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• LESSON 4 (January 25) • “Let Them Make Me a Sanctuary” Exodus documents the deliverance of the descendants of Abraham from Egyptian bondage after four hundred years of affliction (Acts 7:6). In Exodus 14 the LORD makes a dry path available through the Red Sea. In Exodus 15 he makes bitter water sweet. In Exodus 16 he rains bread from heaven. In Exodus 17 he makes water flow from a rock. In Exodus 19 he descends in fire on Mount Sinai. In Exodus 20-23 he delivers the Ten Commandments, followed by a variety of laws outlining his expectations for the conduct of his chosen people. In Exodus 23 he promises a successful conquest of Canaan. In Exodus 24 he confirms his covenant with the nation of Israel. And in Exodus 25 he says something spectacular.The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” (25:1-9) The LORD is more than capable of making a glorious sanctuary miraculously appear out of thin air. Why do you think he used a contribution “from every man whose heart moved him”? The tabernacle will be described in a variety of different ways throughout Exodus. What are each of these descriptions communicating? “A sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (25:8) - “The tent” (26:36) - “The tent of meeting” (29:42) - “The tabernacle of the testimony” (38:21) In one way or another, 50 chapters of the Bible touch on the blueprint, construction, or service of the tabernacle. Nothing was left to Moses’ imagination or the speculation of the people. The LORD revealed exactly what he wanted, down to the most minute of details. Why was it so important that the people make the tabernacle “exactly as I show you concerning the pattern” (Exo 25:9, 40; Num 8:4; Acts 7:44; Heb 8:5)? If there was one word to describe what the LORD intended for the tabernacle’s atmosphere, surely it would be “holy.” What does “holy” mean? How does Exodus 29:42-45 serve as a good summary of God’s expectation of holiness? Using Exodus 40:34-37, describe in your own words what happened once the tabernacle was constructed and erected.In Leviticus 26:11-12, the LORD said, “I will make my dwelling” (literally tabernacle in Hebrew) “among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” What should we make of Paul’s quoting that text in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18? POINTS TO PONDER: Hebrews 8:1-6 describes the tabernacle and its system of priests as “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” while ultimately drawing attention to Jesus as “a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” When John saw “a new heaven and a new earth” in Revelation 21:1-4, he heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place” (or tabernacle) “of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ”CLOSING THOUGHT: For almost 500 years the tabernacle served as a place for God to dwell in the midst of his people and his people to render service and offer sacrifice to him.