The Pattern
It’s a familiar prayer, one that I prayed hundreds of times in my religious upbringing. The “Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father”, includes a petition for God’s will to be done here on earth, as it is in heaven. This is the “bull’s eye” right? If we hit close to the center, we are successful. The variable is my ability to participate in the answer to this prayer. In other words, I pray as instructed, and then I am given instructions on how to live my life. This was the clear model displayed by Christ, for us to follow.
Daily Surrender
Jesus said that He only followed the pattern or script, that the Father made clear to him on a daily basis. Jn. 5:19 We need to daily surrender to be assured that other alternatives do not occupy what heaven is desiring to take place in and through our lives. When God clearly establishes a pattern, we are wise to follow it. God’s will does not always include specific instructions but always includes specific principles. Practical answers are generally my preference; character transformation is generally His. Yes, God does delight in providing clear answers and practical provision. His main goal however, is to see me transformed from the inside out.
According to the Pattern
Remember how God gave Moses specific instructions on building Him a sanctuary. First, God gives Moses and a select few elders, a glimpse of His heavenly temple. They saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it was a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. Ex. 24:10 He then progresses into some of the details. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. Ex. 25:8-9
A Glorious Glimpse
It’s no small occurrence to meet face to face with God. He gives a glorious glimpse of inspiration, then allows them to remain alive! And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence! Ex. 24:11 NLT. Always a plus, when you encounter God, to live to tell about it!
Dwelling Within
There is also a crossover into a very personal application. God was setting up a miraculous transition, to eventually “tabernacle” inside the very soul of mankind; to go from dwelling among to dwelling within. Christians are referred to as temples of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:19 The Apostle Peter refers to his body as a “tent” or “tabernacle.” 2 Pet. 1:13-14 But before we travel into that arena, let’s finish up the detailed pattern that God gave to Moses.
Tabernacle of Moses
Six pieces of furniture (spiritual equipment) is what God told Moses to construct. Here is a quick glimpse: Altar of Burnt Offering: largest piece of furniture and the first one seen upon entering the courtyard of the tabernacle. Bronze Basin: place for washing and cleansing. Table of Bread: twelve loaves, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Lampstand: a practical need for seeing inside the holy place; also symbolic of God as light. Altar of Incense: a place of continual prayer and worship. Ark: God’s throne on earth, the place of atonement. (More on these in a later post)
Copy & Shadow
Moses understood on earth as it is in heaven as building according to God’s revealed pattern. What he had no clue about, was the intricate process by which the High Priest who was to come, would forge a spiritual union with the soul of mankind. In retrospect, the writer of Hebrews says of the high priests: They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. Heb. 8:5 They serve as a pattern and foreshadowing of [what has its true existence and reality in] the heavenly things (sanctuary). Heb. 8:5 AMP Ever seen a shadow cast on your path? Your next move is to look for the reality, or the source of the shadow.
Lord, let Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Let me build, to the best of my ability, after the pattern You reveal. Open the eyes of my heart; bring greater clarity to every area of my life. For Your glory. Amen.