Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, October 5, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-10-05-2017

This is devotional thought number 22 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: A Higher Level

Here’s the question for consideration: What lesson could God be teaching us as Moses prepares to meet God in the cloud?

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.” (Exodus 24:12–15).

This is getting good! So, God has given Moses all sorts of instructions preparing Him and the people for one seminal moment—being called into the highest order of God’s presence to receive the commandments and full ceremonial blueprint. The time had come. Moses and His mystery minister, Joshua (now you know who he was) were to travel up the mountain while the others awaited their return. If you are paying attention, and possibly reading ahead, you have counted three stations. You have identified the base of the mount, outside the border as a symbol of the outer court. You have identified the area of the mount where everyone besides Moses and Joshua were to await Moses’ return, as a symbol of the holy place. Now, you recognize the top of the mountain as the holy of holies. Then there's the enfolding cloud of God’s presence. Wait! That’s four stations. You should be curious. There were only three stations in the sanctuary setup; the most holy place being the full presence of God. Where does this fourth place come in? Don’t worry. The Bible says that the earthly sanctuary is a shadow of heavenly things. We beat that horse to death. Therefore, there is still more we can learn about heavenly things as we look at this pre-sanctuary lesson. You see, even when the high priests went into the holiest of all, once per year, they were still appearing before God as He hovered above a handcrafted ark with handcrafted angel figurines, not the actual throne of God with live covering cherubs. So, the fourth station we see in our lesson can be seen as a foretaste of God’s actual presence, which the holy of holies prefigured. Think about it: Aaron was to become the leader of the priestly order, including high priests. Yet, they had to tarry as Moses and Joshua went a bit further to commune with God. These two men, Moses and Joshua, represent the grandest potential in moving into God’s presence. The ones responsible for leading God’s people to Promised Land, were the only ones permitted to enter so closely to God’s space. I find it curious that the man who would ultimately take the Israelites into the promise was so close to Moses as he was enfolded into the cloud with God. Joshua, the one whose Hebrew name is the same as our Saviour’s, was being prepared, unwittingly, to replace the beloved Moses as Israel’s God-directed deliverer.

I am so glad that God is always willing to take us a little higher in our relationship with Him. He is always ready to give us fuller perspectives and vision concerning things to come. If we are willing to follow wherever He leads, we will soon discover that He has led us all the way to the kingdom of glory. Keep following. Keep marching. Stay focused.—L. David Harris (www.LDavidHarris.com)