2021.09.12

We Are Temple  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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We Are Temple: The Tabernacle

Why did God provide any instructions at all?
Exodus 25:1-8 should have been sufficient, right?
Exodus 25:1–8 NASB 2020
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to take a contribution for Me; from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My contribution. 3 This is the contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood, 6 oil for lighting, balsam oil for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 Have them construct a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.
Shouldn’t that have been sufficient? Build me a sanctuary?
No!
Would’ve left room for corruption of the artisans designing and building the Tabernacle (and later the Temple).
Human artisans design their creations to be human-centered.
The Tabernacle and the Temple are the ultimate in God-centered worship!
So it only makes sense that Yahweh, our God would design it for himself.
Finally, “Because he said so.” He’s God and he gets to say so.
As we dive in, I think we can learn a lot about God as we look at his choices. We may not quite get there in the early stages, but as we look at these instructions, ask yourself these questions:
What can I learn about God?
What can I learn about humanity?
Can I learn anything about myself?
Historical periods:
Tabernacle [Exodus 25:1-9] (tent of meeting, tent of dwelling) “sanctuary” (miq·dāš) [mik-יdäsh]- a consecrated place where the deity dwells and where sacred objects are kept and worship takes place – Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible “tabernacle” (miš·kān) [mish-יkān] - a portable sanctuary which the Israelites carried in the wilderness after the Exodus. – Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible
Became “God’s Home” to house the Ark of the Covenant and 10 Commandment tablets.
Place of worship [“tent of meeting”]
God lived in the tabernacle [“tent of dwelling”]
Ark of the Covenant and the 10 Commandments tablets were housed in the inner sanctum (“Holy of Holies”)
The Tabernacle
Was a portable structure to be taken down and setup as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
Design of the structure was strictly defined by Yahweh to Aaron and his sons.
10 curtains of finely woven linen, embroidered with blue, purple and red cherubim
42’ x 6’
Join 5 together to make two long curtains
Loops of blue yarn along the edge of the last curtain in each set
50 loops to match on both sets
50 gold clasps to hold the two long curtains together to form one continuous curtain
11 curtains of goat hair for a tent covering for the Tabernacle
45’ x 6’
Join 5 into one long curtain and 6 into another
3’ of the second set is to hang over the front of the Tabernacle
Attach the two with 50 loops & 50 bronze clasps
The remaining 3’ will hang over the back of the Tabernacle
Allow 18” to hang over each corner so the Tabernacle is completely covered
Use tanned ram skins and a layer of fine goatskin leather to form a protective layer
Frames of acacia wood
15’ h x 27” wide
2 pegs under each frame
20 frames to support the South side
40 silver bases, pegs are to fit securely into a base
20 frames to support the North side
Identical to the South
6 frames for the rear (West) side
2 additional frames to reinforce the rear corners
Matched at bottom
Connected at top with a single loop
Total of 8 frames, 16 silver bases
Crossbars of acacia wood to link the frames
5 crossbars on the North and 5 on the South
5 additional crossbars for the rear
Middle crossbar will be attached at the middle of the frames and run the entire length of the Tabernacle
Overlay frames and crossbars with gold
Make gold rings to hold the crossbars – overlay them with gold, too
30 “Set up this Tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain. Exodus 26:30 NLT
What goes inside?
Special curtain of finely woven linen with blue, purple and red cherubim
Hung on gold hooks on four posts made of acacia overlaid in gold, set in silver bases
Hang inner curtain from clasps in front of the Ark of the Covenant
Separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (“Holy of Holies”)
Ark of the Covenant – situated in the Holy of Holies
Acacia wood – 36” l x 18” w x 27” h (smaller than you thought, perhaps) 3’ x 1.5’ x 2’ 3”
Pure gold overlay inside and out
Four gold rings attached – so priests could place gold overlaid acacia poles for carrying the Ark without touching it
Held the stone tablets with the 10 Commandments (“the terms of the Covenant” – Ex 25:16 NLT) and one piece of Manna from their time wandering
“Place of Atonement” – the Ark’s Cover
Often called the “Mercy Seat”
The Table – situated in the Holy Place just outside the Holy of Holies to the right of the entrance
Acacia wood – overlaid with gold
Four pole holes for carrying
Dishes for the table: all made with pure gold:
Pan
Jars
Bowls to pour liquids
The “Bread of Presence” on the table (sometimes called the “Showbread” or “Shewbread”)
12 loaves of bread arranged in 2 stacks of 6
Replaced weekly on the Sabbath
The bread was not food for God (as was the case in neighboring religions), but for the priests.
The Lampstand – oil lamp situated just outside the Holy of Holies to the left of the entrance
Pure hammered gold
All one piece
7 lamps - Six symmetrical branches + center stem
Snuffers and trays also pure gold
75 pounds of gold for lampstand and accessories
Another curtain of finely woven linen for the entrance – decorated with “exquisite designs” using blue, purple, and red thread.
5 posts of acacia wood overlaid in gold
Hang the curtain from gold hooks
5 bronze bases for the posts to sit in
Other instructions (equally detailed … abbreviated here for space) – Exodus 27
Altar for burnt offerings 7 ½’ square x 4 ½’ tall
Often called “Brazen Altar”
Courtyard
150’ x 75’ enclosed by curtains 7 ½’ high … held by posts … set in bases
All the articles used in the rituals of the Tabernacle, including all the tent pegs used to support the Tabernacle and the courtyard curtains, must be made of bronze. — Exodus 27:19 NLT

We Are Temple: The Tabernacle

God left nothing out (Exodus 28)
Clothing for priests and how each piece should be made
chestpiece
ephod
robe
patterned tunic
turban
sash
For FORTY YEARS, when the Israelites moved, the Tabernacle was taken down, moved and reconstructed … all according to VERY strict standards.
The Tabernacle was made “more permanent” when the Hebrews took the Promised Land and established Israel as a nation, but was not made into a permanent structure until Solomon is King.
What can we learn about God?
A lot. Let me point out just two key elements of God’s character:
God is a God of order!
Genesis 1:1–2 [NASB 2020]
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Earth was formless – chaos – and God creates in such an orderly fashion. He is so intentional with every wave of his hand, and when he looks over his created order, he remarks how good it is.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is instructing the young church about public tongues. He says that speaking in tongues shouldn’t happen in public unless an interpreter is present. Why?
1 Corinthians 14:33[NLT]
33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.
1 Corinthians 14:40[NLT]
40 But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.
We have orderly worship because we want to represent God well – and He is a God of order, not chaos.
God desires to dwell with his people!
The easiest place to see this is at the END of the book, because John writes it explicitly in the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 21:1–3[NLT]
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
He wanted the same thing in the beginning:
Genesis 3:8–9 [NASB 2020]
8 Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
And Jesus demonstrated that by becoming “Immanuel: God with us”:
John 1:14 [NLT]
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
What can we learn about God?
God is a God of ORDER!
God wants to live among his people!
What can we learn about humanity?
Worship is not about us!
If we designed the Tabernacle today, we’d fight over every detail:
the color of the curtains
seating capacity
whether to use pews or chairs
how many responsive readings we should include
musical instrumentation
which songs are okay for worship
whether to install a sound system or not
who is and isn’t worthy to lead worship or serve Communion
whether it’s okay to wear shorts, jeans, tank tops, ties, suits, dresses, or robes, or dance naked before the Lord like David did
We would find things to fight about — or invent them — because we secretly want worship to be about us.
It is not!
Worship is all about Yahweh! EXCLUSIVELY about Yahweh!
And he gave explicit instructions for the Tabernacle and for worship so that the people would remember: “Worship is not about you!
So, what can you learn about yourself?
I can’t answer this for you, but I can suggest you consider the list I just rattled off.
What elements of worship do you believe are essential and proper?
Where did your list come from?
If it wasn’t dictated by God at the level of detail he gave the Old Testament Jews, I would suggest there are parts of you that have snuck onto your list.
Maybe today’s a good day to weed them out.
If worship is about God, it doesn’t matter what you like or what you want. It only matters what brings honor to God … and God is the one who determines that, not us.

We Are Temple: The Tabernacle

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