Read Exodus 24:12-25:9; 40:1-16, 34-38.

Introduction⤒🔗

Suppose you were awakened one night by the wailing sirens of fire trucks and discovered that your church building was on fire. By morning, nothing is left but charred brick and rubble, the whole structure has burned to the ground. You and the members of your congregation must completely rebuild; and you are appointed to the building committee.

You and the other members of the committee meet to consider the question: What kind of structure should we build? Should we build the new church building after the pattern of European cathedrals, or in the early American colonial style, or in a modern, contemporary style?

In the midst of your deliberations the LORD Himself appears and informs you: I am far more interested in the kind of life you are building for Me, than in any architectural design you may choose. Remember, you yourself are called to be My sanctuary.

As we consider the construction of the Old Testament sanctuary, let us bear in mind the fact that God’s real desire is for our very heart and life to be His sanctuary, “Do you not realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Cor. 6:19a)

Just as Old Testament Israel made a fit sanctuary for the LORD, let us make ourselves a fit sanctuary for the LORD, so that He may dwell with us.

Make Yourself a Fit Sanctuary for the LORD, because He Desires to Fellowship with You←⤒🔗

The previous twenty-four chapters of Exodus are all preparation for the fulfillment of God’s great desire: to dwell with His people. He delivered them out of Egypt, He established His covenant with them, and now He instructs them to build Him a sanctuary, all this so that He may dwell with them. As you consider the construction of the Old Testament tabernacle and it’s names, you come to appreciate God’s desire to dwell with His people.

The sanctuary to be built is called a “tabernacle,” a place where the LORD may dwell with His people (Ex. 25:8-9). This name expresses the LORD’s desire to live among His people, (not merely to make occasional appearances as in the days of Abraham). The great King of glory desires to have His residence with His people and to be their royal Neighbor; the sovereign Lord of heaven desires to be with His people.

The fact that the LORD’s dwelling place takes the form of a tent shows His willingness to completely identify Himself with His people. Israel was living in tents; the LORD will do so also. Here is a tremendous display of condescension and humility motivated by compassion and love. The ultimate form in which the LORD would dwell in the midst of His people would be the incarnation: “The Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. We beheld his glory, his glory as the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). Note: “The Word” is a title for the Son of God, who in His incarnate state is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider, also, the testimony of Hebrews 2:14a, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity.”

The sanctuary to be built is also called “the Tent of Meeting” (Ex. 29:42). It was at the tabernacle that the LORD would reveal Himself to Israel and speak to them. Moses would no longer need to ascend the height of Mt. Sinai to meet with God on behalf of the people. The LORD would no longer be distant from His people, now He would be in their very midst and receive them into His very presence. Referring to the birth of Jesus, the angel declares, “they will call him ‘Immanuel,’ which means, ‘God with us’” (Matt. 1:23). Contrast this with the testimony of the pagan Babylonians about their so-called gods, “the gods...do not live among men” (Dan. 2:11).

Then, again, the sanctuary to be built is called “the tabernacle of the Testimony” (Ex. 38:21). The stone tablets containing the covenant, called “the two tablets of the Testimony” (Ex. 34:29), were to be stored in the sanctuary, in the very ark of the covenant. Therefore, the sanctuary is called “the tabernacle of the Testimony.” As such, the tabernacle bears witness to God’s covenant faithfulness: the LORD’s relationship to us, His people, is not capricious, it is based on His covenant and His covenant faithfulness.

Finally, the structure to be built is called “a sanctuary” (Ex. 25:8). It is the holy place because dwelling here is none other than the Holy One Himself; sin is an unacceptable practice within its holy precincts. Furthermore, it is the place of refuge, because the LORD who dwells here invites us to find a safe and secure haven under His protective care: “He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. ⁷My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. ⁸Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psl. 62:6­ 8).

As you consider the furnishings found within the tabernacle you all the more come to appreciate the LORD’s desire to have fellowship with His people.

Contained within the tabernacle was “the ark of the covenant,” as described in Exodus 25:10-11,16­ 22,

¹⁰Have 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... ¹⁶Then put into the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. ¹⁷Make an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ^1BAnd 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 commandments for the Israelites.

Note: A cubit equals approximately 18 inches or 0.5 meters.

The ark was the focal point of the entire tabernacle. Located within the Holy of holies, the ark was the earthly throne of God, (the cherubim who adorned the ark are the throne attendants of the LORD). Placed on top of the ark was “an atonement cover,” or, “mercy seat” (literally, “the covering”). On the annual Day of Atonement, the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sin offering upon the mercy seat (Lev. 16:15). The tablets of the covenant were contained within the ark and the blood-sprinkled mercy seat served as the cover of the ark. Thus, interposed between the demands of the covenant, as specified in the tablets of the covenant, (which the people had violated), and the face of the LORD, is the sacrificial blood of atonement. The LORD demonstrates His desire for fellowship with His people by providing the means of atonement and reconciliation, note 1 John 2:1-2, “if anyone sins, we have an advocate who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Also contained within the tabernacle was the table of showbread, a table upon which rested “the bread of the Presence,” as described in Exodus 25:23-25, 30,

²³Make a table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. ²⁴Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. ²⁵Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim... ³⁰Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

Twelve loaves of bread were set upon this table, replaced each Sabbath with fresh loaves, and sprinkled with frankincense as an offering to the LORD (Lev. 24:5-9). The table of showbread portrayed the fact that all of life is lived in the presence of God—even a man’s daily work and daily meals—and all is under His care. Note the testimony of the Lord Jesus,

²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.Matt. 10:29-31

The table of showbread also represented the fact that all of life is lived in the presence of God and is to be consciously dedicated to the glory of God, as the Apostle Paul instructs the Corinthian church, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

Another piece of the furnishing of the tabernacle was the golden candlestick, or, “lamp stand,” as described in Exodus 25:31-40,

³¹Make a lamp stand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. ³²Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lamp stand—three on one side and three on the other. ³³Three 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 lamp stand. ³⁴And on the lamp stand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. ³⁵One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lamp stand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. ³'The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lamp stand, hammered out of pure gold. ³⁷Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. ³⁸Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. ³⁹A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lamp stand and all these accessories. ⁴⁰See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

The golden candlestick was made to hold seven lamps; the lamps were to burn continuously, being filled with pure olive oil (Lev. 24:1-4). The lamp stand portrayed the fact that the people of God are to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit and have His divine presence radiating from their lives.

One other piece of furniture placed in the tabernacle was the altar of incense, as described in Exodus 30:1-3, 6-8,

¹Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. ²It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high—its horns of one piece with it. ³Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it... ⁶Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you. ⁷Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. ⁸He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come.

This altar was placed immediately in front of the ark of the covenant, with only the curtain separating the two. Every day the priest was to burn incense upon this altar on behalf of the people. The offering up of the incense coincided with the hour of prayer, as is seen from the account of Zechariah’s performance of his priestly duties in Luke 1:9-10, “[Zechariah] was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.” The fact that this was done at the hour of prayer shows that the altar with its burning incense was representing the prayers of God’s people, which are precious to the LORD, note Proverbs 15:8b, “the prayer of the upright is [the LORD’s] delight.”

Make yourself a fit sanctuary for the LORD, because He desires to hold fellowship with you.

Make Yourself a Fit Sanctuary for the LORD, by Willingly Giving Yourself to Him←⤒🔗

For the construction of the tabernacle, the LORD instructs that a free will offering be taken from “every man whose heart makes him willing [to give]” (Ex. 25:2). The LORD desires to have fellowship with His people, but if such fellowship is to actually take place, there must be a reciprocal desire for it on their part.

Exodus 35:20-29 describes Israel’s response to the LORD’s instruction:

²⁰Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, ²¹and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. ²²All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. ²³Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or hides of sea cows brought them. ²⁴Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. ²⁵Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. ²⁶And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. ²⁷The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breast piece. ²⁸They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. ²⁹All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

Beside the call for the free-will offering, there also went forth a divine call for “the atonement money:”

Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹²When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. ¹³Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD; ¹⁴all who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the LORD. ¹⁵The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to make atonement for your lives. ¹⁶Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD, making atonement for your lives. Ex. 30:11-16

The “atonement money” was not a payment for sin; note that in verse fifteen it is spoken of as “an atonement for your lives,” not “for your sins.” This monetary offering seems to have been representative of the person’s life, literally, “covering,” or, representing his life, as a life dedicated to the LORD. Each one of the Israelites was required to contribute half a shekel as an offering to the LORD (vs. 13). This offering was to be used for the continual maintenance of the tabernacle and its service (vs. 16).

Our fellowship with the LORD, likewise, requires a continual maintenance. Consider the testimony of a Christian man who came to understand this important truth:

I had been living so long in a respectable, sentimental, nominal, skin-deep religiosity and...the fire God set within me was quenched and I was walking in the flesh and spiritually starving.

The problem is that I have not been in vital fellowship with or walking with the Lord as I should have been. I had drifted so far away that I no longer realized where I should be in my spiritual life. Words like total surrender, complete devotion, whole-hearted commitment, faithful discipleship and loving God with a pure heart, in sincerity of soul and in holiness of life returned forcefully to my heart. I saw once again that there is no place for a lukewarm faith in my life.

The result was a renewed understanding of the need for faithfulness in using the means of grace God gave me: (the Bible, prayer, Psalms and hymns, devotional books, fellowship, witness, etc.) I’m striving to enter into a new life of spiritual discipline, feeding daily on God’s Word, praying and reading devotional classics.

I want to be restored to a path of growth in ever-greater pursuit of Christ-likeness. I’m already experiencing greater joy and peace than I’ve known in quite some time. I’m no longer worried about my future. I’m concerned now, each day, about my spiritual growth, devotion and obedience to Christ.

Make yourself a fit sanctuary for the LORD, by willingly offering yourself to Him.

Make Yourself a Fit Sanctuary for the LORD, by Keeping Yourself Pure for Him←⤒🔗

Notice the measures that were taken to protect the sanctity of the tabernacle.

A veil or curtain was erected to separate the sanctuary itself (the Holy of holies) from the rest of the tabernacle:

³¹Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. ³²Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases; ³³hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Ex. 26:31-33

A screen was placed at the entranceway of the tabernacle:

³⁶For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. ³⁷Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them. Ex. 26:36-37

An enclosed court surrounded the tabernacle:

⁹Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, ¹⁰with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹¹The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹²The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. ¹³On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. ¹⁴Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, ¹⁵and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases. ¹⁶For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer—with four posts and four bases. ¹⁷All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. ¹⁸The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases. Ex. 27:9-18

Note that the tapestry work of blue, and purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine twined linen, (which would produce a fire-like effect), with the cherubim embroidered on the curtain of the Holy of holies, corresponds to Genesis 3:24, where the cherubim with flaming swords stood guard over the Garden of Eden: “[the LORD] placed the Cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and also a flaming sword, which turned in every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

The LORD also commanded Moses to cause to be made a holy anointing oil:

²²Then the LORD said to Moses, ²³Take the following fine spices: five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much, (that is, two hundred and fifty shekels), of fragrant cinnamon, two hundred and fifty shekels of fragrant cane, ²⁴five hundred shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. ²⁶Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, ²⁷the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, ²⁸the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. ²⁹You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. ³⁰Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. ³¹Say to the Israelites, This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. ³²Do not pour it on men’s bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. ³³Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people. Ex 30:22-33

The tabernacle itself and all its furnishings were to be anointed with this special oil, indicating that it had become sacred ground, dedicated to the LORD and filled with the presence of His Holy Spirit.

The measures taken to protect the sanctity of the tabernacle were for the benefit of the people: to restrain them from coming into immediate contact with the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. These measures are similar to those taken to prevent the people from ascending Mt. Sinai (cf. Ex. 19:10-13). But now, by virtue of our union with Christ, the Righteous One, we are not only invited to draw near to God, God has drawn near to us: by means of His Holy Spirit dwelling in each individual believer and within the entire body of Christ, the church.

Make yourself a fit sanctuary for the LORD, by keeping yourself pure for Him.

¹⁴As obedient children, no longer conform to the passions you formerly [had when you lived] in ignorance. ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶because it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.'1 Pet. 1:14-16

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Old Testament Israel was instructed to make a sanctuary fit for the LORD—made according to the pattern He Himself provided. Likewise, may we as New Testament Christians strive by God’s grace to make ourselves (our lives and our bodies) into a fit sanctuary for the LORD, so that He may dwell with us and we with Him.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What does the LORD desire that His people should make for Him, and why? See Ex. 25:8-9 What does this tell us about the kind of relationship the LORD desires to have with His people? Do you have the same desire for fellowship with the LORD? Can you make the same testimony that the Psalm makes in Psalm 63:1?

⁸Have them make a sanctuary for me, so that I may dwell among them. ⁹You shall make this tabernacle and all its furnishing exactly like the pattern I will show you.Ex. 25:8-9

¹O God, you are my God, earnestly will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you... Psl. 63:1

2. What do the pagan Babylonians testify about their gods? See Dan. 2:11b In contrast to their gods, what do the Scriptures testify about the LORD our God? See Ex. 29:45; Isa. 57:15 As a Christian, are you conscious of the nearness and the presence of the LORD, or must you make the same confession as Jacob makes in Genesis 28:16b? What effect(s) should the knowledge of the LORD’s presence have upon you?

When King Nebuchadnezzar demands that the Chaldean astrologers interpret his dream, they reply,

¹¹It is an extraordinary thing that the king requests, and no one can fulfill it for the king except the gods, but they do not dwell with men. Dan. 2:11

⁴⁵...I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. Ex. 29:45

¹⁵This is what the high and lofty One—who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy—says, I dwell in the high and holy place, [I] also [dwell] with the man who has a contrite and humble spirit, in order to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite.Isa. 57:15

^16bSurely the LORD is in this place; but I knew it not. Gen. 28:16b

3. What is significant about the fact that the LORD’s dwelling place is called “a sanctuary,” and what does this mean for you as a Christian?? Note Isa. 6:1-3 and 1 Pet. 1:15-16; Isa. 8:13-14a and Psl. 46:1.

¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne—high and exalted, and the train [of his robe] filled the temple. ²Above him stood the seraphs, each one having six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two wings they covered their feet, and with two wings they flew. ³They were calling out to one another, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa. 6:1-3

¹⁵...just as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶because it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.' 1 Pet. 1:15-16

¹³The LORD of hosts, him you must sanctify; he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, ¹⁴and he will be a sanctuary [for you]... Isa. 8:13-14a

¹God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble. Psl. 46:1

4. When the construction of the tabernacle was completed, how did the LORD dwell with His people? See Ex. 40:34 Although the LORD was present with His O.T. people, what do we read about Moses in Exodus 40:35? How has the LORD come to dwell with His people in the N.T. era? See Jn. 1:14; Matt. 1:23 In contrast to Moses, what are you, as a Christian, invited to do? See Heb. 10:19-22.

³⁴Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Ex. 40:34

³⁵Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Ex. 40:35

¹⁴The Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. We beheld his glory, his glory as the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.Jn. 1:14

²³...they will call him 'Immanuel,' which means, 'God with us'.Matt. 1:23

¹⁹Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus... ²¹and having a great high priest over the house of God, ²²let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith... Heb. 10:19-22

5. What does Exodus 40:36-37 tell us about Israel’s relationship with the LORD as He made His presence known by means of the cloud? As a Christian, is your life being regulated by the LORD as He communicates His will to you by means of His Word? See Psl. 119:105 What assurance does the LORD give us in Psl. 32:8, and what exhortation in Psl. 32:9a? Are you submitting to the Lord your Savior, or are you as headstrong as a horse, or as stubborn as a mule? Will the Lord tolerate such headstrong or obstinate behavior?

³⁶Throughout all their journeys, the children of Israel would set out whenever the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle; ³⁷but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out until the day it did lift. Ex. 40:36-37

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path. Psl. 119:105

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you shall go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. ⁹Do not be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding... Psl. 32:8­-9a