The Tabernacle, Sacred Space (Exodus 25-27, 30, 35-38, 40)

(1) Sermon Script

Reading Exodus 40:1-3

Introduction: I want to be close to God!

Every Christian wants to be close to God, and feel close to God. We want to feel intimacy with him, we want to know God and experience his presence. And Christians use lots of different methods to try to get close to God.

Our normal method as evangelicals is to read the bible, pray and go to church. We say sorry to God for our sins and ask for forgiveness. We pray to him and ask for help. We read the bible and study to get to know God. And through these things we hope that God will feel closer to us, and us to him.

Other Christians believe singing is the way to experience God. Whether it is the Pentecostal style of church. Where the power of God is seen with the same 6 chords of guitar driven pop. Everyone closes their eyes and tries to touch heaven in the music-generated high. Or the traditional high church Anglicanism we saw at William and Kate’s wedding, with the pre-pubescent choir boys singing beautiful ancient hymns in their red cassocks and white surplices. Both types of Christianity believe that in the music they experience God.

Other Churches seek the presence of God in the rituals of the church. The eucharist, for example. In years 5 and 6, I went to De La Sale Kingsgrove. And I remember one particular time that we were told was very exciting. It was when our school chapel was going to permanently house the consecrated host. The priest came and celebrated mass. We were sitting outside because we couldn’t fit. But after he transubstantiates the host, the big deal was that the consecrated bread would remain in the building, in a small box called a ‘tabernacle’. The so called, reserved sacrament. And we were told, that now God himself was living in the building. That was the big deal. Because the priest by saying his particular words had changed the bread into Jesus’ body, and that was now going to stay in the school chapel, God was going to reside in the building. There in our school was the presence of God. And we knew that God was ‘in the house’ because of the red light at the side of the ‘tabernacle’.

Still others seek God in their supernatural experiences. If you only could speak in tongues, you would be close to God. If only you would be slain in the Spirit, and fall over, you would be close to God. If only you would give yourself over to laughter in the Spirit, you would be close to God. If only you had faith to be healed, you would feel closer to God. During the week someone spoke to me about the way they meditate. They say a word like ‘love’ or ‘Jesus’ over and over again for 20 minutes.

Others seek closeness to God in ascetic experiences. Fasting, going out in the desert by yourself for months and years, going on pilgrimage, walking across Spain, flogging yourself to purify yourself from sin, wearing a hair shirt. There is a school within Christianity that does these things to purge their sins and to get close to God.

Everyone wants to get close to God. You do, too. I do. The question is: How can we get close to God? What do we need to do to get close to God? And what should we expect when we get close to God?

Context: the Consuming Fire Comes to Camp

Last week we saw that Israel went to meet their maker on a mountain. Israel came close to God. They discovered that God was a consuming fire. And they saw first hand why they needed a mediator. Sinful Israel needed someone to stand between them and the holy God. And their preparations for meeting God told them they needed to be washed clean and then covered in blood to be acceptable before God. Barriers prevented the people approaching God by going up the mountain. Otherwise they were killed.

But we also learn that meeting God was not going to be a once off. The people were camping in the desert. And God decided that he was going to come down the mountain and pitch his tent among his people. God was going camping with his people.

What would camping with Yahweh, the Holy God, look like?

Camping with Yahweh: Greatness Dwelling Among Us

We all know that the Queen of Australia, our Queen, live in London. But she is hardly seen among the people. The fact is that the people cannot approach her as an equal. They are held back by barricades or the police. Remember seeing the pictures of the Royal Wedding. Every 10 paces, a London Bobby. And every 4th officer or so wore a flack vest armed with a semi automatic rifle. That was not just for show. And if anyone broke through the thin blue line, they would be taken out.

Yes, Queen Elizabeth’s home is among the Londoners. But Buckingham Palace has a great big fence and guards in fancy dress all around. You cannot go and knock on her door. She invites relationship on her terms, and none of us can initiate a personal relationship, though she is our queen.

In our city, we have some famous people, some great ones. Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchet, Russell Crowe. But can you go and door knock them? They live in your city, but behind high walled compounds with security guards and cameras. Uninviteds, stalkers, papparazi and other hoi poloi will be kept out, bounced, and if persistent, arrested, charged, and taken to court. They might live among us, but they are not one of us. They are a cut above, set apart, and their architecture of their houses proves it

Do you remember APEC a little while ago? All the world leaders came to Sydney for a short time. But for their visit, the Sydney CBD was in lock down, with a great wall around the APEC zone, and half the police force working as security.

Well, God decided to dwell among his people as a Mighty King. God dwells in the middle of the camp, and cannot be approached except on his own terms. God is among his people, but he is separated from them, in holiness he is unapproachable. And any approach has to be on his terms.

God's Dwelling in the Midst of Israel: The Tabernacle

Since the Israelites are camping, God is going camping with his people. So he commands that a tent be constructed (Exodus 26). The tent is called a tabernacle. It is a moveable structure, in the sense that a demountable class room is moveable. And the tabernacle was all about man meeting God (Exodus 25:22-23; 30:6, 36). But again, that meeting had to be on God’s terms.

Designed by God...

Now, many of you would be familiar with IKEA furniture. Designed by those clever people in Sweden, but assembled by you in your lounge room with the provided Allan Key and hammer. But if you don’t diligently follow the instructions. you just have an expensive disaster. Well, on top of Mount Sinai, Yahweh gave the plan of the tabernacle to Moses (Exodus 24:18-25:1).

The tabernacle was ‘designed by God’ (Exodus 25-28) but constructed by God’s people. The idea and design of the tabernacle was God’s. It was a gift from God. So there are to be no ‘on the job’ modifications. Exodus 25:9:

Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. (NIV) (compare Exodus 25:9, compare Exodus 25:40; 26:30; 27:8)

The people of Israel must follow the pattern that God gave Moses on the mountain. And that’s because the tabernacle is a scale model of heaven. The tabernacle is a little heaven on earth. It teaches God’s people what heaven is like. The tabernacle and all it’s furniture was a copy of heaven (Hebrews 9:24)[1] So if you want to know what Heaven is like, go to the tabernacle.

...But constructed by Israel enabled by God

The Israelites had God’s instructions for the tabernacle. But they had to actually do the construction of the tabernacle. The materials for making the tabernacle were provided by people. All whose hearts prompted them to give did so (Exodus 25:1-7).

But where did they get all the goodies from in the first place? Gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows, acacia wood, olive oil, spices, onyx stones and other gems (Exodus 25:3-7; 35:4-9, 20-29). These things weren’t just lying around in the desert. And remember, the people had been slaves.

The answer lies in God’s promises and his work in the Egyptian’s hearts. God promised Abraham that his descendants would come out with great possessions. And God was good for it. God worked in the Egyptians hearts. He made the Egyptians favourably disposed towards the Israelites. As the Israelites left Egypt, they asked their Egyptian neighbours for gold, silver, clothing and other costly items. And they got them. Though they were once slaves, Israel came out of Egypt with great possessions. So much so that Israel is said to have ‘plundered the Egyptians’[2]. What did they have that they didn’t receive? And if they did receive it, why boast about it as if they did not? (compare 1 Corinthians 4:7)

Since God freely gave to the Israel, Israel freely gives to the work of the tabernacle.

And friends, it is the same with us. The same principle applies to our giving. Freely we have received, freely we should give (Matthew 10:8). The apostle Paul says:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV)

In fact, the Israelites freely gave so much so that Moses had to stop them. In Exodus 36 we read:

3 …the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done. ” 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary. ” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. (Exodus 36:3-7 NIV)

They gave so much that they were inhibiting the work. What a great problem to have! Too much generosity. May God change our hearts also, that we would freely give till we overflow in abundance.

The construction skill from willing humans enabled by God

God also provided the skills for Israel to build the tabernacle. Just as God provided the materials but expected the people to give freely, so God provided the skills but expected people to freely serve and work. The LORD chose Bezalel son of Uri of the tribe of Judah, and filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts and appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. The LORD gave skill to all the craftsmen to make everything he commanded. (Exodus 31:1-6; cf Exodus 35:10-19) God enabled what he commanded. But this was not conscription. So of the craftsmen we read:

Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. (Exodus 36:2 NIV)

And of the skilled women we read:

25 Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun–blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. 26 And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. (Exodus 35:25-26 NIV)

God enables. And then he calls for willing workers.

So it is now. God enables and gifts his people. And then calls for willing workers. Not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be (1 Peter 5:2).

And likewise, we need to ask God that we be willing and able to serve him in whatever way he calls us to serve.

The Location and Design and Position in the Camp (Numbers 2-3)

The tabernacle was to be placed in the middle of the camp of Israel[3]. The arrangement was very much like a King and his armed forces at camp awaiting battle. The 12 tribes were placed around it, three tribes to each of the North, South, East and West (Numbers 2). The three clans of Levi and the families of Moses and Aaron were then placed between the 12 tribes and the tabernacle (Numbers 3). They were God’s body guards. Their job was keeping the other tribes away from the altar and the tabernacle. Only they could carry the tabernacle when Yahweh moved the camp And of course they had to execute anyone who came too close. And they themselves would die if they approached the altar or the tabernacle (Numbers 18:1-7).

For a diagram of the tribes around the tabernacle, see http://radio882.com/study_outline/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/12_tribes_of_israel_numbers.gif

However, for the ordinary Israelite most of the time the only real view of the tabernacle they had was this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stiftshuette_Modell_Timnapark.jpg

The courtyard and it’s utensils

The courtyard was separated from the camp by a linen partition. The pillars and bases were bronze, the tent pegs were bronze, but other elements were silver (Exodus 27:9-19; 38:9-20). That is a very expensive set of tent poles and pegs. The courtyard was for the priests, Aaron and his sons, and Moses, with the Levites standing on guard and assisting (Numbers 18:1-7). Even an ordinary Israelite who came to offer a sacrifice in a ritually clean state could only come to the entrance. So all they saw was this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timna_Tabernacle_Altar_of_Burnt_Offerings.jpg

And the Levites stood guard to make sure you didn’t go any closer. Because the tabernacle said, ‘God is in the camp’, but you cannot come into his presence. Only the priest can go before God on your behalf.

Now, as you can see, in front of the tabernacle was the bronze altar. This was essentially an elaborate BBQ for cooking a whole animal cut into pieces. The courtyard was a holy abboitoir come outdoor BBQ for al fresco holy dining by the priests. All its utensils were bronze. The poles of bronze show that the altar was portable, as indeed was everything in the tabernacle (Exodus 27:1-8; 38:1-7).

The following diagram is a floor plan of the tabernacle: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tabernacle.png

Between the bronze altar and the tent itself was the bronze washbasin (Exodus 30:17-21; 38:8; 40:7). It was made from donated metal mirrors, formerly used by women cosmeticly (Exodus 38:8). There was something more important than being beautiful and seeing yourself. It was approaching God on his terms, even if you couldn’t do it yourself. Again, this was for the use of the priests alone. They had to wash their hands and feet before approaching the altar or entering the tent. No one else could approach it. And the priest’s and Levites would execute anyone who transgressed. For a picture of the basin see http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timna_Tabernacle_Sink_and_Altar_of_Burnt_Offerings.jpg

Most of the things in the courtyard were bronze or bronze coated, and some things were silver.

The tabernacle tent proper

The tabernacle tent itself was different. As you can see from the tabernacle layout diagram, the tent itself was divided into two rooms, an outer room and an inner room. It was modest in size when compared with the later temple in Jerusalem, but remember it was being carried from place to place. And what it lacked in quantity it made up for in quality.

The larger outer room was called the Holy Place. The smaller inner room, a square, was called the Most Holy Place, or the ‘Holy of Holies’.

Every piece of furniture, utensil and even the framed (or panelled) walls of the tent, were gold or gold plated (eg Ex 26:15). The only exception I can see are the bases of the poles at the entrance of the tent were bronze (eg Exodus 26:37), and those at the entrance of the Most Holy Place were silver (Exodus 26:32), as were the bases of the frames (Exodus 26:25). But everything else was gold. It seems that the principle, therefore, is that the objects are more costly the closer you go to the Most Holy Place. The metals are more precious as you come nearer to Yahweh the great king.

Bronze outside the tent, with silver. Bronze and gold at the entrance to the tent. Silver and gold at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. Only gold within the Holy and Most Holy places.

In other words, the architecture showed that God was Holy, distinct, separate, and different. And as you came closer to God, the greater the glory, the greater the preciousness, the greater the holiness, and the greater the danger for sinful people.

The tabernacle was a bit like a nuclear reactor. As you move closer to the core, you get bombarded with increased radiation. So as a sinful human would come closer to the Holy of Holies, the place were Yahweh symbolically dwelt, they would be bombarded with greater holiness. So greater preparations, greater protection, and greater cause is required to approach God.[4] And you cannot do it frequently.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timna_Tabernacle_1.jpg

The tent itself had two curtains, one that separated the Holy Place from the Courtyard. And an inner curtain, that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The difference between the curtains was that the outer one had no cherubim woven into it, but the inner one did (Exodus26:31, compare 26:36)

The Holy Place

Behind the first curtain was the Holy Place. The priests, and only the priests, were to enter this room daily. And only in the prescribed manner. It was arranged as the picture at this link indicates: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timna_Tabernacle_3.jpg

There were three pieces of furniture, all gold. On the right as the priest entered the tabernacle was the table of the bread of the presence. On the left, was the 7 branched lampstand, or menorah. And directly ahead, before entrance into the Most Holy Place, was the altar of incense.

The Holy Place, the first room, seemed to be designed as the living room of the King, where only his most privileged servants attended him.

Of course, from one perspective, God didn’t really dwell there. God’s dwelling is in heaven. And the whole earth cannot contain God. How much less a modest tent, no matter how costly. But remember, the tabernacle was a model of heaven. It was God’s residence when he pitched his tent among his people.

Like any living room, it had a table with bread. Symbolically, this showed that God shared the intimacy of a meal, or table fellowship, with his people. The bread was called ‘the bread of the presence’ (Exodus 25:30). 12 top quality loaves were baked each week, arranged in two piles, as the photograph above shows (Leviticus 24:5-9). In other words, symbolically the 12 tribes, all God’s people, were in God’s presence, enjoying all the benefits of being at table together. In the tabernacle, God and man at table together was symbolized. For a picture of what the table might have looked like see http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timna_Tabernacle_Table_of_Showbread.jpg

Opposite the table was the the pure gold Menorah. It was a 7 branch lampstand. We’d call it a candelabra. Like any candle, it required frequent attention by the priest. It was a perpetual light, never to be extinguished (Exodus 27:20; Leviticus 24:1-3) It served the practical purpose of providing light, required in every living space. But something else becomes clear when we read about it’s design. Exodus 25:31-33:

Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft: its flowerlike cups , buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand – three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. (Exodus 25:31-33 NIV)

In other words, it was a tree! It was a tree that gave light. And immediately, we are returned to the Garden of Eden and the tree of life.

For a picture of the menorah or lampstand see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Menorah_0307.jpg

Immediately before the curtain shielding the most holy place was the altar of incense. Again, it was of pure gold . And again, the priests needed to tend it daily (Exodus 30:7-10). It had the practical purpose of continually giving a perfumed fragrance and aroma. Later in the bible Scripture takes incense to be symbolic of our acceptable prayers coming up before God (Revelation 5:8).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timna_Tabernacle_Incense_altar.jpg

Immediately behind the altar of incense was the curtain that divided the Holy Place from the most Holy Place. And this had Cherubim embroidered on it. Because the Cherubim stand guard over the place where Yahweh dwells.

The Most Holy Place

The Most Holy Place was like the throne room of a great King in camp. It was a very small room, about 3 metres square. And there was only one piece of furniture in it: The Ark of the Covenant: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Arch_Room_Ark_replica_2.jpg

Now Ark simply means box. It was the box of the covenant. It was covered in gold. It had two carved gold cherubim on the lid, which was known as the ‘Atonement Cover’ or the ‘Mercy Seat’ (Exodus 25:17).

And in the box were three things (Hebrews 9:4). The 2 tablets of the 10 commandments, carved by the finger of God (Exodus 25:21). A jar of manna (Exodus 16:32-34). And later, Aaron’s staff that budded (Numbers 17:8-10).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timna_Tabernacle_inside_Ark_of_the_Covenant.jpg

They were the terms and tokens of the covenant. They are like the vows and the wedding ring and the top tier of the cake, put in a special keepsake box.

The Holy of Holies or Most Holy Place was like the throne room of the Great King. And the Ark of the Covenant was likened to the footstool of a great King (1 Chronicles 28:2).

But of course, there was no throne, or statue or image of Yahweh. Only his footstool, and with the cherubim poised to look only at his feet, with their wings covering view of his face.

So when the High Priest once a year went behind the curtain, what did he see. Only Yahweh’s footstool. Only God’s word and tokens of God’s promise was there. But there was no form or shape to the great King.

Above the atonement cover and between the two cherubim, was where Yahweh said he would meet Moses (Exodus 25:22). And it was there that the High Priest once a year would enter and sprinkle the blood on the atonement cover to pay for the sins of the people.

The finale is the descent of the glory of the Lord (Exodus 40:34-38)

34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out–until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels. (Exodus 40:34-38 NIV)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PI019.jpg

Yahweh physically and demonstrably took residence. But not in a bodily form. The presence of God was marked with the cloud. God dwelt, but didn’t dwell, in the tent. And that was as close as the people got to God.

Until Jesus.

God Became Flesh And Tabernacled Amongst Us

For when Jesus was born, the glory of God had long departed the temple of Jerusalem, which superceded the tabernacle. There was no Ark of the Covenant, and no visible presence of God in the cloud. The Most Holy Place hadn’t seen the cloud of God’s presence for over 600 years.

But at the start our new era, God’s presence returned. This time, bodily. For God became a man in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Muslims have been making a big noise that they don’t believe Jesus is either God or the Son of God. That’s because they reject the New Testament. Islam comes along 600 years later, and says that it knows better about Jesus, than those who sat with him, saw him, touched him, and gave their lives to tell the world about him.

The Apostle John tells us that in the beginning was the Word, who was with God and was God, who created all things. (John 1:1-3). John 1:1 to 3:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3 NIV)

And this Word became flesh. He became fully human. John 1 verse 14:

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NIV)

God the Word literally pitched his tent, or tabernacled amongst us (John 1:14). The glory of God was seen once again. This time not in a tent of skins and linen and frames of gold. But in the tent of a human body. Jesus is God the one and only Son, who came and camped with his people for a short time. He makes known the God no-one has ever seen, by becoming a man (John 1:18). John handled, and saw, and heard and looked at and gazed at the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3).

But now Jesus is gone. Jesus Christ has returned to the Father. Jesus the man, in whom all the Christ dwells bodily, is no longer on earth. Search high and low. He is not in Romans Catholic tabernacles. That was only ever and still remains ‘wafer’. Jesus is away.

Sure, Jesus has left us his Spirit, a downpayment on our future. Sure, Jesus promises that where two or three meet in his name, he is with us, in our midst. Yes, Jesus is with us to the very end of the age. And yes, Christ lives in me by his Spirit. All this is true.

But Jesus is bodily away. Christ is in me is the hope of glory. It is not what I have yet, for I do not hope for what I already have. We are united to him by faith, but we are also separated from him. Though we have not seen him, we love him, and though we do not see him now, we believe in him (1 Peter 1:8). We are those who have not seen, and yet believe (John 20:29).

So don’t expect too much now. Have the right expectation of the Christian life now.

Jesus is away (John 16:7). We are now away from our Lord (2 Cor 5:6). Just as Israel only had God’s word in the Holy of Holies with the visible presence, so we only have God’s word and God’s invisible Spirit. Word and Spirit is how we keep in touch and connected with our absent Lord. We do not see him and are not yet with him. We live by faith not sight. And we do not yet have the intimacy with God that we want. It will not come until Jesus’ returns and remakes the world. We do not experience God fully and face to face… yet.

For our hope is a face to face communion with God and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. For it is only when he remakes our world that we can really say:

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4 NIV 1984)

We wait for heaven, and the coming of Christ and his Kingdom. There is no temple there, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are it’s temple. The glory of God gives his people light and the lamb is his people’s lamp (Revelation 2:22-23). It has the tree of life, and the throne of God and of the Lamb. His servants will serve him, and they will see his face, and they will not need the light of the Lamp, because the Lord God will be their lamp (Revelation 22:3-5). And everything pointed to by the tabernacle will be there.

But dear friends, this all lies in the future. Now we must wait for it patiently.

Let’s pray

Footnote

[1] ‘In any case, as we imagine ourselves standing in the tabernacle and looking up in the light of the menorah, we can understand the significance of the blue roof with the flying Cherubim. We are in heaven; the tabernacle is heaven on earth. The author of the book of Hebrews understood this when he stated concerning the High Priests of the Old Testament, “They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven.”’ Tremper Longman III, How to Read Exodus (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009), 136-137

[2] In Genesis 15, Yahweh promised Abraham that though his descendants would be slaves and would suffer for 400 years, ‘they will come out with great possessions’ (Genesis 15:14 NIV). Then at the burning bush in Exodus 3, Yahweh said to Moses: ‘I will make the Egyptians favourably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbour and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.’ (Exodus 3:21-22 NIV). And on the night of the Passover, while the firstborn of Egypt lay dead in their homes, we read: ‘The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The LORD had made the Egyptians favourably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:35-36 NIV)

[3]‘According to Targ Pal Num 2 each group had a standard with the colours of the stones representing their tribes on the priest’s breastplate and with an insignia on it: a lion, a stag (originally an ox), a man, and a serpent (which later tradition changed to an eagle).’: G K Beale, The Book of Revelation: NIGTC (Grand Rapids/Cambridge: Eerdmans/Paternoster, 1999), 331. Also, Alford IV II 600; G R Osborne, Revelation BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 234

[4] The illustration is used in T Longman III, How to Read Exodus (Downers Grove: IVP, 2009), 135.