Exodus 39 describes one of the most fascinating mysteries of the Old Testament, the breastplate of the priestly garment. There is very little consensus over what exact stones were engraved for each of the tribes of Israel and what order they occur in.
However, there is lots of interesting speculation! Some suggest these are the origins for modern birthstones, or that they correspond with the months in which each of the Patriarchs were born (the Hebrew months, of course, not the Gregorian calendar most of us use today).
One parallel that seems very clear is that they correspond directly with the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21.
The listing of all the items associated with the tabernacle which Moses inspected to ensure they were made exactly according to the instructions he'd received from God made me stop and think. The list is long and many of the items, like the curtains or the covering for the tabernacle, are bulky, heavy items. The tabernacle wasn't intended to be set up and left in that place, but to be fully portable. Each time God's Spirit led them to break camp and move on, the entire tabernacle had be to disassembled, prepared for transport, and moved to the new camp to be re-assembled -- all while carefully following the rules associated with who could handle various utensils or furnishings. Amazing.
The rhythm of the Israelites moving through the wilderness under the leadership of God's presence represented by the cloud during the day and the pillar of fight by night must have been difficult enough for the average Israelite family. But imagine having to pack up the whole tabernacle each time the cloud moved!
Are we willing to pack up when the Lord calls us to move on? Or do we put down roots and get too comfortable to even notice?
However, there is lots of interesting speculation! Some suggest these are the origins for modern birthstones, or that they correspond with the months in which each of the Patriarchs were born (the Hebrew months, of course, not the Gregorian calendar most of us use today).
One parallel that seems very clear is that they correspond directly with the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21.
The listing of all the items associated with the tabernacle which Moses inspected to ensure they were made exactly according to the instructions he'd received from God made me stop and think. The list is long and many of the items, like the curtains or the covering for the tabernacle, are bulky, heavy items. The tabernacle wasn't intended to be set up and left in that place, but to be fully portable. Each time God's Spirit led them to break camp and move on, the entire tabernacle had be to disassembled, prepared for transport, and moved to the new camp to be re-assembled -- all while carefully following the rules associated with who could handle various utensils or furnishings. Amazing.
The rhythm of the Israelites moving through the wilderness under the leadership of God's presence represented by the cloud during the day and the pillar of fight by night must have been difficult enough for the average Israelite family. But imagine having to pack up the whole tabernacle each time the cloud moved!
Are we willing to pack up when the Lord calls us to move on? Or do we put down roots and get too comfortable to even notice?
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