Exodus
25 – 28
Verse 25:8 gives the use for the offerings described in the
previous verses:
Direct
them to build a holy sanctuary in My honor so that I can dwell among
them.
As we get into building a moveable
sanctuary for God we need to think of what Jesus did for us. That is a very
important aspect to understanding what He did for us. I am still not sure I
understand why an omnipresent God needed a special place to hang out and
interface with the people.
Verse 25:10 describes the size of the
covenant chest:
I want them to
build a covenant chest made from acacia wood. It should be 45 inches
long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.
For some reason I always imagined it
larger. I often wonder what ever happened to it, if it is lost in some
warehouse or just has been lost to rot and decay. What would the world be like
if it was found again? But we have to read more to see its power;-)
Verse 26:33 is a critical piece of the
temple to understand the significance of Jesus:
suspended beneath
the clasps that hold together the curtains; and place the covenant
chest, which holds the sacred tablets, behind the veil. The veil will
separate the two rooms and serve to divide the holy place from the most holy
place.
See the veil is critical when you go to
Jesus’ death on the cross. This veil was torn, not from the bottom up, but from
the top down opening the Most Holy Place to all. The Israelites were looking
for a triumphant leader to free them from Rome at that time, not to free them
from the Law and sin!! The theological discussion could go on for days on this
subject, but look at the importance of each level and how fewer and fewer can
get in as the significance goes up.
One thing I don’t like about the sanctuary
and the temple is how God is being put into a box. God is so much bigger than a
Most Holy Place that even if that was the point of interface to His realm it
seems to narrow God.