“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” (Hebrews 8:5 KJV)
A “…shadow of heavenly things…” I am told that sheep do not have very good eye sight, but have good hearing. Perhaps that is why they pay such careful attention to the master’s voice as they cannot see very well. Have you ever heard a shadow? I have written in a previous article entitled “Object oriented” about the visual properties relating to a shadow, but have you ever heard a shadow? Have you ever been listening when a radio was tuned to an A.M. frequency and you drove under a bridge or into a tunnel? Maybe you have been talking on your mobile phone and the call dropped because the signal, just for a moment, became too weak. Perhaps you have been listening to a lecture and stepped out of the room for a moment, and as the door closed behind you, you noticed that the instructor’s voice became much quieter or even silent.
Similar to light, the shadow of a radio frequency or an audible voice is only made possible when something comes between you and the broadcast’s energy. Oh, how we must be careful in making our tabernacles. What we make here is merely a shadow of what is real there. We must not think that what we build here is anything more than an outline. While we do well to keep the temple of our body clean, pure, and set apart for our Lord; it is for our Lord. We follow His pattern and His example that we might become more like Him. Our temples are not for reflecting on our own glory. God gives us great things which effectively reveal the shape and movements of the things above. They are great encouragements and reminders of things to come. Yet, as the sheep in His pasture which are under His care we need to keep from getting behind objects in such a way that they muffle or block the sound of His voice. It is that voice that we hear in His Word that leads us when we cannot see and times are very dark.
“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15 KJV)