[0:00] I appreciate as we're reading through that, some of those things might seem a little bit strange, it might seem a bit distant. I really hope as we work through it now, it starts to make a little bit of sense. We don't find that many books with kind of detailed instructions on building make up a fairly significant part of the story. I was reading in the last week a version with my daughter of the three little pigs. It said they built a house of straw and sticks and bricks, but that was as far as it went. I didn't get kind of 15 chapters on the dimensions and the furniture and everything else that had to be just so with the little pigs' houses, and yet that is what we get in Exodus. From chapter 25 onward, there is chapters and chapters, firstly about the plans for how to build the temple, sorry, how to build the tabernacle, and then after that chapters and chapters describing kind of the process as the tabernacle is constructed. And we can't help but think, and perhaps this kind of thought came to mind as I was reading, why is that? Why is this here? Could these chapters not have been edited down? Could they not have perhaps been left out altogether? Why are they here in such detail? Why do they take up so much space? If you're trying to read through the Bible, and if we're kind of encouraging other people to read through the Bible, well, this is the kind of part of the Bible, it's sort of hard to get excited about, isn't it? So why is it here? And the point is this, is that the author of the book of Exodus thinks that this tabernacle, and thinks that all that goes with it is incredibly exciting, and is incredibly important. He doesn't think it's something that can be kind of brushed over or forgotten about, because it is something of central significance, a major focus in the whole book. Why is he so excited about it? It's not because he's a kind of a building fanatic, he's not the kind of person who, you know, sits down and watches grand designs or things like that.
[2:03] It is because the tabernacle is the fulfillment of how God is going to live with his people. We talked about this great relationship which the whole of Exodus is moving towards, the great rescue in order there can be this great relationship. Well, it's made possible through this tabernacle where God will finally, once again, dwell with his people. And so I hope what we see as we look this morning, this isn't some kind of irrelevant building plans from thousands of years ago, it's actually something that is right at the heart of the Bible, right at the heart of kind of the big story of the Bible, which is all about how can man and God be together again? How can they have this relationship?
[2:50] And the tabernacle is all about that, and that's why it is such a big focus. That's why it's so encouraging, actually, for us to look at it. So let's dig in, and we're going to see really three headline things that it shows us about this relationship. And the first thing, as we've already said, is this, that the tabernacle shows us God dwelling with his people. God dwelling with his people. Verse 8 of chapter 25, it says this, that let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst. And that's what this is all about. The building of the tabernacle is God kind of moving into the neighborhood. God moving into the camp with the people. And at the very heart of this is a thing called the Ark of the Covenant, or the Ark of the Testimony, which is a, basically, you heard us describe it, it's kind of like a golden box or bench. It's about kind of this size, by this size, if you're not sure what a cubit is, I had to look that up. Just over a meter by just over half a meter, kind of rectangle. If you've seen Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, this will seem familiar to you. Why is the Ark so important? Well, again, verse 22, there I will meet with you.
[4:00] From above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the Ark of the Testimony, I will speak with you. God promises that through the tabernacle, centered on the Ark in the middle of it, he is going to be with the people in an incredibly special way. And that's what we saw, isn't it, in chapter 40, right at the end of Exodus, after all the work is done, after everything is put in place, right in the middle of the camp, remember, with the people surrounding this, what happens?
[4:31] When we read verse 34, the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. This cloud is the sign of God's presence, of his glory.
[4:43] And you might remember, back in chapter 24, the cloud was at the top of the mountain, where God was, and the people were kind of at a safe distance, down at the bottom, were not allowed on the mountain. And yet now, incredibly, through the tabernacle, God's presence, his glory is right there in the camp, with the people. The tabernacle, the Ark, these building plans are so important, because it is God dwelling with his people again. And actually, throughout the instructions for the tabernacle, and everything that goes in it, the kind of the furniture, there's also a lot of links back to creation, back to the Garden of Eden, right at the start of the Bible. And the idea really is that this is a return to that perfect state, where God was with the people in the garden. That perfect relationship that was broken when we mentioned this earlier, when Adam and Eve rejected God, ignored his instructions, and yet here, through the tabernacle, there's this return, really, to kind of how things were meant to be. This relationship made possible as God and the people are together.
[5:51] It's worth remembering that this doesn't mean that the tabernacle or the Ark is kind of like a box or a tent that God is stuck in, as if he's somehow kind of contained here. The idea is much more that it's a place where God's presence is kind of especially concentrated. It's kind of like the connecting point between heaven and earth, or almost like a piece of heaven on earth. You might almost think about it like the plug socket you have at home in the wall. It's not that the electricity is kind of stuck in that socket and limited to that socket, but that socket acts as a kind of a connecting point. It gives you access to that power, that electricity, which really kind of exists in a huge power grid covering the whole country. Well, it is connected, it's available in your home, in the place where you are, through that socket. In a way, the Ark is similar. It connects the people in their particular place in space and time to that God who is the God of the whole universe. And it's so important that we keep that in mind, that we don't limit God, because that's the amazing thing about
[6:57] Exodus. This great relationship is not a relationship with a kind of a local God, with local interests and localized power. It is a relationship with the God of creation, the God of all things, and yet who is dwelling with his people in the camp. And so hopefully all that helps us see why is the tabernacle a big deal. It helps us understand why it's given so much airtime, so much page space in Exodus. And yet ultimately, even though this is an incredible moment in the history of God's people, an incredibly significant, a huge step forward in the relationship between God and mankind, that relationship broken in the Garden of Eden, this tabernacle is still a stepping stone to an even greater fulfillment.
[7:45] If we turn to the New Testament, that part of the Bible written after Jesus was born, the Apostle John writes about God becoming a man in Jesus Christ. He says this in verse 14 of John chapter 1, that God became flesh and dwelt among us. And the actual translation there, it literally says that he became flesh flesh and tabernacled among us. And the point is this, that ultimately Jesus is how God came to be with his people. For us, the connection between man and God is not found in a particular building. It's not about going to a certain place. It's about a particular person. Jesus is that true tabernacle, that connection between man and God. He's made that possible. And how does he make that possible now that he's ascended back into heaven now that we don't see him face to face? Well, again, that the New Testament helps us understand this. It tells us how after Jesus's life and death and resurrection and ascension, he doesn't leave us on our own and say, yeah, God was once here with us. But he sent his Holy
[8:52] Spirit with the promise that all who trust in Jesus would have the Holy Spirit living in them. That is God dwelling in his people. And all those who believe in Jesus have this gift. Here and now God's people are the new tabernacle. It is the church, not as a building, but as the people who are now how God dwells on earth. Now what an incredible privilege that is. I just want us to think for a moment about how incredible that is. That's what the gospel offers us. The very closest relationship with God that you could imagine. God is not distant or uninterested. God is not even just kind of looking on, kind of giving us advice, telling us some stuff to do. But actually God is in us, with us, working through us, part of us and helping us in every single situation. God living in each one of us. And that is the fulfillment, the incredible offer of how God dwells with his people here and now. And what a great privilege. Also the Bible speaks about that as a great responsibility. If we're Christians, well how we live is how God is represented here on earth. That's why it was so important that the tabernacle, the instructions were followed just so. Because it was the representation of God on earth.
[10:17] And you might have heard that kind of phrase, you could be the only Bible some people ever read. And that's true. How we live, if we're a Christian, how we live is how people will see God. It's what people will see of God. That's why the Bible calls us to live holy lives. It never says if you're really good, well then God will love you and rescue you. So that's the reason you should be good.
[10:37] No, we've seen throughout Exodus that God rescues us despite our sinfulness, despite our rebellious nature. It's all by his grace and not our performance. But the point is that as rescued people, as redeemed people, now we strive to live these holy lives. Not to earn anything, but so that people will rightly see God in us. We'll see a picture of him and we'll want to be part of that incredible relationship that he offers. So God dwelling with his people, the greatest privilege the gospel offers, the greatest responsibility we have to live that out. And that's the first thing that we see from the tabernacle. It points us to Jesus and what he's made possible. But secondly, it also shows us why Jesus needed to come. The tabernacle also kind of gives us pointers towards why this relationship that the people of Israel had with God through the tabernacle wasn't enough.
[11:40] Because secondly, in these instructions and buildings of the tabernacle, we see this, God's distance from his people. Although it shows us God dwelling in the midst of his people, as we read through the kind of the description, the instructions, we can't help but miss the distance, the degree of separation from the people. It also ensures we didn't get a chance to read the full instructions for the tabernacle and the courtyard and everything like this. But you might have seen it on the pictures. Really what's described is kind of a series of concentric curtains or barriers or veils. There's this outer fence that marks out the courtyard and then there's another screen for the entrance to the tabernacle itself. Inside the tabernacle it was known as the holy place. And even within there there's another veil that separates you from a place called the most holy place, which is where the ark, that special sign of God's presence is kept. And so there's this really clear idea that although God is there, he's present, he's still separate. There's still distance between him and the people. And these veils, these curtains really are there to act as kind of keep out signs.
[12:53] That the ark at the very heart of the tabernacle, that concentrated sign of the presence of God in the camp is actually something that the average person, the average Israelite cannot get too close to. And that's where the priests came in that we read about, Aaron and his descendants. That's where the altar and all these sacrifices that we read about come in. The priests were just a certain selection of people. They had to go through special cleansing rituals and they were the only ones who could enter that most holy place. And they could only do that one time a year. And the rest of the year their job was constantly day by day to be carrying out these sacrifices that we read about. Animals killed on this altar morning and night, lambs and goats and bulls. We think of a priest as a very kind of smart and kind of well-to-do job. A priest was a kind of gruesome and bloody job. And why was there the need for all of this? Well, this distance is there because of the people's sin. This distance is there because the people are still that same rebellious people that we've seen in previous chapters. And these sacrifices show us that for God to dwell with his people, that sin needs to be dealt with. Sin needs to be punished. God cannot just forget about the wrong things we do because he wouldn't be a just God. He wouldn't be a holy God. But we see here that God graciously allowed animals to act as a substitute in that place. So the punishment, which was death, it falls on them instead of the people.
[14:38] It was there to serve as a daily reminder of what they deserved. It was there to serve as a daily reminder of actually what would happen if they came directly into the presence of God without this distance, without this separation there to protect them.
[14:56] So you see in the tabernacle there's dwelling, but there's distance. God is with his people. He's in the camp. But even now that relationship is through the priests. There's this constant ritual of sacrifice.
[15:09] This bronze altar stands at kind of the way in to the tabernacle. And it shows that people can only be near God if there is blood, if something dies. And we perhaps read that and we kind of squirm a little, don't we? I was aware as I was writing this, sort of trying to think, is there any way I could make this seem a bit less weird? Is there any way I could make this seem a bit less grim? Is this what people were kind of hoping for on their Mother's Day service? Possibly not. But I think actually when we look at this idea of sacrifice, and it's time and time again in the Bible, when we look at it, it is supposed to make us kind of squirm. It is supposed to make us feel uncomfortable. It's not neat and tidy. It would have been gruesome. It would have been bloody. It would have stunk.
[15:56] But these were the great lengths necessary time and time and time again to come close to God. Because sin is a serious, and sin is an ugly thing. And so we don't want to explain these away. Actually, the point of these things being in our Bible, where we look at them, is to realize how serious the ongoing situation, those ongoing sacrifices, this daily death that was required for God to meet with his people. Just how serious that was. And why is it that we want to kind of talk about that? Why do we want to wallow in that for a while? I think it's very healthy for us to wallow in that for a while. Because it makes us realize how amazing it is that we don't have to do this anymore.
[16:41] Jonathan was on welcome at the door this morning. I'm really glad. I'm sure he's glad he didn't have a kind of slaughter alarm in the hallway before we were allowed in. I'm not sure what East Lothian Council would have said about that. But, you know, why is it that we don't do that anymore?
[16:57] Is it just because it's kind of weird and old-fashioned and we've moved on? Actually, no. The reason is it's because Jesus came. He became flesh, and yet also he died on the cross. He was that once-for-all sacrifice. The sacrifice to end all other sacrifices. And so while these animals that were killed were constant reminders of the need for God to deal with sin, constant reminders of death as the consequence of sin, actually they couldn't really take sin away.
[17:31] The Bible itself says, you know, animal life is not the same as a human life. You can't swap one for the other. But they were pointers to the need for a real sacrifice, which is Jesus, his death on the cross. That he did become flesh. He did become human. And he did die that death that we deserve.
[17:51] That's where the penalty for sin is truly paid once and for all. No more sacrifices required. And that way to God opened up. That distance removed. Jesus takes the role of both priest and sacrifice, who offers himself up once for all so that we don't have to have any of those anymore. And again, we read in the New Testament that when Jesus dies on the cross, that the veil, that no entry sign separating the most holy place was torn from top to bottom. That distance that the tabernacle demonstrated was removed.
[18:30] And Jesus gives us access to God through his sacrifice. And that is the good news of the gospel. And as we look at the kind of separation and all the ritual involved in the tabernacle, it helps us just to see how great what Jesus has done is. Just how privileged we are that we are free to be in God's presence. It is so easy for us to take that for granted. And yet when we read these instructions and we feel like they're from a kind of different world, it should actually help us realize what an incredible thing it is that we can draw near to God. What an incredible thing it is that Jesus has done.
[19:13] There's passages like this that stop us, I think, taking our relationship with God too lightly. It is a serious thing to come into the presence of a holy and perfect God. And yet it is an incredible thing that that distance has been removed. We can do that. We can come into God's presence humbly and yet with great confidence, the Bible says. We have that access to him, not because of what we've done, but because of that perfect sacrifice of Christ. And so the tabernacle helps us see God dwelling with his people.
[19:48] It helps us see God's distance from his people. Finally, and briefly, it helps us see God's destination for his people. From looking back to the tabernacle, we're able to get a glimpse of the future that God has in store for those who love him. I don't know if you noticed while we were reading the instructions for building the ark. It has these kind of golden rings in it with golden poles that slide through them. Well, everything described, the ark, the table, the altar, it has these rings and these poles. What are they for? Well, they're basically handles. It's how these things can be kind of carried around. And the whole point is that their current location isn't their permanent location.
[20:33] In fact, the whole tabernacle is a tent, isn't it, which is able to be taken down and they move and then they set everything back up again because these are people on the move. These aren't people at their final home. As they move, God goes with them. They're currently in the desert and yet God has promised to take them into the promised land. And yet even there, that is not God's final destination for his people. As we come to the end of the book of Exodus, I actually want to turn right to the end of the Bible and read from the book of Revelation, the very last book of the Bible, looking forward to this ultimate destination for God's people. These are some of my favorite verses in the Bible.
[21:13] It says this, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God, that's that tabernacle word again, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
[22:00] And this is the future of God dwelling with his people. This is the destination for God's people. A place with no more mourning, no more tears, no pain, no death. A place where all the rubbish stuff, which is such a constant factor of life here on earth, it is done away with.
[22:20] It's described as this new city, the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Later on, this city is described as a perfect cube. And you think it's a kind of strange sounding city to be a cube shape.
[22:33] The point is that the cube is that same shape as the most holy place where the ark was kept. A cube is the same shape as that special place where God was specially present. That special place only open to the priests, only possible through sacrifice, only available once a year. And yet in the new creation, the whole thing is that most holy place. The whole thing is where God is. And most incredibly, it's where God's people are. There truly is no distance. It is God truly and perfectly dwelling with his people. It is life as it was designed to be, all made possible through Jesus. That is the destination that this tabernacle points us forward to. And that is the ultimate hope that the gospel that Christianity offers. When we speak about eternal life, we don't mean just kind of more of the same. We don't mean kind of this life, but a little bit nicer. We don't mean sort of church, but forever, thank goodness. You know, it means life with God. Life in the most holy place. Seeing God face to face, a perfect relationship. Everything wrong with this world removed. The very thing that we were made for. The very thing this tabernacle is a step towards. It gives us a glimpse of that ultimate destination of God's people. Perfect life with him, made possible through Jesus. And so as we close the book of Exodus here, we see through the tabernacle that God is there with the Israelites in his glory, dwelling in the middle of his redeemed people. It is a brilliant finish. It is a happy ending. It's more than the people could have ever dreamed of when you think of the start of the book, when they were back far from God, slaves in Egypt. And yet the truly incredible thing of the book of Exodus as a whole and this conclusion to it is that it is pointing us forward to an even greater relationship that we will enjoy with God for eternity. Where that distance has been completely removed, where Jesus has given himself as that perfect sacrifice so we can be with God as his rescued people in perfection forever, ever and ever and ever and ever. Let's pray together.