God's Divine Appointments in Scripture – Ruth, John 4 & The Tabernacle Explained | Bible Study

Welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a 30-minute walk through the scriptures, teaching in-depth Bible truths that change people's lives. Now, here's your host, Les Feldick. And again, good afternoon. It's good to have everybody in for another taping session. And for those of you joining us on television, we'd like to let you know that this is just an informal Bible study. We don't try, as I've said so often, we don't try to convince you that you're wrong and that you have to come out of wherever you are and be what we are. But all we like to do is just get people interested in Bible study, and I think we're succeeding with the Lord's help because we get so many responses from people that for the first time in their life, they are beginning to enjoy Bible study and to be able to read and understand. And the thing that comes up so often from our letters from the audience, and we have two or three couples here this afternoon who are evidence of that, they'll say, you know, we never, never watch religious television. But we'll be going through that old remote, and for some reason or other, we stopped at your program, got interested, and as I said, we've already got a couple of couples here who are in that same situation. They never watched religious television, but they hit our program, and they stopped and got interested. You know, that just thrills our heart. And then this one couple in particular sitting over here, they started coming to our class at Tahlequah, and the very first night after class, she stopped by and told me that, that she just never, never stopped at a religious program. And she said, to this day, she said, I don't know why I stopped. And I said, well, I do. And you know, as I was just getting ready to start, we're going to go back to Exodus chapter 40. But you know, nothing happens accidentally, does it? Not when the Lord is in it. And I just happened to think, and turn back with me, I've got all of you already in Exodus. Go back with me to the little book of Ruth. And you have that same word. Now, Ruth is right after Judges. It's back there in that area of history. And I think the word is so appropriate, it's supposed to be right after Judges. And yeah, it's still there. All right, come over to chapter 2. There's an interesting little word, and that's what made me think of it, as I was just rehearsing this, that people will say, well, we just accidentally ran into your program. No, you don't accidentally run into it, and yes, you do. But look what it says in Ruth chapter 2, and you all know the background of this little book. Ruth has come back from Moab with her mother-in-law, Nehemiah. And as you know, the story, as it unfolds, she finally ends up, of course, marrying Boaz, and that puts her in the genealogy of Christ, then, in Matthew chapter 1. But look what had to happen first. In chapter 2 of the little book of Ruth, Naomi had a kinsman, her husband, a mighty man of wealth, verse 1. And then verse 2, Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears, or kernels, of corn, after him, in whose sight I shall find grace. In other words, she didn't know where she was going, and Naomi said, Go, my daughter. And then verse 3, And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and her... What's that next word? Hap. Now, it's just H-A-P in the King James, at least, from which we get our word, what? Happen. It just happened. When I looked this up, oh, a long, long time ago in my Greek dictionary, or Hebrew, rather, out of the Strong's, and you know, the word means accidentally. Something that was not expected. But you see, on the other hand, does anything happen accidentally when it's in God's doing? No way. All right, so she, from her point of view, did not just say, Well, I'm going to go reap in Boaz's field. She just at random stopped. But it was her hap to land in the very field where she had to be to meet her future husband, which in turn put her in the genealogy of Christ. Now another interesting one just comes to mind. Leave that one and come all the way back to John's Gospel, chapter 4, because when I get on a line of thought, I just can't help it. I've got to chase them down, because I think these things are what make the Word so exciting and so interesting to really get involved in a study of it. Now, here in John's Gospel, chapter 4, you've all heard sermons on it. You know it forwards and backwards, and here we have Jesus meeting the woman at the well, the woman of Samaria. Now, Jesus forewell knew what lie ahead, whether it was an hour or two or a week or whatever. He knew. And so as they were heading up to Galilee, instead of circumventing Samaria, as all the good Jews did, Jesus insisted, This time we go through Samaria. And as He gets to the well, the old Jacob's well, He sends the disciples on into town so that they wouldn't be around to cause any controversy, because after all, you know, they weren't supposed to talk to a Samaritan. And He sits down on the well and waits. Who comes so far as she is concerned and meets Him accidentally? Well, the woman of Samaria. But it wasn't accidental, was it? Oh, the Lord knew that He was going to meet this lady. And let's just pick it up in chapter 4, where Jesus said in verse 4 that He must needs go through Samaria. And then He sends, in verse 8, the disciples to the city to buy food. But then come back to verse 7. While He's waiting at the well, what happens? There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. And you know the result of all that. She came to recognize Him as the Messiah. She ran into town and shared. Now let me show you one more, and this all has that same bearing. Nothing just accidentally happens when God is in the picture. Come back with me to Acts chapter, I think it's 16. Acts 16, when again, it was a divine appointment, no doubt about it. The seller of purple, Lydia, there now on the European continent, as Paul has come across from Asia Minor as a result of the Spirit giving him that vision to go over into Macedonia. You remember all that. Then in verse 13 of Acts chapter 16, on the Sabbath, we went out of the city by a riverside where prayer was wont to be made, and we sat down and spake to the women which resorted thitter. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord, what, opened. Isn't that beautiful? Now you see, had Paul not come to that particular little riverside park on that particular Sabbath day, she would have never heard the Word. She accidentally was, from her point of view, in the right place at the right time. But always behind it is the sovereign God. So when those of you out in television say, well, I just accidentally ran across your program and I've gotten interested in Bible, no, it's not accidental, the Lord is in it from start to finish. All right, so much for that. Now I have another announcement we have to make. These minutes fly so fast. Many of you have written over the last several months asking for written material, and here several weeks ago we announced that we had a little booklet ready of just the first three half-hour lessons starting in Genesis 1. But we weren't satisfied with that, and as I told you then, the lady out in Colorado is transcribing off the videotape onto the printed page, almost word for word. I don't know how she does it, but those of you who have read the booklet, it sounds as though I said it. I certainly didn't sit down and try to read it, or write it rather. But nevertheless, she has now completed the first twelve half-hour lessons, which are also the ones on the first six-hour tape. And so now we're going to offer this booklet, which will be exact corollary of that first six-hour tape, and we're going to offer it free if you'll just write in and ask for it. But for those of you who can't afford, we're going to let you know that it's going to cost the ministry somewhere in the near neck of the woods of five dollars. But we realize there are so many, especially of our younger couples, who are on tight budgets that just can't spare five bucks, so we're going to offer it free if they'll just simply write and ask for it, and then we'll trust that those of you who can afford to send the five bucks or a little more will not break our budget. The Lord has been good. We've been able to expand. We are now on satellite, and our budget seems to stay in the black. We still haven't been in the red. We don't have any big surplus, but we're staying where we want to. So anyway, we want to make you aware that this booklet now is available. If you'll just write to us, and we'll be more than happy to send it to you. All right, so much for announcements and so forth. Now back to Exodus, where we left off last week. And we've got the tabernacle diagrammed on the board. Nothing professional. In fact, I'm almost constantly reminded not to make my program professional. Had a gentleman tell me again the other day, he said, Les, don't you ever change a thing. Just keep on doing the way you're doing. So we're not going to apologize for the fact that this is not glitzy, and it's just simply hand-drawn. But nevertheless, before we move on into Leviticus, I'd like to have you at Exodus 40, starting at verse 1. Remember, we're still in the first 12-month period of time since they left Egypt. They've been gathered there around Sinai. And in our last programs, we were studying how all this material, the gold and the silver and the beautiful clothing, the cloth of linen and so forth, had been brought in by the people, by the Israelites. Of course, they got it when they spoiled Egypt. But nevertheless, all of this has been put together now by craftsmen, and the tabernacle is now ready to be erected. So if you'll start with me in Exodus 40, verse 1, where the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month... Now stop and think a moment. They came out of Egypt the night of the Passover in the first month, and so now this is the next first of the next year. So on the first day of the first month, which was April, thou shalt set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the veil, and then He instructs all that they should do. And now I'd like to have you come down all the way to verse 33. They have made everything functional. They have set up the tabernacle, all the furnishing is in it. Verse 33, He reared up the court, that is, that linen wall, we'll explain it now in just a second. He reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, set up the hanging of the court gate, so Moses finished the work. The whole tabernacle complex now is complete, it's set up, and it is now ready for the institution of their worship. Now verse 34, as soon as the tabernacle was set up and everything was in place, then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord, or of Jehovah, filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of the congregation. Now remember, that's only going to be left for the priest, and even Moses, great man that he was in God's service, Moses could not go in now. Once everything was set, and once the cloud, which was, of course, the very presence of the glory of God, he was not able to go in, and finishing verse 35, because the cloud, the presence of God, we call it the Shekinah glory in other places, abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Now you want to remember, this is the same cloud that made its first appearance way back when they were coming out of Goshen, and they were encamped on the shores of the Red Sea, do you remember? And the only thing that protected them from the onslaught of the Egyptians was the cloud. And to the Egyptians, do you remember, it became black darkness, and to the Israelis, to the Jews, it was His protection, and of course at night it became the pillar of fire. Now this is that same cloud that now comes and rests over the Holy of Holies, in which is the Ark of the Covenant, and it literally fills that little back room then of the tabernacle. And now then read the next verse, verse 36, this is of course looking forward now. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys. You know what that tells you? That cloud rested there, day and night. At night it was a pillar of fire, by day it was a cloud. But when God intended for the nation to pick up and move, now always remember, all the things in the tabernacle were made to be moved. They all had the rings in them, you remember, where they could put staves through it, and any time the cloud would lift and begin to move, they would take down the tabernacle, and as it was all directed, they would move until the cloud stopped. And wherever and whenever the cloud stopped, that's where the temple or the tabernacle was again set up, and Israel would encamp. Now you want to remember, there was intense organization. This wasn't a slap hazard deal at all. And as I pointed out the last time we were together, you see the 12 tribes were all encamped in their order around the tabernacle. And of course the tribe of Levi is left out here, and I didn't put in the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, who make up then the 12, even though Levi is left out. But the 12 tribes are all encamped in order around the perimeter then of the tabernacle. And then when the cloud would lift and move, it would always course toward the east, and Judah, which was encamped right in front of the main gate, Judah would always be the first tribe to go. Now of course I think that's indicative that out of what tribe did Christ come? Out of the tribe of Judah, not Reuben. Reuben was the eldest, but you see Judah circumvented all that, and he became then the leading tribe. All right, let's just finish the book of Exodus here, at least in its reading. Verse 37, if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord or of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, fire was on it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. Now get the timing here, get the chronology. This is on the 1st of April at the end of just 12 months coming out of Goshen, that night of the first Passover. And now if you'll turn with me to Numbers, skip Leviticus for just a second, we'll come back to that in our next program. But if you'll come over to Numbers chapter 10 and drop down to verse 11. Numbers chapter 10 verse 11, because I think so many people lose sight of time. First thing we think of, the tabernacle is now set up and the priesthood is all set and the sacrifices have begun. They must have sat there a long time before God came. And those of us that are associated with livestock, the first thing we think of is the supply of grass. And remember, they had multitudes of cattle and goats and sheep. So I guess what I would have to think of, as soon as the Lord realized their grass was running out, it was time to move pastures. And so we naturally think, you know, in terms of a long time. Does anybody know how long it was? You know how long it was from the time that they set up the tabernacle the first time? And as we just saw in Exodus, the Shekinah glory filled the tabernacle until God moved it and said, it's time to go. All right, look at Numbers chapter 10 verse 11. And it came to pass on the 20th day of the second month, seven weeks, seven weeks. That's not very long, is it? In fact, I'll bet those workmen almost said, but Lord, we just got through putting that thing up. And they no more than get started seven weeks or whatever many days it is from the first of April to the 20th day of May. They pick it up and they move. Now, of course, where are they headed? Well, they're headed for the promised land. And so Sinai, they're going to be heading due north in order to be ready to go in and occupy the land of milk and honey, the promised land. So I wanted you to get a picture of that, that the whole tabernacle is not going to stand there very long until God says, all right, it's time to move on. And move they did. So as you close the book of Exodus, then the tabernacle is complete and it's going. Now, in just the few moments that we've got left, this half hour is almost gone. I'm going to make just a quick review again of this tabernacle. And you probably won't get it all the first go around, but at least it'll give you an impact of how every detail, every detail of this whole tabernacle is a picture of Christ and his work of the cross, every detail of it. All right. Now, the last time we looked at it, we started as the Scripture did with the Ark of the Covenant, because everything from God's point of view moves from him out to mankind. But we're going to reverse the order now and move from the outside, the outer court, and end up then at the Ark of the Covenant. Now, this outer, I'd call it a fence or a wall, was constructed of pure white linen. The framework of that fence, I guess we'd call it the posts and the boards and so forth that stabilize it, they were all made of wood covered with gold. And then those posts were set in sockets of brass. Now, of course, the white linen, that depicted the very righteousness of Christ, the very righteousness of God, and it was nine feet tall. And the picture of it is that the common person could not look in on the things of God. And that's still true. And here again, we have to realize that, as I pointed out in our last program, it's only as we become in Christ that we begin to appreciate all these things. To the outsider, it's of no interest. So anyway, that white linen fence kept anyone from looking in on these things that were taking place, made of pure white linen. Then as you come around, remember, this is 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, 150 feet. Now, that's half the length of a football field. That's nothing small or tiny. And so as you come around then to the east, here was a gate, and again, 30 feet wide. And that gate was comprised of a curtain, again, of fine linen, but not white. This curtain, since it is the gate, and remember, who is the gate? Who is the door to the sheepfold? All through Scripture, it's Christ. And so this linen of the gate, this curtain, is comprised of the four colors that are shown throughout the tabernacle that, again, all depict Christ. And they are blue, which speaks of His heavenly origin, the purple, which speaks of His royalty, the red, which speaks of His sacrifice, and again, the pure white, which speaks of His righteousness and His holiness. So this gate of the outer fence was constructed of those four colors. Now then, as you move in toward the little tent that sits in the middle, the first thing that you would come to, of course, would be the brazen altar. Now, I guess my pictures that we had here last time, I guess we didn't get them. Maybe I'll bring them around next time. But anyhow, that brazen altar now is constructed again of that desert wood, the acacia wood, covered with not gold, but what? Brass, and that's why we call it a brazen altar. Now, all through Scripture, brass always speaks of judgment. You remember when Israel was dying from the snakebites? What kind of a serpent did God tell Moses to erect? Well, a brazen serpent, see? And it judged their sin, as they would look at the serpent. The cross, what was the reality of the work of the cross? Sin was judged, see? And so everything with respect to judgment of sin throughout Scripture will be denoted with the metal brass. And so the altar here where the sacrifices were committed was a brazen altar, wood covered with brass. Now, as you moved into the next little piece of furniture, between the brazen altar and again the curtain or the opening into the little tent was the labor of cleansing. Now, we referred to that a week or two ago, and I ran out of time, and I tried to show a lesson in the New Testament from that. And when I reviewed the tape after I got home, I was rather distraught that I could have had just two more minutes and made my point. But nevertheless, as the priest would come away from the brazen altar, he would have to stop at the labor of, what was it called? Cleansing. And it was made of brass from the women's looking glasses, filled with water. And the whole idea was that as he would look at that looking glass, what would he immediately see? His need for cleansing. And then he would wash his hands and his feet and so forth at that labor of cleansing. Now, you see how all of this just speaks of Jesus was washing the disciples' feet there in John's Gospel? And old Peter came along. You remember I told you he put his foot in his mouth, and he said, Lord, you'll not wash my feet? And what did the Lord answer? Well, if I can't wash your feet, then I have no part with you or you have no part with me. And then what was Peter's answer? Lord, give me a bath, see? And then how did the Lord respond? Peter, you and the other 10, all but Judas, you've been washed. You have your salvation. But by virtue of the fact that you're in this old sin-filled earth, what is happening in our daily walk? Well, we're being defiled. We're getting our feet dirty. And that was the whole lesson in foot washing. And then you remember I took you into Ephesians, where now Paul speaks of a daily cleansing, not with a tub of water or not with a washcloth, but with what? The cleansing of the Word. But you see, all through Scripture, you still have that apparent need of cleansing, even for the believer. Because, see, we're left here in this old world to defile them. Now, that's especially true, of course, for the Jew of Jesus' day, because where did they usually get their bathing done? Well, the central bath. And then you know what the sanitation was in those days. By the time they had slipped on their open-toed sandals and had walked all the way from the bath to their house, what condition were their feet in? They were filthy. And so even though the rest of the body was clean, yet the feet would need a washing constantly. Well, that's the lesson for us. See, even though we're believers, we've been cleansed, we're forgiven, what do we still need? We need that daily cleansing. Today, we don't get it by foot washing, we get it by simply saturating ourselves in the book. And that's why we have to constantly emphasize, you don't just get it from one hour worship service on Sunday morning, or maybe even two on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. But you see, the cleansing aspect, as well as the feeding aspect of the Word, is how many days a week? Seven. So you don't just eat once a day or once a week. You don't just clean up if you've been working in things dirty like I many times do. You don't just clean up once a week whether you need it or not. You cleanse constantly. And we have to approach the spiritual the same way. Just as soon as we've recognized a sin, a failure, what does God want us to do with it? That's what I want. He wants us to confess it. You don't have to beg forgiveness. You've already been forgiven, the Scripture says. But though we've been forgiven, though we've been cleansed, what do we need? Confession. The Lord wants us to realize that we've sinned and that we can call it what He calls. And so consequently, 1 John 1 says what? If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just then to what? To forgive and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Well, I'm not going to try to go any further. So the priest would go from the brazen altar. His next stop would be at the labor of cleansing, which was a looking-glass effect, but it also had the water. So as he saw his physical need for cleansing, he could take care of it. He would wash his hands and his feet. And then he would be ready to go on into the little tent and accomplish the daily service. Now, you want to remember for the ordinary priests, they served in rotation. They only went as far as that first room. It was only once a year. We'll be coming to that probably in the next half hour. It was only once a year on the Day of Atonement that the high priest would go any further. But in the daily ministration, the priest would go only as far as the second floor. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick. Through the Bible is a partner-supported ministry. If this program has been a help to your study of the scriptures, and you'd like to see others enjoy the teaching, your support would be greatly appreciated. Write to us at Les Feldick Ministries, 30706 West Flona Valley Road, Kenta, OK 74552, or call 1-800-369-7856. Remember, all programs are available in printed form, audio cassette, and videotape. Be sure to tune in next time to Through the Bible with Les Feldick.