After being given the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, Moses was given specific instructions by God concerning the building of the tabernacle and the clothing to be worn by the High Priest. These chapters read rather like an instruction manual. They were highly important for the Hebrews of the Old Covenant, and the establishment of the Jewish faith. But what about us, Christians of the 21st century AD? What do these passages say to us? We, as Christians, can read these guidelines and see how they point the way to the coming of Jesus, who is the fulfilment of God’s purposes in the world.
THE TABERNACLE
No less than fifty chapters within the Torah are concerned wholly or partially with the subject of the tabernacle. Evidently, this was a vital subject for the young nation of Israel. It brings us to the heart of its worship, and so to its relationship with God.
The word ‘tabernacle' means ‘temporary dwelling place’ and was quite literally the dwelling place of God amongst His people. In the reign of King Solomon, this portable tabernacle was transformed by the building of the Temple, on Mount Moriah, situated in the heart of Jerusalem, a place of pilgrimage for all Hebrew people of every generation.
The concept of God dwelling with His people goes right back to the book of Genesis, where we read about God ‘walking in the garden’ with Adam and Eve. They enjoyed perfect communion with God.
This picture of perfection was broken by man’s disobedience (read Genesis 3). The story of the Bible from this moment onwards is the story of God’s initiative in restoring His relationship with humanity. By dwelling amongst the people, God is giving physical expression to his covenantal relationship with the nation. There is no more complete fulfilment of this promise than God’s presence, in visible form, at the centre of the nation. The Lord is identifying with his people.
The chapters that follow the giving of the law (Exodus 25 – 27) describe, in great detail, the dwelling place that the people are to build, in the middle of their camp. This tent, or tabernacle, provides graphic evidence for the whole nation: God is with His people. It is a visible symbol. His dwelling place is amongst them.
As the people travelled through the wilderness, God travelled with them, wherever they went. He lived amongst His people. This truth remains valid for Christians today. No longer do we need a tabernacle – a physical building – to be the place where God resides amongst us, but we do have the spiritual truth of Emmanuel, God with us. God resides in the hearts of those who follow Him.
The tabernacle occupied a central place in the camp. The tribes camped around it, each in its allotted place. This pattern is still followed by tent dwellers in the Middle East today. In a Bedouin camp, the chieftain’s tent occupies a central position, with families grouped around it.
Exodus 25:8 ‘Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.’
Instructions for the design of the tabernacle are described in great detail, working from the inside, outwards. It is divided into two parts - at its heart is the Holy of Holies – the central place. The remainder of the tent is called The Holy Place. The ‘Holy of Holies’ was a perfect cube. The Holy Place was twice as long (a double cube). Everything was in perfect proportion (Exodus 26:15-30).
In the ‘Holy of Holies’ there stands:
The Ark of the Covenant (25:10-16)
The Ark signifies the heart of the Tabernacle, situated in the most holy place, concealed from view by a curtain. It was a wooden box overlaid with gold. Inside were kept the tablets of the law – two copies – one for God, one for the people, representing the covenant between God and the nation. There could be no greater statement of God’s presence with His people.
The Atonement Cover (25:17-22)
Sometimes called the mercy seat, this was of pure gold, and on it were two cherubim made of gold, one at either end facing each other, with wings uplifted covering the mercy seat. It was situated above the Ark of the Covenant. The Atonement Cover was where blood was sprinkled by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement.
Together, the ark and the mercy seat offer a symbol of God’s presence with His people. Only the High Priest was permitted to enter into the holy place, and even he only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. As Christians, we see how Christ has fulfilled the terms of the covenant, and so inaugurated a new covenant, through his sacrifice on the cross. ‘the curtain in the Temple was torn in two’ (Matthew 27:51). In the New Testament, Jesus is described as our ‘atonement cover’:
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith. (Romans 3:25)
This word ‘sacrifice for atonement’ is the same word as the Greek word ‘atonement cover’. Paul was stating that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament image.
Under the terms of the New Covenant, all believers have direct access to God, through faith in Christ, and can know His presence in their lives at all times.
Before reaching the Holy of Holies there lies the Holy Place, which contains various items:
The Table (25: 23 – 30)
This was made of wood overlaid with gold. On this table twelve loaves of bread were placed every Sabbath day, as a reminder of the covenant between God and the people..
The Lampstand or Menorah (25: 31 – 40)
The seven branched lamp stand was made of gold. It possibly symbolised the almond tree and is a sign of God’s presence. The lamps were to burn continually. It is still used today as a symbol for modern Israel.
The Altar of Incense (37:25-29)
This was made of wood overlaid with gold. It stood in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony. Incense was to burn here morning and evening.
These three pieces of furniture point us, as Christians, to our Lord Jesus Christ:
Jesus, the bread of life John 6:35 -38
Jesus, the light of the world John 1:4-5, 8:12; Luke 2:32
Jesus, our great High Priest Hebrews 4:14-16; 9:11-15; 10:11-12;
Having described the inner furnishings, the narrative moves on to describe the actual tabernacle (tent), itself. (26:1 -14)
It is to have four coverings:
· ten curtains of ‘finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman’, over which is.....
· goat’s hair – a protective covering, over which is.....
· ram’s skin, dyed red, over which are....
· hides of sea cows (i.e.. aquatic mammals).
The colours used in these curtains are significant:
White: a symbol of purity and righteousness; a picture of Christ ‘the spotless Lamb
of God’.
Blue: a symbol of the heavens, and the ‘Lord of glory’, indicative of the deity of
Christ.
Purple: a symbol of wealth and riches – the colour of kings, proclaiming Jesus as
King of kings and Lord of lords.
Scarlet: a symbol of blood and sacrifice, but also a precious colour, foreshadowing
the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.
The dividing curtain (26:31 – 35)
This curtain separated the ‘Holy of Holies’ through which only the High Priest could enter, once a year on the Day of Atonement. This was the curtain that was torn ‘from top to bottom’ (the significance of this ‘topdown’ tearing being that it was God’s initiative) at the moment of Christ’s death, demonstrating that the way to God lay open to all believers.
The courtyard (27: 9 – 18)
The tabernacle was enclosed within a courtyard, one hundred by fifty cubits large. This courtyard was also surrounded by curtains. Sixty pillars supported the curtain that enclosed the court. There was only one entrance, drawing attention to the words of Jesus, ‘I am the way...no one comes to the Father except by me’, and ‘I am the door’.
Within the courtyard, were various items:
The altar of burnt offerings (27:1 – 8)
Made of bronze, this is the sacrificial altar, where the people brought their offerings in obedience to God’s commands. The sacrificial altar points towards the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The laver (30:17-21)
The laver, or washbasin is where the priests ceremoniously washed their hands and feet when they came in to minister. Although there is no detailed description in the Bible, it serves as a reminder of the washing away of sin.
THE HIGH PRIEST
Closely linked to the description of the tabernacle, the book of Exodus also provides details of the clothing that the high priest should wear as he goes about his duties (chapter 28).
The Ephod
The ephod is the outer garment worn by the high priest. It is made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn (note the significance of the colours above), but also with threads of gold – another sign of God’s kingly glory. Twelve stones are set in the shoulder-plates symbolising the twelve tribes of Israel. The priest literally carries his people into God’s presence, in much the same way that Paul describes Jesus as interceding before the Father on our behalf (Romans 8:34).
The Breastplate (28: 15 – 29)
The breastplate is attached over the ephod, and again contains twelve stones. Unlike the shoulders, where the stones are all the same, these are twelve different, precious stones – one for each tribe – representing not just the value of God’s people, but their uniqueness. God calls each of us by name. For the Christian, we are reminded of God’s love for each of us.
The Urim and Thimmin (28:30)
Folded inside the breastplate are these strange jewels, the Urim and Thummin. These symbolise the fact that the High Priest could bring any difficult question to the Lord and seek an answer. They remind us that we can bring any question or concern to God and trust that when we wait upon Him, He will give us an answer.
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As the nation moved around the Sinai Peninsula, the tabernacle was carried with them.
When the people entered the Promised Land, the tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, and remained there for about 400 years as the centre of worship. It was here that Samuel was brought as a young child, to serve amongst the priests. During his lifetime, the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, (1Samuel 4–6), but overwhelmed by its holiness, and unable to approach it safely, they returned it to its rightful place. King David had the Ark brought into his new capital city – Jerusalem and drew up plans for the building of a Temple – a permanent tabernacle, built of stone, but because he was a warrior, the Lord did not permit David to build it. This privilege was granted to his son, Solomon.
The Temple stood at the heart of Hebrew worship – the dwelling place of God amongst His people, until the sack of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586BC. It was at this time that the Ark of the Covenant was lost, probably destroyed in the course of battle, or melted down by the Babylonians, despite the romantic and often fanciful myths that it continues to exist (Indiana Jones is a work of fiction). After seventy years during which the Temple stood in ruins, it was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and the returning exiles in 516BC, although on a much smaller scale than Solomon’s building. Herod the Great totally remodelled Temple Mount during his reign, and it was during this period that Jesus himself was a regular visitor. The destruction of the Temple by the Romans in AD70 marks the end of temple worship, and from that time onwards, the Hebrew faith has centred upon the synagogue in the scattered Jewish communities around the world. The role of the priest has been superseded by that of the Rabbi.
Since the 7th century, the Temple Mount has been dominated by the Dome of the Rock – one of the holiest sites of Islam, although with the advent of modern Israel, there is renewed talk of the building of a new Temple. Temple Mount is sacred to both Jew and Moslem.
For the Christian, the significance of the Temple lies the fact that it pre-figures the work of Jesus, our Messiah. We no longer look towards a particular site, or building, but recognise that Christ journeys alongside us, wherever we may go. Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples ‘to help you and be with you for ever’ (John 14:16). We see this promise fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we worship God ‘in Spirit and in truth’ (John 4:23)
As Paul writes to the Corinthians:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
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