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The Exodus Book of Psalms--Part 13

By now it should be apparent that the completion and glorification of the tabernacle of Moses is the most important theme of the book of Exodus. We know this simply because of the large number of psalms that celebrate it in The Exodus Book of Psalms. The psalms give us all the implications of this event in Moses' day and prophesy also of the completion of the Final Temple that God contemplated from the beginning.

We are the temple of God, both individually and corporately. The corporate temple is being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). Revelation 15 speaks of the completed temple being filled with the glory of God, using the same description as in the days of Moses.

In fact, the Song of Moses is sung at that time (Rev. 15:3),

(3) Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. (4) Who will NOT fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; for all the nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been revealed.

The question in verse 4 above is rhetorical, for it is self-evident that all men at that time will "fear" (reverence) and "glorify Thy name." The divine purpose in building this corporate temple is so that it may become a house of prayer for all people, even as Solomon's temple was described in Isaiah 56:7.

(6) Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord . . . (7) Even those I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer . . . For My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Psalm 64
This psalm focuses upon the purpose of the tabernacle (and the temple). The purpose of the revealed glory of God is to teach all men the ways of God.

The first 6 verses show us why those people need teaching.

(3) Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow. . . (5) They talk of laying snares secretly . . . (6) They devise injustices. . .

God's response is found in verses 7-9,

(7) But God will shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they will be wounded . . . (9) Then all men will fear and will declare the work of God, and will consider what He has done.

In Hebrew idiom, an arrow is a SON, and an archer is a TEACHER.  Psalm 127 says,

(3) Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. (4) Like ARROWS in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. (5) How blessed is the man whose QUIVER is full of them . . .

Likewise, a teacher is an archer. See

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H4175&t=KJV

We see this in Joel 2:23, "For He has given you the early rain [moreh] for your vindication [Zadok] ." An alternate rendering is "He has given you the Teacher of Righteousness."

One could also translate it "the Archer of Righteousness." Like an archer, a good teacher is one who hits the mark with the arrow of truth. Because arrows are sons, and a true son has been taught to know the truth, one could relate this to the Sonship Message.

Once we understand the Hebrew idiom and word pictures, we can see that Psalm 64:7 is about God shooting His enemies with the arrow of the Sonship Message--that is, how to become the sons of God. These are the "arrows of truth" that will "wound" His enemies in the heart and cause them to turn from their wicked ways. God's arrows of Truth contrast sharply with the wicked men's arrows of "bitter speech."

"THEN all men will fear and will declare the word of God, and will consider what He has done."

In the end, all nations will worship before Him. When all men stand before the Great White Throne, there will no longer be unbelievers, for every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess (swear allegiance) to Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:10, 11 and Isaiah 45:23).

Psalm 65
This psalm continues the theme that was established in Psalm 64. It pictures all men coming to the temple of God to worship Him.

(2) O Thou who dost hear prayer, to Thee all men come. (3) Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, Thou dost forgive them. (4) How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose to bring near to Thee, to dwell in Thy courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple.

When Solomon dedicated the temple, he prayed in 1 Kings 8:41-43,

(41) Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Thy people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Thy name's sake (42) (for they will hear of Thy great name and Thy mighty hand, and of Thine outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, (43) hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place and do according to all which the foreigner calls to Thee,in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Thy name.

So David confirms the prayer of Solomon as he looks back to the completion of Moses' tabernacle and looks ahead prophetically to the True Temple of which we are "living stones" (1 Peter 2:5). This temple is large enough to accommodate all men without a barrier in the courtyard (Eph. 2:14) to divide "chosen" people from "unchosen."

There is an abundance of the water of life from the river of God that flows from the throne of God. Ezekiel 47 speaks of this:

 (1) Then he brought me back to the door of the house, and behold WATER was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east. . .

(7) Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. (8) Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the (Dead) Sea become fresh. (9) And it will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes will live. . ."

David writes in Psalm 65:9, "The stream of God is full of water." He then describes a fertile field, well watered, and productive land, pastures, and meadows. All of this is meant to convey prophetically the water of life going out from the True Temple into the whole world.

This is the divine purpose for the Temple of God seen in Revelation 15. The tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon were mere types and shadows of the greater temple yet to come, made of living stones, having the water of life flowing freely to overcome death and bring life to "every living creature."