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!