It was God’s own mind from before the creation of the world to have a people and to dwell among them. After Adam’s fall in sin, mankind was driven from God’s presence, and the way of return was barred by Cherubim with flaming swords. But God’s plan of redemption was already set in place. He called a people to himself, made them great, and raised up Moses to deliver them from bondage. Taking them into the wilderness, God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle according to His perfect and detailed instructions—a house for the great God of creation to dwell among his people. The key to understanding everything in the Tabernacle is the central Person of the entire Scripture, Jesus Christ. God intended this holy structure to be the most visual presentation of the glory of Jesus Christ. It’s really the gospel in the Old Testament.
After being justified at the Altar, there is washing to be done at the Laver, but the priests had to return to the Laver to be washed repeatedly. This symbolizes the ongoing sanctification of the believer by the Holy Spirit. The Word of God, the Bible, reveals our sin to us, but it is also like the Laver, washing us from the pollution of our sins. This Laver symbolizes sanctification.
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