Moses is instructed to take up a collection from the people
to build the place where they will worship the Lord and to construct all the
materials necessary for the worship. He
is to make all things exactly as instructed, there is no room for human creativity
in this endeavor. The materials would largely have come from the plunder they
took from the Egyptians as they left.
The materials increase in value as they are closer to the presence of
God. The ark is to not very large, a
little less than four feet in length, twenty-seven inches wide and twenty-seven
inches high. Atop the ark is the mercy seat where the Lord will meet with the
high priest who represents the people once a year before the Lord and throws
blood from the sacrificial animal on the ark as propitiation for the sins of
the whole people. The mercy seat is
topped with two cherubim facing one another.
Remember the last time we saw cherubim, Genesis 3, they guard the way to
the tree of life. The covenant is a
covenant of life, and the Jews referred to the Law as the tree of life, so they
stand atop the ark containing the tablets of the Law.
Jesus begins to call disciples, starting with two pairs of
brothers who are fishermen. He calls
Peter and Andrew to come be fishers of men, leaving behind the catching of
fish. In the end His commission to Peter
is to be shepherd of His sheep. These
men all immediately accede to Jesus’ call to be with Him. We can assume that they have heard about Him,
perhaps about His baptism and the remarkable signs given there and also perhaps
of His ministry, seemingly taking up the mantle of John the Baptist in
proclaiming the coming of the kingdom.
Now, however, they also see that this ministry is not like John’s in
that there is great power to heal as well.
In this outlying region of mixed races and religions Jesus begins to
attract crowds wherever He goes.
Jesus has given us new lives. He has made propitiation for our sins in His
sacrifice once and for all. In that work
He has opened for us the way to the tree of life, we partake of that life
through Him. We could say that the cross
is the tree of life for us as it nullifies the penalty of the law, condemnation
to death. In nullifying the penalty He
gives us new hearts and new minds and we can begin to seek after that life,
allowing it to lift our eyes to heavenly things rather than earthly
things. We can live by the Spirit within
us, we can pursue righteousness without fear of judgment for failure. We are new creations in Jesus. The old self is buried with Him and a new
self arises in resurrection. Worship is
our response.
Frail children of
dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust,
nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how
tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender,
Redeemer, and Friend.
O measureless might!
Ineffable love!
While angels delight
to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation,
though feeble their lays,
With true adoration
shall all sing Thy praise.
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