Friday, March 5, 2010

Both Feet

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say? Every one that comes to me, and hears my words and does them, I will shew you to whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock; but a great rain coming, the stream broke upon that house, and could not shake it, for it had been founded on the rock. (Luke 6:46-48)

…and that Rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). I know that this is a misapplication of the rockin this verse...but stay with me.


Everyone that comes...hears...and does is like a house-building man that dug...went deep...and laid the foundation on rock. A foundation on rock is built to be permanent. But what if it was to be temporary house? A house that was to be moved? A house that was at rest for a while, but then had to be picked up and moved? Is the foundation any less important? Is it necessary to dig deep?


The tabernacle in the wilderness was the dwelling place (or house) of God. The tabernacle was mobile. The tabernacle was built up when camp was made and taken down when the camp was on the move.


Most, but not all, of the materials used to build the tabernacle was collected as a part of a free will offering. The silver that was used in the tabernacle came from a tax, and, as you know, there is absolutely nothing 'free will' about a tax. Every man of fighting age, whether rich or poor, had to cough up one half silver shekel. If you take the weight of a half a shekel and multiply it by the number of fighting-aged men, you realize that literally tons of silver were collected. This tax was called a ransom for his soul to Jehovah. The ancient Israelite warrior had to pay a ransom for his soul; in other words, he redeemed himself with silver. Peter probably had this on his brain when he penned: …knowing that ye have been redeemed, not by corruptible [things, as] silver or gold, from your vain conversation handed down from [your] fathers, but by precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, [the blood] of Christ… 1Pe 1:18-9 . Then, redemption costs money; now, redemption is by the blood of Christ.

Most, but not all, of the silver were made into sockets. Each socket weighed about 100 pounds. Two silver sockets held up each board in the tabernacle. The sockets provided the foundation of the boards.

The boards were gold-plated incorruptible wood -- a type of the believer. The wood represents humanity and when one looked at the boards he saw gold...when one looks at a believer he should see Christ. The boards were 'fitly framed together' by 5 bars. Four bars going through rings on each board and the middle bar was 'shot through' all of the boards (just how they drilled so many holes so they all lined up is a mystery to me). The boards were locked in place with bars, but their foundation was the sockets that was made from the silver that was collected as the redemption tax.

Each board had two socket, each believer has two feet. Just like the boards rested on the redemption money which was a picture of Christ, each of our feet ought to be resting on the redeeming blood of Christ. Both feet grounded...not one foot on the work of Christ and one foot on our own works...not one foot on Christ's redemption and one foot in the world...not one foot on Christ, and one foot on a creed. Both feet need to be resting on the redemption provided by the blood of Christ.

Come, hear, and do by digging deep and build your foundation on the redemption provided by the blood.

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died. -- Samuel J. Stone