Exodus 25: 1 – 40
Master in Interior Decorating – Part 1
25 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. 3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. 10 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. 17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. 23 “You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. 25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27 The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29 You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always. 31 “You shall also make a lamp stand of pure gold; the lamp stand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lamp stand out of one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of the other side. 33 Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lamp stand. 34 On the lamp stand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. 38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
From the title are you thinking that I am talking about a college course? No, I am not. I am talking about my Master Being in all the Interior Decorating of His Tabernacle. I want to point out to you that every part and detail of this Tabernacle is designed and patterned to present our Precious Master and King Jesus Christ. In this and in following chapters we will see that the Tabernacle’s structure, materials, and furniture reveals some particular aspect of the virtues, attributes, and characteristics of our Great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
After receiving the covenant and putting it into writing Moses was called by our Holy Father Yahweh to go up to Him into the Mountain. The Great and Holy God wished to establish the necessary protocol for His people’s approach to Him. There through revelation Moses was to be given instructions concerning the provision of a Dwelling place for Yahweh, with all its furniture, so that they could know that He ‘dwelt among them’. This was in order to confirm to Israel His gracious intentions towards them (25.1-29.46), and which will enable them to reveal their continued loyalty and concern for His holiness (30-31).
The first act is to establish a Dwelling place among them which will be a reminder that He Is their Lord God. The preparation of the Dwelling place falls into two sections:
• 1).Those things which expresses Yahweh’s sovereign activity towards His people and His provision of atonement (25.1-29.46), and at the end of it He expresses His intention to dwell among them (29.45).
• This is followed by the provision of the means by which they can express their loyalty to Him, and can approach Him, through their representatives, in His throne room, and at the end of this He gives them the covenant as sealed by His hand (30.1-31.18).
Once the children of Israel had sealed the treaty with Yahweh He established His official presence among them. Previously He has been with them in the pillar of cloud and fire as Guide and Protector, and this would continue, but now He established Himself openly as their King. The ancient Tent of Meeting would now be replaced by a more splendid model, The Dwelling-Place in which would be the throne of Yahweh. At this stage this would necessarily be a tent because of their circumstances, but it seems to be suggested that that was how God intended it to be permanently (2 Samuel 7.5-7). Its transient nature was meant to indicate that it was not His permanent home. His permanent home was above. We will see in future scripture that the future Temple would, in fact, seem to be a concession to man’s weakness for such things, illustrating the way in which men think, although it was in itself symbolic for it indicated that no Temple was worthy of Yahweh (1 Kings 8.27).
So from now on Yahweh would dwell among His people in a new way, and He would have His own splendid Tent to which they could direct their worship and their obedience, situated at the heart of the camp. But it is made clear that while sometimes they would see His glory on it He Himself would never be seen, nor must He be depicted in any form. That would be to make Him earthly and to degrade and limit Him. This Tent would contain the throne of Yahweh (the Ark of the Covenant) and the Testimony (the Ten Commandments and the covenant which He had made with them), but He Himself would be invisible.
However, great kings had many dwelling places, so this one is not therefore to be seen as limiting Yahweh. It was the one that He used in communication with His people, but it was not His sole home, although it was His sole home on earth. For even the heaven of heavens could not contain Him, how much less this tent (1 Kings 8.27). The people knew that Yahweh Was the God and Judge of all the earth, and could do what He would wherever He would so that even Egypt with all its gods had been unable to prevent Him doing His will. They would not therefore see Him as limited to a tent.
However, as a totally new thing, specifically stated to be of heavenly design, it would help to unite these people of many races into one unified people. They had all received the covenant together. Now together they would receive the dwelling place of Yahweh to be in their midst, a dwelling place designed by Yahweh Himself. It was an ever present reminder to them that God had personally met with them and made His covenant with them, and would be with them.
Besides the division conforms with what we have already seen of different levels of approach to our Lord Yahweh with:
• 1). Only Moses being able to fully enter His presence and enter into the cloud when summoned.
• 2). the elders being called to approach a certain distance but not the whole way.
• 3). the people having to keep their bounds and not being allowed on the mount.
The dividing curtain into the Most Holy Place (‘the Veil’) was symbolic of the cloud and was the bound past which even the priests and Moses may not go, (except the High Priest when summoned once a year on the Day of Atonement), and the curtain guarding the way into the Holy Place was in order to prevent the entry of the people. Thus the Dwelling-place conveys the same ideas as we have seen at Sinai. Its structure therefore fits well into that environment. And its tent structure fits well into the wilderness situation.
These changes were psychologically important. They would convey to the people the idea that God was among them in a new way as their Great King and demonstrate that they were now to enter into the realities of the promises. It was a continuing reminder of God’s deliverance from Egypt and of His Covenant at Sinai.
The Sanctuary furniture is described moving from the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies) which contained the Ark, through to the Holy Place which contained the Table and the Lamp stand. All these were contained within the Dwelling place, with the Most Holy Place being separated from the Holy Place by the Veil. The whole inner sanctuary was shielded from the court into which the people could come by the screen, and we then move on to the Brazen Altar, which was in the Court of the Dwelling place, and was the place where atonement could be made for them. The whole finishes with a description of the olive oil which fed the continually burning lamp and was provided by the people. It should be noted that all these items are a reaching out by Yahweh to His people, as well as being a reminder that, although continually in remembrance before Him, they are not fit to enter into His direct presence.
As we survey the furnishings of the Tabernacle, we see that they are arranged in the form of a cross. If we draw a straight line from the brazen altar to the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy Of Holies and then draw a line at right angles to this line from the Table of Showbread to the Lamp Stand we see the form of a perfect figure of a cross.
25 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.
From a human point of view this was an offering of tribute and was also an act of worship. The tribute was therefore to be voluntary, a willing contribution. He wanted it to come from the heart. The people were to offer willingly. God receives nothing ungraciously given, or given for the wrong motive. Please consider then how many religions hit its people for a required tithe? Are these tithes given willingly or demanded?
3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood;
This is a list of what would be required for the Dwelling-place and its contents -gold, silver and brazen copper for the furniture, and for the implements and vessels. Blue,-violet, purple, red and scarlet for the curtains, goats’ hair as a covering over the curtains, and rams’ skin dyed red.
We may see the precious metals as a reminder of the glory and splendor of God, the blue-violet a reminder that this was the place of contact with the heavens (the blue sky would be a daily occurrence), the purple-red as a reminder that they were approaching a king, and the scarlet as a reminder that they could only do so through the shedding of blood. The fine linen would then represent the true righteousness of the One within, and the acacia wood might be seen as representing the strength and power of God. (It was put within the gold to provide stability and strength.
6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
The ephod and the breastplate are described in chapter 28 onwards. The onyx is a black and white translucent stone, and is easily engraved.
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
The word for ‘sanctuary’ comes from the root for ‘holy’. It is thus a sacred and holy place. But it is also His ‘dwelling-place’. The King Is here to dwell among His people. And the pattern of it and of its furniture is specifically stated to be divinely determined.
The Tabernacle and its furnishings, speaks of one thing, namely, the salvation provided by Jesus Christ and the work of Christ performed for us upon the cross of Calvary. Almighty God designed every detail – every part had a prophetic, redemptive, and typical significance. No portion of Scripture is richer in meaning or more perfect in it teaching of the plan of redemption then the description of this divinely designed structure.
The blueprint, the pattern, the plan, the design and all of its specifications were made in Heaven, and were committed unto Moses on Mount Sinai for the children of Israel shortly after their deliverance from Egypt.
God gave every detail of the Tabernacle, not one single detail did He leave to Moses; choice or judgment. Why? -Because every detail had a heavenly significance and was a type of Christ.
‘The first and central object in the Tabernacle, although only known to the people by description, was the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh with its covering mercy seat. It represented the throne of Yahweh both for mercy and judgment, and confirmed the covenant that as their Lord He had made with His people. It was the outward evidence of their unique position as His ‘holy people’, which they were required to live up to.
It is to us a reminder that our God is enthroned in Heaven, the High and Lofty One, enshrouded in splendor, Who inhabits eternity Whose name Is Holy, surrounded by a multitude of heavenly beings, and yet Is One Who dwells among the humble and contrite (Isaiah 6.1-4). And it is a reminder that to those who trust in Him He offers mercy and forgiveness, and to be their God, to watch over them and keep them, and be perpetually among them.
That the Ark should be mentioned first emphasizes its supreme importance. It represented the essential realities between Yahweh and His people. As His throne it declared Him to be their king, as His Mercy-seat (place of covering of sin) it declared His offer of continual mercy and propitiation (making satisfaction for sin), as containing the covenant tablets it declared that His people’s portion in Him lay though the covenant. Only by receiving and being bound by His covenant could they approach Him as their sovereign and merciful Lord.
10 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.
The chest or ark would contain the Testimony, The Ten Commandments. It was to be made of acacia wood and totally covered in gold. Thus it depicted His strength and His glory. Only gold was worthy of the throne of Yahweh. Thus it stresses the holiness of all that is in the Tabernacle which is made of gold.
‘Acacia wood.’ was obtainable in the Sinai region and came from a spreading, thorny tree which would produce hard wood of sufficient size.
Gold represented all that was most splendid. In the Tabernacle it represented all that was most holy. The Semites were recognized as highly skilled craftsmen in precious metals, as various Egyptian tomb scenes, depicting the giving of tribute, demonstrate. The molding was probably shaped to receive the covering, the throne seat (25.17). We must not just look on Israel as merely a desert people. They would have had ample opportunity to expand skills that were already among them while Joseph was living and these would have continued in use even when they were enslaved. Skilful slaves were always treasured.
The cubit was the length from elbow to finger tip. This was the natural or common cubit. It was about 17.5 inches. The chest was thus about three foot eight inches long, and about two foot six inches wide.
12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
These rings were to receive the staves by which the Ark would be carried. They were probably at the bottom (its four feet), possibly at the corners
The staves for carrying the chest were made of the same wood as the chest, providing strength, and overlaid with gold, demonstrating lordship and holiness. For Yahweh all was to be the very best. The staves ensured that the Ark never needed to be touched and were to be kept in the rings permanently although it would appear that when the Ark was being elaborately prepared for travelling they would be temporarily removed and then immediately replaced (Numbers 4.5-6) by the priests. It was holy to Yahweh, as Mount Sinai had been (19.12-13). The staves were long enough to protrude into the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies) [1 Kings 8.8]. One purpose therefore of keeping them permanently in the rings was so that they would be seen through the veil as a permanent reminder of the presence of the unseen Ark. Another was that having touched the Ark they were not to be treated casually by being stored away.
16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
The chest was to contain the stone tablets written by ‘the finger of God’. These were called ‘The Testimony’, for they testified to the solemn covenant between Yahweh and His people. This was why the chest is regularly called ‘the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh’.
17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
The gold slab which covered the chest was to be of solid gold, and molded on it at either end were to be two figures of cherubim, looking inwards towards the centre, with their wings outspread stretched over the mercy-seat.
‘The Mercy Seat’ is literally the place of propitiation, the place where reconciliation and atonement was finally performed. This was a solid gold slab on which were the two cherubim at either end looking inward. It was the same size as the chest. It comes from the root (to cover) and the conjugation used signifies the place where sins are ‘covered’ so that they are no longer seen by God and held against the sinner (Jeremiah 18.23). It is the place of propitiation and expiation, the place where the punishment for sin was met by the application of the shedding of blood, the place of atonement, of reconciliation, where he and His people were made at one.
The idea behind their presence here was as a reminder that all heavenly beings were totally subjected to Yahweh and under His command. Not only the whole world but heaven itself was at His feet.
It would appear therefore that the Mercy-seat was seen as the throne of the invisible Yahweh God, from which He dispensed mercy, and that the position on the Ark of the cherubim suggests that they act as symbols of a greater reality as attendants and guardians, representing both all heavenly beings and the whole animate creation, and protecting and guarding the holiness of Yahweh as in Genesis 3. They were a reminder that there were other beings besides God and man who enjoyed God’s immediate presence.
21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
The Mercy-seat is not only a place of atonement, it is a throne where the Great and Holy Lord God meets and speaks with His people, through their representative, on the basis of the covenant. So the Ark is Mercy-seat, Throne, Testimony and Judgment combined. It represents all that Yahweh Is to His people and expects from them.
This Table and Lamp stand were a perpetual reminder of Yahweh’s provision for His people, and especially of His gifts of bread, and of life and light, and could be seen as a constant appeal to Him (through their maintenance) to continue their supply. But the primary significance of the lamp stand was as reminding Israel that He was their light. Yahweh made His face to shine on them (Numbers 6.25). Yet they were within the Holy Place lest any think that His blessings could be obtained lightly. Light and life were available to Israel; available to those whose hearts were right towards Him, when they approached Him sincerely in the way that He ordained.
Thus when our Lord Jesus came He came offering Himself as the Bread of life (John 6.35) and the Light of life (John 8.12). The blessing symbolized in the Tabernacle became a reality in Him, to be enjoyed by those who became the Temple of His Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 6.16-18). On Him they would feed spiritually and from Him they would receive understanding and truth.
23 “You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
The table is to measure approximately three feet long, by eighteen inches wide, by two foot three inches deep. Its purpose is to carry the showbread.
24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. 25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around.
The result of the ‘spoiling’ of the Egyptians (12.35-36) was now being used to good effect. The gold demonstrated the majesty of God and the holiness of the purpose of the table.
The molding of gold round about (verse 24) is described, in the form known to him, by Josephus, a Jewish historian in 1st century AD, in these words, ‘it was hollowed out on each side to a depth of about three inches, a spiral border running round the upper and lower portion of the body of the table’. The main point is that it was not plain but decorated, demonstrating God’s care for detail and beauty.
26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27 The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table.
The rings are either attached half way down (by the frame) or near the top (by the border). They are to take the staves with which the table will be carried.
28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them.
The staves are similar to those that bear the Ark (25.13). The wood provided the strength, the gold their uniqueness, as expressing appreciation of God and as symbols of His holiness.
29 You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold.
All is made of pure gold as befits the God of all the earth. The plates were for carrying the showbread, the dishes for carrying incense, the flagons and bowls for pouring out offerings.
30 And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
The ‘bread of the Presence’ or showbread is literally ‘bread of the face’, that is bread set before the face or presence of God. It consisted of twelve very large baked cakes made of fine flour each containing two tenths of an ephah (Leviticus 24.5). They were set on the table in two rows, six to a row. Frankincense was then placed on them ‘as a memorial’ and this was then offered by fire to Yahweh (Leviticus 24.7). This and the bread were seen as ‘the most holy to Him of the offerings by fire to Yahweh’, the frankincense being burned for Yahweh and the bread being eaten by the priests (Leviticus 24.9). This demonstrates the huge importance of the showbread. New showbread was baked every Sabbath and the old was then eaten by the priests in the holy place because the cakes were ‘most holy’ (Leviticus 24.8-9).
We are also reminded that Abram set bread before Yahweh (Genesis 18.5). They are thus also an indication of Israel’s welcome to Yahweh in His house. They continually signify the welcoming by the twelve tribes of His presence. But the fact that the bread was eaten by the priests further suggests it has a God to man significance. While it is probable that they were to be seen as a continual offering of thanksgiving to God for food provided and a reminder (memorial) to God of His promise of provision, they were also a reminder to Israel of the food God put in their mouths that the daily bread that they ate came from God. That it was given to them from God.
Therefore our Holy Lord Jesus will have these loaves in mind when He speaks of Himself as ‘the bread of life’ (John 6.35). Jesus Is the One on Whom we must continually feed by constant faith (John 6.53-55). He who ‘eats’ of Him (by believing) will live because of Him (John 6.57)
31 “You shall also make a lamp stand of pure gold; the lamp stand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lamp stand out of one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of the other side. 33 Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lamp stand.
The general pattern is clear, a central shaft from which will go from each side three branches per side, a main stem and six branches in all making a sevenfold lamp stand. And at the top of the branches and the shaft will be cups made like almonds blossoms to receive the lamps. It would seem that each branch had three cups and the central shaft four. The lamp stand was to one side of the Holy Place, the table of showbread to the other.
34 On the lamp stand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lamp stand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold.
Under each pair of branches there is an almond bud and the buds and branches are specifically to be of one piece with the whole. One significant point of the lamp stand is that, with its branches and its almond buds and flowers, it symbolizes an almond tree. The almond tree was the first tree to come to life and blossom after the dry season. So it is a symbol of new life, the new life into which Israel has entered. Furthermore in Jeremiah 1.11-12 the almond tree also symbolizes the watching of Yahweh over His word. Thus it symbolizes His watch over the covenant.
37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it.
The seven lamps symbolize divinely perfect light. ‘Over against it’ presumably means that they are set to throw their light forward towards the centre. Thus the lamp stand speaks of life (the almond tree) and light (the fire in the lamps) coming from God. This is why our Holy Lord God Jesus could speak of the ‘light of life’ in relation to it (John 8.12). That was during the Feast of Tabernacles and the lamp stand was closely connected with that feast.
So in the Most Holy Place is the throne of God between the guardian Cherubim, who continually bow before Him, which no man can behold, but which can be approached from behind a veil which safeguards man from the awesomeness of His presence, and in the Holy Place are the Table of Showbread and the golden Lamp stand which represent His feeding of His people, both physically and spiritually, and His giving of life and light to them. We learn both of His total ‘otherness’ which cannot be experienced in its fullness and of His gracious giving of Himself to His people.
38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
This verse finalizes the details of the three most important pieces of furniture to be placed in the new Dwelling-place, referring back to verse 9. Each is important and they are important as a unit. They represent different aspects of Yahweh’s covenant with His people, firstly, the reign of Yahweh and the covenant requirements, secondly, the giving of life and light by Yahweh and His guarantee of bread, and thirdly their receiving by it (for it represented all that they needed) of all that they needed for the future.
It is stressed that they must follow the pattern shown to Moses who demonstrates that the detail was vital. Nothing must be added. Nothing must be changed. They speak of heavenly things. That they are spoken of first and separately shows how very important all three were seen to be. (The altar of incense is not mentioned here because that represented worship from man to God, whereas the above furniture was from God to man).
In the New Testament it is made clear that the Dwelling place was no longer a tent. Paul could say to all true believers, ‘we are a sanctuary of the living God, even as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” ’ (2 Corinthians 6.16-17). And again in 1 Corinthians 3.9, 16-17, ‘You are God’s husbandry, God’s building -- do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you -- the temple of God is holy, which temple you are’. For God would tabernacle among His people, first in Jesus Christ (John 1.14) and then by His Holy Spirit in His people (Ephesians 2.22). In 1 Corinthians 6.19 each Christian is therefore a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit within the whole sanctuary. The significance that can be drawn from this is that we are indwelt by God and by Christ (Galatians 2.20) and that therefore our inner lives with their outward expression must be worthy of Him. Daily as we go out to meet the world we must each say to ourselves, ‘the only way the world will know about God and about Christ is what they see of Him in me, for I am where He dwells in this sinful world, I am the one through whom He Is to be made known. Lord, live out your life through me today that men may see through the purity of my life that Jesus Christ still walks among them’.
Furthermore men once gazed at the ancient Sanctuary and were comforted by the thought that God was close to them, dwelling among them. That is what they should sense also when they look on God’s true people, the church of the living God, a people vibrant and joyful and full of actively revealed concern because they follow the Master.
The fact that we all make up one sanctuary stresses the unity and fellowship that there should be between all who truly love Christ. All contribute to the whole, and without a part the church is mutilated.
The Ark of the Covenant within the Dwelling place is a reminder that God Himself dwells in us (as God’s dwelling place), that Christ lives within us and seeks to live out His life through us (Galatians 2.20; Romans 6.4). There in our heart of hearts is the living Christ (Ephesians 3.17) Who reigns in us so that we might reign through Him (Revelation 5.10), and through Whom we should know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3.19). Thus we are to reckon ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God, in Jesus Christ (Romans 6.11). How easily we forget that it is so, and just as the people of old tended to overlook the significance of the Tabernacle in their daily lives, so sadly do we as we leave our houses each day. We keep God locked in the throne room, while we control our own affairs.
The Table of Showbread reminds us that Christ is the bread of life (John 6.35). We who eat of Him by believing in Him will live forever. He Is the living bread that came down from heaven that we might live and not die (John 6.51). And as we look to Him He feeds us with His very life.
The Lamp stand is a reminder that Christ constantly shines in our hearts revealing His truth and revealing God (2 Corinthians 4.6), that God’s great light shines on His people Who are ever before Him, and that through knowing Christ Who Is the light we do not walk in darkness. And it is a reminder too that we are to be a light to the world (Matthew 5.16). The one who is a true Christian walks daily in that light (1 John 1.7), and comes constantly to the light that his deeds may be open to God’s scrutiny (John 3.18).
But it also has a heavenly significance. For the Dwelling place is a reminder that God is in heaven where He dwells (Hebrews 8.1-2) and that we may approach Him through our Lord Jesus Christ Who Is out great High Priest (Hebrews 9.11-12) Who makes propitiation for us (Hebrews 2.17). We can therefore enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, the new and living way which He has prepared for us through His becoming man and offering up His flesh for us (Hebrews 10.19-20), and thus we can obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And there dwells God in unapproachable light Whom no man has seen nor can see (1 Timothy 6.16). And there we shall feed on Him forever (Revelation 7.17).
