Reading: Exodus 25-27, Psalm 25
Moses has gone to speak with God, and there is a new creation is coming.
Exciting, yes? It is one of the things God does. He makes all things new. So let’s get into it. God has Moses collect a bunch of materials from the people, brings up a couple of really talented guys, and tells Moses to build a tent and furniture.
Oh, you thought God was going to create something new here? What is this deal with the people of Israel doing the work, and what is the deal with the tent? The 40 days and nights has keyed us into something new happening, so what is it?
In order to see what is going on here, we are going to have to “zoom out” from the text a little bit and look at the whole project. But first, let’s acknowledge something: there is an incredible amount of detail in these instructions. Basically nothing is assumed. One could (and people have) follow these instructions today and build a tent that stands up and in which all the furniture fits. In the course of these directions God refers to a pattern which God showed Moses during this visit to the mountain. God isn’t just randomly assigning Israel to build something. It is meticulously planned, and it follows a pattern, which God made. The result on Earth will be human work, subject to human problems, and will require continual purification. The pattern on which it is based is divine work, subject to no human problems or limitations, and is by definition holy.
We need to do an aside on the word “holy” as it is about to come up a lot. In modern culture and language, “holy” is more often than not used as a joke, and is at times derogatory. In the ancient world, and among some people today even in the western world, to be holy was the highest aspiration one could apply themselves to. Holiness is not just to be morally pure. It is to be other in a way that totally distinguishes something or someone from the world around them and dedicates them to another way of living. To be holy is to be part of or caught in a vision of another world. In the case of the story in the Bible, that world is the place where God’s will is done. More on that later.
Okay, it is tempting to work through the Biblical implications of each and every piece of the tabernacle that is being outlined here, but most of what I would say would reference things later in the story. So I’m going to deal with most of those things when we come to them. Instead, let’s look at the structure as a whole. This is a tent, but a very sturdy one meant to hold together for quite a while. Every element of it is carefully wrought and made beautiful- even the outside of the courtyard walls are eye catching. Inside the courtyard the Tabernacle is covered with images of cherubim, a kind of angelic creature. The alter and basin in the courtyard are covered in bronze, so they would shine in the sun. Inside the tent everything is covered in gold. There is a continual oil flame burning in the tent- it is never dark. There is a particular smell from the incense that exists no where else in Israel. Everything inside the tent has either angels or plants or animals on it. There is fresh bread there all the time.
The place is eye catching. It shines. It is never dark. It even smells different. The tabernacle is a different kind of place. It is, in fact, a new creation not fully realized. Oh, yeah. One more thing. God hangs out there.
Inside the tent, behind a veil sits the throne of God atop a box containing the terms of God’s covenant with the people of Israel. Look at what is going on here: the Ark (a box) containing the covenant is the place from which God will rule- it is his throne, and his rulership of Israel will be based, literally sit, on this covenant. There are a few other things that end up in that box- the manna we already heard about, and later Aaron’s staff, which we’ll deal with when we get there. The throne of God is called the “mercy seat” because the terms of the covenant will require God’s mercy.
With the tabernacle, God has given the people of Israel a place they can interact with him. The new creation, where there is no human problem, has a starting place. Tomorrow we will see that living and working around this place will require a great deal of preparation and purification. Because while this is a wonderful and beautiful place, we will see it is also a dangerous place.