Rev. David Holwick ZI Exodus series, #17
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
November 1, 2009
Exodus 25:1-9
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I. The Tabernacle doesn't thrill me.
A. Many people are enamored of the intricate symbolism. Not me.
1) Some overdo it with numerology.
a) Numerology sees hidden meaning in numbers.
b) A typical example from one pastor:
1> 10 curtains that make up the tabernacle correspond
to the number of the Ten Commandments.
2> 11 goat hair curtains put over the top is the
number of lawlessness. 26:7
A> Therefore it's blessed on one side, evil on other.
c) Says who?
1> Ten curtains may just mean there was ten curtains.
A> Exodus never ties in the curtains with the
tablets.
2> As for number 11, who says it means lawlessness?
A> Is there a verse that says this?
B> Or is he just inferring it?
2) Much of the interpretation of the symbols is also made up.
a) We may see hidden meaning in a description, but that
doesn't mean the Bible sees it that way.
b) This is true even if the "hidden meaning" is very
spiritual and profound.
B. Lots of construction details, but light on apparent meaning.
1) The vast detail is overwhelming.
a) Very repetitive with mundane descriptions.
b) Yet it is still hard to visualize the whole setup.
2) Yet the tabernacle is a big deal in the Bible.
a) No less than 50 chapters in the Bible deal with the
tabernacle, its furniture, and its ministry.
b) Four of these chapters are in the New Testament, in
the book of Hebrews.
3) Why so much attention on what is basically a tent?
C. The New Testament does see something special here.
1) The tabernacle speaks of our salvation.
a) Its layout gives ideas about the holiness of God.
b) The colors may speak of atonement.
2) And, according to the Book of Hebrews, chapters 8 and 9,
the tabernacle points to Jesus Christ.
D. What can we learn from a tent that has been gone 3,000 years?
II. God appreciates beauty.
A. Evangelicals aren't big on beauty.
The late Francis Schaeffer once wrote that evangelicals
tend to relegate art to the fringes of life.
We are utilitarian - we want things that function well,
even if they don't look that hot.
Despite our talk about the lordship of God in every aspect
of life, we have narrowed the scope of art to a very
small part of reality.
But the arts are also supposed to be under the lordship of
Christ.
He says Christians ought to use the arts "as things of
beauty to the praise of God."
This is exactly what God commanded regarding the building of
the Tabernacle.
As Schaeffer says, "God commanded Moses to fashion a
tabernacle in a way [that] would involve almost every
form of representational art that men have ever known."
It had tapestries, metal work, and wood work.
Textures, colors and craftsmanship were all important.
In Exodus 25, for example, God instructs Moses to make for
the Holy of Holies "two cherubim of hammered gold."
In other words, God was commanding that works of art be
made: statues that represented supernatural beings. #11749
B. God values beauty for beauty's sake.
1) Later, when Solomon built the temple, the plans called
for two large pillars at the front of the building.
They were decorated with a hundred pomegranates
fastened upon chains.
Other than their visual appeal, the columns were
useless.
They didn't support anything else, they just stood
there.
As Schaeffer noted, "They were there only because God
said they should be there as a thing of beauty."
#11749
2) Christians believe in giving our best.
a) When verse 2 mentions the Jews bringing their best
for the tabernacle, gold and silver and precious
building material, we can relate to that.
b) What about producing our best artistic effort for
God?
1> Whether it is art or music or decorations,
we should have a concern for beauty.
2> God does, and it is a way to honor him.
C. Worshipping God involves all our senses.
1) Visual.
a) The tabernacle was very colorful and had a variety of
textures.
1> The main color was hues of red.
A> For ages, this is spoken of the blood of
sacrifices, our atonement.
2> The gold spoke of God's value and glory.
b) The beauty would have been enhanced by the flickering
light of the special candles.
1> The seven-branched lampstand spoke of the perfect
character of God.
2) Smell.
a) The aroma of burning sacrifices would have been very
strong if not overpowering.
b) There were also the extravagant smells of incense.
1> Very costly ingredients were used.
2> Many churches still use them.
A study in the Netherlands found that incense makes an
impact.
The air quality in churches was 20 times more polluted
than on nearby highways!
Some tourists in cathedrals in Italy said it was so
thick their cameras wouldn't focus.
Baptists don't do incense - we are thinking of your
health.
3) Drama.
a) The inner sanctuary would have been quite dark.
b) I think it would have created a sense of excitement and
even dread.
1> It would have reminded them that it is a fearsome
thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2> Everything around them would have impressed upon them
to take God seriously.
c) How seriously do you take God?
III. God is holy.
A. God's presence was hidden from ordinary view.
1) The outer curtain walls were of such a height that it hid
the world from view.
a) There were concentric circles of access.
b) Only the most sanctified people could come to the
inner party.
2) It doesn't mean God rejects the natural world.
a) Rather, it shows God must separate himself from some
aspects of it.
B. Chief among them is human sin.
1) Humans, as priests, could approach the inner sanctuary,
but first they had to be cleansed.
a) You couldn't just barge in on God.
b) You had to mediate on your unworthiness, do sacrifices.
1> Sometimes the process took days.
C. Even ordinary believers were separated from the world.
1) They entered a special enclosure when coming to the
tabernacle.
2) When they came, they were to bring offerings and sacrifices.
a) You never came empty-handed.
3) God wanted them to take him seriously.
D. Separation remains a valid principle for Christians.
1) We mediate on our sins before communion.
a) This is appropriate.
b) But it is just as important to mediate on our sin
whenever we come to worship.
2) Separation from the world is not just for church.
a) "Come out from among them and be separate" applies
even more to our moral choices.
1> God doesn't want you to be burdened by guilt -
he wants you to change.
b) If you are living the way the pagans live the rest of
the week, you are not worshipping God.
1> Getting high, getting drunk, and carousing around
do not honor God.
IV. The tabernacle had a treatment for sin.
A. The portable altar offered sacrifices to cover offenses.
1) Its fires must have burned all the time.
2) Everyone needed to be treated, even the high priest.
B. Ultimately, the sacrificial system was inadequate.
1) It could only cover sin, not remove it.
2) The Book of Hebrews tells us the real cure for sin is Jesus.
a) The blood on the cross is the only remedy.
C. Some see special symbolism in the gate.
1) There was only one way into the tabernacle, the front gate.
a) The walls were too high to climb over.
b) You could only get in by the gate.
2) Jesus tells us the same thing. John 14:6
a) He is the only door.
b) He is the only way of salvation.
V. Tents are temporary.
A. The Jews understood that God was living among them.
1) "I will dwell among them" was considered the greatest
promise from God. 25:8
2) Later prophets looked for it to be fulfilled again.
John says at the end of the Book of Revelation:
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the
dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with
them and be their God." Rev 21:3
a) Not just his presence, but something better.
b) An intimate relationship with the divine.
B. Jesus tabernacled with us.
1) John 1:14 literally says, "And the Word became flesh, and
tabernacled (=tented) among us."
2) God became one of us, but only for a short time.
3) His further promise - I will not leave you as orphans,
but will come to you. John 14:18
C. A tabernacle, like a tent, is flimsy and temporary.
1) Everything in this world has this quality.
a) Mountains erode, men turn to dust.
2) Only God and his Word - and our salvation - last forever.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] "Air Inside Churches May Be A Bigger Health Risk Than That Beside
Major Roads, Research Suggests," BBC News;
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4026537.stm>
#11749 "Made For Beauty: Art, Worship, And The Bible," by Charles Colson,
BreakPoint Commentary, January 31, 2008.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
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