Bible Reading for February 7 – Exodus 25-27

How can I enter the presence of God?  This is the question that most of the world’s religions ask, and most of them give some sort of ethical answer – do certain things, and avoid other behaviors.  The design of the Tabernacle points in a completely different direction.

Of course, there can be no doubt that the whole Tabernacle symbolizes the presence of God.  In fact, in Exodus 25:22, God specifically said that He would meet Moses in the space just above the mercy seat, which covers the Ark of the Covenant.  Thus, as the people carried the Tabernacle wherever they went, they were reminded that God was dwelling with them (Exodus 29:45).

But at the same time, they were also reminded that they had to keep their distance.  Adam and Eve had enjoyed unfettered access to God, but when they rebelled against Him, they were sent away from His presence, and cherubim stood guard, preventing them from returning to Eden (Genesis 3:24).  We see images of the same guardsmen molded in gold on top of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:20), and woven into the tapestries that formed the walls of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:1).  Moreover, the veil which separated the ark from the rest of the Tabernacle was also woven with images of cherubim (Exodus 26:31).  Since God was completely surrounded by His guards, the people couldn’t come near to Him.

But there was one access point.  The front of the Tabernacle had a screen over it, but this time there were no cherubim woven into it (Exodus 26:36).  Inside that screen were a seven-branched lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40) and a table on which the Bread of the Presence was to be placed (Exodus 25:23-30).  And in front of the screen was an enormous bronze altar, on which animals were to be sacrificed (Exodus 27:1-8).

And all of these things – the altar, the table and the lampstand – point to Jesus, don’t they?  For didn’t Jesus say, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)?  Didn’t Jesus say, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)?  And on the cross didn’t Jesus offer up the perfect sacrifice to atone for all our sins? And when Jesus died on the cross, wasn’t the veil of the Temple torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51)?

In other words, if the Tabernacle symbolizes the way our sin prevents us from approaching God, it also points to Jesus as the only Way into the presence of the Father.  So let’s stop trying to please God with what we do or leave undone.  Instead, let’s cling to the cross of Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way any of us may come to the Father (John 14:6).

Exodus 25:10-26:1

¹⁰ “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. ¹¹ You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. ¹² You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. ¹⁵ The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. ¹⁶ And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.

 ¹⁷ “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. ¹⁸ And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. ²¹ And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. ²² There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

 ²³ “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. ²⁴ You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. ²⁵ And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. ²⁶ And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. ²⁷ Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. ²⁹ And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.

 ³¹ “You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. ³² And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; ³³ three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch– so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. ³⁴ And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, ³⁵ and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. ³⁶ Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. ³⁷ You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. ³⁸ Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold. ⁴⁰ And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

“Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.