Lesson 72 - Junior

Memory Verse

Notes

A Trip to the Tabernacle

Let us imagine ourselves in the wilderness of Sinai, going up as the Israelites to the Tabernacle to offer sacrifices for our sins.-The Tabernacle has been carefully built according to God's instructions to Moses in the mount; and when the priests placed the offering upon the altar, miraculous fire came down from Heaven and set it ablaze.-That fire was never supposed to go out.

We went our way in and out among the tents of the Levites which are pitched around the Tabernacle in the centre of the camp. We approach from the east because there is only one entrance into the court that surrounds the Tabernacle. Wherever the Tabernacle will be set up in the wilderness during the wanderings of the Children of Israel, the entrance will always be to the east.

The Court of the Tabernacle

We enter the outer court of the Tabernacle. All the services of public worship are held here. No one but the priests can go beyond the outer court. Before us we see the brazen altar, built square, with a horn on each corner. Brass signifies judgment; and the altar and all the instruments used here are of brass.

God condemns sin, and in the day of judgment everyone who has sin in his life will suffer the second death. God demands that blood must be shed to cover man's sins " the little sins as well as the big sins. Any sin, transgression of the Law, receives God's condemnation; and the offender will be destroyed if he does not take God's way of salvation.

The Lamb Our Substitute

We have brought with us a perfect lamb, a lamb without blemish, to offer to God as a trespass offering for our sins. It is a living offering, signifying that we are giving ourselves to the Lord. Some people are too poor to bring a lamb or a ram, but there is hope for them, too. God has provided that they may bring two doves or pigeons. No one needs to be deprived of justification.

We come before the priest with our lamb, and he tells us what to do.-We look toward the sanctuary where God's presence dwells, and we think, "I am placing all my sins on you. I have sinned, and I am so sorry I have displeased God.-I deserve to die, but God has said that you, little lamb, can die in my place." Oh, how happy we are that God has been willing to take the lamb as our substitute!

The Blood Shed

The poor little lamb is dead. The blood is carefully drained into a basin by the priest and is sprinkled upon the altar. We have acknowledged our sins before the priest, who is God's representative; we have repented of our sins and have brought the sacrifice to atone for them. The priest has accepted our substitute, and the lamb was killed in our stead.-God saw the blood and our faith and was satisfied; for by looking ahead in faith to Jesus who was to come and die as God's Lamb, we are forgiven.

Jesus Our Lamb

Now let us consider what we must do in our own century, in order to be saved. God still hates sin, and condemns every man to death who has sin in his heart. God is holy, and we cannot come near Him with sin in our lives. To hide that sin from God, we must cover it with the Blood, because "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22).

What shall we do? God does not want us to kill lambs any more, because they were just a type of Jesus " and Jesus has come. What did Jesus do to help us when He was on earth? He shed His Blood to cover our sins, just as the lambs in the Tabernacle pictured that He would do. Jesus said: "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Aren't we glad there is hope for us through the shed Blood of Jesus?

The Sufferings of Christ

We remember how the poor little lamb had to suffer and die because the Israelites sinned, one lamb for one man's sins; but think how much the divine Son of God had to suffer when He offered Himself as a Lamb and had to bear the sins of the whole world. "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many" (Hebrews 9:28). "All we like sheep have gone astray; . . . and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). Think of the sufferings of Jesus in the garden before He was crucified, when He realised how great the burden was; and then His death of a broken heart, on the cross. But He was wiling to go through that bitter agony that you and I might be saved. When Jesus paid such a tremendous price to make His Blood available for us, should we not make haste to have it applied to our hearts in order to enjoy His pardon for our sins?

Some people do not consider sin as a very serious thing. They think they can be Christians and still have sin in their lives. God loved his only Son more than we can love our children, and yet He was willing to see the Saviour suffer such cruel death to take away our sins. In that hour on the cross when Jesus was carrying on Him the sins of the whole world, God turned away His face, because He hated sin. Do you think God can look at sin in the life of man without condemning him to death?

Jesus Our Priest

There were priests in the Tabernacle who offered up the lambs. Who offered up Jesus? He gave Himself. Jesus was the Lamb, and He was also the Priest. He is still our High Priest, in Heaven, showing His bleeding wounds to the Father to hide our sins. "Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour" (Ephesians 5:2).

Jesus the Door

We have learned that the Tabernacle and everything connected with it was a picture of God's plan of salvation for us. There was only one entrance, the gate at the east end. Do you see the illustration? Jesus said: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9). He said that anyone who tried to get to Heaven any other way was a thief and a robber. We certainly would not want Jesus to call us a thief, so we enter as His Word tells us to: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7).

Justified through the Blood of Jesus

So we see that we today must do more than give a mental assent to belief in Christ. We must repent of our sins, turn from them, ask Jesus to cover them with His Blood, and believe that He forgives. Then we are justified before God, and "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16); and we go forth to sin no more.

God said the sinner must die, but Jesus must have said, "Cannot I take his place?" God loved His Son, and it hurt Him to see Him suffer; but God also loved man, so He told Jesus He could go and shed His Blood for us. Today Jesus stands as our High Priest before God, showing Him the precious Blood to remind the Judge that the price of redemption has been paid.

Questions

1. How could an Israelite receive forgiveness for his sins?

2. What offering did he bring?

3. Where was the brazen altar?

4. What must we do to be saved?

5. How do we know when we are saved?

6. What was the price of our redemption?