Aaron could not stop thinking about the boards. What is it that keeps the boards from leaning each in their own way? The Lord gave him a promise that He would come again and tell him. And when the Lord promises something, you can count on it, for He will fulfill it! Aaron could not wait to find out.
So the Lord came back to Aaron, waking him from his sleep. “Aaron, it is time to go back to the Tabernacle,” the Lord said. “Today I will answer your question.”
“Oh, Lord,” Aaron exclaimed. “I am so glad You are here! I could hardly wait to see You again and learn what keeps those boards from leaning different ways. I have been thinking about it since You last left me!”
The Lord smiled. He was pleased with this young soul that so much desired to learn about His Kingdom. He was ready to share His secrets with Aaron again.
You know, young reader, it is not everybody that the Lord shares His secrets with. You have to love Him and obey Him so that He will come down to you and talk to you about things that are hidden to many others. But He sure delighted in Aaron and was happy that He could pass the treasures of His heart to a human soul.
“Aaron, look at these bars on the side of the Tabernacle,” the Lord commanded. “How many are there?”
“One, two, three, four, five,” Aaron counted. “Exactly! There are five bars holding the boards. Now, Aaron, what do you think would happen if one of the boards decided to lean forward?” The Lord knew Aaron would be able to figure it out.
“Well, Lord, I guess it would be hard to do so, as the bars are preventing the boards from doing it,” Aaron answered.
“Very good, Aaron. And what do you think would happen if, for example, another board wanted to lean backwards?”
“It would be the same case,” Aaron responded thoughtfully.
“So then…”
“I’ve got it, Lord!” Aaron shouted with joy. “The bars are there to keep us straight in the Body of Christ so that we would not be doing our own thing and walking our own way.”
“Yes, they are. That is exactly how it is, Aaron,” the Lord said. “Now, Aaron, do you know who these bars are?”
Aaron had to admit, “I don’t know, Lord. Would You please tell me?”
There was nothing the Lord would hold back from Aaron at this time and so He told him that the bars represent people, the five types of human agents God has ordained on earth to keep the saints straight and together. He also showed him that these are specifically mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-12, And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. The Lord also explained to Aaron that the word pastors is not the right translation of the Greek word poimen, but it is supposed to be translated shepherds. You see, the Bible was translated into English from Greek.
“Let me tell you about these ministries, Aaron,” the Lord said. “These bars are made out of wood and covered with gold so they look like long bars of gold. It shows that they represent people (wood) walking in My nature (gold). They are set in three rows as you can see. Because they are set like this, it shows that they are in divine order. The ministries are sent of Me from place to place and they carry out My will. Can you see, Aaron, how the bars are hooked to the boards?”
“Yes, Lord, I can see them being pushed through the golden rings, which seem to be part of the boards,” Aaron replied quickly.
“That is exactly right. The golden rings on the boards hold the bars and that speaks of a marriage. Although the bars hold the boards straight, it is the rings on the boards that hold the bars in place. This signifies that the ministries cannot own the church, but the church should hold them in place and desire them to be there.”
Aaron could not figure out why four of the bars were shorter, reaching only from the side to the middle of the Tabernacle, but one was long, going straight through from the first board to the last. The Lord explained to him the following:
“The long bar is 30 cubits long, which is the number of the matured son. It represents the apostle. I give the apostle My vision that others follow. The people of God cannot grow without a vision of what they are, where they are and where they are going. It is the business of the true apostle to bring divine order into the church by the power of My message in him.
“The first shorter bar, which is 15 cubits long, represents the prophet. The function of the prophet is to help keep the Body of Christ together by the revelation of the Spirit of God. He can get his revelation by visions or dreams, by a direct Word from God, or by any other means I choose. He speaks the Word with power and authority.
“The second shorter bar is the evangelist. He takes the Word that has been revealed by the apostle and the prophet to the church so that others, too, might know it and understand it. He shows people the way to salvation and also through the rest of the Tabernacle. He must be equipped not only with the power of the Holy Spirit, but also with the gifts of the Spirit in order to do his work well.
“The left lower bar is called the shepherd. A shepherd’s ministry is the spiritual ability to seek out and care for My sheep, My people. He is responsible for caring for the sheep that have been given to him by Me, the Chief Shepherd.
“The last bar represents the teacher. He is like a teacher at school but teaches the Word of God. I tell him what to tell My people and how to tell it so that they might understand.
“I have given the people of God these gifts, these ministries, so that you all would learn to minister. Once you know it, there will be no need for the ministries any more.”
Aaron found this all very interesting. He was deep in thought and knew that he would have to think about it even more after he was left alone. At this point, the Lord was ready to depart but thought it important to remind Aaron of one more thing yet again, “Aaron, remember, it is the Body that holds the ministry and not the ministry holding the congregation. You will have to learn to hold on to these ministries if you want to be in the Body of Christ.”
There was much left for Aaron to ponder on…
Answer the following questions to see how well you understood this chapter:
- What is preventing the boards from leaning each in their own way?
- How many bars can you see on the side of the Tabernacle?
- How are the bars hooked to the boards? What does it represent?
- Who do the individual bars represent? What is the function of these people in the church?
P.S. If you want to read about the bars in the Old Testament, turn to Exodus 26:26-30.