Today we start to read one of the most interesting and instructive subjects of the Old Testament — the TABERNACLE. See the Diagram.
In the Garden of Eden, sin entered through disobedience, and death by sin. Because of the holiness of God, the man and the woman must be driven out of God’s Presence. The first creation was thus ruined and the whole human race has fallen. But locked in the heart of God was a secret — that He would send His beloved Son to this earth to become a Man. Through His life, death, blood and resurrection a NEW CREATION would be made which would never fail. God wanted to give a picture of this — and the TABERNACLE is that picture. (Read Heb. 8:5; 9:8-9, 11; 10:1, 19-20.)
V.1-7 The people were asked to offer the necessary materials with which to build the tabernacle. “Every man that giveth it willingly with his heart.” It needed to come from the heart.
V.8 This tabernacle was to be a place where God could meet Aaron the High Priest — who could represent the people. Aaron also represented God to the people. God didn’t come out, and the people couldn’t go in (Heb. 9:8). But now, each believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is a priest before God (1 Pet. 2:5), and can come right into God’s presence (Heb. 10:19-22). So that having a man as head of a congregation is really setting aside Christ’s work on the cross. It is like going back to the shadows of the Old Testament.
V.9 Not one detail was left to Moses — his responsibility was merely to carry out what God Himself had shown him as a pattern. Nor does God give you and me any choice as to how He is to be worshipped. All denominations are the result of man setting up his own ideas as to how God is to be worshipped (See 1 Tim. 1:3).
V.10-22 ThE ARK. The last verse shows us the all-importance of this plain wooden box, covered with pure gold. It is a picture of Christ, through Whom all divine truth is given us (John 14:6). This ark was made up of three parts. The box which at first, contained only the two stones on which God had written the ten commandments. But completely covering this box was a slab of pure gold, called the mercy-seat. On this was sprinkled blood. What a beautiful picture this is of Christ, the One Who is holy, sinless and undefiled (Heb. 7:26), Whose blood has been shed, Who is our “mercy-seat”, and the Mediator between God and us (1 Tim. 2:5). The third part was the cherubim, heavenly beings, with wings outstretched over the mercy-seat. They picture the power of God to punish any disobedience of the ten commandments. But notice they are still; they just gaze on the blood. For us, the blood of Christ has been shed for the punishment of the sins each believer has committed. Now no judgment can fall on us (Rom. 8:1; 5:1).