THE OUTER COURT OF THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS - By PASTOR DAVID J. LEET

INTRODUCTION

Three Gates in the Tabernacle of Moses.

Gate 1 - THE WAY

Gate 2 - THE TRUTH

Gate 3 - THE LIFE

Relate these to John 14 V 6 about Jesus

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus in the Tabernacle

THE FIRST GATE = THE WAY

This was the entrance to the Outer Court, where s

acrifices were made for sins, peace, cleansing, etc.

The Alter of Sacrifice was used to burn the various offerings for these sacrifices.

SIN - CLEANSING - PEACE

It was constructed with Acacia Wood or in some bible versions, known as Shittim Wood, also Gopher Wood.

All these were water and disease resistant timbers.

The Altar was built as a square and had a measurement of 5 Cubits (18 inches to a Cubit) which is approximately 7.5 Feet Square.

It was overlaid with Bronze (or Brass) so was called the Brazen Alter.

It had a network of Brass in the Centre which held the fire and allowed ashes to pass to the bottom, as well as providing the draft for the fire.

It also had the Four Horns, one on each corner.

The Brazen Altar was a Judgement on Sin along with the Brazen Laver, where the priests would ceremonially cleanse or wash themselves from sacrificing at the Brazen Altar, being overlaid with Bronze symbolised God’s Judgement on Sin, with the Bronze Laver being inclusive of Bronze Mirrors.

 The Altar reminds us of the need for a Blood Sacrifice for our sins.

The Laver reminds us of the washing to be purified for and to God.

This is then the purification of the mundane so as to serve in the spiritual.

As for the Bronze mirror making up the Laver to wash our hands and feet, this is so we see ourselves as we truly are before God.  Hence the need to wash ourselves by reading His Word.

1 Corinthians 11 V 31 puts it plainly - Self judgement so that we are not judged.

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

This is a reflection of Jeremiah 17 V 9-10 - The human heart is deceitful, the Lord searches our hearts.

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

The Laver - Exodus 30 V 7-21:

7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord.

11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord.

14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord.

15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.

16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.

17 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord:

21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

Exodus 38 V 8:

8 And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The Bronze Mirror was a FLAT, HIGHLY POLISHED SURFACE, to reflect how we look.

The gloss mirror had a second surface on the back of it.

THIS IS ALL ABOUT JESUS.  HE IS OUR BREATH.  HE IS OUR LIFE.  HE IS OUR SACRIFICE.  HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE  LIFE! (John 14 V 6).

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

A QUICK WORD ON THE 3 GATES OR THE 3 ENTRANCES TO THE TABERNACLE:

GATE 1 = Entrance to the COURTYARD.  This gate was SCARLET, representing the SACRIFICES = BLOOD OF GOATS, SHEEP, BULLS, DOVES, etc.

GATE 2 = Entrance to the HOLY PLACE.  This gate was PURPLE, representing the MEDIATING WORK OF THE PRIESTS. 1 John 2 V 1-2: Advocating for people.

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

GATE 3 = Entrance to the HOLY OF HOLIES, This gate was BLUE, representing where God dwelt between the CHERUBIM.

Now the WHITE OR FINE LINEN which formed the OUTER WALLS around the OUTER COURT AND TABERNABLE are a a symbol of the Righteousness and Purity of God.

Jesus was the Lamb of God - 1 Peter 1 V 9:

9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

As an example: Revelation 19 V 14 - Armies of Heaven in Fine Linen, White and Clean.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

In Exodus 27 V 9-19: We find the Fine Woven Linen - Supported by Twenty (20) Bronze Alters.

9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.

18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

Remembering that Bronze means Sacrificial Judgement on sin.

These are the instructions God gave concerning how to construct the Tabernacle.

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