Lesson 70 - Junior

Memory Verse

Notes

Instructions Given for the Tabernacle

An important part of the Law that God gave Moses while he was in the mount was instructions in detail for the building of a house of worship to be used by the Children of Israel while they were in the wilderness.

God is holy, and He will not meet with unholy people in an unholy place. Therefore He told Moses to build the Tabernacle very carefully according to the instructions He would give him, and consecrate and hallow it so God could meet the people there. He also told Moses what the Israelites must do to purify them-selves when they came to the Tabernacle to worship.

The World a Setting for God's Plan

People who do not believe the Word of God argue about how our universe and the inhabitants of the world came into existence; and thousands of books have beene; and thousands of books have been written stating man's theories of our beginnings. But the fact of the creation of the world for a place for man to live his natural life is of small importance compared with God's plan of salvation to prepare for us eternal life.

The whole story of the Creation is given in two chapters of the Bible; but when we come to the study of the Tabernacle we find six chapters devoted to instructions for its building, and six more that tell us that thus was it made. And the entire book of Leviticus explains the order of worship and the manner of sacrifices to be made by the priests.

A Picture of Redemption's Plan

Why was the Tabernacle, seemingly only a tent in the wilderness, of such great importance? Was it only a gorgeous church for the use of one nation of the world?-Emphatically no! The Tabernacle was a pattern of God's plan of redemption. If any of the Israelites wanted to come to God they must come through the Tabernacle, through the sacrifices made upon the altars. Just so we cannot approach God in His holiness unless we come through Jesus, our Mediator.

The plan of redemption was "from the foundation of the world," but it is mysterious and hard for sinful people to understand. It is even a mystery that the angels "desire to look into" (I Peter 1:12). So God gave the Israelites a physical picture of the way to eternal life.

We said that the Tabernacle was a part of the Law, and Paul tells us that, "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (Galatians 3:24).-As we look carefully at the picture of the Tabernacle we can see Jesus and His plan whereby we can be saved.

Holy Men of Old

There were some men in the early days who could understand the mystery of godliness, who had faith enough to believe that Jesus was going to come and shed His Blood for the forgiveness of sin; and they lived holy lives. Enoch was holy, for he walked with God.-No one can walk with God without being holy. Noah was "perfect in his generations," and perfection comes with holiness through the Blood of Jesus. And Abraham believed in Jesus, because the Lord Himself said that Abraham saw "my day" and was glad.

Holiness of God; Sinfulness of Man

But God wanted to make it easier for us to understand how holy He is and how sinful we are, and just what we must do to be reconciled to Him; so He gave the Children of Israel the Tabernacle and its form of worship as an illustration of His plan of salvation.

God warned Moses many times to make the Tabernacle just exactly according to the pattern He had shown him. There is only one way that man can be saved; and we must be very careful that we come God's way, or in the Day of Judgment, we will be turned into hell with the nations that forget God. (In Lesson 72 we shall study justification as typified in the Tabernacle worship.)

Built of Precious Things

Let us first consider the grandeur and beauty of the Tabernacle. The people brought freely of their gold and precious stones until there was more than enough, and Moses had to ask them to bring no more. They had enough gold to cover on the outside and the inside, all the upright boards that made the walls. Five poles, overlaid with gold, passed lengthwise of the building on each side, through rings of gold, to fasten the boards together. Within were the solid gold candlesticks (worth millions of our money), the table of shewbread, which was overlaid with gold, and the golden altar of incense. In the Holiest of All was the Ark, also overlaid with gold, and with a solid gold lid, which formed the mercy seat. At either end of the Ark were the solid gold cherubims, facing each other and looking down upon the mercy seat. Can you imagine the beauty of this holy Tabernacle?

There was even more to its grandeur. Over the upright boards overlaid with gold, which formed the walls, was placed a covering of fine linen with cherubims of red, blue, purple, and gold threads artfully woven into it. This curtain formed the ceiling, and came down the sides and the back almost to the ground. Over this curtain was a covering of goats' hair; and over that a covering made of rams' skins dyed red. To protect the whole from the weather, over that was a covering of badgers' skins which hid all its beauty from the people outside. Can you see Jesus in this? Isaiah said of Him: "His visage was so marred more than any man" (Isaiah 52:14), and "he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desires him" (Isaiah 53:2). The world can see no beauty in Jesus; but when we enter into the Saviour through salvation, become new creatures in Christ, then, we see the beauty which was typified by the interior of this holy dwelling place of God.

The Tabernacle was about 45 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet high. It was divided into two parts, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. All of it was holy, and only the sanctified priests could enter. (We shall learn in Lesson 73 how we may enter into the Holy Place.)

The Outer Court

There was an enclosed court around the Tabernacle, about 150 by 75 feet, which was considered a part of the Tabernacle. It was here that the people came to worship. The brazen alter (about which we shall study in Lesson 72) was in this court. Here the animals for the many sacrifices were killed, and some of them burned. There was also a laver made of brass in which the priests must wash their hands and feet before they could enter into the Holy Place. The court was enclosed with white linen hung from brass poles, and there was only one entrance " on the east end. There is only one "door" into salvation.-Jesus said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9). (As we study the Tabernacle, let us watch carefully for every likeness to Jesus.)

About six months were spent in the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Two men, Bezaleel and Aholiab, were given special wisdom by God in the clever workmanship of wood, brass, gold, precious stones, and needlework. Such rich materials went into the building of God that it has been estimated to have cost Millions of our money, without the labour.

God's Presence

But there was more than a display of gold, silver, and precious stones. When the work was completed the veil had been hung setting apart the Most Holy Place, and the Ark containing the Ten Commandments had been placed within; the golden altar of incense, the table of shewbread and the golden candlestick had been set in the Holy Place, and a curtain hung at its entrance; the brazen alter and the laver where the priests were to wash were ready for service in the outer court, which was surrounded by the white linen curtains; and the priests had been consecrated for their service " then the Spirit of God came down and His presence filled the church in the wilderness. Everything had been made according to the pattern God had showed Moses in the mount, and had been sanctified with blood, so God's holy Presence could come and abide in the Tabernacle. The glory was so great that even Moses could not go into the Holy Place.

Cloud Resting over Tabernacle

The cloud that had led the Children of Israel from Egypt to Sinai now rested upon the Tabernacle, which was pitched in the centre of the camp. As longs as the cloud remained, Israel camped; when it removed, the Tabernacle was reverently taken apart by the Levites, the furniture carefully covered, and the whole carried according to the instructions of God ([NUM:3:1-51]). When the cloud would stop, all Israel would rest again. When the Tabernacle had been set up in the midst of the camp, the cloud would descend upon it and remain, day and night, until God wanted the Children of Israel to go forward. During their entire forty years in the wilderness the Lord made known His Presence in this manner.

Questions

1. Where did Moses get the plans for building the Tabernacle?

2. What does the Tabernacle typify?

3. How did Moses get the materials from which the Tabernacle was made?

4. Name the materials from which the Tabernacle and its furnishings were made.

5. What was in the outer court? What was in the Holy Place?-In the Most Holy?

6. Why was the Tabernacle built.

7. In what ways have we learned that it compared with Jesus?