God's Plan -- The Wilderness Wanderings

The first principle the Hebrews were supposed to learn in their journey across the desert was that God is in their presence and would not leave them.

Christ Is in Our Presence

The Pillar of Smoke and Fire was Christ’s figurative appearance as Israel’s protector and guide through the wilderness wanderings.

Exodus 13:21 “The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night”  See also Numbers 9:15-23.

This was not just some phenomena created by God, but is was the Lord God Himself in their presence.  And the manifestation had a purpose, to guide the people, not just to be a curiosity (tourist attraction), to guide the people to a destination.

Exodus 33:9-11 “When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.  As all the people saw the pillar of cloud remaining at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in worship, each one at the door of his tent. 

The Lord spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent”

Notice the similarities during the Transfiguration:

Matthew 17:5 “While he [Peter] was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered[a] them, and a voice from the cloud said:

'This is My beloved Son.  I take delight in Him.  Listen to Him!'"

God is in our presence, available by prayer any time, and we are privileged to be able to approach the throne room of the universe directly without priestly intercessor. God wants us to speak with Him as Moses did literally in the wilderness.

Psalms 145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there am I in their midst.”

Colossians 1:25, 26, 27 “Of this church...that is, the mystery which has been hidden from past generations...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Implements of the Tabernacle are a model of Christ's redemptive work.

The materials of the Tabernacle each represent an aspect of Christ's divinity, power, righteousness and role as Savior of the world:

• Gold - represents the Deity and Kingship of Christ
• Acacia wood - the thorn bush of the desert, speaking of Christ’s humanity
• White linen - represents righteousness
• Porpoise skins - grey outside speaks of no form or comeliness
• Silver sockets - the entire structure rests on the blood of the lamb

The Fence, made of white linen, represents Christ’s righteousness, and is covered by porpoise skins, to cover any form or comeliness that we would not desire (the lust of the eye) Christ for the wrong reason. Resting on silver sockets, which is Christ's blood.   Exodus 38:25,27

The Entrance, the only one, is immediately in front would be the brazen altar. This represents how the door to salvation is opened by sacrifice (the cross). Only sanctified priests were allowed through the entrance, and as Christians who have accepted Christ’s sacrifice, we may enter through the second veil to the Holy of Holies, God’s presence.  Isaiah 53:2-5, 10-11; John 10:9, 14:6; Acts 4:12

The Brazen Altar is made of brass, signifying fire, or judgment. The fire was never allowed to go out (Lev 6:12, 13), and without offering blood on the altar, no one could go further into the tabernacle.  Exodus 27:1,8

The Laver, somewhat like a bathtub, also made of brass, holds water for washing and purification. We are washed by the Word of God.   Exodus 30:17-21, 38:8 Ephesians 5:26

The Table of Showbread represents the ‘Bread of Life’ that every believer can partake.

The Menorah was seven candles that represent the Light of the World

The Altar of Incense represents the prayers of the Saints, a fragrance that rises to heaven

Christ is the Living Water

The rock that was struck gave forth living water. This is a model of Christ.

Exodus 17:3, 4, 6 “But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, ‘Why now have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

By being “struck”, Christ yields living water.  But 30 years later, the model was broken by Moses:

Numbers 20:1, 2, 7, 8 “Then the sons of Israel came into the wilderness of Zin at Kadesh. And there was no water for the congregation; and...the people contended with Moses saying, ‘If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our beasts to die here?’...Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation drink.’

Moses failed to act out the model correctly, calling the Lord the second time:

Numbers 20:9-12 So...Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And Moses said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

A stiff penalty for what appears to be a small mistake, but God was showing the people a model of Christ’s two appearances, the first to be “struck” and the other with a shout.  Also, Moses took credit for the miracle that belonged to God.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

Christ is Manna (The Bread of Life)

Christ is the bread of life to the undeserving and ungrateful.

Exodus 16:2-5 “And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness...and said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger’. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. And it will come about on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”

God provides what we need, but that is never enough to the spiritually dead.

Numbers 11:4-9 Contemptible people among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites cried again and said, “Who will feed us meat?  We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.  But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!” 

The manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium.  The people walked around and gathered it. They ground it on a pair of grinding stones or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a pastry cooked with the finest oil.  When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

This proves conclusively that doughnuts are scriptural food!

Christ is the bread of life even to those who detest Him!

Numbers 21:5 “And the people spoke out against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

Some despise spiritual food, and do not give God the glory for what has been given to them.

John 6:35, 51 “Jesus said to them ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst...I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh’.”

Christ is the Cure for Sin

You can take the people out of Egypt, but you can’t take Egypt out of the people.

Numbers 21:5-9 The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness?  There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”  Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.  The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that He will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”  So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.

Bronze signifies judgment; the serpent represents sin throughout the Bible.  Jesus explained this symbolism to Nicodemus (a ruler and teacher of the Jews)

John 3:12-16 If I have told you about things that happen on earth and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about things of heaven?  No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 had a different (more profound) meaning to me when I realized He was speaking and said this about Himself.

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Scripture citations are from:  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson