Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

giver"
rams'
tabernacle to be a tent, so that it could
be moved with them. God gives Moses
exact directions as to how to build it,
and the people of Israel are to furnish
the materials and labor. This is only
right
as God had given them protec
tion, food and shelter in their journey
through the wilderness. Their offering
was to be given willingly and with love
and gratitude. Just as now,
all our bless
ings come from the Lord, so should we
offer the best that we have, in service,
riches, love and obedience to Him. "God
loves a cheerful (II Cor. 9:7).
The people were to bring gold, silver
and brass," and "blue, purple and scar
let and fine linen," and precious stones.
The tabernacle was made of linen cur
tains, embroidered with cherubim. The
curtains were fastened together. Over
the linen curtains were curtains of hair
cloth, and then a covering of
skins
and badgers' skins over them. The
stronger coverings were to protect the
fine delicate curtains from the weather.
The arrangement of curtain panels made
the tent easy to set up or take down as
they moved from place to place. The
curtains were attached to boards so that
the tabernacle might be strong as well
as beautiful. Everything was very rich
and of the best, for God deserves the
best. Our tabernacle is our body, where
in the Spirit of the Lord dwells, and only
the best and purest thoughts and feel
ings should come into it, and go out
from it. In our study
of the Bible we
need to be careful to build our life with
its verses so that when strong storms
beset us we will be strong to withstand
them.
The first thing to be made to be
placed in the tabernacle was the ark.
This was to be kept in the holy of holies,
the most holy place of the sanctuary.
The ark was a chest, in which the two
tables of the law written with the finger
of God were to be carefully kept. The
ark was covered within and without
with thin plates of gold. It had a crown
of gold around it with rings and staves
to carry it with. In this way as the peo
ple of Israel moved about on >their jour
ney to the Promised Land they would
have God's law or commandments with
them wherever they would go. We also
should have God's law and command
ments written in our hearts, so that
wherever we go we may take them with
us.
The next thing to be made was the
mercy-seat or covering for the ark. It
was to be of solid gold and made to fit
the ark exactly.
Next came the two cherubim of gold;
these were fixed to the mercy-seat and
they spread their wings over it. Their
faces looked toward each other, and
downward to the ark, while their wings
346
were stretched out to touch one another.
God was to dwell between the cherubim
on the mercy-seat, and meet with Moses
and talk with him. This, then,
would be
the throne of the King where He would
give laws and rule His people.
In all the planning
and building of
the tabernacle the people were to offer
their service as well as their gifts. When
we offer ourselves to the Lord, each
must give according to his talent. We
each should offer to God that which we
are able to do best. Not each one will
bring the same offering. One may bring
a beautiful voice to sing praises to Him.
Another may be a clever speaker and
persuade others to follow Him and do
His bidding. Still another may be
wealthy in money and give that to help
the church. The main thought to remem
ber, both in the building of the taber
nacle by the people of Israel, and in our
building of our "personal" tabernacles to
God, is that God's grace to them and to
us is free; and so whatever offering is
made to Him should be free-willed and
lovingly given.
For Your Notebook:
Draw and label the plan of the taber
nacle, showing the curtains and rooms.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
June 19, 1955
W. J. McBurney
(Lessons based on International Sunday School
Lessons ; the International Bible Lessons for
Christian Teaching, copyrighted by the Interna
tional Council of Religious education.)
JOSIAH KEEPS THE PASSOVER
2 Chronicles 35; 2 Kings 23
PRINTED TEXT 2 Chronicles 35:1-6,
16-19
MEMORY, Psalm 122:1: "I was glad
when they said unto me, Let us go into
the house of the Lord."
Josiah came to the throne at the age
of eight. He spent twelve years in pre
paring himself and organizing his help
ers. When he was 20, he began a strong
leadership in ridding the land of idola
try and repairing the Temple. Six years
later, he called the people to Jerusalem
for the observance of the Passover.
That was the greatest Passover since
the time of the Judges. Judah at this
time seemed so strong and prosperous,
who would suspect that in six years
Nebuchadnezzer would invade the land,
and in a quarter of a century Judah
would be carried captive to Babylon
Israel, the Northern Kingdoms, had al
ready been in captivity for 80 years.
Preparation for the Passover, 2 Chron.
35:1-10
The last Passover under Hezekiah
was five or six years before the cap
tivity of Israel. There would be few liv
ing who would remember it. Much can
be forgotten in two generations. Heze
kiah was not ready for the Passover at
the usual time,
postponed it till the
second month, and then made his prep
arations in haste and not too well. Jo
siah did not call the people to the Pass
over till the 18th year of his reign, six
years after he began his reformation.
Josiah was thorough in every thing he
undertook, but not in haste. There was
much to do. The Priests and the Levites
had to be reorganized and trained, then
he called all the people in Israel and Ju
dah. There was a splendid response.
The Passover was held at the usual
time of the year. Notice that it was the
fourteenth day
of the first month. The
year always began with the first day of
the week. That would account for 364
days in the year. What became of the
365th day The only
explanation that
I have heard is that Pentecost, coming
on the 50th day, after the passover fol
lowing the 49th day, which was the
seventh sabbath of the week of weeks,
was treated as a Sabbath, making two
Sabbaths together. Then followed the
first day of a new week. If that is true,
it leaves the Seventh Day people with
no place to stand.
There was a seven day preparation
for the Passover. Some living today will
remember when in our preparatory
week for the Communion, we observed
a fast-day. I recall when a pastor and
elder on their way to Synod from a
western congregation, arrived with us
on Saturday morning, and went to
church as it was our Communion week.
They met with the session, and our pas
tor, Rev. Wm. Slater, said that though
they had been traveling, their thoughts
were no doubt on the Communion of
which they knew,
so he thought it
would be right for them to commune.
They would not tell a lie, so they ex
plained that, having an hour off in Chi
cago, they had done some business, on
fast day. So Rev. Slater advised them to
be just observers, rather than partakers
of the Communion. No doubt this advice
was extreme even in those days. I re
cord it to show that within our memory,
fast day was observed much as a Sab
bath. Where is fast day now Is our
Sabbath slipping too
Preparation of the Priests and Levites,
v. 2
The priests and Levites were teach
ers. They were distributed among the
communities.
Then they
held special
schools and classes in connection with
the Passover. Christ attended these
classes when He was taken to the Pass
over in Jerusalem, and made such prog
ress that we find Him among the doc-
COVENANTER WITNESS