According to the Pattern
Exodus 25-27
We serve an amazing God. He is the one and only God of gods, King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is high and lifted up, and His train fills His heavenly temple. There is none like Him, and all of His creation will either bow before Him in love and reverence, or in fear and force, but they all will definitely bow.
Though He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present, one thing I find so amazing, or maybe I should say, mind-boggling, is the fact that God not only loves us, but that He is not content with staying in the heavenly realm and separate from us. He wants to be with us. He wants to dwell in the midst of His people. He wants to renew the relationship we once had with Him, and to me, that's amazing. It's mind-boggling because we are still in this flesh and we trip up, fail, and fall all the time. Like the Israelites of old, we disregard Him. We are disobedient. We think of ourselves first. We are controlled by our bellies and our desires.
But He still loves us and wants to be with us. This is why Moses went up the mountain. God called him up to give him some instructions in what needed to happen before He could dwell with the people. The Israelites had been consecrated and washed their clothes, but for God to have a more permanent presence among them, there were some things that they needed to construct. Everything that they needed to build, God was very clear in saying that there could be no tweaking His instructions, no improvising, no trying to make it "better." In this regard, it was God's way or the highway.
If they wanted God to dwell among them, then they had to do it His way, not their way. Like I said last week, "You can't just come to Him willy nilly." So, these chapters are really a pivotal point. The beginning of Exodus detailed God's redemption from Egyptian slavery. In this section, God gives the people specific instructions in how to build a tent of meeting for Him to dwell in, and what it was to be constructed of, and the furniture it was to be filled with. The last 16 chapters of Exodus deals with the proper worship of God with a brief interruption with the Golden Calf and the contrast between divinely appointed worship and worship that is not divinely appointed.
As I also mentioned last week, in essence, God was reintroducing Himself to His people who had been in slavery for 400 years. Prior to this point, the Israelites had no structured form of worship dictated to them. The patriarch’s built altars in various places after significant events in their lives. We have no idea what the form of worship was while in Egypt, but I think it's a safe bet that life and religion in Egypt had greatly influenced whatever ways and means of worship they had. So now, God is instructing them in how to properly offer Him their worship.
As we will see, an important key to understanding this section is found in verse 9 of chapter 25 where God tells Moses that he must construct everything according to a specific pattern. Exodus 25:9 "As for the tabernacle and all its furniture, so you shall make it, according to the pattern which I am going to show you."
According to the pattern. Now, I've read several studies on the tabernacle and many of them go into great detail about each and every item and the spiritual meaning or relationship behind them. However, I think we ought to be careful to not read more into what God has revealed to us through His word than is there. I say this because we simply do not have enough information from God to know what all the pictures are. He has told us that Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
So, instead of getting highly speculative, let's see where Christ is revealed to us in the wilderness tabernacle and its elements, beginning with...
1. The Ark of the Covenant
Exodus 25:10-22 "They shall construct an ark of acacia (ah-kay-shuh) wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. 12 You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. 13 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, to carry the ark with them. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16 You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. 17 "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 18 You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned 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 which I will give to you. 22 There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel."
You know, there are 3 arks mentioned in the OT and all of them were places of salvation. Noah's ark saved 8 people and animal life from all over the world from drowning in the great flood. Then there's Moses' ark which saved him from drowning like Noah's ark saved him and his family. And finally we have the ark of the covenant which has the mercy seat or literally, the atonement cover on top of it with the two cherubim turned toward each other, wings spread out over the top of the mercy seat, and their faces were downturned as if looking at, or wondering about this atonement place where God said He would meet with Moses.
In a very real way, the ark of the covenant also saves from drowning like the other two arks. Man is drowning in sin, and the ark is the lifeline that God provided to save men from sins committed the previous year. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would leave the altar where he had collected the blood from the sacrifice for the accumulated sins of Israel from the previous year and enter behind the veil to sprinkle that blood upon the mercy seat, the place of atonement. But like the writer of Hebrews mentioned, they had to do this year after year because the blood of bulls and goats just wasn't sufficient to provide a lasting atonement.
Hebrews 9:9 "...Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,"
Hebrews 9:11-12 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
So, the ark provided reconciliation between God and His people. It also symbolized God's presence among His people, which was why it was placed inside the Holy of Holies where God would manifest Himself above the mercy seat. We talked last week about the separation God required at the foot of the mount, well here we have separation again because the ark was behind the veil and was entered into once a year by the high priest alone.
After the giving of the law, the 10 Commandments, Moses instructed that they would be placed inside the ark, and then later, Aaron's rod that budded and a jar of manna was placed inside it as well.
The ark led the Israelites through the wilderness and into battle, which signified that God was directing and protecting His people, and it was so sacred that unauthorized handling resulted in death, highlighting God's holiness and the necessity of reverence.
The ark directly pictured Jesus in the NT. Paul tells us, Romans 3:22-25 ...for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation (Grk: mercy seat, the cover of atonement) in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed.
Friends, God put Jesus forward as our place of atonement, our atonement cover, our mercy seat. He is where we meet with God, so, Jesus is the Way, the only Way because He shed His blood for us, and Hebrews 9:22b ...without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Now, before I go on, I want to quickly point out that the mercy seat with the cherubim was composed of solid gold while the rest of the ark was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. To me, this is a beautiful picture of the Divine vs Human Nature. The heavenly vs the earthly. The box itself symbolizes Christ's humanity while the gold overlay signified His divinity. But looked at another way, it could picture our humanity, our sinful selves being covered with Christ's righteousness because we are placed under His perfect grace and mercy as seen in the solid gold mercy seat.
2. The Bread of the Presence
Exodus 25:23-30 "You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it. 25 You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. 26 You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. 27 The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. 29 You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times."
The table within the Holy Place, like the base of the ark, was to be made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. It had a gold border around the top, gold rings on each leg, and golden poles through the rings on either side to carry the table. On top of the table was the bread of the Presence which was 12 loaves, one for each tribe of Israel, arranged in two piles of six and could only be eaten by Aaron and his sons in a holy place, and it was changed out every sabbath.
The symbolism of the bread was of God's provision for His people. Just as He provided the bread from heaven, the manna in the wilderness, the bread of the Presence reminded the people that their sustenance came from Him. It's a wonderful picture of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life.
John 6:32-33 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
John 6:35 ..."I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."
The table, the dishes, jars, and bowls used for the drink offering, and the bread all symbolized continual communion with God which we have in Jesus Christ. We drink of His blood and eat of His flesh (the wine and the bread) and have true life and will never hunger or thirst again. We will never perish because through the body and the blood of Jesus we have everlasting life, and everlasting communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. The Golden Lampstand
Exodus 25:31-40 "Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. 33 Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower—so for six branches going out from the lampstand; 34 and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. 35 A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 36 Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. 37 Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. 38 Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain."
Can you believe the amount of detail that went into making this menorah? I've seen some of these in my life, but none of them are anywhere near this level of ornamentation. This lamp was to be made of solid gold and would take a talent worth of gold. The weight would be about 75 lbs. but can you imagine the cost of this in today's market? This thing would be worth about 2.5 million dollars.
This lamp would be the tabernacle's only source of light and that alone speaks to God, who when He called light forth out of the darkness, He was the only light of the world because the sun, moon, and stars hadn't been created yet.
Light has always been a sign of God's presence. In His first letter, John tells us that 1 John 1:5 "...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." And then he opens his gospel describing Jesus as John 1:9 ...the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. Then Jesus Himself said, John 8:12 “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” So, Jesus is the light that brings life, and His light shows us the way into the very Presence of God.
Jesus is the light, but He tells us, His Church, Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Now, this isn't of our own doing but because Christ is abiding in the Church. So, the Christian who is shining with the light of Christ will live a godly life because our goal is to be like Him.
Some other symbolism to think about is that the lamp is made of one piece, as Christ is one with His Church. Colossians 1:18: He is also head of the body, the church. The lamp has 6 branches which is the number of man, who was created on the 6th day, and 1 main shaft which is Christ, the vine, from which the branches grow, abide, and bring forth fruit (or light). The 6 branches and the 1 main shaft comes to 7 which is the number for completion because man is only complete in Christ.
4. The Tent of Meeting
The tent of meeting, or the tabernacle is written about in chapter 26, and you can read about it later, but it was the temporary place of worship that the Israelites built according to God's exact specifications. The outer court was about 75' wide and 150' long with a 15' by 45' structure toward the back. The front entrance always faced the east, and the 12 tribes camped in very specific areas around it.
In the courtyard, but outside the smaller structure were the bronze altar and basin where the priests would offer the sacrifices and wash themselves. Inside the smaller structure were the Holy Place, and then past that would be the Holy of Holies. The Holy Place is where the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense were. This area was separated from the back room by a heavy, multi-layer veil.
The room just behind the veil was called the Holy of Holies in which the ark of the covenant resided. This area was entered once a year on the day of Atonement when the blood offering for sin of the previous year would be sprinkled upon the mercy seat.
After a fashion, the tabernacle became a model of mount Sinai. Only Moses was allowed to go up the mountain and enter into the cloud and the presence of the Lord. The 73 others were allowed to come up past the boundaries at the base, but the rest of Israel remained outside the boundaries at the foot of the mount. Similarly, the high priest only went into the Holy of Holies once a year with the blood offering to make atonement. The other priests could enter the Holy place for service to God while the rest of Israel remained outside in the court.
The NT implications are powerful when it comes to the work of Christ. Matthew 27:50-51 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
The curtain separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies tore in two, from top to bottom. The Holy of Holies was visible to anyone who entered, and the fact that the veil was torn from top to bottom shows that this was a work of God, revealing the way to His mercy and atonement to all who would come. The author of Hebrews wrote:
Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
What separated us from God was removed in Jesus Christ. His suffering, death, and resurrection opened the way for all who would come near with a true heart and in full assurance of faith. We can now enter the Most Holy Place, the Presence of God, because Christ our Lord has gone before us and opened the way.
He blazed the trail, and now we can follow. Are you willing to follow Him today? Will you give your life, your heart, your soul to Jesus?
