Page 59 - Pentateuch

Even a priest could not approach God on his own merits. After he had dressed appropriately, he had to
make a sacrifice. A bull was slaughtered at the front of the tent in the presence of God. Its blood was placed
on the horns of the altar. Two rams were part of the ceremony. The priests would lay their hands on a
ram’s head, symbolizing the transference of their sins to the animal. One was slaughtered, and its blood
was sprinkled on the altar. The blood of the second was applied to the priests. Other sacrifices rounded out
the consecration of the priests in a seven-day ritual. (Ch. 29)

When all was said and done, the tabernacle was set up and inspected by Moses (39:32-40:33); we should
not think of this as a grand structure. “Tent” is not a bad descriptive word. While some of the materials
were costly in human terms, the whole was not designed to impress. Placed against the background of the
mountains in Sinai and the dusty desert floor, the tent would not fill someone with awe. In the minds of the
Israelites, fresh from Egypt with its huge pyramids, some of which they had worked on, the tent would not
fill someone with awe. The furniture was not unusual, nor was it somehow more beautiful than that used in
Egypt or by other nations. In fact, the whole production was fairly plain, not worth comparing to some of
the houses of wealthy people in Egypt. Small it was.

What is the big deal? YHWH entered the tabernacle! “Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because
the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (40:34).” For the years Israel
would be in the wilderness, God’s presence was with them, guiding all their travels. No amount of gold or
big buildings or fancy cloth-work could compare to him. YHWH’s design from the beginning was to attract
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followers to Himself, not to the trappings of religion.

Let’s Practice…

1. Why did Israel choose to worship a calf?

2. How many people were killed by the Levites as punishment for worshiping the calf?

3. What characteristic of God “allowed” him to travel with sinful Israel?

4. How did God communicate this characteristic to Moses?

5. Who made donations to build the tabernacle?

6. What is the relationship of the tabernacle to heaven?

7. What is the most important piece of furniture in the tabernacle?

73 The picture is of a model of the tabernacle in Timna Park, Israel. It is copied from Wikimedia Commons, “a
freely licensed media file.”
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