contributed.  It is a regrettable feature of the present day to see so much gift and passion stifled to satisfy the egos of a few overseers who have their own interests at heart. 

Special gifts were given to two men, named Bezaleel from the foremost tribe of Judah, and Aholiab from the hindermost tribe of Dan.  These men were endowed with superior ability in making the furniture and fabrics of the sanctuary.  In this specific endowment, the Lord above was including all His people in the sacred construction.  These were godly artisans who were superlatively gifted to produce the fabulous structure.  A similar pattern appears in Ephesians 4 in connection with the Church the body of Christ, and establishes the principle beyond question-Ephesians 4v7-16: "But unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Christ, from ascension glory, HAS ENABLED ALL HIS PEOPLE FOR THE WORK)-this corresponds to Exodus 35.  "Wherefore He saith "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men".  He endowed special gifts on certain men-apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers.  The purpose of these leading gifts was to "perfect (bring to maturity) the saints for the work of ministry (service, that is the service of all the saints), for the edifying of the body of Christ".  The leading gifts were not an end in themselves but were given to assist the service of all the saints, to the edification of the whole.  This would only work, says Paul, if the whole body was involved and the success of the building would be "according to the effectual working in the measure of every part".   We all have a part to play, and the corporate effectiveness depends on every one playing their part as they have been enabled.

We are called to a spectacular work, we have been gifted for the task, we must all rise to the occasion, for the benefit of the whole, and not just for the local need, but for the church universal.  Only as we work in harmony and in humility will the work be for His glory.  The gifts of God should not be stifled or negated, but assisted and encouraged.  Paul encouraged Timothy, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee"-1st Timothy 4v14; "Stir up the gift of God that is in you"-2nd Timothy 1v6-7.  The congregation in Exodus 35 was stirred up, and the result was that God descended in glory among them. (chapter 40)  Will I be sufficiently stirred up as to make some contribution to the corporate excellence which is the Church of Christ?

Christ in all the scriptures God's self revelation

 Christ in all the scriptures

God's self revelation and proclamation of His name   Exodus 34

This chapter is a reminder that the bible is a revelation of God.  This chapter ranks high among the number that proclaim the awesome character of God.  Only God can reveal God Himself, as is stated in many places, notably: Matthew 11v27; Romans 8v27; 1st Corinthians 2v10.  Christ is the ultimate revelation of God in visible, audible, tangible form.  The people of Israel are being prepared for worship, after their disgraceful idolatry and shameful behaviour in the matter of the golden calf.  First they must realise the nature of the God whom they worship.  In the broad scope of the chapter we have:

The repetition of the holy demands of God in the second tables of stone  v1-4.

The revelation of the awesome character of God   v5-17.

The requirements of God for His people in worship   v18-28.

The radiance of the glory of God in the face of Moses   v29-35.

At the heart of all this is His self-revelation, pronounced  in unmistakable terms:

"And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.  And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, "THE LORD, THE LORD, GOD MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS, LONGSUFFERING, AND ABUNDANT IN GOODNESS AND TRUTH, KEEPING MERCY FOR THOUSANDS, FORGIVING INIQUITY AND TRANSGRESSION AND SIN,AND THAT WILL BY NO MEANS CLEAR THE GUILTY; VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN, AND UPON THE CHILDREN'S CHILDREN, UNTO THE THIRD AND TO THE FOURTH GENERATION."   

This is the God of Israel, this is the God whom we worship, there is so much here we dare not gloss over it, as we tend to do.  The bible has many titles of God, and we miss much if we don't study the shades of meaning.  All these attributes apply to Christ our Saviour who is very God of very God.

"The Lord, the Lord..."  This is His fundamental name that applies to all His attributes-refer Isaiah 42v8, "I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another, nor my praise to graven images".  It is the Hebrew Jehovah, which means "The eternal One", which is, which was, and which is to come, cited many times in scripture.  It defines the unchanging character of God, and applies to His many attributes.  There are at least 12 Jehovah titles in scripture, and, in all these, God remains, and ever will, remain constant.

Jehovah (about 6000 times) Elohim (about 2500 times)-the supreme object of worship;

Jehovah Elyon-the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; 

Jehovah Jireh-the God who provides; 

Jehovah Nissi-the Lord our banner; 

Jehovah Ropheca-the Lord our healer; 

Jehovah Mekadeshkem-the Lord who sanctifies; 

Jehovah Shalom-the Lord our peace, who reconciles us; 

Jehovah Rohi-the Lord our shepherd; 

Jehovah Tsebahoth-the Lord of hosts, who commands vast armies; 

Jehovah Tsidkenu-the Lord our righteousness; 

Jehovah  Shammah-the Lord ever present; 

Jehovah Saviour-Jesus, who deals with all our sins.  

All of these aspects and more are resident in Him at all times and in all situations.  This amazing title is repeated twice (apparently the Hebrew language has no superlatives, and emphasises by repetition).  This underlines the importance of this name relative to all that He is.

"God..."  El, (about 250 times) the diminutive form of Eloah; signifies "strong", "first".  It is a title which shews God to be the Mighty one, the First great cause of all.  El is attached to many names such as Samuel, Daniel, etc.  Israelites loved to name their children with reference to God.  "El Shaddai" is God Almighty, God All Sufficient, and occurs 7 times, while Almighty on its own occurs 41 times.  This title proclaims His right to make decisions and His power to effect them without challenge.  We speak today about human rights, when we should be focusing more on Divine rights, for His will shall be ultimately unopposed.  The might and authority of God (inherent in the title El) are intrinsic to all His attributes.

"God, merciful and gracious..."   Merciful, for He withholds from us what we deserve, because of sin; Gracious, because He lavishes us with favours which we don't deserve.  This is the opposite of the caricature the ignorant world presents of God.  His mercy is strong and irrevocable; His offer of mercy and grace is without grudging, and comes with all the strength of Almighty God.  Both are dispensed in abundance (1st Peter 1v3 and Romans 5v15,17, 20).  Both will outlast the rolling ages of eternity (His mercy endureth forever-Psalm 107v1, 118v1, and 136, every verse; also Ephesians 2v7; Titus 2v11-14).  The grace of God is described as "unsearchable riches"-Eph.3v8.  Many books have been written on the mercy and grace of God, and many more could yet be.  It is God, the First great cause of all, whose power and authority is the greatest of all, who is dispensing mercy and grace to us in a limitless supply that will outlast eternity!  This is our God, this is our Saviour.  A reading of Nehemiah 9v13-23 reveals the extent of His merciful goodness to a rebellious people.  

"God longsuffering..."   God suffers, and He suffers long!  Sin is abhorrent to Him in all its manifestations.  It is a veritable challenge to His throne inspired by Satan, and proliferated by human kind.  How much He suffers we can only imagine.  As well as being a thrice holy God, He is a God of infinite compassion toward human beings who were (without choice) born into a sinful fallen race.  I recall being inspired by the words of Psalm 103v14 "He knoweth our frame, He remembereth we are dust".  As an old friend once quipped, " He remembers, I wish we would remember how frail we really are".  His suffering is compounded by His omniscience of all things and all people at all times.  Sometimes what we know horrifies us, how much more the God who knows all?  His longsuffering is proof of His goodness, faithfulness and His desire to grant us salvation.  The word is made up of two words which, together, mean long tempered, the opposite of short tempered.  It means slow to anger-Joel 2v13, He waits and waits long years before He acts, the subject is huge. His longsuffering is documented in scripture, He is longsuffering toward the wicked-Isaiah 42v14, "I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself"; Romans 2v4, "Despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee unto repentance?"; Romans 3v25 "Christ Jesus...whom God hath set forth a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God"; Romans 9v22, "God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction"; 2nd Peter 3v9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance".  For nigh on 2000 years now, God has extended the day of grace to an undeserving world which crucified His Son, and still He waits.  While the world goes on ignoring Him, and living in sin, still He waits and suffers.   He is longsuffering toward His people-Acts 13v18, "And about the time of 40 years suffered He their manners in the wilderness"; Nehemiah 9v30, "Many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets"; Isaiah 30v18, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you at the voice of thy cry..."; 1st Timothy 1v16, Paul was chosen to demonstrate all longsuffering for a pattern (a model) to all believers; longsuffering is one of the fruits of the Spirit which should be the norm for all of us-Galatians 5v22.  Longsuffering is part of the nature of God, which He wishes to be reproduced in us.  How long did He wait until we were saved?  How long has He waited in our converted days for us to hear His voice?

"God, abundant in goodness and truth..." All this is in the context of God's humility, He descended in the cloud (v5) to speak with Moses.  No less humility was it when Jesus stooped to take human form to reveal God to us.  A similar phrase is used in John 1v14 where it says Christ became flesh, and dwelt among us in visible moral glory, full of grace and truth.  Both go together, He never dispenses grace at the expense of truth, but grace to man, and loyalty to God in perfect balance.  The common notion that God is a capricious, vengeful, God is far from the truth.  He combines the riches of goodness with reality, and He does it in abundance.  There is no frugality or austerity or hypocrisy with God.  The vision of God passing by him, and communing with him for 40 days, was so radiant and brilliant that his face shone with reflected glory, and he was unaware of it, but everyone saw it.  The remaining verses are an expansion of this abundance of goodness and truth.  Just how kind is God, how much does He shew His lovingkindness?  The answer is here, "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, (the three biblical words that summarise the meaning of human sin) and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."  In the first part His grace to those who are justified; in the second, His government and ultimate judgment on unbelievers-an example of grace and truth working in harmony.  Exodus 20v5-6 puts it like this-government on those that hate Him, grace on those that love Him.  There are no half measures with God, people either love Him or hate Him.  He is a jealous God, it is part of His nature, it is written in His name.  He has a right to be, He created us, He sustains us, He secured redemption for us.  He wants all of us, not just part of us; He wants love, for the alternative is hate.  James wrote, as if to verbalise this, "The Spirit that dwells within us lusteth to envy"-James 4v5.  To love Him is give our all, as He gives us His all-possibly a reference to Numbers 11v29.

Moses bowed his head in worship, as we should do, for this is our God, this is our Saviour, and He deserves the very best we can give.