Exodus 25:8-9

THE ORDER TO CONSTRUCT THE TABERNACLE

"And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it."

"Even so shall ye make it ..." No deviation whatever was to be allowed. Even all of the furniture was to be constructed according to Divine law, the size of each item, the height of each article, the materials out of which it was to be constructed, the form of the decorations, the placement of it in the sacred structure, everything was to be made "according to the pattern" that God Himself gave to Moses.

"That I may dwell among them ..." Even here, the idea is not that Almighty God would dwell in that elaborate tent, but "among them," that is, among the children of Israel. The construction of this tabernacle was necessary for several reasons:

1. It would be a rallying place where God's Word would be proclaimed.

2. It would serve as a physical reminder of God's presence among the people.

3. It was the place where God recorded his name, the place where he would meet with them and bless them (Exodus 20:24).

4. It was a singularly impressive "figure" of the ultimate spiritual realities to be achieved in "the kingdom of God," the church of Jesus Christ, and therefore a witness at one and the same time to both Israels, the Old, and the New.

The surprise comes in the next verse (Exodus 25:10), where we should have expected. to receive the layout for the tabernacle, its dimensions, how long, how big, how high, what compartments, etc., but nothing like that was even mentioned in this context. Before a single word was given regarding the actual construction of the tabernacle, the detailed instructions for the furniture were supplied.

Why this priority for the furniture? The answer lies in the eternal realities represented by that furniture. The Ark was a symbol of God's law, the Mercy-Seat a symbol of his mercy, the Altar of Incense a symbol of prayer, the Table of Showbread a symbol of God's providence, and the Candlestick a symbol of light from the Word of God, etc. All of these things antedated all religious institutions, even Judaism, and therefore they come first in this sequence of God's instructions.