Ellen G. White ( the Tabernacle and Its Services/ Law and the Covenants)

Cited: October 28, 2012 In Ellen G. White’s two writings’, “The Tabernacle and Its Services” and “The Law and the Covenants”, describe the importance of God’s demands from us to follow His will. It explains how God communicated through Moses to His people. Ellen G. White does a descriptive way of breaking down both chapters and letting us read the importance of how we need to be closer to him (God) so we can earn his salvation and be ready for his return. In chapter 30, “The Tabernacle and its Services” gives us the history of the temple or in other words sanctuary. God knew from the beginning how the sanctuary was to be handled and what type of person he wants to be in charge of it. God gave Moses specific directions of how he wants the sanctuary to be built. In similarity, the sanctuary is like our bodies. It’s how we should live and be purified of ourselves like we are holy temples. God gave Ellen G. White bible verses to give to us so we could understand what he is trying to say. For example, she gave us, "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. We are to give ourselves to the service of God, and we should seek to make the offering as nearly perfect as possible. God looks with great pleasure upon those who show how much they love Him. When we partake in communion, it’s the meaning of cleansing our bodies from all of our sins and starting anew our lives again. God gave instruction to Moses while on Mount Sinai that He wanted them to build a tabernacle with certain instructions on the construction of the temple. Moses repeated to the Israelites to bring offerings for the sanctuary and free willing spirit to help prepare the tabernacle. God spoke through Moses in Exodus25:2 “Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offerings.” The people brought their top of the line items and gave them to the sanctuary as a gift to its construction. It was becoming so much that Moses asked for no more fabric, cloth, materials, and significant goods; Exodus 36:6-7. The sanctuary took about half a year to complete. Due to the faithfulness of the workers and other participants, God blessed the tabernacle and the people for their diligent work into making the tabernacle. The ceremonial law was a daily and yearly process which consisted of three major parts: the court yard, the holy place and the most holy place; which they went into once a year. The court yard represents the earth; it was where the sinners lived and participate in during their planning of salvation. An important symbol in the court yard was the fire used for burnt offering. This is a metaphor for how Christ’s love for us burns and will always dwell within us. The holy place represents the work of the church as the body of Christ. This part of the sanctuary tells me that this is the place where we can be closer with Christ and feel his spirit. There are things that you cannot do anymore that you did on earth (the court yard). Lastly, but definitely not least, the most holy place. This represents heaven where God physically exits. As Christians, this should be our goal in doing the things we need to do and acknowledge while where’re here on earth. In chapter 32, “The Law and the Covenants” explains from the beginning (Adam and Eve’s time) of when God made His laws that they should abide by them, but ended of up breaking them shortly. This began the long journey of mankind’s attempt to try to stay close to God and obey His laws. On page 363, White says, “When man fell by transgression the law was not changed, but a remedial system was established to bring him back to obedience.” Since man fell the first time, God still stood firm in His law and covenant (explains why God casted out Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden). Adam then passed the laws down to his descendants and the passing down continued through to more generations. White gives a demonstration on page 364 of what could have happened if man did not sin, “If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision.” Circumcision is symbolic to how as humans now should live our lives. God wants us to circumcise our hearts from the world so that way we can be closer to Him. White continues on to talk about the confusion between the ceremonial law and the moral law. The confusion comes into place when people, “try to blend these two systems, using the texts that speak of the ceremonial law to prove that the moral law has been abolished.” On page 365, The bible makes the two distinctions very clear and White explains it herself, “The ceremonial system was made up of symbols pointing to Christ…this ritual law…was to be performed by the Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to cease…” She compliments her statement with verses from the bible such as Colossians 2:14 and Psalms 119:89. People think that because the ceremonial law was done away with after the death of Christ that they do not have to follow the moral law, this is incorrect. God still wants us to live by His law. For example, “The Ten Commandments”, this is key of how we could get into the kingdom of heaven. We are still responsible for following His laws and will have to answer to God on judgment day. White uses the bible verse, Hebrews 9:24 to explain how Christ is a light unto man and how from the beginning of time He was shedding light so that others can accept His love and grace. On page 368 White states, “As new truths are revealed, and that which has been known from the beginning is brought into clearer light, the character and purposes of God are made manifest in His dealings with His chosen people.” It directly explains how we should accept God’s love, every time we read His word and follow His law; we are receiving an additional ray of light from Him and gaining closer steps to our salvation. The law of God was the basis of the new covenant that was ratified by Christ. The old covenant was formed by God and Israel at Sinai and it was ratified by a blood sacrifice. The second/ new covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ. Ellen White backs her statements up by quoting Jeremiah 31:33, 34 where God assures us that if we turn away from sin He will forgive us. If we continue to try and live our life according to the Law of God, He will grant us his covenant. The right way to live, the way that you will experience a more abundant life as God talked about, and become more easily convinced of his love for you is by doing what he says. Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” He wants us to live according to what he says is right and experience his love and have joy as a Christian. But the way that we obey his commands is by relying on him as we approach those laws and commands. God wants us to abide by his law and receive his covenants so we can have a better understanding within our hearts of His holy word. The sanctuary is a place where we can be one and receive his many blessings just by having faith in Him.