Boring or Beautiful? The Tabernacle Blueprints

Mar 29

Boring or Beautiful is a series of articles that explores how the seemingly tedious or tangential parts of the Bible showcase the wonder and work of God.

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The book of Exodus starts as a real page-turner.

Moses is plucked from deadly waters. Then he’s on the run from Pharaoh. At the burning bush, he meets God and learns his destiny. Finally, he returns to the belly of the beast to break Israel out of Egypt’s clutches.

With such a high-octane beginning, it feels a bit anticlimactic when, in chapters 25-30 and 36-39, the action is interrupted by tabernacle blueprints. God meticulously outlines the materials, dimensions, and layout of Israel’s worship tent.

As a reader, it takes some serious slogging to get through all that talk of cubits, yarn, linen, gold, curtains, frames, crossbars, beams, clasps, altars…

You’re already fading, aren’t you?

When you’re tempted to skim or skip over a section of scripture, boredom whispers: “There’s nothing of value here. Move on. Nothing to see. Who has time for this? Skip to the good stuff.”

Perhaps you feel guilty for losing interest一like you’re not spiritual or knowledgeable enough. But take heart: every reader of the Bible wrestles with distraction, boredom, and confusion. Rather than self-condemnation, turn to curiosity.

Get Curious

Scripture is never incidental or unintentional. Ancient writing was a costly endeavor, thus any extended or detailed account is put there for a reason. So ask questions like:

Why are these tabernacle blueprints in the Bible?
What would be lost in the storyline if they were taken out?
What happens right before and after these instructions that helps explain why they’re here?
What do they reveal about God?
What do they reveal about humanity?

These measurements and materials are not a deviation from the story一they’re part of the story in the following ways:

#1 - The tabernacle is anti-idol training.

Take heart: every reader of the Bible wrestles with distraction, boredom, and confusion.

When Israel receives these tabernacle building plans, they’ve just emerged from 430 years of slavery in idol-saturated Egypt. Religious osmosis is real: idolatry has seeped into their bones, as the golden calf incident makes plain.

Furthermore, Israel is heading to Canaan, the Promised Land, a minefield of idols.

So in the rear view, Israel sees idolatry. Ahead of them, idolatry. Flanked by pagan worship, God needs to recalibrate their faith一to remind them who he is.

One way God teaches them about himself is through the actual design and layout of the tabernacle, especially the inner chamber called the Holy of Holies. Only Aaron the priest may enter, and even then, at his own risk (Ex. 28:34-35).

The tabernacle’s layout implicitly shows that Yahweh is unlike all other gods. He cannot be mimicked by earthen materials. He cannot be touched or seen (at least, not directly). The Holy of Holies is a physical barrier that keeps God’s presence from being trivialized.

#2 - The tabernacle is a light to the nations.

From the beginning, God’s goal with Israel was to bless the nations: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:3)

While the tabernacle reveals God to his people, it also reveals him to all people. This tiny tent allows the watching world to observe God’s people worshiping, and therefore to learn what he’s like.

God’s goal with Israel was to bless the nations.

Elsewhere in the Old Testament, we catch glimpses that Gentiles not only observed the proper worship of Yahweh, but they participated as well (Lev. 17:8-9, Num. 15:14-16). Centuries later when the temple was built, it included a court for Gentiles.

Hence Jesus said of the temple: “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? (Matt. 21:13)

Like the warmth of a flickering fire on a cold winter night, tabernacle worship attracted Gentile worshippers who, upon seeing God’s glory and feeling the warmth of his love, put their faith in him.

#3 - The tabernacle reunites heaven and earth.

Still, weary readers may ask: Why is there so much detail when it comes to the tabernacle blueprints? Do we really need the fine print?

Yes, we do. God is scrupulous because this tent is wondrous一a picture of heaven. More accurately, it’s a place where heaven and earth come together.

The tabernacle is Eden “remixed.”

In Eden, in the beginning, heaven and earth overlapped, but sin drove humanity from God’s presence. Heaven and earth were ripped apart into two separate spheres. The tabernacle is God mending that tear. It’s him bringing beginning heaven and earth back together, as it was in Eden. This tent is God’s way to dwell with his people again.

This is where the mind-numbing minutiae of the tabernacle’s construction really come to life. Many of the tiniest details point to specific aspects of Eden. We could go nuts with parallels, but here’s a few:

Cherubim are featured throughout the tabernacle, especially to guard the ways into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies (Ex. 25:18-22, 26:1, 31-34). Similarly, cherubim guarded the way to God’s presence in Eden (Gen. 3:24).
Gold and precious gems are featured in the tabernacle, just as they were present in Eden.
The shape of the lampstand represents the tree of life in Eden.
The fire on the lampstand symbolizes the lights (sun, moon, planets) of God’s original creation.

The tabernacle is “Eden remixed.” It’s a tangible sign that God is restoring a sin-torn world back to paradise.

#4: The tabernacle provides a (temporary) solution for sin.

While the tabernacle reveals good news (God desires to dwell with his people), it also highlights bad news: sin still separates the people from their God. How can a holy God dwell with unholy people?

The tabernacle is a place of atonement through sacrifice. By offering an animal on the altar, or when the high priest sprinkled blood on the ark of the covenant, payment was made for Israel’s sin (Lev. 16).

These bloody realities make modern people uncomfortable, however, as followers of Christ, we too are saved, purchased, cleansed, and redeemed by the blood of our Lamb.

The tabernacle was a bridge to carry God’s people from the despair of Eden to a better, more permanent solution for sin …

#5 - The tabernacle points to Jesus, Immanuel, “God with us”

The tabernacle points to Jesus in several key ways.

First, the tabernacle is part of the exodus story, which is the paradigmatic example of God’s salvation in scripture. Biblical authors frequently point back to that climactic rescue as a reminder of God’s faithfulness. Every year, Israel rehearsed the story of the Exodus through the Passover celebration. As they celebrated, they weren’t merely rehashing ancient history, but inserted themselves into the story. This was their story.

Jesus’ exodus

Thus, it’s no surprise that Jesus explains his life, mission, and ministry within the context of the Exodus. In Luke 9:31, Jesus describes his coming crucifixion as his “exodus.” Just as God saved his people from Pharaoh centuries before, he would now save them once and for all from Satan, sin, and death.

Jesus as the tabernacle

It’s no surprise that Jesus explains his life, mission, and ministry within the context of the Exodus.

Scripture also identifies Jesus as the new tabernacle: the place where God dwells with his people. John 1 says that when Jesus walked the earth, he made his dwelling一literally the word “tabernacle”一among us. The tabernacle made God’s presence generally available, though the Holy of Holies was accessible to a select few.

But in Christ, God’s presence is seeable, touchable, audible. God becomes human. As Eugene Peterson has famously said: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

Jesus as the substance

Hebrews 10:1-4 calls the tabernacle a “shadow of the good things to come,” which shows that the sacrifices for sin offered there served an important purpose, but were a preview of the ultimate forgiveness of Christ.

“It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” A perfect Lamb is needed. In the fullness of time, the Lamb arrived, and willingly laid down his spotless life once for all.

Tedious Love

On the surface, the tedious tabernacle instructions make our eyes glaze over. Upon closer inspection, they help us gaze at the radical intentionality of God’s love.

Love is meticulous, not careless. The more you care about someone, the more intentional you are to provide for their well-being. God’s specificity reflects his generosity. He made a way for the exodus generation to dwell with him, have their sins covered, and detach from life-stealing idolatry.

Ultimately, he has sent his Son into the world, so that God himself might not only dwell among us, but in us, for his glory and our good.

Will Anderson