1. The Gate of the Tabernacle and YHWH Jireh--The name YHWH Jireh translates best into English as "The LORD will see to it." So what will He see too? Your salvation when you trust Him by faith as Abraham did. Remember, salvation is by grace through faith as we trust the saving power of God in Christ! The gate is the point where we enter into unity with the LORD because HE will see to our salvation just as Abraham found out when he entered by FAITH into the promise. He knew that the LORD would provide the ultimate lamb and trusted accordingly. (See Genesis 22:14)
2. The flaying tables and YHWH Rapha--the LORD that heals. The place where the animals were dispatched and the implements used are often left out of diagrams of the Tabernacle. These tables, however, align themselves with the name YHWH Rapha--the LORD who heals thee. So how does he heal? The number two corresponds to Christ, to fellowship, and to the cross. For instance, Psalm 22 is 2 x 11 or Christ's fellowship with the confusion caused by sin. Psalm 22 is the Psalm of that fellowship--it is the greatest picture of the cross in the Old Testament! It is the Psalm of the Christ, where Christ the only mediator, the middle man on a cross, the second person of the Godhead associated with the sin of humanity at Mount Calvary. In our fellowship with Him there is healing. It is not just physical healing but also spiritual healing. It is where he does surgery to cut Egypt from the hearts of His followers. We are as sheep to the slaughter, but it is a slaughter of healing. He takes the world from us and heals us by perfecting His image in us. " As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37 (see Ex 15:26)
3. The Brazen Altar and YHWH Nissi--Three represents the wholeness or completion of God. I often just shorten this to God or the Trinity. Notice that the name Jehovah Nissi was revealed the very first time God called the Israelites to war. Up to that time He did all the fighting for them. There has to be an offered sacrifice on the altar. We are to sacrifice ourself and die to Christ daily. Did not Paul write, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)" Our fight is a fight of faith. We lay our lives down, but GOD is the banner of victory in this fight. Again, He is perfecting the image of Messiah in us. An interesting statement was made at the revealing of that precious name, "For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation," Exodus 17:16. Amalek is a type and shadow of the flesh. We are to crucify the flesh and its lusts from generation to generation. We will win if we remember that His banner over us is love!
4. The Brass Sea and Jehovah-Mkaddesh--The sea represents the water of the Word and the sanctifying presence of the Holy Ghost where we are to wash daily. Of course, 4 represents the world. The LORD sanctifies us at this great place as we seek to enter into a deeper walk. Paul also revealed to the Thessalonians that we are to present ourselves for sanctification and that this is God's will (1 Thessalonians 4:3). See Ex 31:13 for this precious name!
5. The Table of Shewbread and YHWH Shalom--What was Gideon doing in Judges 6 when the LORD our Peace appeared. He was threshing and trying to hide the grain. Isn't the table of the LORD also about bread? Even the mention or the winepress is important. We receive both at the LORD's table. Bread, the broken body of Christ in fellowship, and the wine, the glorious shed blood that gives life eternal! Furthermore, the LORD is calling Gideon to fight Midian but revealing Himself as the LORD our Peace! Ironic, unless we see that in the battle of life Christ is our peace. We feast at his table where we receive grace, fellowship, and strength for the battle.
6. The Menorah and YHWH Rophe--The LORD is man's shepherd (hence the 6). How many branches are there on the Menorah that cannot stand alone--6. He is the vine, and we are the branches. We only bear fruit as we let the LIGHT of His Word and OIL of His Spirit guide us. In doing so, we burn brightly for Messiah Yeshua. He then daily cleanses the soot (caused by the wick and not the gold nor oil) from our lives. When we burn for Christ, the wick is not seen, only the flame. Surely, he anoints our head with oil to overflowing! This is the place of witness to the world. So much more to say here as I could literally write a book on this one piece of furniture. (Psalm 23)
7. The Altar of Incense and YHWH tsidqenuw--This is the only name in the set mentioned twice. That in and of itself is significant. Also remember, I mentioned single mention names. There are other YHWH names such as the LORD of Hosts or LORD of the Sabbath, but they are used repeatedly. Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16 announces this name.
When the Psalms transition from book to book, they end with a double amen (See Psalm 41 as an example as this Psalm is the end of the Genesis Psalms). This double use of the LORD our Righteousness is that place of transition. We are preparing to boldly enter the Throne of Grace in perfection--thus the seven. We are not perfected by our pathetic attempts but by Christ and His mercy alone. Offering my works is offering strange fire and is an affront to God's work in Christ. He is Savior, our Savior and not we ourselves. He is our righteousness. He perfects us to enter boldly through the prayer of faith that is directly related to His passion and sacrifice at the brazen altar! Unless we come through the fire of His name and effort alone, we will be struck down in the attempt to enter further.
8. The Ark of the Covenant and YHWH Shamma--Ezekiel gives us that great vision of the LORD in the Millennial Temple where He is seen. The LORD is there, Ezekiel 48:35. It is the last word, the end of the story. However, it is not the end but a New Beginning as the number 8 signifies. The word for ark can also be translated as coffin and it is used that way in Genesis. When we bury ourselves in this most holy place,the LORD reigns over us (Psalm 91). We die to self and find life in the process. Not just any life, but a new beginning. This is the Secret Place! This is life beyond the veil. It is the chief goal of allowing Christ to reign over our lives so that all the world may know of His presence in us. This is the place of Psalm 24--Christ the KING who we willingly allow to reign supreme in our lives. Strive to enter this place!
For more information on shadows such as these, I recommend:
EW Bullinger's, Number In Scripture: Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance
Ervin N. Hershberger's masterpieces: Seeing Christ in the Tabernacle and Seeing Christ in the Old Testament both by Vision Publishers of Harrisonburg, VA
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