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Introduction:
A wilderness journey can seem like an empty time.
A wasted time of aimless wandering, a time of not really knowing why or where to next.
A time when little is achieved.
Most people I talk to who have reflected on a wilderness time in their life actually tell me that at the time it seemed exactly like that, empty and barren.
But as they have had opportunity to examine what happened they have realised that somewhere within that time there was something of profound significance.
An understanding of self.
An understanding of meaning.
And most importantly a greater understanding of the nature of God and his desire for relationship.
The wilderness experience is an opportunity to see life from God’s point of view.[1]
Sadly so many waste the opportunity when it comes across their path.
An opportunity when so much can be learnt.
The people of Israel had such an opportunity in their wilderness experience.
The miracles of deliverance from Egypt, deliverance from starvation & dehydration.
The incredible revelation of the Holiness of the Lord and the giving of his law on Mt Sinai.
The instructions for the building of the tabernacle and its consecration as a place where God’s presence dwelt.
In the wilderness there was so much to learn, so much that was meant to guide them through the future.
But so quickly, even with these things right in front of them they forgot the lessons.
Three & a half thousand years later, when we look at the tabernacle many of us find it hard to understand its significance.
It wasn’t just a portable church, where Israel could come and worship.
Nor was it just a place where God dwelt, a focal point for the community as they camped in the wilderness.
It was also an object lesson, a physical structure whose symbolism was to be a constant reminder of how to approach God in worship and the attitude of heart that he desired.
1/ The generosity of provision for the tabernacle is a challenge to our attitude of worship.
Do we give the best of ourselves & our possessions to God?
Or do we wear ourselves out with business and turn up out of duty and give what is left over of ourselves rather than the best of ourselves?
Israel had possibly been in the wilderness for a couple of years before the tabernacle was built.
It was a time of preparation.
There were many things that needed to be sorted out.
But above all was the question of their attitude towards God.
Were they willing to dedicate their time to him?
Listen to his command in Exodus 35:1-3
A second way that this question of their attitude to worship was expressed was in their giving for the Lord’s work.
Listen to this incredible request for materials.
Read Exodus 35:4-21
Listen to the incredible inventory of supplies received.
Read Exodus 38:24-31
Now while we are not exactly certain of the weights that are mentioned our best estimate is that this represented.
994 kg of gold.
3420 kg of silver
2407 kg of bronze
Plus gemstones and vast quantities of fine threads such as purple & scarlet and blue.
As well as significant quantities of animal skins for the outer coverings
And in Exodus 35:25-26 there is special attention given to the work of the women in spinning the yarn; their natural abilities and skills were devoted to serving God.[2]
When finally the request for the people to give offerings for the construction of the tabernacle came they were so generous that in the end the craftsmen had to tell them to stop bringing gifts.
READ Exodus 36:2-7 The building project was over subscribed.
It is also a reminder of the attitude required towards where we invest our time & our wealth.
Management of life is an aspect of our worship which helps us have time for God.
How often is it too easy to simply stay in bed on a Sunday morning because we have done too much in the week and not used our time as productively as we could?
There is constructive and productive relaxation, such as watching a favourite sporting event on TV or interacting with friends on facebook.
Or just going for a walk, simply sitting in a peaceful spot and appreciating God’s creation.
Or engaging in a hobby.
Then there is unproductive use of our time.
Things that rob us of time and add to tiredness and result in things being left undone.
Things like watching mindless stuff on TV, or facebook, or you tube.
Or simple procrastination.
Management of our wealth is an aspect of worship which helps us to give generously.
There is nothing wrong with making money, ethically.
Nor is it wrong to enjoy that which the Lord has given you.
Then there is extravagant waste and a lack of generosity towards God and others.
Waste and extravagance such as that represented on a TV show about the world’s most expensive foods.
Or articles about exclusive resorts in the Pacific.
Places with a staff to guest ration of 8 to 1.
Places with less than 40 bungalows on a tropical Isle with 5 or more restaurants to cater for those guests.
A right attitude towards the management of our time and our wealth will help us to enter into God’s presence.
But the wrong attitude leads to idolatry as those who had worshipped the golden calf in Exodus 32 discovered.
Those who had fallen into idolatry and had given gold for the golden calf lost it all.
But those who invested in the tabernacle had the joy of seeing their wealth used for the glory of the Lord.[3]
2/ The second lesson we can learn from the Tabernacle is that it’s design is a guide for our approach to worship.
Every element of the tabernacle had significance in the journey towards the Holy Place.
Every element of the tabernacle has a New Testament parallel in the work of Christ.
Let’s start in from the outside & work our way in and through the tabernacle.
Exodus 38:9 speaks of a curtained courtyard which enclosed the tabernacle.
From the outside you could not see in.
It was a place that you intentionally entered.
Like all ancient temples it was a place that you went to individually or in small groups for a specific reason.
We to need to intentionally enter into God’s presence.
It is no use just wandering along; you have to intentionally desire to seek his presence.
As you entered through the entrance curtain of fine embroidered linen you entered into a large courtyard, enclosed on all sides.
Directly in front of you is the Altar of burnt offerings, which is described in Exodus 38.
Made of the incredibly hard Acacia wood it was overlaid with bronze.
Here the sacrifices would be laid and burnt before the Lord.
The blood of the animals was sprinkled on the 4 corners or “horns” of the altar serving to wash away the sins of the people.
As a person’s & a nation’s life was forfeit because of sin, so a life given atoned for that sin.
Paid for it and took its place.
Here we see a parallel to Christ.
Instead of the endless offerings of the Old Testament, there is one offering once for all.
Just as our lives are forfeit because of our sin, so they are redeemed by the atoning work of Christ on the cross.
Just as the blood of the animals was shed, so Christ’s blood was shed to wash away our sins.
Beyond the altar of burnt offerings was the bronze laver.
It was made from the bronze mirrors that the women who ministered at the tabernacle had used as their mirrors.
Highly polished bronze that was then shaped by master craftsmen into a giant bowl.
The Priest were required to wash before performing any service in the Tabernacle.
Ephesians 5:26 picks up on this idea when it speaks of the Church being washed by the word in Christ.
Our actions, our walk needs to be clean as we approach the Lord.
We do this as we come to the sacrifice of Christ accepting his once for all work on the cross as in a similar way the priests accepted the work of the sacrifice on the altar.
Just as they washed themselves in the bronze laver in preparation for entry into the Holy Place within the tabernacle.
So we to accept the washing of the word which in Christ makes us ready to enter into God’s presence.
Beyond the bronze laver was the curtain, which leads into the Holy Place, inside the actual tent.
This was a place of actual worship, where a number of items symbolically expressed the worship of Israel, the provision of God and his light to the nation.
Exodus 37 tells us that as you entered the Holy Place on one side was a table and on the other side a lamp stand.
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