TABERNACLE CONDITIONS
[p. 204] TABERNACLE CONDITIONS
John 14:21 - 24; Exodus 24:1 - 12; Exodus 25:8,9
These scriptures, dear brethren, speak about tabernacle conditions. That is, the conditions into which God can come complacently; not conditions in heaven, but such as are in heaven found here, conditions corresponding with the divine circumstances above.
I have selected the passage in John because it brings the thought down to one person. One person may provide such conditions; and if one person, of course five or ten persons, or however many may be in a locality. The bearing of Scripture is always on the present time, even although its primary application may be future. It has always a moral bearing, and that bearing is on the time and place of its being read. The place involves the persons in it. That is how God regards geographical positions; He regards them in relation to the persons in them. In the same sense He regards time according to the persons who lived in it. God reckons on that principle; we should not understand the chronicles of the Bible aside from that method which God has adopted. For whom? It is a question of the lives of His saints. Any given time is in His mind, in that way, and any given place. The Scriptures are calculated to affect us thus, for they always have a bearing on time and place. So what I may remark tonight will necessarily apply, if indeed it be the word of God, to this place and to this town. So John’s writings, as we have often heard (and the more we hear the more we believe), refer to our time in the main. They refer, of course, also to the time in which they were written, and have always had an application, for no scripture is ever a dead letter. But there is such a thing as speciality with [p. 205] God, and John represents this as much as any other — the principle of speciality. The Lord left him somewhat obscurely, in his remarks to Peter, “If I will that he abide until I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me” (John 21:22). John was following at that time; had he not been following, the Lord would have had something else to say about it, but he was following; he represents the trustworthiness that his gospel presents to us. He is said to have lived longer than any of the apostles, and his gospel was written late in his life. This would go to show that he was trustworthy; the Lord intended him to write his gospel. His gospel has a speciality peculiar to it, which commands the respect of men who read it, and the Lord is, I believe, giving it a place at the present time. It will increase in our minds as a speciality, and not the least in this, that it brings down the greatest privileges to one person, assuming as it does that one person can provide tabernacle conditions, conditions for the divine dwelling. When I speak of the divine dwelling on earth, whether it be the tabernacle of old, or the temple, or the assembly, the divine dwelling on earth is always provisional, never final. It is as if God would say, ‘Notwithstanding the power of the enemy here, I will have a place to dwell in’. That puts it on us to see that He has a place to dwell in. It is within the range of every person — every believer — to provide the conditions necessary for this. I have in mind, as I said, a locality, and I would remark in view of what I have to say, that we have always, where actual conditions suitable to God are in mind, the potentiality of them contemplated, otherwise we could never have them. I refer to 1 Corinthians; it was written to a company of saints addressed as “the assembly of God” in that town or city. They were young converts; we have often spoken of the Corinthians as in a low condition, and they were when the apostle wrote, but they were [p. 206] young converts, perhaps of not more than eighteen months, some less. Most of them came out of the darkness of paganism in that short time. This, however, does not excuse the sorrowful conditions there, for the Son of God, as the apostle says, was preached among them in a threefold way — by himself, Silvanus, and Timotheus. You may be sure that they had the best preaching possible, and all that accompanied that preaching — ministering and teaching — so there was no excuse for the conditions described in the letters. But still we have to bear in mind how young they were, and consider ourselves as to what we are relatively. It is only in this way that we can measure things aright. We should consider ourselves, consider the teaching we have had, and consider the length of our experience in the things of God, and then measure what we may think of others — that is the thought. What formation has there been in us in the course of a year or two?
In regard to the potentiality I referred to earlier, the apostle says in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”. He does not say, ‘You ought to be the temple of God’, but “ye are”. It was a poor thing that they did not know these things, but evidently they did not; but the facts were there, and the facts are what I may call potential. Another thing the apostle says is that he does not speak after the manner of men among them. The apostle also tells them that they were allowing leaven among them, he says they were worse than the gentiles, that such things as were among them were not even among the nations. They were worse than pagans; yet the apostle says, “According as ye are unleavened” (1 Corinthians 5:7), that is potential, and it is the basis of recovery, the basis of conditions for the divine dwelling. I say this for our encouragement,
[p. 207] dear brethren, God takes account of us potentially as well as concretely. If the concrete does not agree with the potential then there is need for rebuke, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. John helps greatly because he carries the thought down to one person, and he has in mind that from the outset the idea should be set forth from the divine side. So he tells us that “the Word became flesh”, that is to say, Jesus is presented to us as God — as a divine Person. In the early part of chapter 1 it says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), or ‘tabernacled’ as the word is. Hence there was there some idea of tabernacle conditions; they were not made for Him; He made them Himself in coming in. “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us”. What an atmosphere of holiness was there prepared and encircling that holy Person; we can look at Him thus from the very outset in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Spirit in Luke guards the thought, “The holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God” (Luke 1:35). There was a substance of holiness there which nothing could touch or corrupt, a body indeed prepared. John presents Him as “the Word” — “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” — and in that same chapter the baptist calls attention to Him as “the Lamb of God”. Certain of his disciples then followed Jesus. Jesus sees them following and says, “What seek ye?” (verse 38). He would bring out what was in their hearts, as He always does; if there is one here whose attention is called to Jesus, the Lord would probe you and ask you questions as to Himself. There is no better way of instruction than that, especially for young people. “What seek ye?”. They say, “Rabbi”, that is what they called Him, that was the state of their souls. He was much greater, but they used that word. You might say, That is not a word to use [p. 208] when there was a greater revealed word; but they spoke according to what was in their mind. What they felt was the need of a teacher; as the evangelist carefully tells us, the word ‘Rabbi’ means teacher — how much that is needed today! It is the idea of teaching generally that is in mind, the need of teaching is most urgent; I mean teaching in the sense that ‘Rabbi’ expresses — Teacher or Master — not simply such teaching as I am giving to you now, for I leave what I have to say to you, and may never say a word to any of you again perhaps — that is not the thought of teaching in John. The thought of teaching is that the truth is engrafted, forged into the soul in power; that was the Lord’s way — that is the meaning of ‘Rabbi’, Teacher, Master. It is not instruction that is optional; there is too much of that, the saints being allowed to be as ignorant as they please. It is a disgrace to be ignorant when there is so much teaching; it is to our discredit to be ignorant. We should carry out the things that are presented to us so that they become useful. What good is knowledge if it is not useful? We should become active and practical. These two say, “Rabbi, where abidest thou?” They wanted to know where He abode; He says, “Come and see”. That is His way, and that is what He would say to anyone who is interested in what He is doing. The Lord would say, “Come and see” — not ‘see Me teaching’, but ‘see Me at home in My own place’. Where this place was Scripture does not tell us, but the place is to be found; John makes it a point. How do we get these things? That is a matter of spiritual importance. “They went therefore, and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day”, and then it says, “It was about the tenth hour”. This day would never be forgotten by these two brothers; they would gain much in their souls which would be for the structure of the tabernacle; they would begin to understand, by what they [p. 209] saw on that day, what would be required for the divine dwelling.
So again, John tells us at the beginning of chapter 8, after the disciples went to their own homes, that Jesus went to the mount of Olives. That would confirm what Luke says, that He always did that; it was His habit. If one could but follow Him there adoringly as John presents it! No one did, no one was interested enough to do it; but oh! beloved brethren, think of it, if any one had taken it up and followed Jesus, as He wended His way to the base and then to the summit of Olivet! What happened? ... John tells us, “We have contemplated his glory”, possibly he had been with Him there; there is no doubt he was in a certain garden near by, to which the Lord often resorted with His disciples. I mention this now to show how John leads us to this thought of the divine abode; it is not a place like Olivet now, but with a person or persons — “We will come to him and make our abode with him”.
I want to come back for a moment to the verses in Exodus, to show how in the types all this is supported. I would say at once that conditions for divine dwelling are only furnished by a heavenly people; and not only a heavenly people, but a people who have some insight into heaven, a matter which is spiritually possible, as these types show us.
The first thing mentioned in our chapter in Exodus is that Jehovah says to Moses, “Go up to Jehovah, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel”. God has a dwelling in mind; that is what the chapter shows, also the next chapter, and the next, indeed the whole main part of the book. That word is to us, dear brethren, God would say, ‘Come up, come up’. Then we are told after this word, that “Moses came and told the people all the words of Jehovah”. That is the second point, and it says, “All the people answered with one [p. 210] voice, and said, All the words that Jehovah has said will we do!” We may say that they were foolish, and in a certain sense they were, but I was thinking that it was a necessity here to introduce the element of obedience; without that, beloved brethren, there cannot be anything for God; there could be no material for God without that. All the people joined in, and God accepted for the moment what they said for the purpose in hand. Then Moses got up early in the morning — it was a fine moment when the people took the ground of obedience — how God loves that! “He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me”. Obedience is the fruit of love, “He that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him”. Such is the person who loves Christ, such the esteem in which He is held in heaven. A person who loves Christ keeps His commandments because he loves Him; that is the point here. Moses got up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars. It is as much as to say, now that obedience is proffered, God can go on, service can go on, great divine projects can go on. How great these thoughts are — and they can apply to a single believer here; if God has only one He can go on. That is a great fact showing how valuable an obedient christian is!
Then notice the various uses Moses makes of the various offerings that are offered; half the blood is put in basons, and half is sprinkled on the altar, and the blood is sprinkled on the people as well. The book of the covenant is there, as we read in Hebrews; Moses had already written down the things after the people had undertaken to obey. It is worth while writing if there is obedience, but it is of no use if there is no obedience. The people are useless if there is no obedience. The spirit of the testimony is on the principle of faith to faith. Where does faith [p. 211] come from? It comes from God, without faith there is nothing for God. Moses read the words of the covenant to the people and they again say. “All that Jehovah has said will we do, and obey!”. That is the position in Exodus 24. In that position the work of God can proceed; the blood of the covenant is there in its fulness to affect our hearts, for God would have a satisfied people, not only an obedient people but a satisfied people, filled with His love. He satisfies us, He does not simply reckon upon our proper obedience, but upon the power of His love in our hearts. Love never fails in God’s heart, nor even in the heart of a christian, certainly never in the heart of God. In principle it never fails, and God can rely on that.
After all this, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy men go up and see the God of Israel; that is the heavenly position. God would tell us this night in this town that if that position is to be achieved, it must be by a heavenly people and by no other. God would have us understand something of divine circumstances. So these people went up, and then they saw the God of Israel, and they ate and drank before Him — they are called nobles up there. The record is that “on the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand”. Perfect love casts out fear; there is nothing that God is not complacent with, in these circumstances. The nobles of Israel were there, and they ate and drank before Him; there is a spirit of communion up there. God is complacent, but the Mediator must be there, hence Moses has to go up higher. God says, Under these circumstances “I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments that I have written, for their instruction”. It is under these circumstances that God undertakes to furnish all that is needed in the way of instruction. “For their instruction”, typically alludes to all that has come down [p. 212] to us through Christ, the great Mediator, gone far above the heavens. He has sent down the Holy Spirit, as Peter tells us in his epistle, “They ministered those things, which have now been announced to you ... by the Holy Spirit, sent from heaven” (1 Peter 1:12). It is all instruction for us; this is how it should read, “I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law, and the commandment that I have written, for their instruction”. It is not ‘I will write’, but “that I have written” for their instruction. Are we devoid of instruction? No, beloved brethren, I am thinking of the volume of instruction today, that is the position in this section, that the people should be abundantly instructed, so that they should know what is required of them, and do what is required of them. It is said of the Lord Jesus in Acts 1:1 — the great church book — “all things which Jesus began both to do and to teach”. The doing and the teaching must go together. The apostle Paul was taken up in due course in perfect tabernacle conditions, and John shows us how they may be found in one person who is a lover of Christ. A lover of Christ must first keep His commandments, and secondly keep His word. The commandments are in a general way negative; they mean that I have to leave all that is contrary to the divine mind in regard to the dwelling. 1 Timothy, and 1 and 2 Corinthians cover the commandments; but before we understand them we must act on 2 Timothy. If there is one who has not left conditions that God described as not according to His mind, the word I would use for you today is, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19), that is the commandment. The positive side is, “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). There are such, they do exist, the apostle supposes they do exist. Just as the Lord supposes that there [p. 213] are lovers of God, so today 2 Timothy contemplates that there are persons who call on the Lord out of a pure heart; it is for you to find them. If you have not found them, you are not a seeker, for it says, “Seek, and ye shall find”. If you love the Lord Jesus you will find them.
That is the first thing, that sets you free from what is contrary. 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, Titus and Hebrews teach us as to the positive side of things; that is to say, tabernacle conditions are all bound up in the words of the Lord, “If any one love me, he will keep my word”. What was His word? The next thing is, My words, “He that loves me not does not keep my words”. How many there are who do not keep the words of Jesus, who do not love Jesus. What are His words? They are the Father’s words; such is the importance of them, that not only are they the words of Christ, but they are the Father’s words. The Father spoke in them, such is the wondrous fact about the revelation — the Father was there in Jesus. There was not one Person, but there were two Persons, that is the fullest idea; there was not one Person but two Persons so united that the Father was actually there, doing and speaking the words. The Lord says this to enhance the importance of what He was doing. He says, “They have both seen and hated both me and my Father” (John 15:24). So the Father had to do with these words; and a lover of Jesus cherishes them in his heart and keeps them. His word or words imply tabernacle conditions; the commandments of course enter into that too, but the commandments deliver us from all that is evil whilst the word brings us into what is positive or constructive. The word conveys what God has in His mind as to His dwelling, what He cherishes. It is as if He were to bring a pattern down. He says to Moses, See that the tabernacle you make is according to the pattern.
[p. 214] The next chapter brings out what material was secured, it refers to heavenly materials, such as are in heaven. What God reposes in there, He wants down here; the saints in the power of the Spirit provide this material. That is what the second part of Exodus means; lovers of God provide what God requires, according to the pattern of the great Mediator “ascended up above all the heavens” (Ephesians 4:10). He brings down to us by His Spirit the pattern of what is required, and also the material, what is worked out in us. So, dear brethren, the question is now, What is there here? The Lord would say to us, What have you got? That is a word to every locality, What is there in the way of conditions?
Now in the chapter I read in John, dear brethren, verse 21 refers to the commandments, and I believe the Lord’s supper enters into that. “He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; but he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him”; the Lord Jesus loves the person who keeps His commandments, and the Father loves him, and the Lord Jesus manifests Himself to that person. This is a most precious suggestion; it is not yet the dwelling, but it is most precious to be loved by Jesus, singled out as keeping His commandments; as one of His lovers I am loved by the Father, and manifested to by Jesus. The Lord manifests Himself to you, and that enters into the Lord’s supper, as I understand it. In John it does not speak of the Lord’s supper, but it speaks of what goes with it, what is essential to it. That is the first thing; then the Supper comes. It speaks in verse 21 of the manifestation of Jesus, that is sure to set you in movement if you are a lover, that is the intent of it. He manifests Himself, and finishes with setting them in movement; how essential it is to be set in movement spiritually. “Judas, not the Iscariote, says to him, Lord, how [p. 215] is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us and not to the world?”. He puts himself among the lovers of Christ. The Lord says, “If any one love me, he will keep my word”, it is not now ‘keep My commandment’, but “my word”; that refers to what was in the Lord’s mind. If we are near Him He will always tell us what is in His mind; He was thinking of the Father; so He says, “If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him”. That means that that person or persons represented furnished tabernacle conditions. This is a great fact and it is within our range; it is a question of keeping the word or words of Jesus. It tells us expressly that the words were the Father’s words, “The word which ye hear is not mine, but that of the Father who has sent me”.
Now I begin to think of what God requires, I fully recognise the commandment. As we were saying yesterday there are three kinds of love that enter into the assembly setting: the love of Christ, the love of God in the new covenant, and the Father’s love for Christ. We want to understand these three kinds of love and know how to move in relation to each.
The bread in the Lord’s supper signifies the love of Christ, “This is my body, which is for you”. In 1 Corinthians we do not get the word ‘given for you’, but “This is my body, which is for you”. That is significant; I suppose the Lord meant that it was for us gentiles as well as for the Jews. The Lord would have us understand that there is nothing missed at all, we are not forgotten as to anything, all the best things belong to us. So in Ephesians 2 when the Spirit of God is speaking about the dwelling, He tells us what we are, “Fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God”, that is a general thought, but he finishes up by saying, “In whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit”. “Ye also”, we are not left out; there are the greatest things for the most distant gentile believer, not one is left out in the mind of God. I say to myself, ‘I also’, that means that at one time others had a greater privilege than I, but not now — I have come into the greatest things! Can I believe that? We have to understand the love of Christ in the bread, “This is my body, which is for you”; if it is for me, What am I thinking about it? What is it to me?
Then there is “the new covenant in my blood, ... poured out for you”, not for many but “for you”. It comes home to me, What is it? It is the covenant love of God taking account of me, that love is in my heart to set me free. Perfect love casts out fear.
In John 17:26 the Lord says to His Father, “I have made known to them thy name, and will make it known; that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them”; that is the Father’s love for the Son; we are brought into that. We must not proceed in the service of God in tabernacle conditions in relation to that love, in such terms or hymns or prayers or thanksgivings as allude to the first love, or the second love; we must proceed in terms belonging to that love. How great it is!
That is all I have to say. I hope the dear brethren will understand and follow up the thoughts, especially in regard to the heavenly side; this must be provided by a heavenly people. It is not simply that we come together to break bread every Lord’s day, and give out a hymn and give thanks, but we should regard the order that is proper to the assembly. The Lord is looking for this, as He said to Moses, “I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law, and the commandment that I have written, for their instruction”. The Lord has given us wonderful instruction in this very place; let us profit by it and make it really our own. God expects reality and results.