____________________________________________________ VANTAGE POINT: EXODUS INTRODUCTION: What is the difference between the Ark of the Testimony and the Ark of the Covenant? o It is referred to as the Ark of the Testimony while they were at Sinai o It is referred to as the Ark of the Covenant when they left Sinai o Joshua when he enters the promised land refers to it as the Ark of the Testimony once again o Testimony speaks of a witness / Covenant speaks of a relational pledge TODAY WE LOOK AT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE o There were actually two tabernacles constructed o This first tabernacle is referred to as the Tabernacle of Moses or the Tabernacle in the Wilderness o The tabernacle was 45 x 15 ft and surrounded by a courtyard that was 150 x 75 ft with walls 7 ft. tall o The second tabernacle was constructed by King David at Mount Zion to house the ark of the Lord until Solomon built the temple o The word tabernacle means dwelling place o It was to be the dwelling place of God in the middle of the nation o But the tabernacle was more than just a dwelling place o Every part of the tabernacle was part of an intricate visual aid to illustrate God’s relationship with His people o As a result, God was very specific in how they were to build the tabernacle Exodus 25:8–9 (NKJV) 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. The walls of the tabernacle were made out of four layers of curtains Exodus 26:1 (NKJV) 26 “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. Exodus 26-30 © 2011 Holland Davis ____________________________________________________ VANTAGE POINT: EXODUS o The inner layer of curtains were made out of four colors of fine woven linen – white, blue, purple and scarlet o The term woven is an Egyptian one o Egypt was famous for their linen o The nation of Israel spent 400 years learning how to weave o The Bible tells us that this layer was made up of 10 curtains o 10 is the number for God’s Divine Order o This layer of curtains were never to touch the ground o Fine linen was a symbol for righteousness o White is symbolic of purity and holiness o Blue is symbolic of heaven and the law of God o Purple is symbolic of divine royalty and purification from sin o Scarlet is symbolic of the blood of redemption o There were “artistic designs of cherubim’s” woven into the curtains o This was to remind the priests that there were angels in their midst The second layer of curtains were made out of goat hair Exodus 26:7 (NKJV) 7 “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. o Middle Eastern goats were black in color – representing death, the wages of sin o 11 is the number for chaos – which is what sin brought into the world o This curtain would completely cover the curtain made of woven fine linen and hang over the entrance of the tabernacle The third layer of curtains were made out of ram skins Exodus 26:14 (NKJV) 14 “You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that. o This was the first of two waterproof coverings o The ram skins were dyed red o Rams were used for sacrifice o Red representing the sacrificial blood of the Lamb Exodus 26-30 © 2011 Holland Davis ____________________________________________________ VANTAGE POINT: EXODUS o NOTE: The further you move away from the holy of holies the less valuable the materials used are o LESSON: In the Presence of God there is beauty and purity (gold). o As you move into the world there is only judgment (bronze) and the need for continual cleansing The outer layer of curtains were made with badger skins o No measurements are given for the Ram Skins or Badger Skins o The Hebrew word for badger could refer to a Dugong or Sea Cow o A Dugong is a large marine mammal that looks like a manatee and when it’s skin was dried it was grey in color o This was the least attractive layer of covering o You can’t help but imagine what a foreigner passing by must have thought to see this ugly tent as the focal point for the worship of God o To the world, the tabernacle looked ugly and unappealing o But to the ones who went inside the tabernacle, it was beautiful The structure of the tabernacle was to be made out of acacia wood o The framework wasn’t made out of planks of wood, but they were framed so that you could see the linen curtains through the frames o The boards were overlayed with gold – symbolic of the glory of God o The entrance was supported by five pillars (five is the number of grace) overlaid with gold and set in bronze bases o The Tabernacle was divided into the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies A veil divided the Holy of Holies Exodus 26:31–33 (NKJV) 31 “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. o In the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Testimony o The Mercy Seat rested on top of the Ark of the Testimony o In the Holy Place was the table for the shewbread and the lampstand Exodus 26-30 © 2011 Holland Davis ____________________________________________________ VANTAGE POINT: EXODUS o There was also a Golden Altar of Incense that sat in front of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies o The gold plated frames that held up the walls reflected the light from the lampstand o Through the gold plated walls you could see the red, blue, white and purple linen with cherubim woven into the design o Everything in the tabernacle was symbolic of man’s relationship to God Something to take note of is the door to the Tabernacle Exodus 26:36 (NKJV) 36 “You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. o As you enter the gates of the courtyard with thanksgiving, through the door of the Holy Place and past the veil into the Holy of Holies – the door was the same… same design, same colors John 10:9 (NKJV) 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. o It is through Jesus that we come into the Holy of Holies o Just inside the gate of the courtyard was the Altar of Burnt Offering The Altar of Burnt Offering Exodus 27:1–2 (NKJV) 27 “You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. 2 You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze. o This was the place where sacrifices were made – where blood was shed o This speaks of the cross o The altar had four horns that were used to tie the sacrifices to the altar o Jesus was tied to the altar of the Cross – not by the spikes that pierced his hands and feet, but by the bands of His love for you and me Exodus 26-30 © 2011 Holland Davis ____________________________________________________ VANTAGE POINT: EXODUS Jesus could have saved Himself from death on the cross… BUT John 3:16 (NKJV) 16 God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. o People often say – it was your sin that nailed Jesus to the cross o No, it was His love that held Him there o By dying in our place – paying the debt for our sin – we can have eternal life with Jesus The Court of the Tabernacle Exodus 27:9 (NKJV) 9 “You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. o There was only one entrance into the courtyard o Symbolizing Jesus as the Only Way to the Father o The construction of the courtyard is the third section of the Tabernacle o There was The Courtyard, The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies o Just as the tabernacle is comprised of three sections, it can be said there are three stages in our life in Christ There are those who are inside the courtyard o They are in Christ, part of the kingdom of God, going to heaven o They realize that Jesus is the Lamb of God that was slain for their sins o They’ve received salvation and embrace His grace But there are others who say – God has been so good to me that I want to serve Him o They go into the Holy Place and serve the showbread – which speaks of the Word of God o They teach Sunday school, lead family devotions, share the Word with someone at work o They see the golden lampstand representing their desire to let Jesus shine through them o They help out in the nursery, visit shut ins, help those in need Exodus 26-30 © 2011 Holland Davis ____________________________________________________ VANTAGE POINT: EXODUS o They smell the incense burning – which speaks of intercession so they pray for the lost, they pray for the sick, bring comfort to the hurting But there are still others who enter into the Holy of Holies in order to simply spend time in the Lord’s Presence o There is no higher calling than to spend time with Jesus o All ministry flows out of this place of intimacy with Jesus Within the Tabernacle, the only source of light was the Lampstand Exodus 27:20 (NKJV) 20 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.