God s Tent PHBF TEXT: Exodus Scr. Reading: Exodus 25:1-9 For kids: tent, garden, ark, cherubim Drawing Near: Exodus, part 3

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1 PHBF TEXT: Exodus Scr. Reading: Exodus 25:1-9 For kids: tent, garden, ark, cherubim Drawing Near: Exodus, part 3 SOS Verse: Exodus 19:4-6 4 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, Let there be space between the waters, separating the waters above from the waters below. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, Let the waters below be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear. God called the dry land Earth and the waters Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth vegetation and plants and fruit trees. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the Heavens to separate day from night, and to mark seasons and days and years, and to give light on the earth. And God made the two great lights to rule over day and night, and God set them in the Heavens with the stars. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, Let the waters and skies swarm with living creatures. So God created sea creatures and birds, and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them: Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters and the sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth livestock and wild animals and all other living creatures. And God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over sea creatures and birds and land animals. So God created man in His own image. And God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion." And God saw everything He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished.and on the seventh day God finished His work, and He rested. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. God had planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He put the man He had formed. Every tree was there, pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there were gold and precious stones there. And God put the man in the garden to work it and keep it. And God said to the man, "You may eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other creature God made, and he said to the woman, Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree of the garden? The woman replied, We may eat of the other trees, but God said, You shall not eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden nor touch it, lest you die. But the serpent said, You shall not die. God knows your eyes will be opened and you will be like God. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and a delight to the eyes and desirable to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate it. And so did her husband. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were exposed, and they made leafgarments to hide themselves. And God cursed the serpent, the woman, the man, the ground, and the whole creation because of their sin. And He drove the man and the woman from the garden of Eden, and at the east He placed a cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. That s the backstory, the prequel to Exodus which you must understand if you re going to appreciate at all what happens next. After the human race s fall into sin, God went back to work; but this time He s working with a whole nation, not just one married couple. He liberates them, writes a 10-part constitution for them, and furnishes them with the basics for a just and prosperous society. All that remains is for Him to Page 2

2 move them to their own homeland and let them get busy building a culture, living life, and glorifying Him. But before they move in, He gives them one more thing: instructions to build what? What item could they construct that would be most helpful to this fledgling nation as they move into their new land? Military technology for conquest? Architectural plans for their capital city? A system of roads for transportation and communication? Nope. God has them build a tent, a dwelling place for He Himself to live: Exodus 25:8-9 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 9 Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. The word tabernacle (v 9) sounds like something technical, but the term itself is actually pretty basic. In the Greek translation of the OT, it was the word skhnh,, which means booth, tent. The Hebrew word means simply dwelling place, and it occurs both as a noun or, in its root form, a verb. In fact, it s the very verb used in verse 8, when God says, that I may dwell in their midst. So that I may dwell with you, make me a dwelling place. God s tent came to be called the tabernacle, and instructions for it occupy the next 7 chapters Exodus The details are intriguing and often puzzling, and they can pay rich rewards if you ll study them carefully. A friend of mine spent 6 sermons on the tabernacle; another preacher I esteem preached 20. Our plan is to cover these seven chapters on the tabernacle in 2, keeping our focus on the broad themes. Today we want to answer the question, what was the significance of the tabernacle for Israel? What did the tabernacle at large mean to them? My assumption is and it s an assumption furnished to me from the rest of the Scripture (2 Tim 3:16-17) that there s more here than mere instructions. These chapters aren t like the quick set-up guide for the new desk you just bought at OfficeMax. There s a message here. But even for Israel, it would not have been primarily a personal, devotional message. They wouldn t have read this years later and found encouragement in the building Page 3 materials used or the particular dimensions for the altar of incense. Even for ancient Israel, the application of these chapters was more broadly theological and conceptual. What did the tabernacle mean for Israel? Three things: a garden, a palace, and a pattern. A Garden As you read through the instructions for the tabernacle, one of the remarkable features is its garden décor. Note, for example, the Golden Lampstand: Exodus 25:31-36 NIV "Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. 32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand-- three on one side and three on the other. 33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 35 One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair-- six branches in all. 36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. This, as Aladdin s Genie would say, is no ordinary lamp! It s more like a light-giving almond tree. Note also the robe of the high priest: Exodus 28: On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. Notice also the colors woven into the curtains: Exodus 26:1 Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. Blue, purple, and red: the bright colors of a flower garden or a sunstreaked sky. But here s where we begin to suspect that this is not just any garden. Did you see what was woven into the curtains? Cherubim. The last place we saw cherubim, they were guarding the entrance to the Garden of Page 4

3 gardens in Genesis 3, Eden itself. And that s no coincidence, to see a comparison between this tent and the actual Garden of Eden. As we mentioned earlier, Eden was noted for its gold (Gen 2:11-12). So was the tabernacle, where virtually everything inside the tent was covered with or composed of solid gold. In addition, the tabernacle was always constructed facing east (27:13); the entrance to Eden was on the east. One of the most interesting points of comparison between Eden and the tabernacle is the number of segments into which both are divided in the record of their origin. Eden and the rest of the world, of course, was created in six days, culminating in a seventh day of rest. Seven. Here in the tabernacle, I want you to notice the introductory clause, the LORD said to Moses 25:1, 30:11, 30:17, 30:22, 30:34; 31:1, 31:12. Again, seven. Both Jewish and Christian interpreters love to point this out, but how do we know this isn t a coincidence? Notice again where the seventh of these statements occurs, where God s pattern for the tabernacle culminates: Exodus 31:12, And the LORD said to Moses, 13 "You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'" Seven days of creation, culminating in a day of rest. Seven statements of revelation to Moses, culminating in the Sabbath of rest. Surely this is no coincidence. It s a clue, in case we missed it in the earlier clues, that the tabernacle is a recreation of the Garden of Eden. Paradise on earth is opened again. It means, in essence, that God didn t give up on His original plan. Building the tabernacle is, for Israel, an act of re-creation. Apparently, God intends for Israel to undo the curse brought down on the human race by the first man, Adam. The tabernacle was, in this sense, a perpetual reminder for Israel of why they existed: to bring blessing out of curse, to fill the earth with the glory of God, and to reintroduce people everywhere to paradise on earth. A Palace Page 5 The Garden of Eden was paradise, of course, not simply because it had beautiful plants, nice colors, lots of gold, and the perfect climate. It was paradise because it was God s house on earth. He walked there and fellowshipped with Adam and Eve (3:8). In this sense, it was more like a temple palace than a garden. which is also true of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was, above all else, the dwelling place for God on earth: Exodus 29:44-46 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. This is seen most clearly in the very part of the tent revealed to Moses. The first thing God directs Moses to build is the Ark of the Covenant (25:10-22), even before the instructions for the tent itself. Built of wood and overlaid with gold, the ark was a chest to hold the Ten Commandments. But its cover indicates that it was so much more: Exodus 25: You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. Two cherubim on either end of the lid, facing each other, wings outspread touching and overshadowing the ark, with their faces turned downward. Why? And why this odd designation mercy seat, used in every verse? Keep reading: v22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. This article of furniture, God says, is the precise location where He Himself will be, dwelling, speaking, sitting, as it were, among His people. Hence the downturned faces of the cherubim, because as glorious as these creatures are, even they must turn their faces away from the Page 6

4 glory of God Himself. Here is why the ark is mentioned first because this is why the tabernacle exists: as a dwelling place for God. As God s own throne, the ark receives priority even in the building plans. This, too, explains why the ark is the single article of furniture in the innermost room of the tabernacle, the Most Holy Place (27:33-34) which was a perfect cube, 15 in length, width, and height. Many other features of the tabernacle point to this, that it was a palace for Israel s divine King: the purple accents, the color of royalty; the increasing value of the metals used as you moved further into the tent, culminating with gold everything in the Holy Place and Most Holy Place; the cherubim woven into the veil, guarding the way as it were to the presence of God. It s sometimes easy from our vantage point to look at the tabernacle as an outmoded, obscure system of rituals and regulations. But for Israel, this tent and its furnishings and rituals were the means by which they and their God came together. In a world gone mad, this little tent was holy ground because it was the garden palace for God Himself. A Pattern For Israel, the physical layout of the tabernacle and its furnishings would have been suggestive of their own history, particularly the redemptive events of the last few months. The tent itself (45 x15 x15 ) was set up within a larger courtyard of 150 by 75. The tent was the focal point, as we ve noted, because it was there that Israel drew near to God Himself. They did this by proxy, through the high priest; but they also did it symbolically, through the showbread or bread of the presence 12 loaves in the Holy Place, representing the 12 tribes (25:30; Lev 24:5-9). God had brought the people near to dwell in His presence. As we ve seen repeatedly, this was why He delivered them from Egypt in the first place: Exodus 19:4 You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. This was the goal of Israel s redemption, and it was the focal point of the tabernacle complex. But there were two other articles that together tell the story of how Israel got to this point. Right in front of the tent itself, out in the tabernacle courtyard, was a basin of water where the priests would wash before they approached God (30:17-21). So here are two steps of the steps to this pattern: coming to God through water. And there s one more, pictured in the bronze altar (27:1-8). We ve noted over and over that Israel needed deliverance, not just from Egypt, but from themselves. Their greatest bondage was to sin and idolatry, and the ultimate release they needed was release from the threat of God s wrath. All this, of course, is symbolized in the offerings on the altar, the very first item one would encounter when entering the tabernacle courtyard. Three items in the courtyard: altar, wash basin, and God s tent. Suggestive of Israel s own recent past, the three stages of God s redemption: deliverance from oppression, passage through the water of the Red Sea, and fellowship with God Himself. Will you notice, these are the three stages, or perhaps better three elements of our own redemption: deliverance from sin and death, washing in the water of baptism, and a new relationship of fellowship with God, all of which come to us through Jesus Christ. It should be no surprise to us that the tabernacle points to Jesus, but perhaps more emphatically than we might expect: John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Dwelt is that same Greek word skhnh,, which we saw earlier means tent or tabernacle. Quite literally, John says Jesus became flesh and tabernacled among us. Most commonly, I take the light of Christ and use it to illuminate our understanding of the Old Testament. But this time I d like to recommend that you use the light of the Old Testament to better understand Christ. Jesus is, of course, the one through whom we experience the pattern of God s redemption. The pattern He used to deliver Israel is the same pattern He uses to deliver us. But think of this. Imagine this: Jesus is also the new creation, symbolized in the garden-like aspects of the tabernacle. He is creation s reboot. He Page 7 Page 8

5 reverses the curse. He is the paradise of Eden, embodied in one man. And it s through Him that we too can experience new creation, if we come to Him in faith and repentance. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. And finally, Jesus is the dwelling place of God. He Himself became God s tent, a living tabernacle, full of glory and meaning. For 30+ years, God dwelt among His people once again, but this time in bodily form. Holiness in sandals. Eternity enfleshed in time. Manna become man. (Michael Card) We look forward someday to the return of God Himself to dwell on the earth in full glory. Revelation 21 tells us what it will be like the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, a perfect cube 1,400 miles wide, long, and high. The dimensions are suggestive of something more than grandeur. It s the perfect cube of the Most Holy Place once again, the cloistered location where God Himself dwelt. But now, God s dwelling has exploded to fill the whole earth. But what about now this time between times. This age between God present in the flesh of His Son and God present in the New Jerusalem filling the whole earth? Where does God tabernacle these days? Incredibly, God dwells in the church. 1 Peter 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? These days, God s dwelling place is not limited to one person as it was during the incarnation. As churches are planted and indwelt by God s Spirit, the whole earth can be God s dwelling. And so the ancient words come to the church on its mission to make converts and plant churches: Exodus 25:8 Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Copyright 2013 by Joshua Waltz Page 9