When we come to the Altar of Incense we must bow in worship and subjection before the Father, crying "Not my will but Yours be done."

As soon as we do this we are ready to pass through the veil to the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant, being the sixth of the seven furnishings of the Tabernacle, represents man. Man was created on the sixth day.

Inside the Ark were the memorial jar of manna, the tables of stone on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments, and Aaron's rod that budded. Each of the three items in the Ark represents part of the character of the person who is in the image of God. Each of the three speaks of one of the three temptations of Christ.

The memorial jar of manna indicates that man must always lean on the Lord, depending on Him for every aspect of personality and behavior. The Lord Jesus was tested to see if He would use the power of God to provide bread. It is the temptation of bodily survival, of material security.

The tables of stone reveal that man must be holy as the Lord God is holy. Holiness has to do with worship, with desire, with relationships. The Ten Commandments are laws concerning our relationship to God and to people. The Lord Jesus was tested to determine whether He desired the pleasures of the world enough to cause Him to worship Satan.

Aaron's rod that budded shows us that man is not to choose his own place and role in the Kingdom but is to be content wherever God places him. The Lord Jesus was tested to see if He would display and exploit His power by jumping from the roof of the Temple.

Leaping from the Temple, apart from being directed to do so by the Father, would have been a foolish, reckless thing to do. But if Jesus could have done this and lived He would have gained great fame. He no longer would have been the lowly carpenter from Nazareth.

What stunt would He have attempted next?

So it is today as Christians challenge each other to "do great things for God"; to spend large amounts of money and then "trust God" to pay the bills; to act as though they have been healed when they still are sick. None of this is of the Lord but is presumption—a striving for preeminence in the Kingdom of God.

Man must lean on the Lord. Man must be married to the Lord. Man must abide in Christ.

Each of the three areas is a potential in every person, a capacity for good or for evil. Satan is self-centered, therefore lawless. Satan's lawlessness is in every human being. As a result, each of the three areas in the personality of people, the striving for security, pleasure, and achievement, is warped and inflamed.

To be continued.