GLEANINGS - ExodusSample

Why is the design of the tabernacle important?

From the beginning, God desired to dwell with His people and have a relationship with them. However, because of Adam’s one act of disobedience, sin divided humanity from a holy God.

Nevertheless, God found a way around humanity’s sin problem, a Tabernacle where He would dwell with His people (Exodus 25:8). Through the Tabernacle, God could relate, meet, and commune with the Israelites (Exodus 25:22).

God did not literally live there as people live in their houses. God cannot be contained in any building, however grand. But the Tabernacle signified the presence of God in Israel. It said in physical form, “I am with you.” Thus, the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, were crucial to the Israelites because they signified God’s presence.

Every detail of the Tabernacle was designed and planned by God (Exodus 25:9). The Tabernacle was not an afterthought to God. More than fifty chapters in the Bible are devoted to detailing its careful construction and sacred use.

The note on Exodus 25:1-31:17 in the ESV Study Bible points out two important keys to understanding the symbolism of the tabernacle:

First, the tabernacle is seen as a tented palace for Israel’s divine king. He is enthroned on the ark of the covenant in the innermost Holy of Holies (the Most Holy Place). His royalty is symbolized by the purple of the curtains and his divinity by the blue. The closer items are to the Holy of Holies, the more valuable are the metals (bronze→silver→gold) of which they are made.

The other symbolic dimension is Eden. The tabernacle, like the garden of Eden, is where God dwells, and various details of the tabernacle suggest it is a mini-Eden. These parallels include the east-facing entrance guarded by cherubim, the gold, the tree of life (lampstand), and the tree of knowledge (the law). Thus, God’s dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise, which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21-22).

In time, God chose to be with his people in a new way. As it says in John 1:14: “So the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” If you were to translate the Greek original literally, you’d say, “so the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us.” Jesus is the new Tabernacle. He is God with us, Emmanuel. In Jesus, we have confidence that God is with us and will never depart from us.

The tabernacle itself, as well as each element in the tabernacle compound, are spiritually symbolic and carry important significance for Christians today. In it, we can see the whole of our Christian walk from salvation all the way to our arrival in the presence of a holy God. The tabernacle helps us better see and understand the pattern of worship our Holy God set forth for us to approach him.

Jesus is the true tabernacle. When Jesus came down to earth, he “tabernacled” among us. When he died, the curtain in the temple ripped in two signifying that he brings us to the holy presence of God. Jesus is also the great high priest over the house of God and is the full and final sacrifice.

Application Question:

From your study and consideration of the design specifications given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai for the building of the tabernacle, what is one thing, one key observation, one spiritual truth that you learned.

Quote:

The greatest fact of the tabernacle was that Jehovah was there; a Presence was waiting within the veil. Similarly the Presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious awareness of His Presence.” - A.W.Tozer

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you that you love me so much, that you were willing to come down and tabernacle with man on earth, die on my behalf so that I can come into your very presence and call you Abba Father. What a great love. What a great privilege. Thank you so much. Amen