Holy in All Manner of Living

“Like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living” (1 Peter1:15, ASV).

— Tom Ruggirello

This issue of The Herald focuses on the Gospel Age. Thus far, the Gospel Age has been an age of extremes, from the murderous persecution of God’s faithful servants to the present day, when the world rarely even notices the Lord’s people.

In the Holy of the Tabernacle we are given a glimpse of God’s provision for the saints throughout the Gospel Age. The Holy symbolizes a truly remarkable relationship with God under the blood of Jesus Christ. Despite attempts to destroy or corrupt the Lord’s people, the saints can achieve holiness when dwelling in the condition of the Holy.

The Holy condition was made possible when the antitypical blood of Jesus as the bullock was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy. Dwelling in the Holy is a privilege given to us because of our Lord’s righteous sacrifice. To live in the condition of the Holy, we must first acknowledge his precious blood that made it possible.

The antitypical Holy contains the spiritual tools for believers to mature and grow in Christ. It describes the special benefits available to the consecrated down through the Gospel Age. Three articles of furniture depict the different spiritual provisions made by God: the Table of Shewbread, the Lampstand, and the Incense Altar.

Shewbread

“And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD” (Leviticus 24:5‑7).

“Shewbread” is a compound word meaning, “bread of the face” or “bread of the presence,” referring to the presence of God.

Made of fine flour, the shewbread was renewed every Sabbath day and represents the word of God. This suggests that God’s face or presence is revealed through His word. It was to be eaten only by the priests, indicating that God’s word was meant especially for the antitypical priesthood of the Gospel Age. The value of this provision should never be underestimated. The saints could not survive without this precious gift.

Spiritual Nourishment

We initially come to the Lord as imperfect beings with many fallen tendencies. The scriptures appropriately describe the Narrow Way as warfare. The Apostle Paul instructed young Timothy, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3, 4). This warfare is the battle between our fallen humanity and our development as new creatures. As we face trying situations, our fallen nature often influences our first response. But as we are nourished by the bread of truth, we may learn that the Lord prefers a different response. And so, his word helps us discern the appropriate godly reaction in the battles of life. This is one practical benefit of partaking of the shewbread. It redirects our thinking and forms us more into the image of Christ.

Jesus’ Part in the Shewbread

When Jesus declared himself as “the bread of life,” he also said, “he that cometh to me shall never hunger” (John 6:35). This simple statement describes the satisfaction of heart that comes from learning of him and appreciating the depth of his sacrifice. It can fill a deep hunger to know our purpose in life and the future awaiting all creation. Literal bread could never satisfy the craving to know these things. But God’s word is rich and sumptuous for those now dwelling in the Holy. This is only made possible because of our Lord.

Fellowship of Saints

The wooden table, overlaid with gold, held the bread and represents those who are “holding forth the word of life” (Philippians 2:16). Although the church is admonished to preach to the world (for example Acts 10:42), it is significant that the bread was eaten in the Holy and only by the priests. This describes a more intimate communing on the bread than a general witness to the world. It represents a deep sharing of God’s word with fellow saints. As they discuss the scriptures, their bond deepens and often clarifies a point of truth for us, making our fellowship more meaningful.

There is great wisdom in the Apostle Paul’s council to those dwelling in the Holy. He said, “let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh” (Hebrews 10:24, 25). As each member of the body understands the importance of love and good works, those same principles are shared with others. Partaking of the bread as a group of believers has many advantages. It can provide a deeper level of fellowship as we share what is precious to each heart. It can strengthen weaker members and encourage others.

The benefits of assembling are not limited to sharing the truth. They also extend to what is pictured by the Incense Altar and Lampstand.

Incense Altar

The shewbread was laid on the table in two stacks of six loaves each. On top of each stack was frankincense. As the bread was replaced each Sabbath, the frankincense was burned on the Incense Altar, creating a sweet‑smelling fragrance. The spiritual meaning of this is suggested in the throne scene of Revelation 5. “The four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints” (Revelation 5:8). The Psalmist also alludes to this saying, “Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee” (Psalms 141:2).

Leviticus 24:7 describes how the frankincense was related to the shewbread. “And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.” In other words, the incense was offered as a remembrance of God’s gift of the bread. The serving priest would likely eat the bread as the incense burned. This suggests that each time we partake of God’s word, each time we are spiritually nourished by it, a prayer of thanksgiving should be gladly offered. So, the bread and the incense are spiritually connected.

Offering the incense of thanksgiving and praise as a body is an important benefit of assembling together. Hearing others express their gratitude to God can open our minds to look more closely at what we, too, have received from the Heavenly Father.

Daily Offering of Incense

“And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations” (Exodus 30:7, 8).

The daily offering of incense is in contrast to the weekly offering on the Sabbath. This difference may convey an important lesson. We gather on Sunday and weeknights to study and worship the Lord together. These are meaningful times. However, our personal worship often comes in the more common days. As we travel through life and experience the Lord’s individual overruling and guidance, we have even greater cause for offering up expressions of gratitude.

Each time incense was offered, hot coals were required to be brought into the Holy from the Brazen Altar. Thus, the sacrifices offered in the Court relate to the prayers and praise of those dwelling in the Holy. This may link our acceptable expressions to God with the continual burnt offering of two lambs, one as the morning sacrifice and one in the evening. These two lambs point to our Lord’s efficacious sacrifice, making our prayers acceptable to God.

The Atonement Day Incense

Before the High Priest could enter the Most Holy on the Day of Atonement, he carried a censer full of hot coals and his hands full of sweet incense (Leviticus 16:12, 13). He first placed the coals on the Incense Altar and then sprinkled the incense on the coals. This created the fragrant smoke that ascended and entered the Most Holy. Only then could the High Priest enter with the blood of the bullock. This appears to have been done only with the bullock’s blood and not with that of the Lord’s goat, indicating that the bullock was the primary sin offering.

This offering of incense in connection with the bullock’s blood indicates how God viewed our Lord’s sacrifice. Taking the coals from the Brazen Altar is important. It again connects the Incense Altar to what occurred in the court as the bullock’s life‑giving organs were placed on the altar. As the incense made its way into the Most Holy, it showed that the pure response of Jesus to each human experience was part of his praise offering to the Father. His gracious acceptance of each hateful act committed against him poured further incense on the burning coals of his sacrifice. It is an endearing picture of the Father’s appreciation for such goodness.

Transporting the Incense Altar

When the Lord signaled Israel that it was time to move to a different location, each article of furniture was to be covered. In the Holy, each piece first received a covering of blue with an outermost covering of badger skin. However, the Table of Shewbread had one additional covering. Between the covering of blue and the badger skin was a scarlet-colored cloth. This extra covering was unique to the Table of Shewbread Numbers 4:7, 8).

The word “scarlet” is the Hebrew tola’ath. The color is derived from a worm found in the Middle East. When crushed, its blood was used as a crimson dye. The word also appears in Psalms 22, which is prophetic of Jesus’ sentiments while hanging on the cross. Verse 6 reads, “But I am a worm (tola’ath), and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.” In the eyes of his enemies, Jesus was hated and disregarded as a worm. However, his sacrifice provided atonement, pictured in the worm’s crimson‑colored blood.

This scarlet covering suggests that among all the important truths symbolized by the shewbread, the blood of Christ was the most precious. All other aspects of God’s plan for mankind depend on this core doctrine. This precious truth has been hidden from the world just as the scarlet cloth was unseen under the badger skin.

Lampstand

“And thou shalt make a lampstand of pure gold: of beaten work shall the lampstand be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it” (Exodus 25:31, RIV).

As the frankincense from the shewbread connects the bread to the Incense Altar, there is also a connection between the Incense Altar and the Lampstand. When the priest entered the Holy to dress the Lampstand, he was also to burn incense (Exodus 30:7, 8). This suggests that what was pictured by the light of the Lampstand is another reason to offer the incense of gratitude and thanks.

One lesson depicted in the Lampstand is that those dwelling in the Holy receive guidance from God through His word. The Psalmist wrote, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105).

Light was created in the Holy by burning olive oil, a picture of God’s holy Spirit. So, when we study God’s word, His Spirit helps us see and understand practical life lessons as we endeavor to walk faithfully in the Lord’s footsteps. Learning the deeper principles of consecration helps us make wise and godly decisions. This growing experience will make us able teachers in the work of the kingdom.

The Physical Design

The physical dimensions of the Lampstand are not given. However, this was not unintentional. It suggests a subtle truth described by the Psalmist. “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought” (Psalms 139:14, 15).

In addition to providing the guiding light of truth, the Lampstand also pictures the entire Church, both head and body. Its physical design portrays the unity between our Lord and his body members. The text describes a center shaft with three branches on each side (Exodus 25:31, 32). The center shaft is a solid support for the other six branches which cannot stand independently. The reality of this dependence was seen as the saints exhibited great faith throughout the age. They were standing on the strength provided by the Lord.

This beautiful picture is enhanced when we learn that the word translated “shaft” is the same word rendered “loins” in Genesis 46:26. There, Jacob’s family is described as coming from his loins, i.e., his seed gave them life. The center shaft presents a meaningful symbol of how our Lord also provides life on a higher spiritual plane (see Isaiah 9:6).

The center shaft also had a marked distinction from the six branches. It contained four knops and four almond flowers, while the branches had only three of each. This depicts the Lord’s preeminence and describes his deeper development in the fruits of the Spirit. He is “the chiefest among ten thousand” (Song of Solomon 5:10).

Examining the symbolism further, we note the similarity to the figure of the vine and branches. Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches” (John 5:15). The branches and stem are one unit. However, the branches could not survive without their attachment to the vine or main stem. The six branches also make an incomplete number. Only when they are joined to the shaft does the perfection of the whole appear, depicted in the number seven.

The lamp crowning each branch and containing the olive oil was shaped like an almond. The almond has an interesting connection to the selection of the priestly family of Aaron. In Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16), the authority of Moses and Aaron was challenged by other family leaders. To answer their challenge, God instructed the people to gather one stick for each family tribe with the name of each leader written on the stick. The sticks were brought into the Tabernacle and placed in the Most Holy before the Mercy Seat. The next day “Moses went into the Tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds” (Numbers 17:8).

The stick of Aaron blossomed with flowers and almonds to indicate God’s choice for the priestly family. As part of the Lampstand, the almond bowls and blossoms depict a similar divine selection of a new and higher‑order priesthood.

Beaten Not Poured

One requirement in making the Lampstand was that it be beaten into shape rather than poured into a mold. This required intense labor and illustrated the process by which this class is created. With each hammer blow, the mass of gold took shape, eventually becoming symmetrical, polished, and beautiful. The work of the Gospel Age is likewise preparing a class that will reflect the spiritual qualities of this precious Lampstand.

The Apostle Paul recognized the process the saints would undergo when he wrote, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering” (Philippians 3:10). As each member of the church comes to understand the value of their experiences, they can join with the apostle when he expressed his heart sentiment. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

A Symbol of Unity

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21). A wonderful picture of unity emerges when looking at the Lampstand as a whole. As the branches are attached to the center shaft, the saints have a spiritual connection to the Lord, gaining strength from his example and guidance. It also provides a common bond for the saints. The seven continuously burning flames illustrate this unity extending throughout the Gospel Age. Those living during the seventh flame can look back in history and feel a kinship with those who have gone before, a unity that extends over a span of 2,000 years.

As the Apostle John expressed in the above text, this extraordinary harmony will someday help the world believe that Jesus was sent by God and that His plan will then create a similar oneness in the family of man.

Dwelling in the Holy

Examining each piece of furniture in the Holy of the Tabernacle provides the beautiful symbolism of living a balanced Christian life. However, symbols are meaningless if we do not see in them the practicality of our consecration to God.

The shewbread points to the spiritually life‑sustaining value of partaking from the word of God regularly. In his prayer to the Ephesian brethren, Paul said, “that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:16‑20).

In the light of the Lampstand, we see the importance of watching for the Lord’s guidance in our daily decisions and understanding the privilege we have been offered of being members of the body of Christ. The design manifests the importance of unity with our Lord and with fellow saints as we strive towards the same goals.

The daily offering of incense foreshadows the heartfelt expressions of gratitude to our loving Heavenly Father. Although the incense was burned on coals from the Brazen Altar, not every expression of gratitude comes from trying experiences. Each lesson learned and every witness of His blessings give us abundant reasons for offering our heartfelt praise.

God went to great lengths to create the unique symbolism contained in the Tabernacle and the special privileges depicted in the antitypical Holy. If they assist us in our daily walk, then the reality becomes most pleasing to the Father and of great value to each saint.