March 12, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Great Texts from Exodus--#5

 

Introduction: “The Tabernacle Made With Hands”  (Exodus 25-40)

 

Stephen called the small nation of Israel “the church in the wilderness” in his speech to the Pharisees.  (Acts 7:38.)  This is not the New Testament church, but it refers to this great assembly of people called out of Egypt to go to the Promised Land.  Stephen also referred to the Ten Commandments that Moses received in the mount as “living oracles.”  If the small nation was the “church in the wilderness,” then the church building around which they assembled is the tent or tabernacle.  Notice that the whole nation did not go into the tent, but rather they camped around it.

 

The importance of the Jewish tabernacle is seen from several stand points.  1) The space allotted to relating the story of its design, building and use by the priests in Exodus (25-40) and Leviticus.  2) In Hebrews the tabernacle is the center of focus, not the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.  The writer contrasts the tabernacle made with hands to the one made without hands in the New Testament.  What is significant in the New Testament is the spiritual house of God, not a building constructed with brick and mortar.  Many make the mistake today of building cathedrals, temples, and monuments to the Lord.  3) This is one of the great shadows of heavenly things in the Old Testament.  (Heb. 8:5.)  We can learn some spiritual truths from this physical tent.

 

The means to build the tabernacle.  God always provides the means by which his commands are fulfilled.  1) He gave his Spirit to two men, one from Judah and one from Dan.  They were Bezalel and Oholiah to whom he gave the ability to do all the artistic designs, to work with silver, gold, bronze and stone.  They had two inspired men to oversee the work of building the tabernacle.  (Exodus 35:30-35.)  2) Contributions were given from the twelve tribes of Israel.  It was a freewill offering.  Moses asked the people for specific materials to build the tabernacle.  (Exodus 25:1-9, 35:4-29.)  The people responded so generously that they had to be restrained from bringing any more.  (36:5-7.)  3) God gave the details, or the pattern, by which they were to build the tabernacle.  (Exodus 25:9, 40, Heb. 8:5.)

The overall appearance of the tabernacle.  A detailed description of how to build the tabernacle is given in Exodus.  A replica could be made of it easily from the design given to Moses.  (Exodus 26.)  The dimensions are 30 cubits long, 10 cubits wide and 10 cubits high.  If a cubit is taken to be about 18 inches, then the tabernacle was 45 ft. x 15 ft. x 15 ft.  This would be about the size of ¼ of our auditorium at Cawson Street.  Solomon’s temple, built about 500 years later, would be about twice the size of the tent.  (1 Kings 6:2.)  There was an outer court for both the tabernacle and the temple.  For the tent, it was 100 cubits long, 50 wide and 5 high.  Inside the outer court, were the tent itself, a laver and an altar for sacrifices.  The tabernacle was built on 100 silver sockets or blocks.  The silver came from a tax levied against the people according to the number in the census.  There were 603, 550 men above 20 years old.  Each had to give a one half shekel.  It was called “atonement money” because it was believed that if one counted the men of war, it showed a lack of trust in God.  This money was ransom money for their souls so that God would not kill them for taking the census.  Recall that David took a census and a plague was sent against the people. (2 Samuel 24.)  Later this money was used as a temple tax for upkeep of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

 

The overall appearance of the tabernacle was not drab or colorless.  It was beautifully designed with gold, purple, red and silver.  Cherubim were woven into the curtains.  Animal skins were dyed red to give an overall red appearance from the outside.  Inside, there was a regal look with purple and gold.  Much of the wood-work was overlaid with gold.

 

Yet it was made to take apart and move when God indicated by the movement of the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.  Just after it was built, God commanded them to move away from the foot of Mount Sinai where it was built.  The Israelites moved it from camp to camp all the way to the Promised Land.  The tabernacle was used for forty years while sojourning in the wilderness.  Solomon’s temple was built about 500 years later.

 

What are some lessons that we can learn from the Jewish Tabernacle?  It is called a shadow or type.  (Heb. 8:5, Heb. 10:1.) That means that it has a spiritual fulfillment in the New Testament.

 

 

 

The Presence of God

 

God’s presence was symbolized among the people by the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.  The Israelites needed to know that God was near them, protecting and providing for them.  Later in the Scriptures, we learn that God provided water for them to drink, food to eat (manna and quail), feet did not swell while walking from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land, and their clothes did not deteriorate.

 

The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day or the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go.  You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness and they lacked nothing.  Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.  (Nehemiah 9:19-21.)

 

How do we know that God is among us?  We need the same assurance that was given to the Israelites.  I would offer the following:

 

1) Paul said at Mars Hill that God does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Then he said, “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him; though he is not far from any one of us.”  (Acts 17:24-27.)  We do not need a tent, temple or physical building in which God may dwell.  He is not far from anyone spiritually who desires his presence. 

 

2) Jesus dwelt or tabernacled among us.  (John 1:14.)  God has come down from heaven and lived among men.  This is greater than the old Jewish tabernacle where the presence of God was indicated by physical things.  But we have God choosing the tent of a human body to come and live among men.  We can be assured of the presence and power of God because of the life of Jesus Christ.

 

3) Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  God lives in the heart of each believer.  (1 Cor. 6:19-20.)  “In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”  (Eph. 2:21-22.)

 

A Greater and More Perfect Tabernacle (Heb. 9:11.)

 

Types and shadows are important in the Bible to teach us spiritual things.  Moses was told to make all things according to the pattern (or typos) showed him in the mount.  (Heb. 8:5, Heb. 10:1.)  This meant that he was to make it the way God commanded him, but it also meant that there would be a fulfillment of it.  There would be a greater and better tabernacle.  It would not be identical to the old one, like someone would make many dresses from a single pattern.  That is not the meaning.  God intended that only one tabernacle be made from his instructions.

 

Here are some of the important likenesses between the Jewish tabernacle made with hands and the greater, more perfect tabernacle in the New Testament.

 

►All the Jewish priests from the tribe of Levi have been replaced.  The priesthood has been changed and a new covenant has been given.  If we were still under the first covenant, Jesus could not even serve as our High Priest because priests came from Levi, but Jesus was from the tribe of Judah.

 

►Jesus is our High Priest today and all Christians are priests.  Peter wrote, “You are living stones, a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices unto God.”  (1 Peter 2:5, 9.)

 

►Jesus, being our High Priest, entered once into the Most Holy Place to make an atonement for our sins.  The high priest in Israel entered once every year to offer atonement over the mercy seat.  The sins of Israel were atoned temporarily until the coming of Jesus Christ.

 

►When Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating the holy place in the temple and the most holy place, was torn from top to bottom!  (Matt. 27:51.) It should be noted the moment that Jesus died, the veil was torn into.  How would you like to have been a priest in the Temple when that occurred!

 

►The blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin, but the blood of Jesus Christ can and does.  His blood is the means of redemption for those under both covenants.  (Heb. 9:15.)

 

►The most holy place is heaven; the holy place is the church (as long as we do not think about it as a physical building).  These are the fulfillment of the two parts of the Jewish tabernacle of Israel.  The way into the most holy place has now been made known to us.  Jesus is the way; he entered there on our behalf making atonement for our sins.

 

What is the Center for us?

 

It is interesting that the twelve tribes camped around the tent of meeting.  This place was their center of focus.  They watched the pillar of cloud and fire.  When it moved, they moved.

 

Jews prayed facing Jerusalem because God placed his name there.  Muslims pray facing Mecca, their spiritual center, because Islam had its beginning there. But what is our spiritual center?  Around what do we camp?  These things should not be our spiritual center: 1) a physical building, cathedral, expensive church building; the auditorium is not our sanctuary,  2) a city like Jerusalem or Mecca,  3) it is not a place, building or thing.

 

The Hebrew writer ended his letter by telling us what our spiritual center is.  He wrote, “We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. . . Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”  (Heb. 13:10-14.)  “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.”  (13:8.)  He is our spiritual center.  He is the One around which we encamp.

 

The Hebrew writer ended with these significant truths: 1) Jesus on the cross is our altar, 2) Here we have no continuing city; we seek one to come.  Heaven is our home, and 3) For now we offer up spiritual sacrifices to God, even the fruit of our lips giving praise to his name.  (Heb. 13:8-16.)