Tabernacle of the Congregation Exodus 25:8-16, 22, 40 Exodus 40:2-38

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1 Page1 Tabernacle of the Congregation Exodus 25:8-16, 22, 40 Exodus 40:2-38 Learning Objectives 1. The children will explore details about the Ark of the Covenant and the tabernacle. 2. The children will examine the priestly ministry in the Old and New Covenants. 3. The children will recognize the value of God s servants in our lives today. Memory Verse: How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of Hosts! --Psalm 84:1 (NKJV) Getting Started Tissue Paper Stained Glass Windows See: Old Testament Lesson 46 - Teacher s Guide Pg. 2 This activity will require the children to follow detailed instructions, just as the people did in building the tabernacle. You will need one 9 x12 piece of white tissue paper for each child, two sheets of black construction paper for each child, red, blue and purple tissue paper (these are the same colors used for the curtains in the tabernacle) and white glue (not glue sticks). Please see the above website for detailed instructions. As the children are working explain how that God was very specific in His instructions for the design of the tabernacle. The workers had to be very careful to do it exactly as He instructed. The end result was a very beautiful place. Bible Lesson with Discussion Questions Message: Respect God s servants. Exodus 25 "Have them make a sacred tent for me. I will live among them. Make the holy tent and everything that belongs to it. Make them exactly like the pattern I will show you. The Ark of the Covenant "Have them make a chest out of acacia wood. Make it three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide and high. Cover it inside and outside with pure gold. Put a strip of gold around it. Make four gold rings for it. Join them to its four bottom corners. Put two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles out of acacia wood. Cover them with gold. Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. The poles must remain in the rings of the chest. Do not remove them. I will give you the tablets of the covenant. When I do, put them into the chest. The chest is the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept. I will meet with you above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark. There I will give you all of my commands for the people of Israel. Be sure to make everything just like the pattern I showed you on the mountain.

2 Page2 Bible Lesson with Discussion Questions Continued Exodus 40:2-38 "Set up the holy tent, the Tent of Meeting. Set it up on the first day of the first month. Place in it the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept. Screen the ark with the curtain. Bring in the table for the holy bread. Arrange the loaves of bread on it. Then bring in the lampstand. Set up its lamps. Place the gold altar for burning incense in front of the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept. Put up the curtain at the entrance to the holy tent. Place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the holy tent, the Tent of Meeting. Place the large bowl between the Tent of Meeting and the altar. Put water in the bowl. Set up the courtyard around the holy tent. Put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. Get the anointing oil. Anoint the holy tent and everything that is in it. Set apart the holy tent and everything that belongs to it. Then it will be holy. Anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all of its tools. Set the altar apart. Then it will be a very holy place. Anoint the large bowl and its stand. Set them apart. "Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Wash them with water. Dress Aaron in the sacred clothes. Anoint him and set him apart. Then he will be able to serve me as priest. Bring his sons and dress them in their inner robes. Anoint them just as you anointed their father. Then they will be able to serve me as priests. They will be anointed to do the work of priests. That work will last for all time to come." Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him. So the holy tent was set up. It was the first day of the first month in the second year. Moses set up the holy tent. He put the bases in place. He put the frames in them. He put in the crossbars. He set up the posts. He spread the holy tent over the frames. Then he put the coverings over the tent. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him. He got the tablets of the covenant. He placed them in the ark. He put the poles through its rings. And he put the cover on it. The cover was the place where sin is paid for. Moses brought the ark into the holy tent. He hung the curtain to screen the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him. He placed the table for the holy bread in the Tent of Meeting. It was on the north side of the holy tent outside the curtain. He arranged the loaves of bread on it in the sight of the Lord. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him. He placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting. It stood across from the table on the south side of the holy tent. He set up the lamps in the sight of the Lord. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him. He placed the gold altar for burning incense in the Tent of Meeting. He placed it in front of the curtain. He burned sweet-smelling incense on it. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him. Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the holy tent. He set the altar for burnt offerings near the entrance to the holy tent, the Tent of Meeting. He sacrificed burnt offerings and grain offerings on it. Moses did it as the Lord had commanded him. He placed the large bowl between the Tent of Meeting and the altar. He put water in the bowl for washing. Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. They washed when they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar. They did it as the Lord had commanded Moses. Then Moses set up the courtyard around the holy tent and altar. He put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses completed the work. The Glory of the Lord Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting. The glory of the Lord filled the holy tent. Moses couldn't enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it. The glory of the Lord filled the holy tent. The people of Israel continued their travels. When the cloud lifted from above the holy tent, they started out. But if the cloud didn't lift, they did not start out. They stayed until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was above the holy tent during the day. Fire was in the cloud at night. The whole community of Israel could see the cloud during all of their travels.

3 Page3 Bible Lesson with Discussion Questions Continued From God s Ways Volume 1 (regarding the Tabernacle): - The tabernacle stood in a courtyard: the outer court. - In this courtyard stood the altar of burnt-offering and the laver, a large brazen vessel which was filled with water. - The tabernacle consisted of 2 compartments: the holy place and the holy of holies. A curtain separated the two. In the holy place was the seven-branched candelabrum and the incense altar. - The tabernacle was set up and taken down to be moved, according to the cloud from God that served as a visible sign for the Israelites. As long as the cloud hovered over the tabernacle, the Israelites remained at that place. When the cloud rose, they were to move the tabernacle. Whenever the Israelites set up camp, they set up the tabernacle first. Optional Reading regarding Priests of the Old Covenant: Exodus and Numbers 18, 28 From God s Ways Volume 1 (regarding the Priests): - God commissioned Moses to ordain Aaron and his sons as priests (Exodus 28:1) and they were to be of service in the tabernacle. Only descendants of Aaron were to receive the priesthood. - For each service, the priests wore special clothes (garments) and had to follow very precise instructions in order to prepare and offer the sacrifices. - The Priests tasks included: o Maintain and clean the tabernacle (except the holy of holies area) o Advise about the sacrificial animals o Take care of the fire on the incense-altar. o Instruct the people about the laws (Leviticus 10:8-11) o Rule on difficult matters of law - Priests had to wash their hands and feet in the laver before seeing to their duties at the altar or in the tabernacle. - Priests offered sacrifices every day, which was the divine service of the Old Covenant, and they followed God s detailed instructions concerning the different offerings. This was their main task. - Once a year the high priest (at the time this was Aaron) would enter the holy of holies and during a special ceremony would ask God for forgiveness for the sins of the people and for himself. Everyone else was forbidden to have access to the holy of holies. - Tithes (or the tenth) were not an offering but a forced contribution, like a tax, that was paid to the Levites (the priests who were all from the tribe of Levi). NOTE: - The daily sacrifices lost their effectiveness when Jesus died on the cross. Eventually (in AD 70) all sacrifices were ceased. - The task of God s servants of the New Covenant (i.e. Priestly ministries from Priest to Bishop) is to prepare God s children for the return of Christ.

4 Page4 Bible Lesson with Discussion Questions Continued Discussion Questions: 1. Review the tasks of priests of the Old Covenant. (Make a list on the white board or easel.) 2. How do those with Priestly Ministries (Priests to Bishops) today care for the souls? (Make a separate list on the easel or white board. They bring God s word to the souls through the divine services, proclaim the forgiveness of sins, perform Holy Baptism and dispense Holy Communion, give comfort and pray for the souls, give guidance with regards to matters of faith.) 3. Review some of the tasks the Priests of the Old Covenant had to complete. What tasks do the Priests in your congregation perform today? (visit the sick, family visits, special divine services for children or youth, etc. Discuss.) Application to Real Life RESPECT for God s Servants and Church Leaders Questions for Discussion: 1. Who do you have respect for in your life? (Parents, Teachers, Police, Ministers, etc. make a list.) 2. Do you think people your age have a hard time respecting authority? Why/why not? 3. What does it take for you to have respect for such individuals? Look up in your Read Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders. Put yourselves under their authority. They keep watch over you. They know they are accountable to God for everything they do. Obey them so that their work will be a joy. If you make their work a heavy load, it won t do you any good. (NIRV) Questions for Discussion: 1. Do you respect your church leaders (Ministers, adult church volunteers)? 2. Why do you think it would be important to respect these people? 3. What does it mean to respect your youth minister, a volunteer, or other leaders in our church? Sometimes we have a hard time accepting the fact that people have authority over us. The passage from Hebrews shows us that is important to have respect for these individuals that God placed in our lives. When we respect God s servants, we please God and He will bless us. Respect God s servants. (Remind the children of the message statement.) Memory Work Suggestions 5 minutes 1. Recite the memory verse. 2. Practice finding the memory verse and/or Bible text in the Bible. 3. Recite an article of faith. What does it mean in your own words? 4. Allow a volunteer (child) to lead the class in an opening/closing prayer.

5 Page5 Activity Ideas Choose One Activity Meet Me There Activity See: Old Testament Lesson 46 - Teacher s Guide Pg. 10 This is a game that is a variation of 20 questions. You will need to have a place picked out in your mind that you want your class to guess. Keep it simple so that the children can guess. Please see the above website for detailed instructions. After the game is completed, remind the children that God never makes us guess where to meet Him or how to find Him. The people of Israel knew that the Spirit of God dwelt in the tabernacle. They also knew when exactly to move the tabernacle, and when to stay put. God also lives in the hearts of His people, our hearts. Remind the children that we can meet with God anytime we want to. God wants us to meet or talk with Him often and continually. When we stay close to Him in our hearts, He is able to guide us through our lives. Metal Work Activity See: Old Testament Lesson 46 - Teacher s Guide Pg. 8 Much of the work in the tabernacle was metal work. This activity will allow the children to get an idea of doing some metal work. You will need to bring a few towels (as a non-stick surface), aluminum foil, Kleenex and a few objects that can be rubbed through foil (but not too rough because it may tear the foil, such as coins, keys, paperclips, textured fabric, cut out letters, salt or rice). You may also need some paper plates for this activity. Please see the above website for detailed instructions. Remind the children how hard the people worked doing all that metal work in the hot desert in order to make the tabernacle beautiful. They did these things as a form of worship to the Lord. Journal Choose One What does it mean to respect your youth minister, a volunteer, or other leaders in our church? Write about it. What does respect mean to you? Write about it. Homework Ideas - Read at home the lesson titled: 40 Years in the Desert (Numbers 13-14, 16, 20-21). - Learn the memory verse: And if the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. --Number 14:8 (NLT) - Work on memorizing Article of Faith #. - Make a list of all the unpleasant tasks you have to complete in your daily or weekly routine. When you do these things, do you usually end up complaining? Think about it. Be ready to share in class.

6 Page6 Take Home Page: Tabernacle of the Congregation Today I learned Today your child was reminded that we are to respect God s servants. The children explored details about the Ark of the Covenant and the tabernacle. They also examined the priestly ministry in the Old and New Covenants and the value of God s servants in our lives today. Help me learn my memory verse How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of Hosts! --Psalm 84:1 (NKJV) Ask me 1. How do ministers today care for the souls? What do they do? 2. Do you have a favorite priest or minister? Why is he so special to you? Live Your Faith Share with your child who your favorite minister or priest was or is and what it was that made him so special to you and your life of faith. Talk about all the things that ministers selflessly do for others on a regular basis. Encourage your child to always pray for their ministers, and especially that God would continue to give them the strength to do the things He has specifically called them to do for others.