Hebrews 9, 24, the Lord tells us there even more about Israel's holy places made with hands, that they were copies of the true things. The word true there speaks of a thing that's genuine. A genuine article. And the genuine article is heaven itself. For Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true genuine things.
But into heaven itself. He came down. And he went back to the reality.
So the tabernacle was not a random tent in the wilderness, but instead we learned from Hebrews that it had significant truths to communicate to God's people then. And today. Welcome to the Friday edition of Renewing Your Mind. I'm glad you're with us, and I'm Nathan W. Bingham.
Yesterday and today, you're getting just a taste of Daniel Hyde's 12-part series on the tabernacle. and what it teaches us about God, sin, and above all, Christ. Don't miss this opportunity to own the series and the companion book. Simply make a donation in support of Renewing Your Mind and the global outreach of Ligonier Ministries at renewingyourmind.org and we'll get this resource package to you. But respond today as this offer ends at midnight.
Well, here's today's guest teacher, Dr. Hyde, on the tabernacle. in the wilderness.
Well, as a dad, I love when I get for my kids crayon drawings.
So, those of you with kids, no doubt, have the same experience that you like getting your kids or grandkids giving you a little crayon drawing. Uh no doubt all of us as kids drew something for our moms and dads. Imagine one of those images, maybe you have one on your refrigerator right now at home. There's a two-dimensional house. That's been drawn by your son, your daughter, grandson, granddaughter.
two-dimensional house and you know looks probably about as stable as the leaning tower at Pisa. Not the most stable structure, and then there's you. Maybe your husband, your wife. A little bit too big to fit inside that little box, two-dimensional house. And no doubt, you're not looking very human.
You're looking sort of oblong and strange. But you love that picture, don't you? I love. Those pictures. of my kids and me holding hands.
But as we know, what's drawn on the page is not really what exists in reality. That's just our child's way of. representing what's in their mind and how they see the world. But yeah, we love it, despite it not looking exactly how we would draw it ourselves. The tabernacle of the Old Testament is like a crayon drawing.
But the wonderful thing about this crayon drawing that God Himself gives us in his word is that this is not a drawing that the Israelites, God's children, drew for him. But the wonder of it is that this is a drawing that he gave to them. as his children to teach them about him. and about what he was doing. To understand that, remember that after they left Egypt back in Exodus chapter 12.
The Israelites traveled through the wilderness for a couple of months, in fact, until they came to Mount Sinai, roughly three months or so. Even further back in the book of Exodus, if you look in chapter 4, verse 24, you see there that the Lord calls Israel my son.
So Israel is God's son. Israel is the child. of God. as a heavenly father.
So there was God's Son. Wandering, lost, helpless. Away from home, it felt like. out there in The desert. God's son was wandering and it was a stranger.
was lost geographically. outside where they had known for 400 years in exile. But now they feel somewhat lost spiritually. Recall all the gripes. and all the grobblings.
They're sort of disillusioned. God's son there, disillusioned, not knowing what's really up and what's really down.
So the Heavenly Father, God Himself, draws for them a crayon drawing. to show them on their level.
Something of what he is, who they are. how he could relate to them.
Now, in a more sophisticated way, of course, the Bible describes the tabernacle not necessarily as a crayon drawing, that's a good illustration for us, but. In a more sophisticated way, the book of Hebrews, if you turn with me in your Bibles, the Hebrews chapter number eight. Hebrews 8, verse 5 tells us that the priests of the tabernacle ministered in a copy. and a shadow. of the heavenly things.
What the writer was saying was that the tabernacle It came from somewhere. It was derived from something. That something is heaven itself. Just turn over a little bit to Hebrews chapter number 9, where as he writes about this type and this shadow, this copy, the tabernacle being the copy. It's a copy of something.
It's a type of something. It's a shadow of something that has substance. Hebrews 9:24. The Lord tells us there even more about Israel's holy places made with hands, that they were copies of the true things that were true there. speaks of a thing that's genuine.
A genuine article. And the genuine article is heaven itself. Notice Chapter 9, verse 24. For Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands. which are copies of the true genuine things but into heaven itself.
He came down. And he went back to the reality.
He went back to the genuine thing, and that's the picture. That God then Uses to draw this crayon drawing for his son. That's the reality, heaven itself, God's relationship with his people. But to teach his child who's wandering out in the wilderness like a lost little boy, he has to write him a Krayn drawing for him to understand. What's happening?
So God wanted to portray the The realities of heaven and his relationship with his child, with us, his people. in the tabernacle. And so we want to look In this session at Exodus chapter 25, especially verses 8 and 9, the tabernacle in the wilderness. And as we'll see, the truth of the tabernacle is also relevant for us. because we no longer have a crayon drawing.
We now have a genuine article, the genuine reality itself from heaven has come down. to Earth.
Well, what does a tabernacle teach as a big idea, the big picture of the tabernacle itself there in verses 8 and 9? First of all, it teaches us about holiness. God says there in verse number eight of Exodus 25: let them make me a sanctuary. Sanctuary is the word for holy place. Let them make for me a holy place.
And the book of Hebrews says in chapter 9, verse number 1, looking back, says that even the first covenant had an earthly place of holiness.
So the tabernacle was an earthly place. Of holiness.
Well, how did this earthly place of holiness communicate spiritual lessons? about heaven and about the holiness of God.
Well, notice a couple of details about it if you're taking notes. First, That the tabernacle is the place of God's holy presence in the midst of his people. That word holy is used in Exodus 26 through 40 48 times. There's a reason why. God repeats himself to emphasize, this is what it's about.
But the holiness of the sanctuary, the tabernacle, is not found in itself. It's not in the curtains, not in the colors, not in the materials, but it's found in God himself. Notice again verse number eight, where he commands Moses, the Lord does, let them make me a sanctuary, a holy place. Notice why, that I may dwell. In their midst.
Not that the tabernacle was this glorious, beautiful thing to look at and gaze upon. But that He, the Holy God, would dwell amongst his people. The tabernacle itself isn't holy. It's the Lord who fills it. Apart from the Lord, then the tabernacle was merely just a tent.
It was like the lifeless clay that God took from the ground and he formed it into the shape of a man. It was nothing apart from his breath of life. given to that thing which became a living soul, became Adam. The tabernacle then was just a tent. But when the Lord entered it, it was a holy place, it was a sanctuary.
Notice also that the placements of the tabernacle amongst the camp and amongst all of the Israelites teaches us, as it taught them, about holiness. Their whole existence was in concentric circles of holiness. Outside the camp, Was the unholy world. That's where the Gentiles lived. That's where the ungodly Egyptians lived.
That's where the Canaanites live.
So the first large concentric circle. The place of unholiness inside the camp, of course, was the holy people. And even farther in. There is the tabernacle. And around it, there's this great curtain, which separates it from the people, even more holiness.
Inside that great curtain that surrounds the tabernacle is the tabernacle itself. And then the tabernacle itself has two rooms: a holy place, and then the most holy place, the Holy of Holies.
So, as you've got from the outside all the way to the inside, you're coming closer and closer in a more intense way to holiness and the holiness of God, as well as the materials that were used to make. The tabernacle. Are in ever concentric circles of increasing worth and preciousness and thus holiness. The materials are meant to communicate that. The tabernacle complex was enclosed by an unadorned screen, this large white curtain, made of fine twined linen, as Exodus 26.
Verse 36 says, It has a qualification that says that it was embroidered with needlework. That's a term that's used in Hebrew to signify something that is less intricate. than the inner curtain that separate the Holy of Holies from the holy plates. As well, the courtyard itself had furniture like the bronze altar, and it had wood poles. materials that are less precious than gold and pure gold.
The tabernacle had four layers of curtains on it. Are they outermost? Curtain was made of something like goat skin. Scholars aren't quite sure what exactly the term means, something like a goat skin. And then as you get closer into the tabernacle, there's ram's skin, goat's hair, and then finally linen.
And that innermost layer, as you would enter into the tabernacle, that linen. Was made of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, not just bland colors, not animal skins. And on the inside of those curtains would be skillfully woven cherubim, angels, as if they were flying amongst heaven itself in the presence of God. The clasps that held those curtains together inside the tabernacle were made of gold. The frame of the tabernacle, the bars that ran along the walls to give it stability, were made of.
wood overlaid with gold. The base of the tabernacle was a series of blocks made of Silver. We also have the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place. Made of fine twined linen, cherubim, skillfully worked into it. It's called elsewhere in Leviticus 4, the veil of the sanctuary, because it walled off the holy place, the most holy place.
where the ark of the covenant was kept. And finally, the Holy of Holies itself. has that little box, the arc. Not just overlaid with gold, but overlaid with gold inside and outside, the whole thing. Holy.
All of this was meant to teach this holy people, Israel, that the Lord their God was holy. And that they too were to worship him in the beauty of his holiness, and that they too were to be holy as he was holy. As one of my teachers once said, theology must become biography. It's not just about God. It's about...
The people themselves must represent and reflect. They're God. This is true for us. When we assemble for worship together in the new covenant, we worship, whether you understand or. Believe it.
You worship in heaven. We go to a heavenly and to a holy tabernacle for worship. Hebrews 12 tells us this in verses 28 and 29. Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken. Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence.
And with awe, where do we do that? We do that by faith. In heaven itself. And our lives are to reflect the holiness of God. The New Testament, no less than the Old Testament, tells us to strive for holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
The New Testament, no less than the Old Testament, tells us to be holy in all of our conduct. Be holy as the Lord your God is holy. That's not just Leviticus, that's 1 Peter chapter 1. And so the tabernacle communicated holiness: the holiness of God, the holiness of worship, the holiness of the people, by all the various aspects of it, how it was placed, the materials that it. was made from.
But how can a sinful people relate to a holy god. How Would this great God, this king of heaven, ever... enter into a relationship with people that have sinned against him in thought, word, and deed. The tabernacle, secondly, is also given to the Israelites the picture to us as well of the helpfulness. of God himself, not just holiness, but his helpfulness.
Not just to exhibit his holiness and the need to be holy as he is holy, but the means by which the Father gives to his son.
some help to enter his presence and to relate. to the Lord. 35 times in the book of Exodus, the structure is called a tent of meeting because it's meant to be a place where God meets with his people face to face. As with friends. Later on in Exodus 29, verse 42, speaking of what were called the morning and evening sacrifices, the Lord told Moses the reason for these sacrifices was that there he would meet with them and to speak with you there in the tabernacle.
The Lord wanted to give help. to his sinful child. to bring his sinful child into a relationship with him. to know him.
Well, how exactly was the tabernacle? Helpful. It provides a tangible place for Israel to relate to their God through sacrifices. and through prayers. In other words, think about the tabernacle.
in terms of the Garden of Eden. The tabernacle was meant to recreate something of the relationship that existed before. The fall of Adam and Eve into sin, it was meant to recreate that relationship of love and fellowship and harmony. between God and his people. And so God wanted to bring his people, to re-bring them back into that original peace and fellowship.
That's why John Calvin, in one of his comments on the tabernacle, says that the Lord desired to testify the presence of his grace. and help. By a visible symbol, the tabernacle, a symbol of help. that God gave. It's also meant to be a help because In the tabernacle, God graciously condescends.
to his people. Think about There they are, they're in this great camp. Where are the Israelites living? They're living in their own personal tents, aren't they? They're all living in tents.
They're wandering through the wilderness. They pick up their tents and they wander. They pitch their tents and they stay. The tabernacle is meant to show them and us. that the Lord condescends so low that He Himself like them.
comes alongside of them in a tent. One writer, Gerhardus Voss, wrote that the tabernacle satisfied God's desire to have a mutual identification of lot. between himself and them. Think about that. They lived in tents, and here's the eternal God of the universe who now dwells next to them in his own tents.
to show them some identification between he and they. The God of the universe becomes a pilgrim. alongside his people. In the desert. Just like the Lord with Jacob and his dream of the staircase that reached from heaven down to earth in Genesis chapter 28, verse 13.
Where we read this, that, and behold, the Lord stood above it, that is, this great staircase. And all of our English translations say above it. That staircase. Yet, there are some Bibles that give a marginal note that say it can be translated, the Lord stood beside him. In fact, the phrase that's used there for above it or beside him.
Is used elsewhere in the book of Genesis as well as the book of Exodus to speak of an intimate closeness of being beside someone. And because the Lord was beside Jacob, That's why Jacob could exclaim, surely the Lord is in this place. Because the Lord came and stood next to him and comforted him with his promise, I am with you. And will keep you wherever you go and bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you. That's Genesis 28, verse 15.
It's not just that the Lord was above. But the Lord was right next to Jacob. In the same way, the tabernacle was meant to show the Israelites the Lord's help. just next to his children. The tabernacle proclaims to us that God is near to us and available to us.
But the New Testament tells us that This God has become incarnated. He's taken on human flesh. And he's even more so now present to help us. in our time of need. Hebrews chapter 2, if you want to turn there with me, Hebrews 2 says this about Jesus Christ, who himself is the The perfection, the fullness.
The human form of the tabernacle, Hebrews 2, verse 17 and 18. Therefore he that is Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every respect.
so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help. Those who are being Tempted. But I'm a sinner.
Who am I? to have any help. From the Lord. I have too many sins. You don't know what's running through my mind.
What is your sin, Christian? Whatever that sin is, the Lord has made a promise that He's present in Jesus Christ. And he's present to save, he's present to help, and he tells us to cry out to him, to call out upon him. And if we do so and we come to him, we with confidence can draw near to the throne of grace and ask for mercy and help. in our time of need.
So go to God and Trust in him. Through prayer. But finally, I want to say something else about this tabernacle. That it is a place of holiness as well as helpfulness, but it's also, as I've already alluded to, a place of heavenliness. Place of heavenliness.
Back to Hebrews chapter 9, if you recall that, the tabernacle taught the people about heaven. The realities of heaven had come down. in the earthly place. of worship. I can imagine this big camp out.
in the desert. All kinds of tents pitched, all the families and tribes, and every single individual Israelite living in a tent. And there they look to the center of the camp as the Israelites surrounded that great camp. And they came, as they would walk and weave through those tents, they would come to that big curtain that surrounded the courtyard. And as they went into that curtain, they came to the courtyard itself, they would see there.
The tent of God Himself. And maybe the wind might have blown that great veil open a bit, or maybe they saw a priest go in and out and got just a small glimpse of the glory and the color and the beauty that was inside. They were seeing heaven. They were symbolically, as they would go from their own tents to God's, they were moving from earth to heaven. They were going from this world to the world that is to come.
It was meant to picture them. Heaven itself, and our passage emphasizes that heavenliness when it says that God Tells the people to build it exactly as I show you concerning the pattern. Four times we're told this in Exodus. Exodus 25 and 6 and 7, four times we're told that Moses was to build the tabernacle exactly, precisely as I have shown you, the pattern in heaven itself. And this narrative goes on to emphasize that The tabernacle, as it was constructed and as it was pitched, it.
Had its rear to the west. It was literally seaward, as chapter 26, verse 22 says, seaward towards. The Mediterranean Sea, its opening then was facing the east, facing the sun. As an Israelite, as you would have approached the screen, the courtyard. You would have been moving from east to west.
If you lived on the other side, you would come around and you would go from the east where the veil was, and you would enter in and go from east towards west.
Well, why is that important? It's important because in the garden, where does the Lord send Adam after the fall? He sends him east, and he puts a cherubim with a flaming sword at the east gate of the garden to bar Adam from access to that holy place. You see, then the tabernacle was meant to portray to the Israelites that they were having access again. They could go from east of Eden wandering aimlessly like vagabonds, but now they can enter in going west.
Towards the Holy of Holies. in the person of their high priest.
Well, this crayon drawing then. of the tabernacle testified to the souls of believing Israelites. that the Holy God would one day come and dwell in the midst of sinners to help. than by removing their sins. and bringing them into his heavenly presence.
The tabernacle was God's crayon drawing to his people back then. They had a courtyard. They had sacrificed at the bronze altar. They were cleansed in the bronze labor. They needed a priest to go into the holy place.
to offer incense. To eat the breads? and to Holy of Holies, to have a holy high priest go once a year to offer a great sacrifice. That crane drawing Is no longer with us. We have the reality of it.
We have Jesus Christ. Again, Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Tabernacles. made his dwelling, John 1.14, among us. God in those days represented that relationship in a crayon way, but now we have it in living color.
In the person of Jesus Christ, we can now enter beyond that courtyard, we can go past the bronze altar, we can go past the basin for washing, we can go into the holy place, we can go into the very holy of holies. Why? Because, as Matthew tells us, when Jesus Christ was crucified for us upon the cross, There was one great event that happened, the veil of the temple. Was torn into and access was given. We have that access.
By faith, we can go into that presence. A holy presence, a helpful presence. into heavenly presence and to know this wonderful God in Jesus Christ. What a wonderful truth from Daniel Hyde today: that this crayon drawing of the tabernacle testified to the souls of believing Israelites that the Holy God would one day come and dwell in the midst of sinners to help them. By removing their sins and bringing them into His holy presence.
I'm glad you're with us today for Renewing Your Mind. And I trust you've been helped this week as we've looked back to the Old Testament. cleared up some of the confusion surrounding the tabernacle, and demonstrated why it's a valuable exercise for believers today to take the time to study our family history in the Old Testament and the details of the tabernacle. If you would like to hear or watch the remaining ten messages in this series, God in Our Midst with doctor Hyde, we'll send you the entire series on D V D and will unlock the messages and the study guide in the Ligonier app. when you give a donation at renewingyourmind.org, or when you call us at 800-435-4343.
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to respond before midnight tonight. At renewingyourmind.org or by using the link in the podcast show notes, and this tabernacle resource bundle will be heading your way. Thank you. It's a short book in the New Testament. It contains less than 500 Greek words.
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