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In addition to receiving the divine revelation concerning God Himself, the children of Israel received the divine revelation concerning God's economy so that they might be built up together with God in His Divine Trinity as His dwelling place on earth for His testimony—Exo. 25—40:
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That God's people were to be built up together with Him is indicated by the materials that were to be used for the building of the tabernacle:
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The boards of the tabernacle were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold; the boards of acacia wood are a type of God's people, and the gold overlaying the boards is a type of the divine person—26:15-30.
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Thus, the boards of acacia wood overlaid with gold signify God's people being built up together with God to be His dwelling place; from this we see not only that God's people are the building materials for His dwelling place but also that God Himself is the building material.
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In the tabernacle we can see a picture of the Divine Trinity:
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The Ark, the table of the bread of the Presence, and the incense altar all signify Christ the Son.
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The Father is signified by the gold, for in typology gold signifies the divine nature of God.
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The Spirit is signified by the oil in the seven lamps in the lampstand; if the lamps had no oil, they would be useless, and there would not be any light in the tabernacle.
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Also, the lampstand, which was a single entity, signifies the Triune God:
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The gold signifies the Father, the form signifies the Son, and both the lamps and the oil signify the Spirit.
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This is a revelation of God's people being built up with the Triune God to be His dwelling place on earth.
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The forty-eight boards of the tabernacle correspond to the forty-eight cities given to the Levites; six of these cities were to be cities of refuge; the most striking point regarding the cities of refuge is that they were enterable—Num. 35:6-7, 9-34:
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Eventually, these forty-eight cities of the Levites will consummate in a unique city—the New Jerusalem; the tabernacle revealed in Exodus is a miniature of this unique city.
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In the New Testament, God's testimony is the church, the Body of Christ, and in eternity this testimony will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which is also called a tabernacle—Rev. 1:2, 9; 19:10; 21:3.
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In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was with the children of Israel, and in the New Testament the tabernacle is first Christ (John 1:14) and then the church as the enlargement of Christ; in eternity there will be the ultimate, consummate tabernacle, the New Jerusalem; in each case the striking point is that the tabernacle is enterable; Hallelujah, the Triune God is enterable!
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In the book of Leviticus, God trained His people to worship and partake of Him and to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life.
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 26:15 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up.Psa. 84:1-4 How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Jehovah of hosts! My soul longs, indeed even faints, for the courts of Jehovah….At Your two altars even the sparrow has found a home; and the swallow, a nest for herself, where she may lay her young…. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house…
In addition to receiving the divine revelation concerning God Himself, the children of Israel received the divine revelation concerning God's economy that they might be built up together with God in His Divine Trinity as His dwelling place on earth for His testimony (Exo. 25—40).
That God's people were to be built up together with Him is indicated by the materials which were to be used for the building of the tabernacle. For instance, the boards of the tabernacle, like the Ark, were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The boards of acacia wood are a type of God's people, and the gold overlaying the boards is a type of the divine person. Thus, the boards of acacia wood overlaid with gold signify God's people being built up together with God to be His dwelling place. From this we see that not only are God's people the building materials for His dwelling place but also that God Himself is the building material. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 349-350)
Today's Reading
In the tabernacle we can see a picture of the Divine Trinity. It is rather easy to see that the tabernacle reveals Christ the Son. For example, the Ark, the table of the bread of the Presence, and the incense altar all signify the Son. But where do we see God the Father and God the Spirit? The Father is signified by the gold, for in typology gold signifies the nature of God, which, no doubt, is related to God the Father. God the Spirit is signified by the oil in the seven lamps in the lampstand. If the lamps had not had oil, they would have been useless, and there would not have been any light in the tabernacle. (Here we would also point out that the lampstand, which is a single entity, signifies the Triune God. The gold signifies the Father, the form signifies the Son, and the oil signifies the Spirit.) Therefore, with the tabernacle we have the Triune God—with the Son signified by the furniture, the Father signified by the gold, and the Spirit signified by the oil—and humanity, signified by the acacia wood. This is a revelation of God's people being built up with the Triune God to be His dwelling place on earth.The entire tabernacle was God's testimony….This means that the tabernacle was a portrait of the Triune God. Furthermore, the Triune God is actually His own dwelling place, for the Dweller and the dwelling are one. The Dweller is the dwelling place.
The forty-eight boards of the tabernacle correspond to the forty-eight cities given to the Levites. Six of these cities were to be refuge cities. The most striking point regarding the refuge cities is that they were enterable. Eventually, these forty-eight cities of the Levites will consummate in a unique city—the New Jerusalem. The tabernacle revealed in Exodus is a miniature of this unique city. In the Old Testament God's testimony was the tabernacle, and in the New Testament it is the church, the Body of Christ. In eternity this testimony will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which is also called a tabernacle (Rev. 21:3). Thus, there was a tabernacle in the Old Testament, there is a tabernacle in the New Testament, and there will be a tabernacle in eternity. In the Old Testament the tabernacle was with the children of Israel, and in the New Testament the tabernacle is firstly Christ (John 1:14) and then the church as the enlargement of Christ. In eternity there will be the ultimate, consummate tabernacle, the New Jerusalem. In each case, the striking point is that the tabernacle is enterable. An entry into the tabernacle is available to us today. Hallelujah, the Triune God is enterable! (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 350-351)
Further Reading: Life-study of Numbers, msg. 49