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The Outer Court

by Jerry Ousley
11/03/2017 / Christian Living

Years ago Deb and I used to go camping a lot. We enjoyed it and it was always special. We had purchased a tent large enough for four to six people. We didn’t have any children yet and on this particular occasion we invited Deb’s sister and her husband to go with us. We enjoyed a wonderful day of fishing and cooking out; there’s just something special about grilling out by the lake.

We had made our beds in the tent and evening was approaching when it began to rain. Soon it became more than a rain and a storm was brewing. At that time we had a Volkswagen van and so Deb, her sister and her sister’s daughter decided it best to sleep in the van. My brother-in-law and I would stick it out in the tent.

It was probably because we were in a tent but let me tell you that it rocked that night! The storm raged and the water poured down but we managed to get some sleep. Sometime during the night I awoke to a steady dripping on my face. I looked up and the tent had formed a pocket that was full of water. I woke my brother-in-law and we tried to gently push the water off the tent. We got it off but not before causing a lot of it to come in to the tent. So we slept that night but we were a bit soggier for it while the women slept comfy, warm and dry in the van. I guess that’s what we get for being macho men.

In Hebrews 9 we read about the Tabernacle (which means tent) of God. You can read about its construction in detail in the book of Exodus. God had given Moses very detailed instructions on making and erecting this very large structure that would be the place of worship for Israel for more than seven hundred years (until the time of Solomon). Today God still has a tabernacle but not one of skins and furniture but one of human flesh. We who have come to God are now His tabernacle.

With that thought in mind we would like to take some time and look at the three parts of the tabernacle and what they represent to us. You see, in the Old Testament God did many things in type. The tabernacle is a type of what God wanted to do in man. It represents how we come to God and how we live for and relate to God after our salvation.

The first part was the Outer Court. This was a fenced off area containing the brass altar and the laver (or washing bowl). This was where the Israeli people brought their sacrifices and where the special sacrifices described in Exodus took place. The sacrifice was offered on the brass altar. Of course we know that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for sin. The brass altar represents the cross and the sacrifice is none other than Jesus Christ. He became the final sacrifice for sin giving Himself in our place paying the penalty for our sin.

It is also necessary that we be sacrificed on that altar. Not as a human sacrifice but in giving ourselves up to God. We recognize what Jesus Christ did for us – in our place and accept that sacrifice by confessing our sin to Him and allowing Him to come into our lives.

The other article of furniture there that was significant was the laver. It was like a large washing bowl made from the same material that the women used for mirrors. The priest performing the sacrifice was to first wash himself in the water in the laver. When he did he would always see his reflection. This required him to examine himself. We must also examine ourselves. Not to find out if we are good enough or not because, well, simply put, we’re not. But we see ourselves for who we are. Those secret things deep in our hearts are known by us and God. When we come to Christ we are required to confess who we really are and what we have done. We must face up to ourselves. When we do then God washes our sin away by the blood of Jesus Christ and we are made clean in Him.

Once done we can move from the outer court – outside God’s provision into the interior of the tabernacle and experience the life God has for us.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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