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Going Outside the Camp

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When Jesus was filled with the Spirit following His Baptism He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to pray and fast in preparation for the launching of the Kingdom of God. You could say that he went outside the camp. Question is, What does this phrase mean and how does it apply to our time of seeking to draw near to Jesus with a whole-heart?

Exodus 33:7 Now Moses used to take [his own] tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people]. And everyone who sought the Lord went out to [that temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

Moses took his own tent and pitched it far off from the camp. When you look at this symbolically you will quickly notice it was Moses’ tent, and no one else’s. The Apostle Paul referred to our earthly house, our bodies, as earthly tents (2 Cor. 5:1, 4). Symbolically speaking, you can apply the Exodus passage to your own spiritual life by asking the question, How can I take my own tent; my own spiritual house outside the camp to meet with God?

But that leads to another question: What is the Camp? What’s in the Camp that Moses was seeking to get far away from? Does this refer to just the day to day activities that took place inside the encampment of the children of Israel? Was Moses departure from the Camp focused only on physically removing himself from the circumstances of day to day life in the camp or was he seeking something more?

Hebrews 13:13 encourages all believers to get outside the camp when it states: Let us then go forth [from all that would prevent us] to Him outside the camp [at Calvary], bearing the contempt and abuse and shame with Him.

Here’s what I want you to pray towards during this time of fasting: How can I meet Jesus outside the camp? Ask the Lord to reveal to you how He wants you to meet Him outside the camp. Then watch, and listen for how He will answer you.

Ready, Set, Go!

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Monday, October 7, 2019 

1 Chronicles 22:19 Now set your mind and heart to seek (inquire of and require as your vital necessity) the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into the house built to the Name and renown of the Lord.

Set your heart and mind to seek…the Lord your God. Romans 3:11 states: No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God. The Greek meaning for the phrase, “No one,” means, “No one.” Zero, nada, zip, nil, zilch. Nobody seeks God. Which means we must get distracted by other things that we equate with God. What do we do about this dilemma?

Colossians 3:1-3 If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 

Paul provides us with a clue: aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above. You can deduce from the same verse that the treasure that we should be seeking is Jesus. What lies beneath Him are the higher things of Heaven. 

But the 1 Chronicles passage provides us with more than a clue if you look at the passage symbolically.Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into the house…

David believes that Solomon is to be the one who will follow through on this command because of a word given to David. He reminds Solomon of this word in verses 9-10. It states, Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of peace. I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon [peaceable], and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My Name and [the symbol of My] Presence. He shall be My son, and I will be his father; and I will establish his royal throne over Israel forever.

Now, in part Solomon did build a House for the Lord, but the Son which God referred wasn’t Solomon – but Jesus. In fact Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of David (Mark 12:35). Jesus is the One Who will build the House for the Father. But where’s this House going to be? Yes, in us. We are being built into a House for the Spirit of the Lord. 

Which leads us back to what we are to be fixing our minds on: patterning our spiritual lives after that pattern which is in Heaven. What pattern am I referring? The pattern of all the objects of the Tabernacle. In the Tabernacle pattern we see the bronze altar, bronze laver, menorah, altar of incense, table of showbread – the bread of His Face, and the Ark of the Covenant. This is what we are to be building – a sanctuary for the Lord. 

The puzzling thing is this. In Exodus 33 it states that Moses pitched his own tent far outside the camp – while they were building the priestly tabernacle. Even more puzzling is that you see this pattern repeated in David’s reign. There was a tent he pitched for just the Ark of the Covenant while the priestly tabernacle remained in Gibeon. Now that’ interesting, and used to puzzle me for years.That is until recently. In that Biblical pattern I see great revelation. For in it I believe that the Lord has revealed that one of those tents is my own personal tent of meeting with the Lord, and the other is my priestly tent. Thus I am actually building two tents. And those tents are raised through Jesus. This “building” that Jesus is working on, is where I am to be setting, or fixing my mind and heart in seeking. You could correct me here with my own teaching. You could remind me that I’ve taught if you focus on anything other than Jesus you will end up in a ditch. And that’s true. But the beauty of each one of the furnishings is that they point to the Person of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Its quite phenomenal actually. That each furnishing reveals a unique facet of Jesus and the Spirit. 

So pass me some chips and slide that bowl of salsa fire over. We got a fire to build. Set your mind on that.