In the book of Exodus, God provides His people with more than a design for a building; it’s a process for His people to experience light. From chapter 25 to the end of Exodus, including the furniture and its arrangement, there is a specific path of light for the priests to come into, separating what is common or worldly from what is sanctified or holy. Beginning from the outer court, priests carried out their service under the light of the sun, moon, and stars — a natural light. Though there was much activity in the outer court under this natural light, there was not much revealed beyond the physical things here. But once the priest moved into the Holy Place, he entered a new light shining constantly from the lampstand: “a lampstand…one beaten work of pure gold” (v.31; 36). Here, under the light of the lampstand, the priest was reconstituted by the bread of the Presence. Yet the Holy Place was not meant to be the final destination of the priest, but within the Holy of Holies was a specific light — the shekinah glory of God where the priests beheld His presence (40:34). The priestly service is a life in the light!
Today, in the midst of a dark and confusing global and political situation, we, too, are New Testament priests experiencing the progression of light through our tabernacling as the church. Our service is not for a physical building but ushering one another into this pathway of light in our churching. It is here that we move beyond the outer court into that light from the Holy Place, where the Christ as the Spirit — the reality of the oil burning in the golden lampstand — shines in us, quickening us. As His present speaking through the Spirit shines, we are being reconstituted, moving away from the natural light of knowledge of the outer court. We are spontaneously brought into His presence to behold and reflect His image and likeness. As members of this priestly service, our responsibility is all related to this experience of light — bringing people out of the worldly current of these times into that saving, reconstituting, beholding, and reflecting process to be luminaries in this age (Phil. 2:15).
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 1/21/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)