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Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley (23-1-2000 Guisborough Evangelical Church)
As we go through the life of Moses, other subjects come
up in connection with Moses and the Pentateuch, very important subjects that
recur throughout the Bible. We have already seen the Covenant with Israel, and
the promise of the New Covenant, fulfilled in Christ. There are three other
themes – the Tabernacle, the sacrificial system, and the office of High
Priest. These are mentioned throughout the Old Testament, and then surface again
in the New Testament, where they are brought to an end because of the perfect
fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ. These themes are large and extensive and
help us to see the unity of Scripture. “New is in the Old concealed; Old is in
the New revealed.” (Augustine).
The subject of the Tabernacle – the portable sanctuary with various pieces of furniture for sacred purposes, made according to God’s strict instructions, from gifts of the people – is our focus today. We will look at the description of the Tabernacle, its history, and its purpose, with fulfilment in Christ and the Christian. It is an enormous subject, and we are only taking a brief look.
The Tabernacle was the visible sign of God’s presence
in the midst of the people. The tent was placed in the middle of the camp,
surrounded by the tents of the various tribes. There was an enclosure around the
tent formed by curtains of fine twined linen, supported on pillars of brass. The
door of the enclosure was on the East side, and was also a curtain, in blue,
scarlet and purple. Passing through the court was the altar of burnt offering,
and the laver of brass for the priests to wash before engaging in holy service.
The Tabernacle itself was 45 foot by 15 foot, with four
coverings over it, made of badger skins, rams’ skins dyed red and goat hair.
The covering which formed the ceiling was made of blue, purple and scarlet
thread with cherubim figures on it. These coverings rested on a framework of
acacia wood, and boards overlaid with gold. It was like a huge coffin with a
pall over it.
The Tabernacle had two sections, the Holy Place, and the
Holy of Holies. The first object to catch the eye in the Holy Place was the
golden altar of incense. Public worship commenced by burning incense on this
altar, offered with the prayers of the people. On one side was the Table of
showbread, 12 loaves in all, one for each tribe. The loaves were changed each
Sabbath. They were a sign of the people’s gratitude for bread, and for
dedicating their life, supported by bread. The Table itself was wood overlaid
with gold. On the other side was the seven-branched candlestick – one central
stem with three branches either side – made of pure gold. A lamp of olive oil
was placed on each branch (because Israel were to be people of light). Each
morning and evening the High Priest dressed and lit the lamps.
A veil divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
The veil was made of needlework with blue, purple and scarlet threads on a
foundation of fine twined linen. Representations of cherubim were worked on this
fabric. This is the veil that was rent in two in the Temple on the occasion of
the death of Jesus.
The Holy of Holies was only entered once a year, by the
High Priest, on the Day of Atonement. In the centre was the Ark of the Covenant,
the symbol of God’s presence, a wooden chest covered with gold, containing the
tablets of the Ten Commandments, along with Aaron’s rod and manna. The Ark was
the most sacred possession of the nation. The lid of the Ark was known as the
mercy seat, and was made of pure gold, with a cherubim made of pure gold on each
corner, facing each other, looking down on the mercy seat with out-stretched
wings. The cloud of God’s glory rested on the Ark.
On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest entered the Holy
of Holies with the sacrificial blood of the sin offering, and sprinkled it on
and before the mercy seat to make reconciliation for the people and the
Tabernacle itself.
The whole thing could be transported without difficulty. At the same time, it was well suited to simple but orderly worship.
The Tabernacle went with Israel into the Promised Land.
Part was carried in wagons, and the rest was carried on the shoulders of people.
The Ark was carried around the walls of Jericho. It had various resting places
in Shiloh. For a while it was in the hands of the Philistines. After David’s
conquest of Jerusalem, the Ark was brought triumphantly into the city.
Then David’s son Solomon built the Temple in 950BC,
which was modelled on the Tabernacle though on a larger and more elaborate
scale. So the Temple replaced the Tabernacle. The Babylonians conquered
Jerusalem in 587BC and destroyed Solomon’s Temple. The Ark was lost forever.
A second Temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple, was built in
515BC after the return from exile. Later a third Temple was begun in 20BC, but
it was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. There was no Ark in the second or third
Temples.
We are not going to discuss the spiritual significance of every detail. This is much disputed. We cannot say dogmatically “This stands for…”, there is no Biblical warrant. But some would disagree. Extravagant interpretations have brought the subject into disrepute. We can only say, “This might suggest…” But we are going to look at the purpose of the Tabernacle and see its fulfilment in Christ and the Christian.
Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell
among them (Exodus 25:8). The Tabernacle was to be a visible sign that God
had drawn near to His redeemed people and He was dwelling among them. He was not
a God afar off, but one who shared their lives and experiences. There are deep
truths about God in the picture language, which help immature minds incapable of
grasping abstract ideas about God.
Firstly, it showed that God is Spirit. In the Tabernacle
He was represented merely by a box over which appeared divine glory. There were
no images or idols as in the Egyptian Temple, where God was represented as a
crocodile. There was no visible form of God for the Jews. In 63BC the Roman
General Pompey overran Jerusalem and did what no Gentile had ever dared to do
– he entered the Holy of Holies. He was astonished and turned away in disgust
– because it was an empty void. Though he refrained from looting the Temple
treasure, the Jews never forgot his sacrilege.
Secondly, the Tabernacle was a reminder of God’s
grandeur and majesty. Depicted in superb and costly furnishings and decoration,
golden furniture, gorgeous tapestries, silver fastenings – it impressed on the
people the glory, greatness and majesty of the God who had called and redeemed
them. His abode was to be worthy of Him, and therefore they contributed the very
best to His house.
Thirdly, it was a reminder that God is holy. Though He
was in the midst of His people, and His glory filled the Tabernacle and was
available to them, they could only approach under certain circumstances.
Elaborate ritual, purification rites, animal sacrifices were needed for purity
and cleansing. This was particularly impressed on them by the fact that the Holy
of Holies was entered only once a year, and only by the High Priest after
cleansing and wearing white linen, bearing blood. God was holy, and approachable
with great care. Men were unworthy because of their sin. He could be approached
only through the substitutionary sacrifice of an unblemished animal. God
communed with men from above the mercy seat. The shedding of blood, life given
in death, was the sole ground of fellowship.
These lessons are still of abiding value today. God is
spirit, and therefore is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Only the best
is good enough for God’s worship service. He is to be approached only through
shed blood. Praise, prayer and service is only through the name and by the merit
of the one who died for us that we might be forgiven and cleansed. “Accepted
in the Beloved.” We are blessed, despite guilt and ruin, because of the person
and work of Christ. Never forget that in your prayer, worship or service.
The fulfilment of all these truths is in Christ. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). We have the knowledge of the glory of God (not just as a cloud in the Tabernacle) in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). For 33 years the Saviour pitched His tent among us. He shared our lot. He brought God to men. He revealed God’s glory. And on the Cross He was offered as the spotless Lamb of God. He was offered as the one, unrepeatable, perfect and complete sacrifice for sin. And on the basis of it, we are forgiven, cleansed and accepted. Now we have unrestricted access into the presence of God. It is not just the privilege of the High Priest, once a year, but for all believers, at any time on any day. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Does God have a Tabernacle on earth today? Where does He
dwell now and also manifest Himself? There are two places. Firstly, the
Christian Church is the Temple of the living God. For we are the temple of
the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among
them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." (2
Corinthians 6:16). Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and
that God's Spirit lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16). In him the whole
building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians
2:21).
This is true of the universal church and also individual
churches which make up the whole church. God dwells here and lives here. How
that ought to influence and control our worship, conduct and response to God in
whole-hearted worship and obedience to His Word as it comes. Preachers who visit
different churches are aware of God’s presence, or absence of it, as they walk
from the vestry into the pulpit.
But more than that, each individual believer is the
temple in which the Spirit dwells. Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit? (1 Corinthians 6:19). Christ in you, the hope of
glory (Colossians 1:27). So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith (Ephesians 3:17). The risen Christ, by the Holy Spirit, lives in the
life of the believer. He is not only with us, but also in us. And the privilege
and wonder is that Christ can manifest Himself in grace and power in the
believer’s life. He displaces self and that leads to enriching and
transforming our personality by His power. I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me (Galatians 2:20). This privilege is a cause of joy – but also of
caution – to us. How careful we must be not to abuse, misuse, or spoil His
dwelling place.
What potential these bodies have, that are the tabernacle to which the Lord comes and in which He dwells.
