From Tent to Temple - Chapter 1 (Continued)


From Tent to Temple
- George H. Warnock

CHAPTER 1 (CONTINUTED) - THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS

The Tables Of Testimony

These likewise were laid away in the ark of the covenant. Moses had been up on the mount with the LORD for 40 days and 40 nights, receiving the oracles of God and the pattern of the Tabernacle. The sight of the glory of the LORD was "like devouring fire" as the children of Israel beheld it; but Moses went right into the midst of the cloud and talked "face to face" with God. Before he returned to the camp God gave him two tables of stone, "written with the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18). But in the meantime the children of Israel were getting restless, and gathering together before Aaron they requested that he should make them "gods" which would go before them, as Moses seemed to have disappeared. Aaron yielded to them and made the golden calf, which the children of Israel began to worship. Though a redeemed people because of the passover lamb which had been sacrificed in Egypt, the idolatrous spirit of Egypt still clung to them. They had been delivered out of Egypt, but Egypt had not been taken out of them; and this is what the wilderness story is all about. As Moses returned from the mount with the two tables of testimony in his hand, and saw their rebellion and idolatry, he shattered the tables at the foot of the mountain. It speaks to us of a broken law, the law which no man could keep, the law which was later to be called "the ministration of condemnation" and "the ministration of death." God knew that the law would become this kind of ministration before He gave it, but man in his self-confidence would never believe it until he proved it for himself. And God had to show him, through the ministration of the law, the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the weakness of the flesh, and demonstrate man's inability to respond to God's holy requirements. Therefore the law accomplished nothing for man except this (and of course this is important): it paved the way for the manifestation of the New Covenant by revealing man's helplessness and depravity, and acting like a "schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (Gal. 3:24).

Moses, as a true priest of the Lord, interceded on behalf of the people, and God spared them, judged them, and instructed Moses to lead them forward to the Promised Land. For the task before him Moses sought the Lord for added grace and added glory. "Shew me now thy way," he pleaded; and again, "Shew me thy glory" (Ex. 33:13, 18). Once again Moses is called up into the Mount of God; and once again God writes His holy law upon the two tables of stone that Moses took up with him. But for these two tables of the covenant God had a different purpose in mind.

God does not really repeat Himself--at least not in exactly the same way. Never does He do anything the second time, in like manner as He did it the first time. Let us always bear this in mind as we anticipate the restorations of God which He has promised in His Word. When He restores that which was lost, it is restored on a higher and more glorious level than before. Failing to recognize this can only lead to frustration, as we vainly seek to restore some religious structure of the past which God had used and then laid aside. God does not make a "second try," and then a "third try." He is doing exactly as He had planned. Therefore the second tables of the covenant did not mean that God was trying again. God was doing something new. This time God commanded Moses to put the tables inside the ark of the covenant. The ark was covered over with the mercy seat, behind the veil, in the holy of holies, entirely beyond the reach or the view of a disobedient and erring people.

God would instruct us that in giving the old covenant He knew that man could not keep it; and that in giving the new covenant, He Himself would be responsible to see that it was fulfilled. He Himself would write the new covenant upon the hearts and minds of His people. He took away the old covenant which demanded righteousness, and brought in the new covenant which provided it. He did not establish the new covenant so that man could sin and still be free from condemnation; but rather that man might be made free from both the sin and the guilt of it, and might love Him and serve Him on a far higher plane than was ever possible under the law. For the full intent of the law was that man should love the Lord God with all his heart and mind and strength, and his neighbor as himself. And when this has been fulfilled in the hearts of men, God is completely satisfied. God is Love... and therefore He cannot be satisfied until His own nature and character is formed within His people, who were created in His image. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:34).

Show Me Thy Glory!

This was Moses' cry unto the Lord, as he earnestly sought God for the great task that lay before him. "There shall no man see me, and live," saith God (Ex. 33:20). Then God put Moses in the cleft of the rock, covering him with His hand as He passed by, and Moses only saw the "backparts" of God. He only saw Him as He had gone by. I do not think Moses was content with this revelation, glorious as it must have been. Seeing God as He passed by? The way He used to work? What He had done in a past day? Many are content with that--but not Moses. And from what follows I am sure that God must have granted him a still greater revelation of Himself, but still falling short of the Glory that God had reserved for the New Covenant people.

God says, "There shall no man see Me, and live." "Then, oh Lord, show us Your face! Let the time past of our lives be sufficient to have accomplished the will of the flesh! Let us see You in all Your glory--that in seeing You we might die, that in dying we might live again, to walk with You in newness of life. Let us see You as our dying substitute, taking upon Yourself our sins, and becoming 'sin for us, who knew no sin.' Let us see You as our very own corruptible flesh, crucified and cursed of God, that we might come forth in newness of life, henceforth to live and move in the power of Your resurrection."

The Glory Of Moses' Countenance

The more conscious we are of the presence and glory of God, the less conscious are we going to be of ourselves. "Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him" (Ex. 34:29). The clear implication is that the skin of his face shone because he was talking with God. This was conversation with God, not merely a prayer of asking. I think it would help us much if we realized this two-fold aspect of true prayer. Too often we know exactly what we want, and are quick to tell God what we want, without listening to His voice in the matter. And until we come to the place where we have an ear that is open to His Word, and a heart intent upon doing His will, all our praying amounts to little more than the wailing at the broken-down walls of Jerusalem. True prayer is conversation with God. We talk to Him, yes. But more important than this, He talks to us. God says through the prophet, "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father" (Isa. 58:13-14). We are talking about God's true sabbath, and the apostle Paul tells us what this means. It is a ceasing from our own works, as God did from His when creation was finished.

It is resting in His plan and purpose for our lives, ceasing from our own fleshly striving, as God brings forth new creation life within us, enabling us to honor Him, going in His ways, doing His good pleasure, and speaking His words. (See Heb. 4:3-11.)

Unconscious of himself, but conscious only of the presence and glory of God, "Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone." Aaron and the children of Israel saw the glory of his countenance and they were afraid to draw near. As Moses sensed the reason for their fear he called them. First Aaron and the rulers took courage, and came near. Then a little later the children of Israel gathered together fearfully, and Moses passed on to them the commandments that God had given him on the mount. He spoke to them with unveiled face, the glory of the Lord radiating from his countenance like beams of light. The glory was so great that the Israelites could not look directly at Moses' face with fixed attention, but had to keep looking away, just as you would if you tried to gaze upon the reflection of the sun in a mirror. "The children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses" or, "They could not fix their eyes on the face of Moses." The brilliance of the light was too much for their weak and sensitive eyes, but still Moses did not try to hide his face in order to accommodate them. Oh that God's ministers might so talk with God that when they speak to the people there will be a shining forth of the very presence of God! Without that radiance and that splendor his message will not be effective. Oh, how we must hold fast to the vision of His purpose for His people. That we come to that place in God where we abide in Him, and He abides in us, and we minister only in virtue of His abiding presence! For "he that speaketh of [or, from] himself seeketh his own glory" (Jn. 7:18). But speaking out from the heart of God we seek only His glory. And so Moses ministered to the people the words that God had given him, with unveiled face, till something rather tragic began to happen. The glory of God began to fade away! Immediately Moses sensed the departure of the glory, though he was not aware of his shining countenance when he came down from the mount. Quickly he veiled his face, as he realized the beams of light were fading away. He must not continue to minister without that presence! Nor could he permit the children of Israel to behold the departure of the glory. We read, "Till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face" (Ex. 34:33). But the word "till" is in italics, indicating that it was not in the original, but added by the translators to make the sense clear. A better rendering would be, "When Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face." This is the way it is rendered in other versions, and this is the way Paul understood it, where he says, "Not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished" (2 Cor. 3:13). Clearly, Moses did not want the people to see the end of the fading glory. He had spoken out from the presence of God's glory, and he did not want the people to see it fading away. It was a transitory brightness, like the covenant he was mediating to them. The old covenant was given with the shining forth of God's glory, but soon it would fade away. Paul very clearly is telling us that in the new covenant we have something better than Moses was able to bring to the people of God.

Fadeless Glory!

As the apostle Paul compares the old covenant with the new he arrives at this ultimate conclusion: the old covenant had no glory at all, "by reason of the glory that excelleth." The former covenant was ushered in with glory, but was doomed to pass away; while the latter covenant was not only ushered in with great glory, it was destined to remain or subsist in glory. Let us remember this: it was not God's intention that the New Covenant would begin in a burst of glory, and then dissipate with the apostasy of the last days! The old covenant was a ministration of death and of condemnation; the latter is a ministration of righteousness and life--a covenant that continues on in Glory! This comparison causes the apostle to declare with great boldness: "We use great plainness of speech, and not as Moses!" Not as Moses, who put a veil over his face so the Israelites could not see the departure of the glory!

Moses was faithful in God's house as a servant. Nevertheless he was identified with a murmuring, disobedient people. Because of the veil on their hearts the glory of God could not penetrate their innermost being. We mentioned before that they had weak, sensitive eyes. But the apostle Paul explained that it was really a spiritual blindness. They lacked obedience. They lacked faith. They lacked vision. They could not see the glory into which God would bring them; and the veil that Moses put on his face was really because of the veil that was already there on their own hearts.

Therefore let us understand fully what God is saying. God does not--will not--hide His glory to accommodate the fear, the lack of vision, the hardness of heart, and the weak eyes of His people. His glory will shine forth, doing one of two things. Either the people will gaze upon Him till they die to "self"--to self-will, self-opinions, self-exaltation, self-seeking, and to their own selfish and dead works--or they will put a veil over their hearts, denying themselves the visitation that God intended them to have. But as surely as they do this they will open up the way for God to visit another people. He will not hide His glory to accommodate the fearful ones. He moves on with His people, and reveals His glory to those who are tired of endless religious activity, and who long for the sovereign moving of the Spirit of God in their lives.

Paul sums up the situation by saying, "Their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament." Moses had put a veil over his own face, but Paul interprets this as meaning that the minds of the people "were blinded," and the veil was still on their hearts.

But let us not be too quick in judging them and excusing ourselves because we are New Testament people. I am afraid the same thing can be said of vast numbers of people who hear the New Testament read every time they come together for worship:

"Until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the New Testament." For we must understand that the New Testament is not simply the completed canon of scripture nor yet a system of Church ritual and activity. It is intended to be a ministration of life and of righteousness. And if we do not minister life and righteousness by the Spirit of God, we are simply making an old covenant out of the new by denying ourselves the glory that God intended it should bring.

"Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away." Again the reference is to the veil on Moses face: "When Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out." Then coming forth from God's presence with a renewal of the glory, Moses was able to minister unto the people again as God intended. But when he sensed the departing of the glory, "Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him [the LORD]" (Ex. 34:35). (See also 2 Cor. 3.)

Where Is The Glory?

If we as God's people would but examine ourselves with an honest heart, we would soon discover just how far short we have come with regard to the glory of God. Do we measure up to the outshining of God's glory such as we find in the life of Moses? I am not speaking so much about the visible light that shone from his face, but of that inner light that God has for us in the New Covenant. I am sure we have all envied that marvelous experience that Moses had with the God of Israel. But hear what Paul says, "Not as Moses!... Not as Moses!... Not as Moses!" Clearly there is a ministration of the glory of God for us in this day of the New Covenant that far exceeds what Moses had, as far as the glory of the sun exceeds the glory of the moon!

Now the moon reflects the glory of the sun, and is likened to the Church which reflects the glory of Christ. But hear what the prophet says about the moon: "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun..."

Beloved, can we not see what God has in mind for His people? A people who shall walk in the full glory and radiance of the Sun of Righteousness Himself, the Lord Jesus! And does this in any way detract from the glory of the exalted Christ? Ah, no! Rather it means that as God's glory increases in His people, that glory redounds again and again to the glory of the exalted Christ, for the prophet continues:

"And the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, And healeth the stroke of their wound" (Isa. 30:26).

Oh, that God's people might comprehend this glorious fact, that it is only when the people of the Lord are walking in total union with Christ, and the glory of Christ shines forth through them, that Christ Himself is truly glorified. Jesus was charged with blasphemy and for robbing God of His glory because He claimed to live in total union with the Father, and did only what the Father was pleased to do through Him. The fact that Jesus performed miracles was no problem. They would crown Him King for that! But when He said, "It is not I, but the Father who doeth these things," He got into all kinds of trouble. As surely as God's people begin to walk in union with Him who is pure Light, there is going to be a radiating of that glory to those about us. And this will mean a releasing of the glory of God to those who sit in darkness, and who long for deliverance; but at the same time we can expect to receive a lot of scorn and ridicule from those who love darkness rather than light.

"Dear Lord, when You were crucified on Calvary, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And even as the veil was torn asunder, the high priest as he stood at the altar of incense could look within and see for himself that the glory of God was not there, for the Glory had long since departed. Nevertheless the dying priesthood of an old order continued to carry on with a religion of dead works, and patched up the old veil that was rent because their own hearts were veiled in blindness. But give us, oh Lord, perceptive hearts and minds, that as we behold Your flesh torn asunder for us, we might see Your glory revealed in the Temple not made with hands. Let us not draw back from beholding Your glory, like Israel of old; but give us more grace to come to the Light, that all the works of darkness within us might be dispelled by the radiance of Your presence, even as the shadows of night dissolve at the breaking of the day. May our whole being be flooded with Light, as we come under Your shadow to abide, that there might be a complete transformation within and without; and that men might know that Christ has indeed visited His people once again."

Changed Into His Image

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).

Paul tells us that because the veil has been removed from our face we now reflect, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord one to another; and it is this that changes us into His own image.

The Greek word for "changed" in this passage is "metamorphoo," and signifies a complete changing of form. It is used on three different occasions in the New Testament: in the above passage; in the account concerning the transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17:2; Mk. 9:2); and in Romans 12:2 where it is translated "transformed." This is the word that men chose from the Greek to signify the change that takes place in certain creatures, known as "metamorphosis." And because of the great spiritual truth that we discover in this phenomena, we want to examine it further.

Metamorphosis

Sometime in the middle of this century we read of a young Harvard scientist who had spent many hours making various experiments with the silkworm, in an attempt to discover the secret of metamorphosis. After some ten years of tedious experiments he discovered the secret. By dividing the worm into segments, and watching to see which sections went into metamorphosis and which remained the same, he discovered that there were two hormone-producing centers in the worm, one in the brain and the other in the thorax; and that these hormone centers caused the worm to change form. Neither could cause metamorphosis working by itself, but together they did. Briefly this is how he made his discoveries. Removing the brains from the caterpillars he found that they would live on, but only as worms. No change would take place. Then after implanting a bit of the brain containing the hormone, metamorphosis would begin to take place. But if after implanting the hormone in the brain the worm was immediately tied off in the center, no change would occur. This proved that the worm could derive no benefit from the hormone in the head alone; it had to work in conjunction with the thorax. So if he allowed a certain amount of time to elapse after implanting some of the brain before he tied the worm in the center, the worm would go into full metamorphosis on both sides of the knot. By these and similar experiments he effectively proved that two hormone centers were involved in the process, and that it was the brain hormone that triggered the thoracic center into action.

What a beautiful illustration from nature of the wonderful truth concerning transformation! We believe we are going to discover many wonderful truths in the world about us as we go on with the Lord. In the early part of the human race this was the only Bible men had, and yet God said He was clearly revealed in the things that He had made. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom. 1:20). The reason men do not see Him there now is because of the apostasy and the blindness that has overpowered the human race through sin and unbelief.

From Worm To Butterfly

David said of himself, "I am a worm, and no man." Such we are by nature--helpless, foolish, earthbound, purposeless. We cannot change ourselves. But the Lord from Heaven came into our nature and our likeness in order that He might bring about a transformation into His nature and likeness. He does not change us by a sovereign act of His will alone; for then He would be working counter to His plan whereby He would have willing and obedient sons, desiring to do His will. And yet we know, "Apart from Him, we can do nothing." From Him therefore who is the Head, there comes to us as members of His Body, that Divine hormone--that Divine influence of the Spirit--which reacts upon and works in conjunction with our hearts and minds, thereby bringing about a spiritual metamorphosis, a complete changing of our whole being: spirit, soul, and body. This is God's order in restoring Man to His image, just as it was the order in which Man fell from that image. For Adam continued to live on in the natural long after his spirit had "died" as far as his relationship with God was concerned. So in redemption God restores first our spirit, then our soul, and ultimately our body. Therefore we hear the apostle praying for God's people; for the perfecting of their "spirit, soul, and body," in that order (1 Thess. 5:23). Knowing the corruption of this human body many would teach that there is no hope of coming into the image and likeness of Christ until our bodies put on immortality. But this is not so. Christ walked in perfect union with the Father, though dwelling in a mortal body. But He was sinless, we are reminded. True... and that's what redemption is all about. He fully dealt with our sin at the Cross, and it is the work of the Spirit of God within us to render the body "dead indeed unto sin" and to make it to be the very temple of God in the earth. And until we are eventually glorified God has made provision for a "quickening" of our mortal body, by His Spirit that dwells within (Rom. 8:11). And so the groaning continues within us that we might be "clothed upon" with our new house from Heaven, and enter into immortality. But it is not God's intention that we continue to groan in the bondage of sin. It is a groaning rather to be released from the limitation and humiliation of our mortality, that we might know and experience the new life for the body that we have experienced, and are experiencing, for our soul and spirit. God purposed it this way, that now in the midst of our weakness and mortality we might be the fragile vessels He needs as vessels for His glory. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7).

Transfigured By Divine Light

"Jesus... was transfigured before them" (Matt. 17:1-2).

"And as he [Jesus] prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering" (Lk. 9:29).

This was on the Mount of Transfiguration. Again the word used is "metamorphoo." The Son of man appeared in Glory, and the three disciples with Him had a preview of the Kingdom of God as Jesus had promised (Matt. 16:28). His raiment was not merely "glistening." That would imply light reflected from another source. But He Himself was the Light, and His garments were "glistering." It was light shining out from within, like flashes of lightning, such as had radiated from the countenance of Moses on another mountain many centuries earlier. Once again Moses is there, along with Elijah, and in the midst of that glory they are talking with Jesus about His imminent death on the Cross. It was not the fullness of the Kingdom, but all the ingredients of the Kingdom of God were there on that mountain. It was a foretaste of the Glory that will be revealed when Christ comes again "to be glorified in the saints."

Transfigured By A Renewed Mind

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2).

Again the word is "metamorphoo." With hearts and minds yielded to God, these bodies in which we dwell though still mortal are no longer unholy or unclean. By the application of the blood of Christ and the washing of the Spirit they become a fitting habitation for the Spirit Who is holy--and He comes to make us holy. This body in which we dwell must be so presented to God that God may accept it as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable [well-pleasing] unto God." By His sacrifice and indwelling Spirit, and according to His promises, we are to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). Paul tells us that in doing this, it is our "reasonable" service; but he is referring to a priestly service, a worship service to God. I know we have fallen far short of this, but it is there in the New Covenant, and we must believe and anticipate this kind of holy living. And having done this we are to expect a "metamorphosis" experience in the mind--a transfiguring, transforming renewal of the mind. We can't make it happen, I know. But our Mediator is there in the heavens to minister the grace and power and life to make it happen... if we are willing to submit to His dealings...

The Cocoon Of His Dealings

God deals with His own in a very individual and specific way; and therefore we are not to criticize anyone who is doing God's will in the realm of his personal walk with the Lord. But we can be assured of this, if we really mean to go on with the Lord, all of us are going to experience some very drastic changes in our lives as He leads us from one degree of glory to another. God is far more concerned about His people coming to know Him than He is in our doing many good works. And the reason should be self-evident: for if we do not truly know Him, we can never perform His works. But if we are truly willing to be changed, and become what He wants us to become, we cannot fail to do what He would have us do.

The cocoon, therefore, (whatever it may be in your life and mine) is not to be considered as some strange thing that has happened, to hinder us in our quest for true fulfillment. Rather it is a sure token that we are walking in His ways, seeing Him, and seeing ourselves for what we really are: helpless, needy, confined, limited, and ineffective in all our ways. We look for a new life, a life beyond the veil of our own flesh, a life in the heavenly realm where we are in vital union with Christ, and reigning in life by Christ Jesus. As a boy I was greatly fascinated with the process of metamorphosis long before I knew there was such a word. Every spring I would look for a furry worm, put him in a ventilated jar along with some green leaves, and watch the process. What a thrill to watch him two or three weeks later coming forth as a beautiful butterfly... a one-time crawling worm, and now flying in the atmosphere above! Little did I know then that in the days to come I myself would find myself in a cocoon designed by my Creator--a cocoon of His own dealings. There is a labor to enter into His rest. There is a struggle. But it is the struggle of life, a struggle that God ordained. You cannot snip the cocoon with a pair of scissors when you see the butterfly struggling to emerge. No matter how careful you are he will not be able to fly... because it takes the struggle within the insect to pump the life into his wings that will enable him to fly. Let us not seek to remove the impediments from our lives or from the lives of God's people that God deliberately put there for our transformation.

Something else we must consider. What causes the releasing of the hormones in the worm to set in motion the process of metamorphosis? The scientist we mentioned discovered that it was caused by the warmth of the spring season! The timing of God is so important. God has "seasons" for whatever He would do; and when the season arrives He prepares His people for what He has in mind. So we must not compare ourselves with other men, nor yet with men of other generations, and feel that we have all that God has in mind if we measure up to them. When we speak of a life in God and a revelation of His glory that was not given to previous generations, it is not that we are better, or have more favor with God, or more knowledge of the scriptures. They served God according to the provision of grace that He supplied for their generation. But now in view of the tremendous onslaught of evil and corruption about us, God knows we need more of His grace and more of His glory... and He is causing us to know it, that we might seek after Him and find it.

So in this hour the rays of the Sun of Righteousness are beaming forth upon His people who have grown weary of the worm-life, and long to explore their inheritance in heavenly places. Oftentimes men of this world are "wiser than the children of light." We have witnessed in our generation a new thing in the earth. Men have been able to escape the power of earth--gravity and orbit about a new center, and even walk on the moon, completely free from the pull of the earth. Yet the children of light find it difficult to believe that God has sufficient power and wisdom to thrust us forth from realms of flesh-bondage into realms of spiritual liberation, where we too may find a new center and source of life in God alone. But there is a people in the earth who believe that God is willing to do this very thing... and to these God would speak words of great encouragement.

"Fear not, thou worm Jacob,
And ye men of Israel;
I will help thee, saith the LORD,
And thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Behold, I will make thee
A new sharp threshing instrument having teeth:
Thou shalt thresh the mountains,
And beat them small,
And shalt make the hill as chaff.
Thou shalt fan them,
And the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them:
And thou shalt rejoice in the LORD,
And shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel"
(Isa. 41:14-16).

Just a worm! Just an insect! But it becomes a threshing machine, a new one... "having teeth"! In vain are we going to put any "teeth" into our efforts to reach the nations and gather in the harvest, until we partake of the changing, transfiguring, transforming work of the Spirit of God in our lives. Think of it! God is going to use a worm to thresh the mountains, and crush the powers of evil into dust. The kingdoms of this world are to become "the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ." And God says "all nations shall come and worship before Him" when His judgments are made manifest in the earth! (See Rev. 15:4.)

The Cloud Covers The Tent

In this writing we are emphasizing the Presence of God and the Glory of God. There is much that we have left unsaid concerning the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, but we must hurry on. But first we must consider the Rule of the Cloud, which is the Rule of His Glory.

The Tabernacle was a portable structure. It does not have the meaning of a solid, permanent structure. It was but a Tent--easily taken down and reassembled. A permanent temple would come later when the kingdom was established. But here God would teach His people that they must move on "from glory unto glory" until they would come to their true rest in God.

The presence and glory of God was really the whole purpose and meaning of God's temples... and it must be so in our Church gatherings today. Without His presence there is no purpose for a temple, no purpose for us gathering together. Therefore we must learn to diligently follow the Rule of the Cloud. "As long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents... whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed." (See Num. 9:15-23.)

The Rule Of The Cloud

The walk in the Spirit is entirely contrary to much of our present-day teaching concerning ministry and service for the Lord. Everywhere we find that people are being encouraged to move out for God, and if they do God will follow them and bless their efforts. You take the initiative, and God will be there to establish and confirm. But this is contrary to the Rule of the Cloud, and it is contrary to the Law of the Spirit. God must give direction, He must go before. And as we follow, we will discover His glory will also follow after...

"For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward" (Isa. 52:12). In other words, you cannot rush ahead of God--that would be "haste." Nor can you run away from some job you do not like, some disagreeable circumstance that you want to get rid of--that would be "flight." He must go on ahead and open up the way. He must also follow after to confirm and establish. He gives clear direction, you follow Him, then He gives positive confirmation.

The Rule of the Cloud must have seemed quite ridiculous to surrounding tribes and peoples, but this did not matter. We are inclined to become very sensitive to criticism if God's ways lead us contrary to reason and logic. Because of this many simply refuse to move on with God once they have discovered a quiet resting place in their religious wilderness--a nice little oasis, a beautiful Elim of God's provision. They know God led them there, so there they will remain. But when the Cloud moves on we must pull up our stakes and move forward with Him.

It will not always be quite that way. For when the ark of the covenant moved into Solomon's Temple the staves were withdrawn, and the long, tiring wilderness journeying came to an end. Of course there is still a going on with God even in that realm, as we shall discover. But the blight of the wilderness becomes a thing of the past, and the experiences of life which were intended of the Lord to unsettle us, and shake us, and cause us to move forward in God, have fulfilled their purpose that henceforth we might abide in Him--joined unto the Son, as the Son is joined unto the Father.

The Rule of the Cloud is the rule of liberty. But it is a rule. Many would mistake the bondage of the flesh for the liberty of the Spirit. They boast of their freedom in God--freedom to move out in ministry, freedom to activate their ministry in any way they want to--because God has enriched them with gifts and graces and talents of various kinds. But we will never know true liberty in the Spirit until we come under subjection to the Rule of the Cloud. For in Christ Jesus the only way that is acceptable to God and liberating to our spirit is the rule of New Creation Life: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision [neither religious tradition, or the lack of it], but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:15-16).

Chapter 2 - The Tabernacle of David
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