Face to Face with God

A Biblical Theology of Christ as Priest and Mediator

T. Desmond Alexander, Benjamin L. Gladd, Benjamin L. Gladd

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9780830842964
• Topic: Teología y religión
• Subtopic: Teología sistemática y ética

How can sinful humans approach a holy God? In the book of Hebrews, Jesus Christ is celebrated as the great high priest who represents his people before the Father. Jesus' roles as priest and mediator are central to his identity and bring to completion themes woven throughout Scripture.In this fifth ESBT volume, T. Desmond Alexander considers the often-neglected themes of priesthood and mediation and how Christ fulfills these roles. He explores how these concepts illuminate what Christ has already accomplished for us through his self-sacrifice, as well as what he is presently achieving on our behalf, seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Through this study we gain a richer understanding of concepts such as holiness, sacrifice, covenant, reconciliation, and God's dwelling place.Essential Studies in Biblical Theology (ESBT), edited by Benjamin L. Gladd, explore the central or essential themes of the Bible's grand storyline. Taking cues from Genesis 1–3, authors trace the presence of these themes throughout the entire sweep of redemptive history. Written for students, church leaders, and laypeople, the ESBT offers an introduction to biblical theology.

Chapter One

Where Heaven
and Earth Meet

IN HIS LETTER TO THE HEBREWS, the author contributes significantly to our understanding of Jesus Christ by highlighting his role as a perfect high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Whereas other New Testament writers concentrate on Jesus’ earthly life and especially the life-transforming significance of his death and resurrection, the author of Hebrews focuses on the ascended Christ, taking his readers into the very presence of God in heaven. Exhorting his readers to remain steadfast in their confession, he compares and contrasts the high priestly role of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary with that of the Aaronic high priest in the portable sanctuary that the Israelites constructed at Mount Sinai.

Not surprisingly, many modern readers struggle to comprehend the book of Hebrews because they lack familiarity with the responsibilities of a high priest serving in a sanctuary. To comprehend the details of the exhortation in Hebrews, we need to understand the significance of the tabernacle created at Mount Sinai and the nature of the high priest’s role within that portable sanctuary. This takes us back to something initiated by God about 3,500 years ago, but it ultimately gives us a vital insight into what is happening for our benefit at this very minute in God’s heavenly presence.

To appreciate the nature of Christ’s ongoing activity in heaven, we must understand first the role of the Aaronic priesthood, appointed by God at Mount Sinai. In this chapter, we shall consider the significance of the portable sanctuary constructed by the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. Its creation marks a partial restoration of the unique relationship that humans had with God in the Garden of Eden. In subsequent chapters, we shall focus on the nature of the portable sanctuary and the role of the priesthood that is intimately linked to it. By visualizing what happens at the copy of the heavenly sanctuary, we gain an insight into what takes place in the real sanctuary where Christ now serves as our great high priest.

Coming Out and Coming Down

The creation of the portable sanctuary at Mount Sinai is described in the second half of the book of Exodus. Exodus takes its name from the Greek expression tēs exodou tōn huiōn Israēl ek gēs Aigyptou (Ex 19:1), which may be translated “the exodus/departure of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt.” The concept of “exodus” encapsulates well the first eighteen chapters of the book, which record God’s deliverance of the Israelites from the control of a tyrannical dictator. This rescue is the greatest salvific event recorded in the Old Testament. However, chapters 19–40 move beyond the “exodus” to have a different focus. At the heart of these chapters is the concept of God’s coming down to dwell with the Israelites. This takes place at Mount Sinai, which is proleptically designated the “mountain of God” as early as Exodus 3:1, when Moses first encounters God at the burning bush. Whereas chapters 1–18 record the events that brings the Israelites to the mountain of God, chapter 19 records how the former slaves camp at the foot of Mount Sinai and prepare for God’s arrival. This latter event marks the beginning of major new stage in the life of Israel as a nation. From this time onward, they alone of all the peoples on earth have the privilege of knowing God’s presence among them. This outcome rests on the covenant that God establishes with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, a covenant that requires the Israelites to give God their exclusive allegiance. In return, God commits to dwelling permanently among the people. As Yahweh declares to Moses, “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God” (Ex 29:45-46 ESV). God’s words emphasize that he rescues the oppressed Israelites from Egypt in order that he may reside with them.

The significance of God’s coming to live alongside the Israelites cannot be overestimated. For the first time since Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the opportunity arises for people to experience God’s continuous presence with them on earth. Prior to the making of the Sinai covenant, selected individuals had brief encounters with God (e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). These were highly significant occasions, but their experience of God’s presence did not last long. At Mount Sinai, something entirely new begins. This explains why so much attention is given to recording the construction of the portable sanctuary where God will live. As he accompanies the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land, God will occupy a tent, like the Israelites. However, his tent is no ordinary structure. The extensive use of gold, silver, and colored fabrics in the manufacture of the tent highlights the royal nature of its occupant; these valuable materials reflect appropriately the glory of the one who inhabits the portable sanctuary.

In the light of Yahweh’s remarkable deliverance of the Israelites from slavery, the portable sanctuary is, as Angel Rodriguez remarks, “a proclamation of God’s immanence, rooted in his loving grace.”1 God’s willingness to come and reside among the Israelites is a partial return to the intimacy that Adam and Eve experienced with God in the Garden of Eden. They, however, were exiled from God’s presence. The construction of the sanctuary signals a major new development in God’s redemptive activity on earth. Importantly, it also anticipates a much greater exodus in the future, involving all the nations of the world.

For most readers of Exodus, chapters 25–31 and 35–40 lack the dramatic appeal of the rest of the book. Compared to the miracle-filled account of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (chaps. 1–15) and his guidance of them through the wilderness to Mount Sinai (chaps. 16–18), the instructions for the building of a portable sanctuary (chaps. 25–31) and the implementation of these instructions (chaps. 35–40) lack narrative appeal. The dryness of the instructions and their almost word-for-word implementation is relieved briefly in chapters 32–34 by the disturbing account of the Israelites’ inappropriate use of a golden idol that threatens to end their special covenant relationship with God.

Importantly, we should be slow to dismiss the account of the making of the portable sanctuary as unimportant merely because we find it monotonous or uninteresting. For the author of Exodus, the many paragraphs devoted to the portable sanctuary are essential, describing the necessary preparations so that God may come to dwell among the Israelites. God’s presence in the midst of the Israelite camp marks the climax toward which the story in Exodus moves. Central to this is the construction of the ornate tent and its surrounding courtyard.

Before looking in detail at the construction of the tent and its furnishings, it may be helpful to consider briefly the relationship between chapters 25–31 and 35–40, which respectively record the instructions for the manufacture of the portable sanctuary and their implementation. Several features are noteworthy. First, the order in which items are placed in each section differs. In chapters 35–39, “the sequence of the account of the execution of the work . . . is in logical order.”2 The process of manufacture begins with the tent (Ex 36:8-38) and then proceeds to its furnishings (Ex 37:1-29). After this, items for the courtyard are listed (Ex 38:1-20). Finally, the text describes the manufacture of the priestly garments (Ex 39:1-31). In contrast, the order of the instructions in chapters 25–31 reflects the tent’s two main functions. The items described in Exodus 25:8–27:19 highlight the tent’s role as a dwelling place. Attention then switches in Exodus 27:20–30:38 to the tent’s function as a meeting place. Of note are the instructions in chapters 25–31 that contain information concerning the purpose of different items; this information is subsequently omitted in chapters 35–39 because it has no immediate relevance for the process of manufacture. In the rest of this chapter and in chapter three we shall consider further the tent’s function as a dwelling place. Its role as a meeting place will be discussed in chapter four.

Second, the report of the implementation in chapters 35–39 is almost a verbatim repetition of the instructions given in chapters 25–31, allowing for minor changes. While this repetition may turn off modern readers, it achieves two important purposes. First, it underlines that the instructions were carried out with great precision; God’s commands are followed to the very letter. Second, by repeating these details so fully, the narrative emphasizes the importance of the portable sanctuary. As Cornelis Houtman helpfully observes, “YHWH’s instructions are precisely carried out; YHWH wants his house to be built exactly as he has instructed . . . the importance of a matter and the attention devoted to it are directly proportional.”3 The detailed repetition found in chapters 35–39 is in keeping with other ancient Near Eastern temple-building accounts that conform to a distinctive literary pattern in which implementation sections are included after divinely given building instructions.4

While instructions for the construction of a portable sanctuary are rare among discovered ancient Near Eastern texts, there is no reason to view such a structure as unrealistic or fictional, as some scholars have suggested. According to Old Testament scholar Richard Averbeck, “There is good evidence for suggesting that the tabernacle-type structure is realistic in the Bronze Age world of the ancient Near East. The biblical account that puts the tabernacle back into the late Bronze Age is not an unrealistic projection of later ideologies and realities back into the Mosaic period.”5 Evidence for comparable ancient Near Eastern structures exists.6 The portable sanctuary with all its furnishings would have been very substantial. According to Numbers 7:2-9 it was transported in six covered carts, pulled by twelve oxen.

The Sinaitic Covenant and God’s Presence

God’s commitment to dwell with the Israelites rests on the covenant relationship that is established at Mount Sinai. When God proposes such a relationship, he requires the Israelites to obey him and keep the obligations of the covenant (Ex 19:4-6). Unlike the Egyptian pharaohs, who cruelly subjugated the Israelites against their will, God invites the people to submit themselves voluntarily to his sovereignty. In the light of what God has already done for them, it is hardly surprising that the Israelites willingly enter this relationship, unanimously agreeing to do all that the Lord has said (Ex 19:8; cf. 24:3, 7). Unfortunately, their subsequent actions do not reflect their initial enthusiasm to obey God.

To establish this special relationship, Yahweh speaks directly to the Israelites, setting out the principal obligations of the covenant (Ex 20:2-17); they are now commonly known as the Ten Commandments, although in Exodus they are later designated “the Ten Words” (Ex 34:28 NJB; this translation reflects more closely the original Hebrew text than “Ten Commandments”). God gives further obligations that are mediated through Moses to the people (Ex 20:22–23:33); these are recorded by Moses in a document known as the “Book of the Covenant” (Ex 24:4-7).

By requiring exclusive obedience from the Israelites, Yahweh underlines his claim to be the one and only true God. To distinguish the religious practices of the Israelites from those of other contemporary cultures, God prohibits the people from making idols. Elsewhere, the use of idols was an important component in religious practices because the deity was believed to be present in the idol. Worshipers believed that they encountered their deity in the idol, but the idol itself was not the complete manifestation of the deity. In marked contrast, for the Israelites, God’s presence is not located in idols but in a unique sanctuary. The existence of only one sanctuary emphasizes the monotheistic nature of Israelite religion. In other cultures, idols of different gods could be present in the same location. Yahweh, however, prohibits the Israelites from having other gods in his presence (Ex 20:3).

The obligations of the Sinai covenant in chapters 20–23 and the instructions for the manufacture of the portable sanctuary in chapters 25–31 witness to the existence of a single deity and reveal how his presence is to be known. While some biblical scholars have argued that the accounts of the Sinai covenant and the building of the portable sanctuary were originally unconnected, Exodus 19–40 displays a remarkable unity when understood correctly. Thematically, the present unified account is much richer than the separate parts that make it up. As we shall observe in ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Series Preface
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1. Where Heaven and Earth Meet
• 2. The Portable Sanctuary
• 3. Holy to the Lord
• 4. Face to Face with God
• 5. The High Priest as Intercessor
• 6. The High Priest and Sacrifice
• 7. A Priest like Melchizedek
• 8. Mediator of a Better Covenant
• 9. A Royal Priesthood
• Conclusion
• Discussion Questions
• Bibliography
• Scripture Index
• Notes
• Essential Studies in Biblical Theology
• Praise for Face to Face with God
• About the Author
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press
• Copyright