Some spiritual interpretations
Here's what I promised to this group:"I'll stop here with this promise: The seven pieces of furniture in the original Tabernacle all take on special meaning in this scheme of things, and I will take the time to explain these (again, 'briefly') if anyone shows interest in this line of investigation."
It's incredible to me how many things conspire to get in the way of fulfilling a promise like this, but I do love this stuff and I love you guys and I have a strong desire to do this. I want to begin by mentioning that this scheme is built on the original pattern of the Tabernacle which Moses received on the mountain top. The later Temples had a lot of additions, such as the ones in the recent readings in Chronicles, but they followed the same basic pattern as the Tabernacle of Moses.
Here's how this works (the spiritual interpretation of the pattern): The three rooms of this Tabernacle/Temple are seen as the three component parts of an individual person. The outer court is the physical part (body)--the person in relation to the outer world. The Holy Place is the human, emotional, mental, volitional part (soul)--the person in relation to his/her individual self (and other individuals from the basis of this self). The Holy of Holies is the spiritual, intuitive, metaphysical part (spirit)--the person in relation to God and heavenly realities.The activity of the Tabernacle/Temple is worship, and the means of worship, so common in many places in those days (and, some would say, at that stage of human religious development) and so offensive to so many people today, is the sacrifice of animals to atone for sin, and taking the blood into the presence of God as an offering. There are many kinds of offerings and a whole series of feast days throughout the year (based on the agricultural year)--and of course all of these have interesting and sometimes intense spiritual meaning as well. But these go beyond what I am talking about here.
We do not offer sacrifices like these nowadays, and I do not believe that the reason is that we have evolved into a higher form of consciousness than the Hebrew people had. The reason is that Jesus came to fulfill all of these types, and the spiritual meanings that I am talking about are the application of these types to the ministry of Jesus to us in New Testament times. In fact, that is the definition of the Old/New Testaments: the old covenant given to Moses and the new covenant in Jesus. It would be possible for some teachers to treat all these things without reference to Jesus, but that would not make any sense to me because the fulfillment of these types or 'pictures' in Him is what makes this study in any way relevant to us today.
The work of the priests is to offer the sacrifices according to the Law of Moses, so these pieces of furniture are used by the priest to do that. In the outer court are two pieces of furniture. The brass laver or washstand has a place to wash the hands and feet, signifying the outer cleansing needed to partake of the holy things. Jesus fulfilled this at the Last Supper when he took up the towel and basin to wash the feet of his followers. The big brass altar is the altar of sacrifice where the animals were killed and burned and their blood caught in a brass basin to offer to God, signifying the need for atonement according to the law of God: "The soul that sins shall die." Jesus fulfilled this in our place by being slaughtered on the cross as an atonement for our sins. One of the best places to see and feel the spritual meaning of this is in Julian.
The Holy Place has three pieces of furniture. The table of showbread has sacred loaves of bread offered to God. This is a type of the emotions, the feelings, the fulfillment of the joys of life: Jesus is the bread of life. The golden candlestick (menorah) lights up the Holy Place since the curtains otherwise keep this room dark. This symbolizes the mind, the understanding, the spiritual enlightenment or gnosis that gives us understanding beyond the natural light of the outer court: Jesus is the Light of the World. The altar of incense is a type of the choice, the will, the free offering of self through prayer and surrender that is acceptable to God: Jesus told us that no one took his life from him but that he offered it freely, and in Gethsemane he said "Not my will but Yours be done." On the cross He said, "Into Your hands I commit my spirit." The altar of incense on some occasions is taken into the Holy of Holies into the presence of God. An interesting side noteon the activities of the Holy Place is the assertion of the author of the Cloud of Unknowing that we cannot experience the presence of God through the mind (light) or the emotions (bread) but through 'a naked intent of the will toward God,' the voluntary submission of our will to His, symbolized by the incense altar. I just thought of one application of this that is quite current: Bear has been speculating about why so few people in churches respond to serious inquiry about bible scholarship. The answer according to this pattern would be that such interest is torally voluntary--as Ken Wilber has said, the number of saints that experience union with God seems to be very small--and no amount of coercion or persuasion can compel anyone to have that interest. I believe that it is a sovereign work of God. I also believe that it is available to "whosoever will"--but who and where are they? In a sense we may never know, but I like to look for other seekers to be able to enjoy fellowship in worship.
In the Holy of Holies are the final two pieces of furniture for a total of seven. The Ark of the Covenant (with the two seraphim guarding it) has in it the tables of the Law, Aaron's rod that budded, and a supernaturally preserved sample of the manna in the wilderness. These symbolize the inner spiritual faculties of the person, the miraculous healing powers, the inner nourishment of the Word (the hidden manna), and the Law written on our hearts--the spiritual faculty of the conscience. Notice that these three, the contents of the Ark, are spiritual counterparts of the faculties of the soul in the Holy place. Jesus moved by the Spirit in all these ways when he walked on earth, and he has offered us the ability to do the same, though so few of us take him up on the offer. The Mercy Seat is of pure gold and is the place where God manifest himself directly to our spiritual perception. Here is the Throne of God, Jesus at the right hand, the Spirit communicating directlyto us...the end point of the whole process.
One important note is that the blood of the sacrifice is carried in all the way to the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy seat, signifying that the blood of Jesus gives us access to the unmerited mercy of God.
I did not look any of this up to write this today--it all came from my memory, so some of it may be off a little. I am very intersted in any response you may have. My conscious motive is to feed and nourish your spirit and draw you closer to the experience of the glory of God.
Love, Peter
It's incredible to me how many things conspire to get in the way of fulfilling a promise like this, but I do love this stuff and I love you guys and I have a strong desire to do this. I want to begin by mentioning that this scheme is built on the original pattern of the Tabernacle which Moses received on the mountain top. The later Temples had a lot of additions, such as the ones in the recent readings in Chronicles, but they followed the same basic pattern as the Tabernacle of Moses.
Here's how this works (the spiritual interpretation of the pattern): The three rooms of this Tabernacle/Temple are seen as the three component parts of an individual person. The outer court is the physical part (body)--the person in relation to the outer world. The Holy Place is the human, emotional, mental, volitional part (soul)--the person in relation to his/her individual self (and other individuals from the basis of this self). The Holy of Holies is the spiritual, intuitive, metaphysical part (spirit)--the person in relation to God and heavenly realities.The activity of the Tabernacle/Temple is worship, and the means of worship, so common in many places in those days (and, some would say, at that stage of human religious development) and so offensive to so many people today, is the sacrifice of animals to atone for sin, and taking the blood into the presence of God as an offering. There are many kinds of offerings and a whole series of feast days throughout the year (based on the agricultural year)--and of course all of these have interesting and sometimes intense spiritual meaning as well. But these go beyond what I am talking about here.
We do not offer sacrifices like these nowadays, and I do not believe that the reason is that we have evolved into a higher form of consciousness than the Hebrew people had. The reason is that Jesus came to fulfill all of these types, and the spiritual meanings that I am talking about are the application of these types to the ministry of Jesus to us in New Testament times. In fact, that is the definition of the Old/New Testaments: the old covenant given to Moses and the new covenant in Jesus. It would be possible for some teachers to treat all these things without reference to Jesus, but that would not make any sense to me because the fulfillment of these types or 'pictures' in Him is what makes this study in any way relevant to us today.
The work of the priests is to offer the sacrifices according to the Law of Moses, so these pieces of furniture are used by the priest to do that. In the outer court are two pieces of furniture. The brass laver or washstand has a place to wash the hands and feet, signifying the outer cleansing needed to partake of the holy things. Jesus fulfilled this at the Last Supper when he took up the towel and basin to wash the feet of his followers. The big brass altar is the altar of sacrifice where the animals were killed and burned and their blood caught in a brass basin to offer to God, signifying the need for atonement according to the law of God: "The soul that sins shall die." Jesus fulfilled this in our place by being slaughtered on the cross as an atonement for our sins. One of the best places to see and feel the spritual meaning of this is in Julian.
The Holy Place has three pieces of furniture. The table of showbread has sacred loaves of bread offered to God. This is a type of the emotions, the feelings, the fulfillment of the joys of life: Jesus is the bread of life. The golden candlestick (menorah) lights up the Holy Place since the curtains otherwise keep this room dark. This symbolizes the mind, the understanding, the spiritual enlightenment or gnosis that gives us understanding beyond the natural light of the outer court: Jesus is the Light of the World. The altar of incense is a type of the choice, the will, the free offering of self through prayer and surrender that is acceptable to God: Jesus told us that no one took his life from him but that he offered it freely, and in Gethsemane he said "Not my will but Yours be done." On the cross He said, "Into Your hands I commit my spirit." The altar of incense on some occasions is taken into the Holy of Holies into the presence of God. An interesting side noteon the activities of the Holy Place is the assertion of the author of the Cloud of Unknowing that we cannot experience the presence of God through the mind (light) or the emotions (bread) but through 'a naked intent of the will toward God,' the voluntary submission of our will to His, symbolized by the incense altar. I just thought of one application of this that is quite current: Bear has been speculating about why so few people in churches respond to serious inquiry about bible scholarship. The answer according to this pattern would be that such interest is torally voluntary--as Ken Wilber has said, the number of saints that experience union with God seems to be very small--and no amount of coercion or persuasion can compel anyone to have that interest. I believe that it is a sovereign work of God. I also believe that it is available to "whosoever will"--but who and where are they? In a sense we may never know, but I like to look for other seekers to be able to enjoy fellowship in worship.
In the Holy of Holies are the final two pieces of furniture for a total of seven. The Ark of the Covenant (with the two seraphim guarding it) has in it the tables of the Law, Aaron's rod that budded, and a supernaturally preserved sample of the manna in the wilderness. These symbolize the inner spiritual faculties of the person, the miraculous healing powers, the inner nourishment of the Word (the hidden manna), and the Law written on our hearts--the spiritual faculty of the conscience. Notice that these three, the contents of the Ark, are spiritual counterparts of the faculties of the soul in the Holy place. Jesus moved by the Spirit in all these ways when he walked on earth, and he has offered us the ability to do the same, though so few of us take him up on the offer. The Mercy Seat is of pure gold and is the place where God manifest himself directly to our spiritual perception. Here is the Throne of God, Jesus at the right hand, the Spirit communicating directlyto us...the end point of the whole process.
One important note is that the blood of the sacrifice is carried in all the way to the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy seat, signifying that the blood of Jesus gives us access to the unmerited mercy of God.
I did not look any of this up to write this today--it all came from my memory, so some of it may be off a little. I am very intersted in any response you may have. My conscious motive is to feed and nourish your spirit and draw you closer to the experience of the glory of God.
Love, Peter
posted by Peter at 7:45 PM
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