Talbot - Christ in the Tabernacle

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The T ,bernacle Jewish tabernacle; but also in the very arrangement of t~e articles in the "pattern" which God gave to Moses m Mount Sinai. As we take a backward glance, over the path "W"e have travelled in our studies of these sacred things, we see the whole, beautiful picture, doubtless with a much clearer vision than did Israel some fifteen hundred years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem; for we have the Holy Spirit's exposition of these things in the New Testament. Now let us take once more a bird's-eye-view of these six pieces of furniture, which were placed by Moses in the tabernacle and in the outer court:

238 The Tabmucle 3. "A Shadow of the Cross." The ark of the covenant and the blood-sprinkled mercy seat formed the sixth and last piece of furniture to complete the «shadow of the cross," made by the God-given arrangement of the sacred things in the Jewish tabernacle and in the outer court. Within the ark was the holy law of God, broken already by Israel, but ever kept unbroken by the Son of God. Upon the mercy seat was the sprinkled blood; otherwise, this "throne of grace" would have been a judgment throne; for it was, indeed, God's throne. But for Calvary, no sin- ner could stand in the presence of a holy God; but because of Calvary, we shall stand before Him forever, unashamed and unafraid, because we shall be clothed in His righteous- ness, made :fit to live before Him by faith in His shed blood. In that heavenly city, of which the Most Holy Place was but a shadow, we shall ever behold the print of the nails in the hands and feet of the Lamb upon the throne. We shall see the wounded side. But the Lamb of God is also the righteous King, the "Lion of the tribe of Judah," "King of kings, and Lord of lords." No more does He have to suffer shame and humiliation and sorrow. He is the glorified Lord Jesus. Never again will He be the "Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." «He is risen!" He ever liveth in power and great glory. Yet He will ever bear the marks of Calvary, blessed reminder of the awful price He paid for our redemption. He has forever satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God. That is the message of the sprinkled blood on and before the mercy seat. Those were wonderful lessons which Jehovah was teach- ing His ancient people, Israel, in the wilderness, as they saw the shadow of the cross, not only in each piece of furniture, and in all the materials which went into the making of the

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