Moses rolled over and sat up. The red dirt of Sinai clung to the folds of his garment. It took a few minutes for him to gather his thoughts. All sense of time was lost. “I’ve never felt such peace,” he said with a sigh.

He looked around and found he was still enveloped in the light of God’s presence. “It feels like a dream. Of course, that’s it,” he said to himself. “I was dreaming.” He smiled and closed his eyes again.

In his mind’s eye, he saw the entry gate before him. Each color radiated life. What do they mean to God? He wondered.

He considered the four colors again and reasoned in his mind.

In Egypt, the temple priests wear white. Egyptian artists paint the heavens and the life-giving waters of the Nile with the bluest blue. Royalty are the only ones who wear purple. “But red puzzles me,” he said out loud as if expecting a response.

“Red is the color of war, anger, sacrifice, death, and blood. Why would that color be on the gate of the house of God? I still have a lot to learn.” He continued talking to himself, trying to make sense of what God was telling him and showing him.

“God is giving me His perfect pattern. Every word He speaks to me has a divine purpose. My job is to remember what He tells me, tell it to the people, and make sure they create everything according to the pattern. Understanding will come when He is ready for us to know.”

~~

Moses didn’t have the revelation yet that we discussed last time. Nor did he know the ultimate sacrifice God would make for us. But years later David did and so did Isaiah.

While we don’t know how David received the details 1,000 years before the crucifixion, we do know his words mirror it in every way. Let’s look at Psalm 22:1, 6-8, 12-18.

1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

And then there was Isaiah 53.

2 He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from]prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.

12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:2-10, 12

The Gate represented Yeshua in every way. Later in David’s life, he wrote Psalm 100 which speaks of how to enter the gate.

1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

As we continue to dig into the Tabernacle account, consider the Jews didn’t know the meaning behind what they were doing. And today, many of them still don’t. Yet, they continue to worship, sacrifice, and celebrate the feasts according to the patterns Moses received.

They practice what they know out of their love for God. They appreciate all He’s done for them, and have a sense of obligation to please Him to gain His approval. As believers, because of Jesus and His sacrifice, we have God’s approval. But, as Holy Spirit is showing us the meaning of these things, our praise and ministry to Him increase. Our love for Him grows. God empowers us to carry these truths to those who have never known, as we submit our lives to Him.

We’ve only begun to unearth the treasures of Jesus seen in the Tabernacle. We’ve only glimpsed how God equips His children to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. We are about to see that the Tabernacle lays a pathway to the intimacy with Jesus we all long for.

Take some time to rehearse what we’ve learned so far. Then, ask God to prepare you to receive the revelation of the Brazen Altar. There is a pattern in approaching His Presence.

Shalom until next time. ♥