Exodus 36-38: The Construction of the Tabernacle

"And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of

Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary." Exodus 36:3a

This morning we arrive at some of those so-called "boring" chapters in scripture that we find between the Exodus and Deuteronomy. These chapters, most of which describe what we call the law of God, are often filled with drudgery when they are read by the common Christian. And although I will admit that they may not be as entertaining as other portions of scripture, let us realize that they are just as much God's truth as the rest of the words of scripture. Thus, we must read them, because believe it or not, we need these truths just as much as we need Paul's words in Romans.

In Genesis 36-38, we find a long discourse on the report of the building of the tabernacle. We've already heard long discourses on how it was supposed to be built, but not we get a few chapters on how that building came about. As we dive into the pages, we find that God ordained and qualified two men named Bezalel and Oholiab [Please don't name your kid either of those two names.] to construct most of the artistic parts of the tabernacle, and they thus called for donations from the people to contribute to the tabernacle's materials. The people donate their valuables, and the construction gets going, which Moses (the author of Exodus) describes in great detail. He starts by describing the building of the Ark, but then moves on to telling about the Table, the Lampstand, the Altar of Incense, the Altar of Burnt Offering, the Bronze Basin, and the Court [Are you still awake?]. He then concludes in chapter 38 by giving some final tallies about how much gold and valuable materials were used in the construction of the tabernacle. Fun fact: the tabernacle was built with 75 pounds of goal, which is worth $1,883,196 in American dollars!

Yet, what does all of this tabernacle construction tell us about God? How can all of this crazy architectural talk apply to our lives today? Well, surely it can as we consider the following two truths.

Firstly, the construction of the tabernacle was the next stage of God's redemption plan. We've touched on this already, but it's important, so we're going to touch on it again. The building of God's tabernacle was a way for his presence to be amidst a sinful people. From this, we see the heart of God: that he is a God who desires to dwell amidst his people (remember: tabernacle literally means "dwelling place").

Secondly, the construction of the tabernacle shows us that God must be approached in his own terms. Note that the plan for the tabernacle was not composed by man, but by God alone. Although God empowered men to do the actual building work, he was the one that laid out all of the dimensions and details for the tabernacle. There are many Christians today that proclaim that we can come to God "just as we are." According to Exodus 36-38, this isn't true, because these chapters tell us that there is a much, much higher standard for entering into the presence of God. The only way that God could be approached in the Old Testament was by a priest who was perfected and washed as he went into a holy tabernacle that was built just as God designed. However, let me point out that I am not fully against the saying "come as you are," because it is true that because of Christ, we can approach God even amidst our sin because Jesus has paid the price for us. However, we must realize that the only way that we can come to God "just as we are" is because Jesus fulfilled the perfections of the tabernacle for us so that we can approach God "by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh" (Hebrews 11:20). In other words, we can come to God "just as we are," but this is only through the blood of Christ, and apart from this truth, the saying "come just as you are" has no meaning. Furthermore, let's point out that this is not an excuse to come to Jesus and continue to sin; this saying ought to point us to the fact that we can come to Jesus with our sin that we might turn from it. There is no point in "coming to God just as you are" if you don't repent from your sin. By the blood of Christ, you are allowed into his presence even as a wretched sinner, but we all grieve the grace of God when we hold onto our sin. In other words, it is utterly pointless to "come just as you are" if you "leave just as you were."

I hope that makes sense, and I do realize that this devotional did turn into a mini-rant about a common Christian cliche that I have my reservations about. Nevertheless, let the point be clear: God has high standards for entering into his presence, and it is only through Christ that they are fulfilled. And because of God's grace, God allows us to enter into his presence as Christ's righteousness is accredited to our account. Praise the Lord! That we no longer have to have a priest go to the tabernacle for us, for we are the temple of the living God, that is, by the blood of Christ (1 Cor. 3:16).