15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. (Numbers 9:15-16)
God’s Presence These verses are repeat the event at the end of Exodus: the erection of the tabernacle and the cloud representing God’s Prescence descending over it.
The tabernacle was 150 feet in length and 75 feet wide. The outer courtyard posts with curtains between and an inner tented structure was 15x30 feet and was called the tent of testimony because it contained the ark of the covenant, an outer room, and the Holy of Holies with the ark of the covenant with the tablet of the law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai.
From these verses we can see that the cloud covered or rested over the tabernacle by day and fire by night. The cloud was there continuously. Some scholars believe the cloud glowed like fire at night.
The bottom line is God’s promise to be present with his people. These verses state that God’s presence was visible. God, or his representation was visible.
Challenge: How does God show his presence today? How do we know that God is present today?
Let it be your business to keep your mind on the presence of the Lord. Throughout your day, don’t let it wander too far so that you are accustomed to think of him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer. Brother Lawrence
22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses. (Numbers 9:22-23) Numbers describes (1) God’s preparation of Israel for the promised land, (2) the journey from Sinai to Kadesh Barnea, and (3) the 40 years in the wilderness. The people watched the cloud and when it moved, they moved. When it stopped, they stopped. They obeyed. Some believe that Moses assigned people to watch the cloud. These verses indicate that the movement of the cloud was abrupt. There were no alarm bells or warning. The Cloud just moved. God is a God of certainty. There is no indication that the movement of the cloud was uncertain. There was no question. God is decisive, and the people obeyed. Their obedience involved an effort. They had to dismantle and pack the tabernacle. It is estimated that there were 8500 Levites to do that job. With out a doubt they were prepared and organized for the task. Challenge: Today, we do not have a cloud. So how do you know that God is always there? How can you be certain, even when you do not feel his presence. How do you know when to start, when to stop, or where to go? How do you get directions from God? "[Having Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus, if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way." C. S. Lewis
17 And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. (Numbers 9:17-21) The cloud was God’s signal for the people to move (set out) and stop (camp). When the cloud moved, the people packed up and set out following its movement. The cloud provided certainty and comfort. They did not need a calendar, clock, or compass. Some speculate that Moses appointed people to watch the cloud. Yet there was uncertainty. They never knew when the cloud was going to move. The Amplified version says that the cloud was “taken up” (v21). God lifted it up. it was not a morning fog. Further, When God moved, the people moved. They responded to God’s direction. Challenge: Have you had to wait for something? Why does the Lord make us wait? Is waiting difficult? Can you live with uncertainty, waiting on God? “To love God is to love His will. It is to wait quietly for life to be measured by One who knows us through and through. It is to be content with His timing and His wise appointment.” Elisabeth Elliott
22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. The writer ends by urging his readers to give attention to what he has written. He adds a note about Timothy who will accompany him when he comes to them. In the meantime, greet your leaders and the believers. Resources Used in the Study of Hebrews ESV Study Bible , (Wheaton, IL, Crossway Bibles, 2008). The NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1985). Guthrie, Donald, Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary (Lisle, IL: IVF, 1957). Hodges, Zane C., Hebrews , in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, Walvoord, John F., Zuch, Roy B., ed., (Victory Books/Scripture Press, 1985. Stedman, Ray C., Hebrews , The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1992).
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21) In conclusion , the writer follows a New Testament practice of asking for God’s blessing on his readers. In so doing he captured several themes in the letter: peace, blood, covenant, shepherd, equip, etc. He notes that it is the Lord working in him and his readers to produce that which delights the Lord. He leaves the end a reference to the resurrection while everything he has written before is based on it. Challenge: Does your life reflect what the writer describes here? Is the Lord working like this in your life? Christ in me, the hope of Glory. Colossians 1:27
Hebrews: Closing Comments 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. (Hebrews 13:17-19) Obey Your Leaders (17): The author has moved on from encouraging believers to model their former leaders (13:7) and now commands them give their leaders joy by their obedience and submission. By their submission and obedience, they lighten the load on leaders and bring them joy in the responsibilities they bear. Pray for Me (18-19): The author asks for prayer for himself and those with him and assures his readers of the integrity of their ministry. He emphasizes the need to pray in terms of his desire to return to the fellowship quickly. Challenge: Do you stand behind your churches leadership in prayer and action? Do you encourage them by obedience and submission? The task of future Christian leaders is not to make a little contribution to the solution of the pains and tribulations of their time, but to identify and announce the ways in which Jesus is leading God's people out of slavery, through the desert to a new land of freedom. Henri Nouwen
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:10-16) Contrast Then and Now (10-12): the writer makes a clear distinction between the practices and rituals of the old covenant with the new life in Christ. (1) Altar – the sacrificial system replaced by the cross; (2) No right to eat – the priest prohibited from eating the meat of sacrifices replaced by nourishment from Christ, the great Sin Offering (John 6:53-56) or communion (Mark 14:22-26); (3) Burned outside the camp – the burning of the residue of sacrifices outside the camp (Lev 4:11-12) was replaced by Jesus death on the cross outside the city of Jerusalem. Outside the Camp (13-14): The writer urges his readers to separate themselves from their past beliefs and rituals, set themselves Judaism (outside the camp), and by doing so, experience first-hand the suffering of Christ. By accepting Christ’s sacrifice, believers become sojourners in a foreign land and seek a permanent dwelling, a dwelling yet to come (see 11:10, 12:22). Further, the people moving from a camp (temporary) to a city, that is, becoming a new (permanent) spiritual community. Our sacrifices (15-16): In contrast to animal sacrifices, we are to offer the sacrifice of praise and meet the needs of others thereby sacrificing our time, talents and treasure. Challenge: Are you feasting on the Lord? Have you separated yourself from the past? Do you long for a permanent dwelling where you have unhindered fellowship with then Lord and offer a continual sacrifice of praise? Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. (Hebrews 13:7-9) Remember (7): The writer urges his readers to remember their leaders who were perhaps no longer with them but who ministered through the Word. They were mentors and as disciples they were to follow their example of faith. Jesus the Cornerstone (8): The author links the ministry and faithfulness of the leaders with a caution against false teaching by pointing to Jesus, the cornerstone of the leaders’ faith and his audience’s faith. For By Grace (9): The argument here is, to a degree, against legalism. That is achieving spiritual maturity through a regimen of eating or not eating certain foods. The author reminds his readers that, like salvation, maturity is by grace. Challenge: Who is mentoring you in the faith? What tools do you use for spiritual growth? Is growing spiritually a ritual or a discipline? “God will test you because he wants you to grow up. He wants you to mature. He wants you to develop a walk with him that is not based on your fluctuating emotions but on your commitment to him as you learn to walk by faith.” Greg Laurie
13 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Show Brotherly Love (1): The writer exhorts his readers to be set apart from the world by the love they show toward their fellow believers (John 13:35). Stedman sees this in terms of providing material support. (1 Peter 1:22). Be Hospitable (2): The writer urges believers to outside the Body by meeting the needs of other, specifically travelers as his Old Testament references imply (Genesis 18; Judges 6 and 13). Consider Prisoners and the Mistreated (3): Believers are to meet the needs of those who have imprisoned and others who are of have been persecuted. Preserve Marriage (4): Here the warning is to keep marriage inviolate and avoid defiling it with sexual immorality. God holds marriage (and the family) to be a sacred cornerstone of society. Be Contented (5): Because God will provide the needs of believers (Matthew 6:25-34), the author urges them to be satisfied with whey they have and to remain steadfast in their faith on the Lord’s promise to be personally present, that is, not depend on riches and stuff. Evidence (6): Believers are to demonstrate these characteristics as evidence of the Lord at work, a testimony to the world. Challenge: Does the Spirit make these qualities a reallity in your life? Be a laser illuminating the path for dark and dying world.
25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25-29) Listen to the Lord (25): The warning to his readers is not to disregard the words from the Lord spoken from heaven. The Exodus generation failed to heed the warning (on earth) at the giving of the law and suffered 40 years in the desert. The same will happen to the present generation of believers who do not act on, or persevere, in their faith and respond to the warning given by the Son from heaven (1:1-2). The warning is against apostasy, turning back from the truth they had heard. Shaken (26-27): The Lord’s voice shook the earth at Mount Sinai to emphasize the importance of the law. But in the future, there will be a final shaking involving not only the earth but all creation and that which will be shaken will be removed. There will be no escape from this shaking. This is drawn from Haggai 2:6 and refers to the time following the millennial kingdom and the creation of a new heaven and earth. The Unshakable (28-29): The author urges believers to give thanks to the Lord and reflect in amazement that God, who is a consuming fire, has brought them into his kingdom; a kingdom that cannot be shaken nor destroyed by fire (See 2 Peter 3:10). Challenge: Have you heard “the Voice”? Are you steadfast in the faith? Are you a part of the community that will not be shaken? Out of Christ, God is a consuming fire. In Christ God is a reconciling Father . Matthew Henry
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:18-24) In the following seven verses the writer compares the grandeur of the presentation of the law with the magnificence of the new covenant. Fear (18-21): When the law was presented the peoples senses were overpowered: touch, heat, light and darkness, and sound. They were so overwhelmed by the message and the occasion that they trembled in fear that more was to come. The impact upon Moses when receiving the law and God’s holiness was such that he was terrified. Joy (22-24): In contrast, the readers who were under the new covenant had come (1) to Mount Zion and the new heavenly city of the living God; (2) to a place where they could worship freely with angels; (3) to fellowship with those who had gone before under the old and new covenants; (4) to the Lord who inspects and distinguishes against his nature; (5) to those who have become just or righteous through the blood shed by Christ which brings forgiveness and atonement; (6) to Jesus who is their approachable mediator; and (7) to sprinkled blood, not of lambs nor the blood of Able, but that of Jesus that guarantees acceptance for all believers. Challenge: Who is your heavenly Father? Does he strike fear and hold you at arm’s length or does he bring great joy as the approachable and readily available Lord? Having the reality of God's presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Oswald Chambers