Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20100502.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part II: God's Forming Israel To Heed Him, Exodus 15:22-40:38
K. God's Directive Of The Tabernacle To Fellowship With His People
1. The Ark And Mercy Seat: Overcoming Man's Sin Barrier With God
(Exodus 25:10-22 et al.)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Many folk around the world are anxious over the issues of livelihood, human overseers and national preservation needs:

    (1) Regarding livelihood needs, the April 26, 2010 issue of The Wall Street Journal, p. C6 ran Ray Brindal's article, "Australia Fears Locust Plague" that stated: "A plague of swarming locusts is casting a shadow over this country's efforts to revive its rice production."

    This plague concerns the "international markets" because "(t)he falloff in Australia's output of the grain contributed to the spike in rice prices in 2008, which led to hoarding around the world."

    (2) Also, many wonder about the security of their livelihoods: An April 28, 2010 AP story, "World markets tumble as euro debt crisis escalates", circulated on the Internet, asserting "fears that Greece's debt crisis would spread like wildfire through Europe . . ." hurt the markets.

    (3) The quality of man's livelihood is a concern: the story, "China Ponders Imposing New Property Taxes" on page A14 of The Wall Street Journal cited above told how China's government fears a housing "bubble": "(p)rices in major cities . . . are increasingly making property unaffordable for large portions of the population, and have become a focus of public discontent." Officials have "'a sense of urgency . . . to ease prices . . . [because such a] rich-poor disparity is troubling'" says Central China Securities analyst, Wu Jianxiong. (Ibid.)

    (4) However, in our own nation, the issue of anxiety over human overseers and our national preservation captured our focus last week in Arizona: page A9 of the paper ran Miriam Jordan's story, "Immigration Law Boosts Governor," that told how due "to public outrage after the death of a rancher near the U.S.-Mexico border" by a Mexican drug cartel, Governor Jan Brewer signed "an immigration enforcement bill." In doing so, she clarified: "'We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of drug cartels'. She blamed the federal government for ignoring Arizona's border-related troubles." (Ibid.)

    (5) Such issues concern believers locally: not a week goes by without some believer sharing with me issues of concern dealing with job security, investing concerns, high government taxation and issues affecting the quality of the leadership and security of the country!

    So, we ask, "In view of a relentless bent to feel ANXIOUS over the issues of LIVELIHOOD, OVERSEERS and NATIONAL PRESERVATION issues, what would God suggest?!"

    Need: "In facing relentless anxieties over livelihood, overseers or the nation's preservation, what would God want us to DO about it?!"

  1. In Exodus 25:1-9, God told Israel to build a tabernacle that would foreshadow how Christ would bridge the relationship gap between a holy God and sinful man so that God might meet man's needs.
  2. The first item in the tabernacle named typified Christ's death for sin especially for man's SINFUL ANXIETIES over LIVELIHOOD, OVERSEER and NATIONAL PRESERVATION , Exodus 25:10-22:
    1. God had Israel build an ark with a mercy seat lid to depict Christ's death on the cross, an event forming the basis of the forgiveness of sin and fellowship between a holy God and sinful man, Exodus 25:10-22:
      1. The ark was a box built of acacia wood and overlaid with gold, Exodus 25:10-11. Four gold rings were attached to its corners through which acacia poles overlaid with gold were inserted for the priests to handle in carrying the ark, Exodus 25:12-16.
      2. The acacia wood typified Christ's human nature and the gold His divine nature, a picture of the Incarnate Son of God, John 1:1, 14.
      3. A mercy seat, the lid for this ark, was made of pure gold, upon which two gold cherub angel figures were placed facing each other with their wings over stretching the mercy seat, and their faces gazing down at the top of the mercy seat itself, Exodus 25:17-20.
      4. Leviticus 16:1-2, 13-14 shows the sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat to appease God's wrath against man's sin once a year, on the Day of Atonement! (Hebrews 9:25)
      5. Based on this ritual, God would speak with man as a Spirit dwelling in the space over the mercy seat where the blood was to be sprinkled, for fellowship between God and man is based on the atoning death of Christ on the cross, Ex. 25:21-22; Heb. 9:24-28!
    2. Now, three realms of sin constantly plagued Israel, and these were typified in three articles that were kept in the ark under the mercy seat:
      1. Hebrews 9:4 claims a pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded and the tables of the law were kept in the ark under the mercy seat.
      2. Notably, each item CONSTANTLY reminded God of Israel's SIN of UNBELIEF regarding an issue of RELENTLESS ANXIETY:
        1. The pot of manna constantly reminded God of Israel's relentless sins of unbelieving anxiety over her livelihood: (1) God gave Israel the manna after she feared He had led her into the wilderness to starve, Ex. 16:2-4! (2) After God sent her the manna, some feared He might not continue giving it, so they kept some of it overnight against God's will, and it bred worms and smelled, Ex. 16:19-20. (3) Then, when God told the people to save His extra provision of manna the day before the Sabbath so they would not have to pick up manna on that day of rest, some doubted the quality of that provision, refusing to obey, so they went hungry on the Sabbath, Exodus 16:22-28! (4) Such unbelief in God re: livelihood issues plagued Israel throughout her wilderness travels, Ex. 15:22-24; 17:1-2; Numbers 11:4-10.
        2. The rod of Aaron constantly reminded God of Israel's relentless unbelieving anxiety relative to human overseers: (1) after Korah's rebellion against Israel's leaders in Aaron and Moses, God had Aaron's rod miraculously bud almond blossoms and nuts overnight to show He wanted Aaron to be the high priest, no one else, thus discrediting Korah's uprising, Numbers 16:1-17:13. (2) Such unbelief in God re: her leaders repeatedly afflicted Israel as illustrated in Num. 12:1-16; 14:1-4.
        3. The law tables constantly reminded God of Israel's relentless unbelieving anxiety related to national preservation: (1) this set of tables was made by Moses after he broke the first set God made: Moses broke the first set when he saw Israel practicing idolatry (Ex. 32:19; 34:1), a sin growing out of Israel's anxiety over God's absence with Moses' 40-day stay with Him on Sinai! Aaron had made an idol to comfort the anxious nation, saying it had been the god to deliver them as a nation out of Egypt, Ex. 32:1-4! (2) Such unbelief in God re: her national preservation repeatedly plagued Israel, Numbers 13:25-14:1; Joshua 7:5-11.
    3. So, God kept the pot of manna, Aaron's rod and the law tables under the mercy seat where the sprinkled blood typifying Christ's death would constantly intercept His wrath upon Israel for her relentlessly faithless anxieties , Ex. 16:33-34; Num. 17:10 and Ex. 25:21b!
Application: If we struggle over relentless anxieties, (1) may we trust in Christ to be saved, John 1:11-12. (2) Then, may we RELY on God to supply all we need on such issues versus doubting Him!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 We have a great illustration of this message in the life of Elijah:

(1) Re: livelihood concerns: when God had Elijah tell Israel's idolatrous king Ahab there would be a multi-year famine in critique of Ahab's pagan god Baal, a fertility deity (1 Kings 17:1; 16:30-34), God had Elijah hide from Ahab by the Brook Cherith, 1 Kings 17:2-3.

Then, God built up Elijah's faith in His capacity to provide for his livelihood versus Baalism: (a) He promised to feed Elijah with ravens, 1 Kings 17:4! That meant a miracle, for ravens "normally neglect their own young (Job 38:41)"! ( Bib. Kno. Com., O. T., p. 524) Yet, God used ravens to feed Elijah a balanced diet of carbohydrates and protein morning and evening for an extended time, 1 Kings 17:5f!

When the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to live with a poor widow of Zarephath, and He kept supplying every meal miraculously to feed him, her and her son until the famine ended, 1 Kings 17:7-15.

Also, when the widow's son died, God used Elijah to raise him from the dead so God's promise to supply food for all three of them until the famine ended could be fulfilled, 1 Kings 17:16-24.

Such miraculous supplies in a famine critiqued Ahab's beliefs that held a famine meant Baal was unavailable to help, 1 Kings 18:27.

(2) Re: overseer concerns: with his faith in God over Baalism thus bolstered, Elijah was sent by God to succeed in faith at a public contest against Ahab's prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, 1 Kings 18:1-46. Elijah's success there impacted his nation to trust God, filling a vacuum of good leadership left by evil Ahab, 1 Kings 18:38f.

(3) Re: national preservation concerns: when God later took Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:9-12 NIV), Elisha called out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" Elijah's faith in God's livelihood supply that led to his stand for God on Mount Carmel that elicited Israel's faith had kept Israel safe from judgment by invasion ! Elijah had been Israel's last line of defense, her "chariots and horsemen", and Elishah confessed it as he left him!

God seeks Elijahs today, men who will trust Him for living, overseer and national preservation issues to impact others like Elijah!

May we trust in Christ for salvation, and trust Him regarding issues of livelihood, good overseer vacuums and national preservation issues as Elijah did to be used of God like he was!