Lesson 12 THE LAW AND THE TABERNACLE

 Lesson 12

THE LAW AND THE TABERNACLE

Exodus 15:26 to Exodus 36

    JEHOVAH APPEARED many times to Israel in a special manner. Whenever they did wrong, murmured or rebelled, He would manifest Himself to them in the cloud ☁️ .

    It might be signaled to them by plagues or fiery serpents, or it might be a voice that filled them with fear and wonder.

    Exodus 15:27. They had camped by twelve springs of Elim, and the hand of God had been upon them. They had murmured at Marah because of the badness of water, but nothing had been said of the lack of bread. They had evidently been bountifully supplied on leaving Egypt. They must have anticipated a wilderness journey. This supply had now come to an end. The discovery of the condition of the three million was soon known. One neighbour going to borrow from another would be met by the assurance that the other was as poor as himself in the matter. In this way the terribleness of their condition would be borne upon them with stupefying effect. Death then seemed inevitable.

The Giving of the Manna

    To go forward would make that fate certain. To retreat was equally impossible. They would perish before they could retrace their steps and gain the borders of Egypt.

    "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness; and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Exodus 16:2-3).

    Now here was a case in which this people could easily have sought help from God.

    Had He not in every manner proven Himself true to the Covenant? The failure of the bread supply was alarming, but He who had miraculously delivered them from Egypt, led them through the Red Sea, led them by the cloud, and made the bitter waters sweet, could easily provide bread.

     What a different story we would have had, and what joy it would have brought to the

    Covenant God, had they come to Him for this need in assurance that He who had entered a Blood Covenant relationship would meet every need. Instead, they flung away from God. They broke out in rebellious murmuring. They had been shamefully deceived. They had been led away from Egypt, a land of peace and plenty, and they were now entrapped in this terrible wilderness that young and old might die. However, their rebellion could not make Jehovah deny Himself. He heard their murmuring, their unbelief.