Jesus As High Priest Series

Jesus As Our Dwelling

Exodus 25-27/ John 1:14

The main character of the movie, The Karate Kid, had a problem. Daniel was getting beaten up

by a group of high school thugs who all went to the same karate school. He desperately needed

help and found it from the apartment manager where Daniel lived. If you remember the movie,

the apartment manager just happened to be a Japanese expert in martial arts. He agreed to teach

karate to Daniel in order to defend himself. Daniel arrived for the first day of training by his new

mentor, Mr. Miagi. Instead of learning how to kick and punch, Mr. Miagi assigned Daniel the

awful task of sanding an enormous wooden deck around his house. He was given very strict

instructions about how to sand. He had to sand with his left hand in a counter clockwise

movement and sand with his right hand in a clockwise movement. After several days of grueling

work, Daniel reported that the job was finished. But Mr. Miagi wasn’t done. Next he had Daniel

wash and wax about 20 old cars. Once again, the exact same hand motions were to be used. Left

hand counter clockwise movement and right hand clockwise movement. If you have seen the

movie, it was wax on (hand counter clockwise movement), wax off (right hand clockwise

movement).

Daniel was becoming very frustrated with his mentor. It seemed he would never learn karate and

was instead being used as slave labor. Without understanding the reason, he decided to trust his

new friend. After several more days of muscle aching labor, Daniel finished waxing the cars.

Finally it was time for his first lesson. Mr. Miagi threw a punch at Daniel while giving him the

command, wax on. Then he threw another punch while giving him the command, wax-off.

Finally Daniel understood. All of his hard physical labor was preparation for learning how to

block a punch. Though he did not understand it at the time, all of his sanding and waxing had a

greater, more important purpose. Daniel had learned karate without even knowing it.

In many ways the progression of understanding experienced by this young karate student is

similar to the progression in understanding surrounding the building of the tabernacle. God gave

the Israelites very detailed descriptions about how to build the tabernacle. Let’s read the first

section in Ex 25.

1The LORD said to Moses, 2"Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from

each man whose heart prompts him to give. 3These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and

bronze; 4blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 5ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows ; acacia

wood; 6olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7and onyx stones and other

gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 8"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell

among them. 9Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. 10"Have them

make a chest of acacia wood--two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.

11Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12Cast four gold rings for it and

fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 13Then make poles of acacia

wood and overlay them with gold. 14Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. 15The poles

are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will

give you. 17"Make an atonement cover of pure gold--two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18And

make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19Make one cherub on one end and the second

cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20The cherubim are to have

their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward

the cover. 21Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. 22There,

above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you

all my commands for the Israelites.

Should I continue for a few more chapters or should I stop? On and on these precise directions

are given. The table, the lampstand, the tent, the altar. Each item and piece of the tabernacle was