Exodus 25:1-9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,… 1. The Tabernacle was the dwelling place of God. It tells us God is great. It was a costly Tabernacle. The value of the structure was probably not much less than £300,000. There was mystery. The Israelites were not to enter the Tabernacle, but only the priests. Only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, and that but once a year. Thus God surrounded Himself with an impenetrable veil of mystery. It has been said, "God is the greatest mystery in the universe." But, if there is mystery, there is mercy. There was also justice, holiness, and majesty. 2. The Israelites no doubt looked upon the Tabernacle as the palace of their King. The furniture was palace furniture, and the priests were ministers of state. 3. The Tabernacle was set up in the wilderness. In all our wanderings God is with us. 4. The Tabernacle was the first religious structure, in which Jehovah condescended to dwell. Symbol of Divine grace. Erected in midst of sinners. 5. God's presence is the cause of holiness and it alone removes the curse. God came down to dwell with His people, not because they were holy, but to make them so. No place is holy without God. That place — wherever it may be — is holy if God is there. 6. The Tabernacle was a place of worship. It was called "the tent of the congregation" (Exodus 40:22). They had a property in it. It was the palace of their King. It was the house of their God. There they came to confess their sin. There was no other place of the kind. It was the one Tabernacle for all the tribes, and for all the individual members of those tribes. 7. The Tabernacle was not a model for our imitation, but "a shadow of heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5). The substance having come, we need, not go back to the shadow. In the Tabernacle we have "the figures of the true" (Hebrews 9:24). In the gospel we have reality. Its blessings are everlasting. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the truth of every figure, the way to a holy God, and the life of all who believe. (R. E. Sears.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
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