Worship Your God: The Tabernacle & Priesthood – The Lord Dwells Among His People (Exodus 25-27; 28-29)

Exodus 25-27

Introduction

• Worshipping God

1. The Tabernacle

• God told Moses to ask the people to bring Him different things as sacrifice : gold, silver, .. , blue purple .. , yarn, fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red… acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and other gems to be put on ephod and breast piece.
• Prompted to give from the heart.
• Made for me a sanctuary, tabernacle. I will show you. Ex.25:1-9

The Ark – Ex.25:10-22

• In the holy of holies
• The seat of atonement
• 2 cherub

Inside the chest

• 2 stone tablets
• A pot of manna
• Aaron’s staff

The Table – Ex 25:23-30

• In the holy place
• 12 pieces of bread freshly baked in the morning – God provides the daily bread
• For the offering – 1 utensil held incense, anotherl held oil

The golden lampstand- Ex.25:31-40

• In the holy place
• lighting up the holy place
• God is light – 1 Jn 1:5

The Incense Altar – Ex 30:1-10

• In the holy place
• Stood in front of the curtain, nearest and close to God
• Only incense offered to God
• A sweet-smelling odor to God

The tabernacle – Ex 26:1-37

The Courtyard  -Ex.27:9-19

The Altar in the courtyard

Basin of water – Ex.30:17-19

• Washing hands and feet for the Priests

3.  The Significance of the tabernacle – God with us

• The Lord told Moses,
• Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. (Ex.25:8)
• They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. (Ex.29:46)

At the completion of the tabernacle, the bible says,

• 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.- (Ex.40:36-38).

At the dedication of the Temple, King Solomon prayed

• But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! – 1 Kings 8:27

Jesus has come. The Son of God made His dwelling among us.

• The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. – John 1:14
• “dwelling” in Greek literally means “live in a tabernacle”

Apostle says the church in Corinth,

• Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Cor.3:16)
• For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”(2 Cor.6:16)

• “The church” – the gathering of God’s people.

  When we worship God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God and of Christ, God is with us.

4. The Significance of the tabernacle – God is holy

The place of worship was divided into,

(a) the Most Holy Place with the ark;

(b) the Holy Place with the golden lampstand, the Table of bread, and the altar of incense;

(c) the Courtyard consisting of the altar of the burnt offering and the water basin.

The whole courtyard was surrounded by the curtain to keep it away from the sinful world.

God asked Moses,

• Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover, or else he will die. (Lev.16:2)

The whole structure and the furnishings showed the people that God dwelt with them.

He is holy.

God’s holiness is the very essence of His Being.

No one could approach Him at any time and in any way they like.

No one was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. God asked Moses,  

• Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he choosesinto the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover, or else he will die. (Lev.16:2)
• Aaron the High Priest could enter only once a year on the Day of Atonement, with atoning sacrifices for his sins and the sins of the Israelites. (Lev.16:1-34)

•